* Click here to sign up to free news and sport email alerts from Rothwell Today.

* Click here for latest news in Rothwell, Oulton & Woodlesford.

Medieval Rothwell

Early Settlement
Although there are traces of Iron Age and Roman activity in the area, the settlement we now know as Rothwell probably came into existence during the Anglo-Saxon period. Scholars have argued over just what the place name means but modern opinion is that it is derived from two Old English (the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons) words meaning 'the well by the clearing'.

This would suggest that the incoming Anglo-Saxon settlers were making new fields out of the woodland rather than occupying land previously farmed by someone else. Dating this settlement is difficult but it could have been as early as the 7th century AD.

Domesday Rothwell
The first surviving mention of Rothwell by name comes in the great Domesday Survey compiled for William the Conqueror in 1086. Before the Conquest, Rothwell was divided into four separate manors, each in the hands of different people. After the Conquest they were all given to Ilbert de Lacy as part of a vast collection of northern estates which were known collectively as the Honour of Pontefract. One of the four earlier manors may have stood on the site of 'Rothwell Castle' (more properly Rothwell Manor House). If this is so, All Saints' church may have developed as an estate chapel belonging to the Anglo-Saxon manor house. Although there is no mention of a church in Domesday there are a couple of fragments of what may be 11th-century stone sculpture in the present church. This could also imply the existence of an earlier chapel or church on the same site.

Rothwell in the 11th century cannot have been large although it did posses a watermill. The inhabitants are listed as 16 villagers and 1 smallholder. However these people would just be the heads of families, from whom William could expect to derive an income. If we allow for the size of their families, the population of Rothwell in 1086 may have been three or four times larger than the figures would suggest at first sight.

Before the Norman Conquest the manor was worth £8. In 1086 it was worth 65 shillings (£3.25). This collapse in the value of the manor is seen in many of the settlements around Leeds. It may reflect the effects of what later became know as the Harrying of the North' – a series of punitive 'slash and burn' raids which the Normans undertook to put down rebellion in the North of England.

Rothwell Manor
Rothwell was to rise in importance during the Middle Ages and by the early 1300s it had become the regional administrative centre for this part of the Honour of Pontefract. Several documents survive from this period and are now kept in the Public Record Office in London. They enable us to get some idea of the sort of buildings which once stood on the site even if their exact locations are not known. Amongst other things the records mention a hall, a solar (private chambers), a chapel, a kitchen, barns and a stable. Perhaps the most tantalizing reference is to a hall on a 'mound'. This has given rise to the speculation that there was once a full scale castle at Rothwell. This seems unlikely but there is no doubt that the site of the manor would have been protected by a perimeter ditch and a palisade fence to keep intruders out. It would not however have been able to stand attack by a properly equipped military force. The only part of these buildings now standing above ground level is a single stack of masonry which may have formed one corner of the chapel. However a recent geophysical survey by Archaeological Services WYAS has revealed the existence of several buried features which may be the remains of wall foundations.

Rothwell Haigh
The Normans developed the Northern part of the township as a hunting park. This is reflected in the modern name of Rothwell Haigh. The latter part of the name comes from an Old English word haga meaning an enclosure – in this case the great ditch and palisade around the park which would have kept poachers out and the deer in. The sport to be found in the Haigh attracted the attention of several medieval monarchs. John, Edward II, Edward III and Henry IV all stayed in Rothwell.

However, there was also a business side to the Haigh. It was used for the growing of timber. In 133/4, for example, the Haigh provided timber for the King's Mill in Leeds (which lies under Sovereign Street).

Holy Trinity Church
The current parish church may have had its origins in an Anglo-Saxon establishment, but much of what can be seen today is a Victorian rebuild of a medieval church. Like many other local churches Rothwell was 'improved' on several occasions during the 1800s. The final result does however give a good impression of what the church may have looked like in around 1500. Only the tower contains much original work. It is typical of many local church towers constructed towards the end of the 15th century. They are all built to a similar pattern. All have three storeys. There is a large window at the bottom to allow light into the body of the church. Above this is the bell ringing chamber and above that are the bells in their frames. What appear to be windows in the third story are in fact louvered opening to allow the sound of the bells out. The whole edifice is topped off with battlements. Such towers reflect, not only the piety of the parishioners, but also the growing prosperity of what was later to become known as the Heavy Woollen District of Yorkshire.
It is in the late 1400s that the woollen trade begins to move to West Yorkshire from towns further to the east to exploit cheaper labour and to escape from restrictive practices elsewhere. Some of the profit from this industry was redirected into the repair and enlargement of many of the region's churches. Other local examples can be found at Barwick, Swillington and Whitkirk.

The Manor House
Despite the prosperity of the settlement itself, the manor seems to have lost its popularity with the monarchy. By the 1480s the property was in a ruinous condition and Henry VII granted it to Roger Hopton on the condition that he built a new house. Parts of this house survived as an element of Manor Farm until the 1970s when the structure was taken down and detailed recordings made of the timber framework. However, the site is still one of national importance and has been scheduled as an Ancient Monument to give it a measure of legal protection.


* There's lot more information about local places on the WYAAS website at www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk
Have a look today. You never know what you might find.