East Hardwick

Not to be confused with East Hardwick, Vermont.

East Hardwick
Village Hall
East Hardwick is located in West Yorkshire
East Hardwick
East Hardwick
Location within West Yorkshire
Population173 (2011 census)[1]
Civil parish
  • East Hardwick
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPONTEFRACT
Postcode districtWF8
Dialling code01977
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°39′40″N 1°18′02″W / 53.661085°N 1.300682°W / 53.661085; -1.300682

East Hardwick is a village and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 191,[2] reducing to 173 at the 2011 Census.[1] Until 1974 it was part of Osgoldcross Rural District.

History

The name 'East Hardwick' has its origins in Old English. The 'East' distinguishes it from West Hardwick, and 'Hardwick' comes from the Old English phrase heorde-wīc, meaning a herd farm or a farm for livestock.[3] It adjoins the line of the Roman Great North Road now linking Pontefract to the North with the A1 and Doncaster in the south.[4]

The Domesday Book does not record the village, but documents from 1120 refer to a Herdwica, and in 1296 as Herdwyk. The name means herd farm, an area used for livestock instead of arable farming. The version spelled as East Hardwick first appeared in 1424.[5]

The township, later civil parish of East Hardwick, lies in the ecclesiastical parish of Pontefract.[6] It became an independent parish in 1871 and its church record dates from 1874.[7] It is 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Pontefract, and 9.5 miles (15.3 km) east of Wakefield.[8]

The earliest map dates from 1800 when the open fields were being enclosed. Two farms: Manor Farm and Norman's farm extended over 150 acres and records show cattle farming as well as wheat, oats, barley, potatoes and pea production.[7]

In 1820, the Leeds to Barnsdale Bar turnpike opened through East Hardwick. This avoided traffic from Leeds having to travel through Garforth and Ferrybridge to get on the Great North Road going south. Tolls were collected until 1878.[9][10]

Today East Hardwick consists of three main areas: the Kennels, around Doncaster Road, the hamlet of Hundhill, and the main part of the village located along Darrington road, a small winding road leading to the what is known locally as 'the Moor'. The village is still based around farming, although it is now a mixed community of residents.[11]

The A639 road cuts through the western portion of the village, linking the settlement with Pontefract to the north and the A1 and Doncaster to the south-east.[12]

There is also a small church, St Stephen's, and a village hall.[13]

Governance

Until 1974 the village was part of Osgoldcross Rural District in the West Riding of Yorkshire.[14] It is now part of Wakefield Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire.[15] It is represented at Westminster as part of the Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford Constituency.[16]

Population of Darrington 1801–2011[17][18][2][1]
1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 1921 1931 1951 1961 2001 2011
81 96 139 149 152 213 282 228 193 155 150 167 185 184 152 191 173

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – East Hardwick Parish (E04000229)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – East Hardwick Parish (00DB007)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  3. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 219. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
  4. ^ Bothroyd, Benjamin (1807). The history of the ancient borough of Pontefract. Pontefract. p. 12. OCLC 1046036674.
  5. ^ Smith, A. H. (1986). The place-names of the West Riding of Yorkshire 2; Osgoldcross and Agbrigg Wapentakes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 72. OCLC 615109017.
  6. ^ "Genuki: ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY., Yorkshire (West Riding)". genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b Kelly, E. R., ed. (1881). Kelly's Directory of West Riding of Yorkshire, 1881. [Part 1: County Information & Places A-K]. London: Kelly's. p. 431. OCLC 1131686820.
  8. ^ "Genuki: In 1822, the following places were in the Parish of Pontefract:, Yorkshire (West Riding)". genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  9. ^ "About – East Hardwick Parish Council". easthardwickparishcouncil.org.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  10. ^ Thackray, Bill. "Barnsdale Turnpike – A639 – Methley Village". methley-village.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  11. ^ Spencer, John (1999). West Yorkshire. Wilmslow: Sigma Leisure. p. 36. ISBN 9781850586470.
  12. ^ The South & West Yorkshire village book. Newbury: Countryside Books. 1991. p. 79. ISBN 1853061360.
  13. ^ "Church Services | St Stephen's Church East Hardwick | West Yorkshire". ststephenseasthardwick.org.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Administrative unit Osgoldscross RD Local Government District". visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  15. ^ "East Hardwick on a map". getthedata.com. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Election Maps". ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023. On the left of the screen is the "Boundary" tab; click this and activate either civil parishes, metropolitan district wards, or Westminster Constituencies (or both), however, only two functions can be active at any one time.
  17. ^ Page, William, ed. (1907). The Victoria history of the county of York. vol 3. London: Constable & Co. p. 536. OCLC 500092527.
  18. ^ "Administrative unit East Hardwick AP/CP Parish-level Unit". visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.

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