The Fleet
There seems to have been only a small settlement at Scissett before Joseph Norton (1800-1874 pictured) built the back to back block of terraced houses, 28 in all, know as “The Fleet”, one side of which was Fleet Row and the other Stanhope Street. The name derived from a cascade constructed to speed up the flow of the River Dearne, to the south of the streets, in order to better feed the head goit at Marshall's Mill a little downstream. Joseph was one of the four sons of Benjamin Norton, a textile entrepreneur, whose sons all went on to found their own textile businesses.
Benjamin had started out by organising the delivery of materials to and collecting the finished material from a group of weavers working on their own looms in their own homes, then selling the product on and distributing some of the profit back to the weavers. Joseph adopted this method at first, but by building “The Fleet” in around 1830 he concentrated a group of weavers, all working for him, in one place. He also ensured their houses were better suited to the weaving process by making access to the third floor or garret, where the weaving took place, easier and lighter, and the roof higher to accommodate the “witch dobby”, a contraption which sat on top of the loom and allowed more complicated patterns, with rounded instead of only geometrical designs, to be woven. The homes were designed to allow families a more comfortable lifestyle than before, each with their own garden and fresh water well in the basement , their own pig sty, and a trapdoor to seal off the garret when weaving was in process to reduce some of the noise. Even these innovations were soon not enough, however, as the next advances in weaving allowing even fancier patterns - the Jacquard Loom and eventually steam driven power looms - required even bigger buildings, so that eventually weaving could only be done in a factory or mill.
Joseph Norton had married Jane Lee of Wheatley Hill Farm in 1822. Her father owned Highbridge Farm and Corn Mill with its attached scribbling and carding mill, but in December 1825 Joseph bought all of this from him, with the intention of becoming an independent textile manufacturer. Fancy waistcoats were very much in vogue at this time and almost all the weavers living in “The Fleet” were set to produce this fabric, as evidenced by a list of tenants and the goods being woven in February, 1832. Names of tenants were recorded at various intervals between 1840 and 1938 when the row was demolished, and together with census returns provide a clear picture of what was happening there.
Business was good at first and Joseph was able to build himself a fine
mansion, Nortonthorpe Hall, nearby (pictured), using the same plans as his brother George's Bagden Hall a mile or two away. In 1866 these two brothers amalgamated their adjacent mills, Highbridge and Cuttlehurst into one new mill, Nortonthorpe Mill. They wanted to change the name of Scissett to Nortonthorpe and that name was strung across the gable end of “The Fleet” nearest the main road, but in the end their bid wasn't successful.
In 1845 and 1846 two different railway companies proposed routes which would have cut through “The Fleet” but fortunately neither came to fruition.
Then in1896 the bottom suddenly fell out of the fancy waistcoat textile industry in the UK when President McKinley imposed tariffs on wool and silk imports into the USA. Other countries had caught up and even surpassed Britain in their ability to produce complex patterns too. For a while the Norton brothers had to partially close down their mills until they came up with an alternative solution, which was to change to pile fabric weaving. Scissett and Skelmanthorpe then became recognised as a centre for this branch of the industry.
After Joseph Norton's death his trustees eventually sold “The Fleet” at auction to Christopher Parkin of Wharncliffe Lodge, Wortley in 1891. Tenants ceased to be exclusively weavers and by this time rents had gone up from £4 4s 0d a year in 1840 to £5 4s 0d. Tenants who paid on time now were given a rabbit, intended to provide a meal, to hang outside their homes on rent collecting day so anyone could instantly see who had not paid.
After his death in 1916 Mr Parkin's family members, represented by Mr and Mrs Arthur Ownsworth, administered “The Fleet” until its demolition in 1938. The 1891 sale mentioned a butcher's shop and
slaughter house to be included in the sale near the cottages, whilst in 1916 the garden of no.1 Stanhope Street was being used as a tripe, fish and chip shop with a similar shop at no. 2 Fleet Street with a barber's shop at no. 1 where a butcher's used to be. By 1938 this had become the “taty oil” used for peeling potatoes. Gas was supplied to the houses from 1848 onwards and, after complaints that the well water was contaminated by the graveyard at St. Augustine's across the road, water piped in. Eight earth privies between the houses and the river were converted to w.c.s in 1905.
Fleet Row became a well used thoroughfare as the market place lay in front of it, the space being used for fairs and circuses (including Kelso's Travelling Theatre - see Denby Dale) and sports at times and as a meeting place at others. Although it was surrounded by open land to start with, other streets were then built to east and west and at least three public houses opened nearby.
There were both advantages and disadvantages to living here. Everyone knew everyone else and all of their business. It could be friendly or just the opposite. Bed bugs were a problem and so was drunkenness with so many public houses nearby. Coal shutes to enable coal to be sold from the Norton mine were erected near the river but these spoilt the view and the dust invaded the homes. Not enough renovation was carried out. However after the tenants were moved out before demolition in 1938 many of them felt life was never so good again and groups of them, particularly the menfolk, continued to return to their old meeting place at the end of the street to continue the friendships they had formed.
Scissett Public Houses
The photograph is of Scissett high street on 9th August 1902, Edward VII's coronation day, with its three suitably decorated public houses, the British Queen Inn, Queen's Head Inn and (sole survivor to the present day)The Crown Inn all in close proximity. Each have an interesting history.
The Queen's Head
This was the meeting place of the Conservative Working Men's Association. A group of Conservatives had held their annual dinner here in October 1867 attended by many influential people, including some of the largest employers in the area. Discussions after dinner led to the formation of the Association with Mr H.C. Dickenson as president and Sam Fitton as secretary, with a 24 member committee to serve the 8 townships composing the Scissett polling district. Subsequent meetings were held here and a room used for 8 to 10 weeks to prepare for the1869 elections. The pub became the subject of investigations after the South West Yorkshire election, though, as to whether Conservative candidates Stanhope and Starkey's agents had entertained voters here to secure their votes corruptly.
The British Queen Inn
This was the venue for a well attended exhibition by the Nortonthorpe Gooseberry Society in August 1865 and probably many others, but trouble was to follow. Accusations of serving after hours in 1908, although dismissed, were followed by refusal or at least hesitation about renewing the pub's licence in 1909 and 1916. There may well have been a problem with drunkenness too. In December 1911 miner Charles Coldreck pleaded guilty in court to stealing an overcoat, value 35 shillings, belonging to Ernest Barraclough from a room at the inn. He blamed the demon drink but was fined 20 shillings and costs nevertheless.
The Crown Inn
Many activities took place here including Inquests. In May 1846 coroner Thomas Lee esq. Presided over the inquest on Thomas Hampshire, aged 38, joiner whose body, with a rope around its neck, had been found in a barn. He had only been sent home from the asylum 2 months before. In July 1862 an inquest by coroner T. Taylor esq. on the body of Charles Senior was held here. He had died after a fight with a man named Woodhead, probably from shock to his nervous system and a blow near the head. Then a horrible case was heard in December 1889. John Flack, 34, had fallen into a vat of boiling liquid at Beanland's mill dye works. He had managed to get out, badly scalded. He was helped to walk home and put to bed but died in agony the same morning. A verdict of accidentally scalded was recorded.
There were several cases of theft associated with the inn too, some by the landlord's employees. In December 1854 man of all work Joseph Ackroyd was given 15 shillings to buy coals by landlord John Schofield, but he came back with 14 shillings worth and pocketed the remaining shilling. Magistrates decided to let him off as he was due to be paid next day and this was a kind of advance on his pay. Then in September 1872 Jane Ellen Firth, a 15 year old servant at the inn, was accused of stealing 22 shillings from there. She admitted it and landlord John Schofield took her back into his employ. Magistrates were not so lenient when vagrant Joseph Brooke was found with his hand in the till by Mrs Schofield in November 1871. She challenged him and he stood confused. He was sentenced to 14 days in prison at the county police court held in Barnsley Town Hall.
On a lighter note, there were many entertainments held in and around the inn. The annual village gala was held on a large field next to the inn over two days in summer, with outdoor amusements and dancing in May 1866. By July 1871 the gala had grown to a fancier affair with steam merry-go-rounds, pea stalls and shooting galleries amongst the attractions, whilst the street outside the inn was crowded with stalls. Concerts, Balls, tea parties and annual suppers by local groups, such as the St. Augustine church choir, were held, whilst employers such as George and Joseph Norton regularly treated their workers to a meal and entertainment here.
The pub was also used for more serious business. A meeting was held to appoint a much needed police constable for the locality in October 1852. Property auctions were held and plans for proposed building works, such as that for a slaughter house, could be inspected here. Sales of goods, such as fashionable clothing took place sometimes whilst the various political parties might revise their lists of voters here, such as before the elections of 1888 and 1892. There seems never to have been a dull moment at the Crown!
Scissett Swimming Pool
The opening of the pool on Saturday 11th of May 1929 was announced in the Leeds Mercury the previous Thursday. They had been built under the auspices of the Clayton West and Emley Moor Miners' Welfare committee and would be opened by Major C.H. Stringer. The very latest design ideas would be used with changing “boxes” along a corridor not directly accessible to the pool. Once changed, bathers
had first to pass through a shower so that no-one in full dress could go poolside. There was, however, a large gallery around the pool for spectators. A modern filtration plant ensured the pool water was purified at least once a day. It was hoped that in future the pool could be completely covered over by a wooden floor allowing it to be used for social purposes when it would be able to hold between 6 and 7 hundred people.
An advert for a new caretaker in September 1943 specified that he should be married and have in depth knowledge of water filtration systems, but also be able to give swimming lessons to groups of visiting schoolchildren. A house would be provided for the successful candidate.
Post boxes
The village boasts several old post boxes.
The red one illustrated is near the swimming baths whilst the overpainted black box, no longer in use, is by Nortonthorpe Mills.
There is even a Victorian one on the border with Clayton West.