Earliest times to Domesday 1086
The countryside of which the practice area is part was, in prehistoric times, the subsiding floor of a huge swampy delta to which the sluggish waters of a great river deposited layers of mud on which grew a luxuriant forest of huge trees, ferns and mosses in a hot, moist atmosphere. This developed on a bed of sandstone and clay. It was at this time, the Carboniferous Period (355-280 million years ago), that the coal that was to become such an important part of the history of the area, was formed.
Carboniferous Forest
Early Settlements
In 1976 the drought caused extreme drying of the land, this was ideal conditions for aerial photography. The West Yorkshire Archaeological Service and other groups carried out surveys which stated to build a picture of early settlements. Patterns in fields around Crofton could be the sites of Iron age settlements. and enclosures. These have been identified near Dovedale Close, Lodge Lane and Doncaster Road.
Roman Times
In Roman times there was a road that passed from Pontefract, via Streethouse, across Heath Common and onto Agbrigg, where it probably crossed the River Calder by a ford. Part of it was named High Street, as it is still known in New Sharlston. In AD 71 the Romans established a military centre at Lagentium to the north west of Pontefract which was later to become the town of Castleford. There can be no doubt that the Roman Conquerors would be living in or constantly passing through the neighborhood but they seem to have left no persisting trace of their presence. The area seems little touched by the new civilization and even by the end of Roman rule it remained an only half tamed land. The bulk of inhabitants continued with their own language and retained their native system of law. Christianity was introduced at the time of the Romans and gradually the superstitions of the Druids gave way before the new religion.
Roman Road
Anglo-Saxon Times
Eadwine a Norseman invaded Deira and marched into the Kingdom of Elmet in 0620. He occupied the locality of Weala-tun, as Walton was then named, and some of his followers settled here.
J. W. Walker considered the River Winwaed, mentioned by the Venerable Bede, is probably the River Went where Christian forces triumphed over pagan hordes. In 633 Penda the pagan king of Mercia combined forces with Cadwallen of Wales and defeated the Northumbrian Christians, lead by Eadwine, at Hatfield near Doncaster. The church was overthrown and Penda ravaged Northumbria as he pleased. In 642 he confronted and killed King Oswald of Northumbria who was to become St. Oswald to which Nostell Priory was dedicated. In 655 Oswy was the nominal ruler of the two provinces of Northumbria. He was driven in desperation by Penda and his allies to confrontation. He retreated, heavily outnumbered, to the banks of the Went which was, by reason of heavy rainfall, overflowing its banks. By luck more of Pendas men were destroyed by water than by sword, including Penda himself and the region returned to Christianity under Oswy.
Saint Oswald 605-642
The second son of King Aethelfrith of Bernicia, he fled to Iona when his father was overwhelmed by King Edwin of Deira in 616. After Edwin’s death in 633 he returned and, with the victory over King Cadwallon near Hexham in 634, became King of Northumbria, uniting Deira and Bernicia. He re-established Christianity with the help of the Celtic monk St. Aidan whom he summonsed from Iona to set up a bishopric on Lindifarne.
Saint Oswald
There was likely to be a church in Crofton before the parish church. In the church are two fragments of an ancient stone cross discovered many years ago in the foundation of a wall in church field, where the early Saxon church possibly stood. These are pre-conquest possibly dating back to AD 850 but still in good preservation. On the front of the lower fragment are two hoofed animals and on the back two intertwined serpents. On the front of the upper stone is a figure holding a cross and behind a figure holding a cross.
Domesday Book 1086
William after the conquest arranged an extensive survey of English properties, of which it records detailed information of 45,000 landholdings in 14,000 named places. This included valuations of before and after the conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle comments that ‘so strictly was it carried out that not one ox nor cow nor one pig escaped notice’. There was to be nothing else on this scale until the 19th century.
Local entries include:-
Scrotone (Crofton) 4 carucates of land
Waleton (Walton) 8 carucates of land
Ofele (Nostell) 16 carucates of land
Warnesfield (Warmfield) 9 carucates of land
Hasele (Hessle) half a carucate of land
I cannot find reference to Sharlston but this was until relatively recently part of the Parish of Warmfield.
Next: Medieval Times to the Abolition of the Monasteries 1087-1540