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Local History
Glancing Back - March 1999
Chronicle chief reporter Jack Tolson checks out what was in the news in March 1999.
PLAYFUL PUP SENDS THE KITCHEN UP IN SMOKE
MONTY, the cheeky seven-month-old mongrel, nearly had his chips on Tuesday - he set the house on fire.
The playful pup jumped up at the cooker in the kitchen, his paw turned on one of the rings and the chip pan caught fire.
Monty and his frightened pal, Zeb, 14, also a...
South Yorkshire Mining Villages - A History of the Region’s Former Coal Mining Communities
Over a period of more than 150 years between the late eighteenth century and the 1930s the South Yorkshire rural landscape was transformed by coal mining and the movement of coal. But it was not just the development of collieries, canals and railways that caused this transformation.
The population of the coalfield grew at a phenomenal rate and the new mining population, many of them migrants from other parts of the country, had to...
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Barnsley FC Open Day 1999
DO you recongise anyone in these pictures?
OPEN DAY: With the release of the fixtures the excitement ahead of the new season starts to build.
We have gone back in time to unearth these images from the club’s open day in 1999.
New signings Kevin Austin and former England international Geoff Thomas were there to sign autographs for supporters.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Looking back at previous Players of the Season
It will soon be time for the player of the season award to be handed out at Oakwell. We have taken a look in our archives at some of the former winners.
Brendan O’Connell 1991: Brendan’s nomadic career found a home at Barnsley where he spent six seasons. The goalscoring midfielder netted 35 in 240 league games for the Reds after having spells at Portsmouth, Exeter, Burnley and Huddersfield. He later moved to Charlton Athletic...
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Looking back on Barnsley 10k memories
THE rejuvenation of the Barnsley 10K race stirred a lot of memories for local runners.
So we’ve dipped back into our archives room and found some pictures, taken by photographer Anton Want, from the 1991 edition of the race.
It took place on November 17 and was sponsored by Barnsley and Doncaster Training and Enterprise Council. In conjunction with Barnsley Council and Dorothy Hyman AC.
In the official programme, chairman of leisure and amenities council,...
Totty Cup’s history celebrated in new book
A CENTURY of a local football competition has been reviewed and celebrated in a new book.
The Totty Cup: A Century of Schools Football in the Don and Dearne area has been produced by co-authors Steven Penny and Chris Brook.
It’s a follow-up to the successful book about the adult football competition, The Montagu Cup.
The Totty Cup, originally donated by Goldthorpe cinema owner Russell Totty, celebrated its centenary earlier in 2023.
The competition is...
Holgate Heroes: Raymond Bruck
Another installment in our 'Holgate Heroes' series.
Raymond Bruck
Raymond Bruck
A FORMER police officer and the apple of his sisters’ eyes, Raymond Athol Bruck made the most of his 22 years of life.
Born in the third quarter of 1922 to parents Albert Edward Bruck and his first wife Beatrice Virginia, Raymond was the younger brother to five sisters.
Despite the nine years between him and his youngest sister, he was...
Memories of Barnsley: Ken Gambles looks back at his trainspotting days as a youngster in Cudworth
This article was first featured in our Memories of Barnsley magazine back in 2021
Ken Gambles looks back at his trainspotting days as a youngster brought up in Cudworth…
Those days were indeed idyllic. From the age of six in 1956 until I began Barnsley Grammar School in 1960 at eleven, most of my time during the holidays was spent either sitting on a wall by the approach road to the north of Cudworth Station...
Balls went brighter for Wimbledon back in 1996
As the tennis heats up at Wimbledon we go back into our archives to trace the link between the world-famous tournament and Barnsley.
Many readers will know about the link between the town and the prestigious tournament, held every July.
The balls for the tournament were made by a dedicated staff at a factory on Doncaster Road for years.
As of 1996, the order for the tournament was 34,000. But there was...
True Crime History: Resentment and poisoning backfired
The incredible tale of resentment and attempted murder is just one of the many stories detailed in the book 19th Century Barnsley Murder, available here.
It may read like an Agatha Christie special but was not concocted by a creative novelist and is actually part of the huge local true crime archive which has been documented in a number of titles.
Below is an extract from the book:
Sometimes it is unclear...
Magnum P.I star a big fan of Barnsley chef’s chocolate cake
FOLLOWING the recent revelations about Tom Selleck’s family history in Barnsley, we dug deep into our archives to find the original story about the couple who took up posts with the former Magnum P.I superstar.
John and Lynn Daykin, who are now divorced, were hired by the Selleck’s in the early 1990s and worked as his ranch manager and personal chef.
The former police officers from Monk Bretton had held similar roles at...
From the archives - free download of Barnsley Chronicle - December 1950
We have started re-visiting past editions from our extensive archives at the Chronicle and wanted to share a couple with you.The second one is from this time of year but in 1950 and it is free to download here: https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/storage/pdf/bc-16-12-1950.pdf (16.2 MB) Please note the file size before you download.Keep visiting the Chronicle website for the next instalment. We really hope you enjoy going back in time and think you will be a big fan of the adverts...
History group appeals for new members
MEMBERS of a group who have recorded Cudworth’s history for more than two decades are on the lookout for more people to join.
Cudworth History Group was formed 25 years ago by members who hoped to find out more about the mining village’s past.
The group quickly grew and members have gone on to produce books about their findings.
Members were also instrumental in adding names to Cudworth’s war memorial at St John’s Church -...
Darfield's links to 'Eternal City' explored
ROMAN coins were once so prevalent in Darfield that kids used to trade them for conkers. In his latest instalment, Ashley Ball speaks to local historian Martyn Johnson to dig up even more on the village’s strong links to the ‘Eternal City’.
The Roman empire was vast, fearsome and mighty - and it was partially powered by an inland port... in Barnsley.
It has to, at this stage, be a theory but local historian Martyn...
1982: Glancing Back
Charlotte Hutton explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives from this month in 1982.
A BARNSLEY lad has found fame and fortune as a rock star in Japan.
On his recent visit, Paul Hampshire, 19, was mobbed by fans after appearing on television and radio. Pull-out posters were given away in magazines, featuring him in full colour.
Things have happened very quickly for Paul, who left The Danse Society, with whom he played synthesiser, and headed for...
1994: Glancing Back
AN ELDERLY man has had his spirit of Christmas rekindled by a thoughtful teenage girl.
Philip Hawley, 77, caught the Barnsley bus from Darton to do a little shopping.
When he arrived he found that he no longer had the shopping bag which contained his pension book, around £20 in cash and a few groceries.
That night two policemen went to his Darton home to hand over the bag and its contents.
They told him...
1989: Glancing Back
Josh Timlin explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives from 1989.
CAMPAIGNERS battling to save the site said to be next on British Coal’s opencast list this week pledged to fight harder in the wake of the government’s go-ahead for a scheme at Rockingham.
Jean Miller, who is the coordinator of the group which formed three years ago to prevent opencast proposals for Willowbank and Gawber, said: “We must now fight all the harder because we have...
JUNE 14 Glancing Back
Megan Wallace explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives from the year 2000.
A BOTTLE containing a message written by little Jessica Major has turned up more than 600 miles away.
It was thrown into the sea off Northumberland while the family were on holiday last August.
Jessica, seven, got the shock of her life when she discovered it had been found by a boy in Denmark.
Mikkel Nissen, 11, who lives in Skagen on the northern...
2000: Glancing Back
Megan Wallace explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives from this week in 2000.
KIMBERLEY Elliot cantered to success on a horse descended from Grand National legend Red Rum.
She won a place in the Pony Association major championship in Peterborough after winning a tournament in London.
Kimberley, 16, of Doncaster Road, Ardsley, did it on Charlie Chaplin - the great nephew of Red Rum.
Proud mum, Mary, explained: “She trained Charlie herself and has now achieved...
1997: Glancing Back
Megan Wallace explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives from 1997.
A NETWORK of volunteers who act as friends to some of Barnsley’s loneliest people is to expand.
About nine people visit the old and housebound at least once a week, often just for a chat and a cuppa.
The scheme they take part in is known as Lundwood PALS, which stands for Personal Assistance and Loans Scheme.
PALS was set up last June and has operated...
