Wentworth, South Yorkshire

Wentworth is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England.

In the 2001 Census the village had a population of 1,223.[1]

History[edit]
The village's history is dominated by the Wentworth, Watson-Wentworth and Wentworth-Fitzwilliam families who lived in Wentworth Woodhouse. They also owned perhaps most of the land in the village. Wentworth gained some independence when the Fitzwilliam family line ended in 1979.

The village dates back to at least 1066, when, according to the Domesday book, Rynold Wynterwade was lord of the manor. About 1250 Robert Wentworth married Emma Woodhouse, beginning the Wentworth-Woodhouse line; the family lived in the area for over 450 years. The lands then passed to the Watson family when William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford died without heir; the Watsons held the land until 1782. During this time most of the local follies were built. The Fitzwilliam ownership initially ended in 1979 when William Thomas George Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 10th Earl Fitzwilliam died, until Lady Juliet Tadgell became Countess Fitzwilliam upon the title of Earl Fitzwilliam being created for a second time in 2015.

There have been two churches built in the village. The first church, was a chapel of ease to All Saints Church, Wath Upon Dearne. Like its successor it was the principal place of worship on the estate, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and is thought to date back to the 12th century. The building of the new church, Holy Trinity Parish Church, was commissioned in 1872 by William Thomas Spencer Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 6th Earl Fitzwilliam to the design of John Loughborough Pearson, an exponent of the Gothic Revival style, and consecrated in 1877 by the Archbishop of York.

Landmarks[edit]
The village has cottages and houses of architectural and historic interest. The site of the village stocks in Main Street is now occupied by a telephone kiosk; opposite is the base of the village cross. The oldest known cottage, Ivy Cottage (a cruck cottage off Main Street), is attached to Snowdrop Farm.[citation needed]

The major landmark is the country house Wentworth Woodhouse. In the grounds of the house are 21 follies, including the Needle's Eye, Hoober Stand,[2] Keppel's Column, the Mausoleum, the Ionic Temple and Doric Temple, the Vinegar Stone, and the Bean Seat. Close to Hoober Stand is the Hoober Observatory of theMexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society. The Wentworth Brewery is based in the old power house.