Sidlow’s Wood House, New Park Spring,  Brierley.

Wood House on the road into New Park Brierley from Great Houghton would serve as a gate house to the estate. The site may have been occupied from the creation of New Park in the early 1600s. But there is no record of it until 1840. 

In papers held at Nottingham University Library, dated 1639 relating to a coal mine in Brierley there is a page of accounts for the sale of wood in the year 1639. These refer to Spring Wood. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines spring wood as a copse of young trees or a plantation enclosed to keep game. As in Brierley New Park.

Below is a copy with a transcript in which the original spellings have been retained.
 

Anacounte of the monney that hath bene Reseyved

Both for Wood and barkes this year 1639- 

Reseyved of John Hobson. Richard Marshall

& othars for thre Acars & one Roude

of springe barke.,-                           6-i0-0 

Reseyved Moare of John hobson Richard

Marshall; Wm Heaton & othars for the

the Barkes -- y-weare pilled of the wood

y- waere felled for the palle use ye

charges; deducted for Loadinge & stacking

& makin of the same,-                           6-0-0 

Reseyved of the tennants of Shafton for

One halfe Acar of bouse,-                       0-i0.0 

Reseyved of Rennall Steade for one Roud

of Spring Wood                                        i-0-0 

Reseyved of John Beamond and othars

For one Acar of baues in ye Springe        i-0-0 

Reseyved  of Mr Thomars Wentworth

& othars for one hallfe Acar of bowes       0-i0-0 

Reseyved Moare of John Beamonde and

othars for one roude of Bouse                    0-5-0

 
Brierley Manor Rentals do not list Wood house but it would be too small an estate to be named. 

Brierley Rentals. These rentals were payable at Martinmas. Grimethorpe was included in New Park.

1662

New Park

Henry Shircliff sen.                           £16-04-00

Henry Shircliff Jun.                           £10-16-00

Richard Stone                                     £13-10-00

1701

New Park

John Marshall Jun                             £24-13-00

Godfrey Green Abbott                      £21-09-00

John Marshall Ferry Moor              £8-06-00

John Bamford     S- Walks               £9-18-00

Richard Howell                                 £10-04-00

Richard Stone                                     £2-14-04

Thomas Walker                                 £3-04-06

Richard Richardson                         £10-01-07             (Brierley/Grimethorpe Lodge ?)

Thomas Andrew                               £2-15-00

Widow Walker                                   £0-08-08

1720

New Park is not mentioned and the rents are payable at Whitsun and Martinmas. 

John Hoyland Ferry Moor Farm                   £0-06-00               £8-08-00

John Bamford                                                     £9-15-06               £9-15-06

Richard Richardson Jun.                                £14-12-00             £14-12-00

Richard Hood                                                    £2-14-04               £2-14-04

Thomas Walker                                                 £3-04-06               £3-04-06

Richard Richardson’s son                             £15-14-07             £15-14-07

Thomas Andrew                                               £2-15-00               £2-15-00

Thomas Gibson                                                 £0-06-08               £0-06-08

                                                                                  John Cawthorne                (Manor House)   £43-13-04             £43-13-04
 

Thomas Jefferies detailed map of the area dated 1775 shows the wood in New Park but does not show the Wood House.

The Tithe Award survey of 1840 shows New Park Spring as a wood of 101 acres owned by George Savile Foljambe. The same survey shows the land and a building on the site of the Wood House as Wood Close but lists no occupants. George Jarret Horsefall occupied the Manor House owned by George Savile Foljambe and farmed Wood Close which then covered about 6 acres and was described as grass land. It is possible that Wood House was inhabited at that time as tenants not paying tithes were not recorded. 

On the 1841 census following the Richardson family at Grimethorpe Lodge there is Wood House with;

John     Trought  aged 70?  an Agricultural Labourer

Elizabeth   Trought   aged 35

Moses      Trout          aged 25 an Agricultural Labourer

Mary          Trout            aged 36

The next entry is Margaret Addy a Farmer at Grimethorpe.

Trought is a very rare surname. There were only sixty people with the name in England on the 1881 census. It is listed as a variation of Trout. Nine of these were in Yorkshire. Seven of them were the family of Henry Simpson Trought aged 33 from Bonby near Barton on Humber Lincolnshire and living in Hull. A Moses Trout aged 67 an agricultural labourer is listed as living in Mirfield with his family where he was born. It is possible that John Trought was his father and using an older variation of the name and that Moses was living with him at Wood House in 1841. Also on the 1881 census are Mary Trout aged 25 & Esther Trout aged 20 both born in Barnsley they were living in Elland near Halifax.

The Ordnance Survey 6” map dated 1856 clearly shows New Park Spring as a wood, and shows the Wood House just to the south of New Park, on the path from Grimethorpe via Wood Lane to Great Houghton.

On the 1861 census following Brierley Lodge there is Wood House with;

Samuel Tomlinson  aged 40 (?)  a Wood Man born in  Letwell Notts. (Just on the Yorks. border near Worksop)

Martha his wife aged  41 born in  Worksop Notts.

Sherad his son aged 14  born at Stonegate Hill Huntington

William another son aged 11 born in Worksop Notts.

Denis the third son aged 1  born at  Wood House Yorkshire.

The next homestead is Next Ferry Moor Farm.

On the 1881 census following Brierley Lodge there is a homestead at New Park Spring occupied by;    

Sherad Tomlinson aged 34 born at Huntingdon, York. Occupation Woodman

Mary his wife aged 33 born in Darfield parish

Sherad his son aged 10 born  in Darfield

Mary his Daughter aged 9 born in Felkirk parish  

Samuel his second son aged 8 born in Felkirk        

Elizabeth his second daughter aged 6 born in Felkirk     

Edith his third daughter aged 8 months born in Felkirk.

Darfield and Felkirk parishes met at the stream near the Wood House. The next homestead listed is Ferry Moor Farm.

Their nearest neighbours were the Siddons family at Park Field House Farm near Little Park on the border of  Great Houghton and Little Houghton. In Grimethorpe village there was the family of  Sherad Lamb aged 54 a Woodman born in Markham Clinton, Nottingham. His wife Annie was born in Worksop.

On 29^th. October 1919 most of  the Foljambe’s estates in Brierley were sold. Carlton Main Colliery Co. were the major purchases of this land.

A smallholding of 21 acres with a small homestead to the south of New Park Spring occupied by Mr. F. Hibbert was among the items up for sale. He paid a rent of £20 per year. This would be the Wood House plus Wood Close and probably two adjoining closes called Holmes and Bottoms to make up the 21 acres.

These two later closes were covered by the growing spoil heap of Grimethorpe Colliery by the late 1950’s. This would be the part of the reason for the abandoning of the Wood House. The remoteness of the house and the  difficulty of supplying modern amenities such as running fresh water and mains electricity would be another factor. The Sidlow family from Lancashire were the last to occupy Wood House. They lived there from 1937 to 1956.

Richard Watson

18^th. January 2006

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