The Place and It's People

Maltby is a former mining town and civil parish of 16, 856 inhabitants in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It was, historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire and is located about 6 miles (10km) east of Rotherham town centre and 10 miles (16km) north-east of Sheffield city centre. It forms a continuous urban area with Hellaby, separated from the rest of Rotherham by the M18 motorway ... ...

So goes the information that we usually get when we look up references to Maltby in books and more often on Google and other sources on the Internet.
"We"of course, know this as we are the inhabitants of the place or at some point in our lives we have been. These pages are about the other information about Maltby that is more personal to us - the experiences we have had and the memories that we still have of the place and it's people, with a little bit of history to accompany them.
For some of us the history of Maltby is embedded into our lives in all that we do and for others, it is a learning experience that is for ever ongoing. Going back to our 'roots' is something that we all feel the need for at some time and in doing so we can keep connected with the past and prepare for the future.

The extent of the changes that have occurred in the world in the last 100 years never fail to amaze me. Technology, industry and population continue to increase at what seems sometimes to be alarming speeds. "Blink and you have missed it" is true in many situations. Majority of the changes have been for the better, but it is good for us to know how our parents, grandparents and great grandparents lived.

In 1911, for example out of every 1 000 babies born, 130 died before reaching their first birthday. About one death in every four in the whole population was of an infant before its first birthday.
Life was short compared to today with infectious diseases being the main cause of death. Life expectancy at birth in 1911 was 49 years for men and 53 years for women. Almost impossible to believe when today we are such young things at those ages !

In Maltby the changes have been as extensive as anywhere else.

In 1953 the population had risen to 13,000 with 3,340 houses.

In 1908 the population was about 900, with only 300 to 400 houses.

A plan of Maltby as it was in 1853 shows how extensively the land use changed with the coming of the industrial revolution, much of the land being pasture, common land and meadow before this.

The shoemaker, the ropemaker, the blacksmith, the wheelwright and many others have long since gone from the town. Even the Swan Inn is no longer a public house. 

There are still some parts of Maltby that are the same as they have been for a couple of hundred years, though they are becoming fewer with the building of more houses to accommodate us. 

Who knows what this will be in another hundred years time. But at least we have a record of it as it is now before any further changes.

Local Businesses - Byfords

There have been many local businesses over the years that many of us have fond memories of. A few are still with us in Maltby - Lawrence Bros, Saunders Butchers, Pete's Garage (now Manor Nurseries) and Bowyers which has sadly just closed this year.

I  realised that of course when you ask the question "Which businesses have been in Maltby for a long time"  you obviously get varying answers depending on the age of the person you are asking. So different places are remembered by different people from different times.

But one business that is remembered is Byfords, which was situated where the new Police Station is now. 

Donald Byford opened his own business in 1919 in Leicester. By 1922, his sock business was flourishing and by 1951 he branched out into manufacturing knitwear. We are still tryng to find out the date that Byfords came to Maltby, but by this time it was well known for "men's sweaters and knitted shirts".

Many Maltby people worked in  Byfords and almost everyone's mother, father, aunt, uncle, grandparent or friend worked there at some time or other, often whole families at once. Some left to work elsewhere over the years and returned later. One lady worked on the press for thirty years and never had a day off.

These were the days when you could leave one job and walk into another - unlike today.

Jobs at Byfords were in the Yarn Store, handfinishing, Press, Rib Knitter, Seamer and of course Supervisor. There were also mechanics working there as obviously the machines needed maintaining.

Jack Marriott worked at Byford in Leicester before transferring to Maltby in late 60's.

Doreen Raynor's first job was working as a shorthand/ty[ist in the Personnel Office of D.Byford &Son when the Personnel Officer was Mrs Allen. She started there in 1955 when she was 17 years old on £3 5s a week. By the time she had paid out expenses she was left with only about 10s for herself. Some of Doreen's friends who were working in the factory on piece work could earn as much as £12. 

There were 2 shifts - days and afters - and when  teams joined up on long days they had such fun that it didn't feel like going to work. Am not sure if the Supervisors saw it this way too ! 

Christmas parties were loved by everyone, especially the children, and many remember going and having a great time.

Janet Richardson Miles' daughter remembers her mother telling her a sad story about their team coach on a night out being involved in an accident with a mini on the motorway. Not all memories are fond ones and the tragic things we usually remember more easily.

But in general, Byfords will go down in history as a good employer of Maltby people and one where work was a pleasure to go to. 

http://www.byford.com/

Maltby Common

Maltby Common & Nature Reserve 

Maltby Common  Local Nature Reserve stretches from Outgang Lane to Dike Hagg and was

was designated in 2000. It is in the southeastern corner of Maltby and was established in agreement with the Sandbeck Estates and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust  in 1972.

 

The area contains Maltby Low Common, notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by the Nature Conservancy Council - before Natural England - in 1970 under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act (1949) , the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 and revised in 1987 to include Pieces Bank.

Maltby Low Common supports a multitude of grassland 'communities'  with a diversity of flora not known anywhere else in South Yorkshire.  The site is owned by the Sandbeck Estate.

Access is from Outgang Lane in Maltby, opposite the entrance to Maltby Colliery and from Stoney Well Lane off Tickhill Road.

   

Gary Graveling of Maltby describes Maltby Common as a "beautiful haven, despite the motor bikes" He remembers being told by Mr Vaughan, Maltby Manor Headmaster, about rare orchids on the common whose whereabouts were secret due to their rarity. "Vaughny" was ex-RAF and lived in Stainton for many years. He was a big influence during his formative years, along with Mr Shenton, also of Maltby Manor School.

Not sure that I would describe the commons as beautiful, but I suppose they are if you ignore the some of the surroundings (Railway line and White City Estate, Maltby Colliery ) and concentrate on the commons themselves and the woodlands and farm land of Sandbeck.

Unfortunately, rubbish gets dumped and bikers churn up the ground but as we know that happens in more places than Maltby.

Wild garlic, wood anenomes, gorse, daffodils and bluebells are just some of the plants that can be found there.
There are lots of birds, insects and in warmer weather large bees.
If you come across orchids, try not to crush them underfoot. They struggle to survive as it is.

                                               

Beginning with Fish and Chips

What better way to begin posts on here than with Fish and Chips !

This is Cragg Fisheries, on Rotherham Road, Maltby. Where the bungalow is now, and near to the spray tan shop and the dentist, near the top of Milton Street is how we describe it's position.

 Over the years it's changed hands many times before being pulled down for Jebson's to build their bungalow. It seems to have had it's hey days in the 1970's and 80's - at least according to those who remember. Seeing this photo reminded some of us that it was ever there.

Mrs Taylor ran the shop about 70 years ago, and the Pugh's when you could get chips and mushy peas for 6 pence.

Mrs Law and her daughter Diane ran the shop  in the  70's.

It was also owned by the Berry family around this time, Tom their son being a class mate of many.

Many remember working there and especially with a little lady with white hair (who may or may not have been Mrs Laws.)

The Fuller's were another family who ran this chippy.

Anyone living on Rolleston Avenue and Milton St were very handy for the Craggs Fisheries, and chippy teas on a Friday night were "quality". 

Young ones from the area used to hang about around the shop, getting moved on regularly, especially when "Skull"  was there with his unhygenic habits !

It used to be the only chippy that had free tomato sauce on the counter for your chips ensuring happy and healthy dinner breaks from the Comp School. It was a great chippy and you could go down for school dinner and be back in time for a game of footy on the tennis courts.

If you had to go from Cliff Hills to get fish and chips for mam and dad, you had to run back fast, before they got cold, but it was well worth it.

Many free bubblegums could be had from the machine on the wall outside, using the round end of a chip fork. Apparently, cardboard coins pinched from school worked a treat too for this. 

The culprits apologise to the owners of the shop at the time - even if's about 30 years too late.

 Several pints of Stones's at the Swan, then to the Crags chip-shop for supper before going home also made for happy days. As did fish and chips on the way home to Gaitskell Close from the Brooklands Club. All remembered as great times and lovely memories.

Pugh's also had a chip shop just off Addison Rd (Laburnum Parade) which was sold in the early 90's and has since been Zac's Fish Bar.

 (I seem to be the only one who has noticed - or is interested - that the name on the picture has double G in it, something that I get pulled up about when writing about The Crags ! )

"Rivals" of Craggs Fisheries at this time were Winstanley's, Barber's and Manor Fisheries.

... and if anyone wonders what happened to those gates, they are still in Jebson's shed. 

Remembering Maltby - Chapters List (at last !)

At last have got around to posting the Chapter headings intended for the book. 

At the moment it doesn't particularly matter what order they are in, but if anyone wants to make a suggestion for anything, then please do so. It's our book and putting it together, together (!?) would be good.

CONTENTS

The People and the Place - Origins, Changes and Developments 

Schools - Crags, Manor, Hall, Redwood, St Mary's, Grammar (Comp, Academy)

Churches - St Bartholomew's, Ascension, St Bede, St Mary's

Shops and Markets - Past & Present

Pubs and Clubs  

Pastimes, Groups, Games & Teams

Transport - Trams, Trains, Buses, Cars & Bikes

The Colliery 

Roche Abbey 

Sandbeck, Crags & Countryside

The Future  -  Hopes and Ideas

I will now try to collect all the information from the Remembering Maltby Facebook page and put it into the chapters. I have a feeling that this is not going to be as easy as it sounds...

However, please comment as and when you wish to and add any bits you think might have been missed.

Please keep posts on here to comments - ie. memories and facts, rather than having a conversation, so that things don't get muddled up again.  Conversations can be continued on the FB pages of course.

(You can also comment about this blog on  the FB pages, but not the other way round - if you see what I mean ! )

Hope that makes sense, and look forward to comments and suggestions.