A Litte History Lesson
It is believed that the name Sprotbrough originates from a mix of English and Scandinavian names, with "Sprotte" being a shoot and "Brough" being Scandinavian for a defensible place.
The early Parish contained six settlements:
Sprotbrough (Sproteburg)
Cadeby (Catebi)
Wildthorpe (Widentorp)
Cusworth (Cuzenworde)
Skinthorpe (Scinestorp)
Newton, first mentioned in 1379 when it was called New Farmstead
Those early hamlets would have been ringed by vast areas of agricultural land and many of the open fields still present today have names that can be traced back to early maps of the area.
The area, and almost all of the land around it, was owned by the Fitzwilliam family for many years. Sir John Fitzwilliam erected a cross next to the church during the reign of Henry V of England. Into the cross were carved these lines: "Whoso is hungry and lists to eat, Let him come to Sprotburgh for his meat, And for a night and for a day, His horse shall have both corne and hay, And no man shall ask him when he goeth away."
There are also a number of statues and memorials to the Fitzwilliams and Copleys in St Mary's Church.
Sprotbrough Hall
Part of the village was built on the site of Sprotbrough Hall, a large home built for the Copley family in 1670. The Copley family had married a FitzWilliam heiress and inherited the extensive FitzWilliam holdings. The family lost three sons in World War 1 and the Hall was demolished in the 1920's. Doncaster archives hold a copy of the catalogue of the house contents. Little evidence of the Hall remains except some of the street names. Copley Junior School in Sprotbrough village is named after the Copley family.
Second World War hero Sir Douglas Bader grew up at the parsonage in the village when his father was Rector of St Mary's. The Old Rectory bears a plaque commemorating Bader's residence. Sir Walter Scott completed Ivanhoe in the village, which is remembered in the name of the village's pub and a small housing estate off Sprotbrough Road.
Cusworth Hall
Cusworth Hall, which overlooks the parish to the north, was built by William Wrightson between 1740 and 1755 and was the home of the Battie-Wrightson family until 1952. It is now owned by the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster and houses the Museum of South Yorkshire Life.
Town End
The eastern part of Sprotbrough, from where Sprotbrough Road meets York Road, (the A638) to the bridge over the A1(M) is colloquially known as Town End or sometimes Bottom Sprotbrough. It was developed from farm land in around 1926 and was part of Bentley with Arksey Urban District until the formation of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster under the Local Government Act 1972. The church of St Edmund on Anchorage Lane was built in a converted barn on the former farm land when the area was being developed.
Town End was formerly the home of Fowlers forge, which among other things provided parts for tanks and other military vehicles. The works closed in the early 1980s and the site is occupied by a housing estate whose roads bear the names of some of the machines that were built there.
Geography
Local government and amenities
Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Council meets at the Goldsmith Centre on Sprotbrough Road. The council covers Sprotbrough, Cadeby, Cusworth and Scawsby.
A key focal point of Sprotbrough is St Mary's Church, founded in 1176, with a clock tower that has commanding views of the Don Valley.
Schools in the parish include Copley Junior School, Orchard Infant School, Orchard Junior School and Richmond Hill Primary School. The nearest secondary schools are Ridgewood School in Scawsby, Don Valley High School, North Doncaster Technology College (formerly Adwick School) and Campsmount Technology College in Campsall.
River
The village is on the River Don and a weir which is bypassed by Sprotbrough Lock, allowing boats to pass safely. It is close to the A1(M) bridge over the Don. The Trans Pennine Trail follows the river at this point.
Extending to the south-west the River Don flows through Sprotbrough Gorge a site of special scientific interest (The gorge is an important site for rare plants, invertebrates and breeding site for birds. Overall the SSSI covers 76.9 hectares (190.1 acres) and was notified in 1988.
Public Houses
Sprotbrough has four public houses:
Boat Inn - a pub situated on Nursery Lane by the river which caters for both people wishing to eat and those wanting a drink.
Ivanhoe - a cheap, (you get what you pay for!) medium sized pub on Melton Road serving Samuel Smiths beers
Newton Inn - on Sprotbrough Road. It is close to the Goldsmith centre and a Sainbury's local and thats about it!
Sprotbrough Country Club - on Cadeby Road. This is home to a regionally famous pop quiz every Monday night hosted by "Dead Eyed Dave". It's a great place to go for all sports fans, families, singles, couples, private secretaries and the odd MP (on expenses of course!)
Parks
Sprotbrough has two main parks. The village has a park which has recently been doubled in size. It consists of a football pitch and a play area. In June each year, it hosts a gala organised by the local Scout group. The main event in this is the 6.5km fun run starting and finishing in the park and going through High Melton and Cadeby.
For further information on the history of Sprotbrough Village go to: www.sc-pc.co.uk