| type = Town
}}
'''Pontefract''' is a historic market town in the [[Metropolitan BoroughCity of Wakefield]], ina [[Westmetropolitan Yorkshiredistrict]], in [[EnglandWest Yorkshire]], England. It lies to the east of [[Wakefield]] and south of [[Castleford]]. [[Historic counties of England|Historically]] part of the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], it is one of the towns in the City of Wakefield district and had a population of 30,881 at the 2011 Census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13689956&c=Pontefract&d=14&e=62&g=6375159&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1456931390009&enc=1|title=Pontefract South Ward population 2011|access-date=2 March 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics|work=Neighbourhood Statistics}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13689955&c=Pontefract+north&d=14&e=62&g=6375158&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1456931773212&enc=1|title=Pontefract North Ward population 2011|access-date=2 March 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics|work=Neighbourhood Statistics}}</ref> Pontefract's motto is {{lang|la|Post mortem patris pro filio}}, [[Latin]] for "After the death of the father, support the son", a reference to the town's Royalist sympathies in the [[English Civil War]].<ref>Padgett 170</ref> Small villages and settlements in the immediate area include [[Stapleton, Selby|Stapleton]].
==Etymology==
[[File:An almost deserted Market Place, Pontefract during the COVID-19 pandemic (23rd May 2020).jpg|thumb|Pontefract Market Place]]
At the end of the 11th century, the modern [[Township#United Kingdom|township]] of Pontefract consisted of two distinct localities known as, Tanshelf and Kirkby.<ref name="Eric Houlder 2012 p.7">Eric Houlder, Ancient Roots North: When Pontefract Stood on the Great North Road, (Pontefract: Pontefract Groups Together, 2012) p.7.</ref> The 11th-century historian Orderic Vitalis recorded that, in 1069, [[William the Conqueror]] travelled across Yorkshire to put down an uprising which had sacked York,. but that, upon
Upon his journey to the city, he discovered that a crossing of the [[River Aire]] near what is modern-day Pontefract had been blockaded by local [[Anglo-Scandinavian]] [[insurgent]]s, who had broken the bridge and held the opposite bank in force.<ref>Orderic Vitalis, ''Ecclesiastical History of England'', 2:27.</ref> Such a crossing point would have been important into the town's early days, providing access between Pontefract and other settlements to the north and east, such as York.<ref name="Ayto & Crofton">Ayto & Crofton</ref> Historians believe that it is this historical event which gives the township of Pontefract its modern name. The name "Pontefract" originates from the Latin for "broken bridge", formed of the elements ''pons'' (bridge) and ''fractus'' (broken). Pontefract was not recorded in the 1086 ''[[Domesday Book]]'', but it was noted as Pontefracto in 1090, four years after the Domesday survey.<ref>Frank Barlow, ''William I and the Norman Conquest'' (London: The English Universities Press, 1965) p.95. David Crouch, ''The Normans: The History of a Dynasty'' (London: Hambledon and London, 2002) p.105</ref>
==History==
===Neolithic===
In 2007 a suspectedan extension of [[Ferrybridge Henge]] – a [[Neolithic]] [[henge]] – was discovered near Pontefract during a survey in preparation for the construction of a row of houses. Once the survey was complete, the construction continued.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ferrybridge Henge extension discovered in West Yorkshire|url=http://www.culture24.org.uk/history+%2526+heritage/archaeology/art50167|publisher=Culture24 |date=30 August 2007|access-date=7 December 2009}}</ref>
===Roman===
The modern town is situated onnear an old [[Roman road]] (now the A639), described as the "Roman Ridge". This is believed to form part of an alternative route from [[Doncaster]] to York via Castleford and Tadcaster, as a diversion of the major Roman road [[Ermine Street]], which may have been used to avoid having to cross the [[Humber|River Humber]] near [[North Ferriby]] during rough weather conditions over the Humber.
===Anglo-Scandinavian history{{anchor|Tanshelf and Kirkby}}===
The period of Yorkshire's history between the demise of the Viking king, Eric Bloodaxe, in 954 and the arrival of the Normans in 1068 is known as the Anglo-Scandinavian age. The modern township of Pontefract consisted of two Anglo-Scandinavian settlements, known as Tanshelf and Kirkby. In Yorkshire, place-name locations often contain the distinctive Danish '-by' i.e. Kirkby. And evenand today, the major streets in Pontefract are designated by the Danish word 'gate' e.g. Bailygate.
The Anglo-Scandinavian township of, Tanshelf , recorded variously as ''Tateshale'', ''Tateshalla'', ''Tateshalle'' or ''Tatessella'' in the [['Domesday Book ]] of 1086 existed in the region that' is today occupied by the town of Pontefract. The ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' makesmade its firsta reference to Tanshelf in the year 947 when King Eadred of England met with the ruling council of Northumbria to accept its submission. King Eadred did not enjoy Northumbria's support for long, and a year later the kingdom voted Eric Bloodaxe King of York.<ref>[http://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/vikingweb/Settlement.htm Towns in Anglo-Saxon West Yorkshire] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213053252/http://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/VikingWeb/Settlement.htm |date=13 February 2015 }}. ''Settlements in Anglo-Saxon West Yorkshire''. Retrieved 30 August 2014.</ref> ▼
====Tanshelf and Kirkby====
▲The Anglo-Scandinavian township of Tanshelf recorded variously as ''Tateshale'', ''Tateshalla'', ''Tateshalle'' or ''Tatessella'' in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 existed in the region that is today occupied by the town of Pontefract. The ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' makes its first reference to Tanshelf in the year 947 when King Eadred of England met with the ruling council of Northumbria to accept its submission. King Eadred did not enjoy Northumbria's support for long, and a year later the kingdom voted Eric Bloodaxe King of York.<ref>[http://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/vikingweb/Settlement.htm Towns in Anglo-Saxon West Yorkshire] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213053252/http://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/VikingWeb/Settlement.htm |date=13 February 2015 }}. ''Settlements in Anglo-Saxon West Yorkshire''. Retrieved 30 August 2014.</ref>
When the Domesday Booksurvey was commissioned by [[William the Conqueror]] in 1086, Tanshelf was still a sizeable settlement for the period. The townIt had a priest, 60 petty burgesses, 16 cottagers, 16 villagers and 8 smallholders, amounting to a total of 101 people. But the actualThe size of the population might behave as much asbeen four or five times larger than this as the only people listed arewere landholders, and therefore the Domesday Book does not take their families into account. Tanshelf also had a church, a fishery and three mills. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of thea church on The Booths in Pontefract, off North Baileygate, below the castle. The oldest grave dates from around 690. The church is likely to be at Tanshelf and may have been similar to the church at [[Ledsham, West Yorkshire|Ledsham]]. The area which is nowof the town market place was the original meeting place of the [[Osgoldcross (wapentake)|Osgoldcross]] [[wapentake]].<ref>Hey</ref> In the Anglo-Saxon period part of the modern town was known by the Anglo-Scandinavian name as Kirkby.
In the Anglo-Saxon period a part of the modern township of Pontefract was known by the Anglo-Scandinavian name of Kirkby.
===Medieval===
====Norman conquest====
[[File:Pontefract Castle.jpg|thumb|300px|Painting of [[Pontefract Castle]] in the early 17th century by [[Alexander Keirincx]]]]
{{main|de Lacy|Pontefract de Lacys' family tree}}
After the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest]] in 1066 almost all of Yorkshire came under the ownership of followers of [[William the Conqueror]],<ref name=Ilbert>Fletcher 16–17</ref> one of whom was [[de Lacy|Ilbert de Lacy]] who became the owner of Tateshale (Tanshelf) where he began to buildbuilt a castle.<ref name=Ilbert/>
[[Pontefract Castle]] began as a wooden [[motte and bailey]] castle, built before 1086 and later rebuilt in stone. The de Lacys lived in the castle for more than two centuries<ref>Padgett 54</ref> and were holders of the castle and the [[Honour of Pontefract]] from 1067<ref>Padgett 55</ref> until the death of Alice de Lacy in 1348.<ref>Padgett 85</ref>
1086 and was later rebuilt in stone. The de Lacys lived there for more than two centuries<ref>Padgett 54</ref> and were holders of the castle and the [[Honour of Pontefract]] from 1067<ref>Padgett 55</ref> until the death of Alice de Lacy in 1348.<ref>Padgett 85</ref>
[[Richard II of England|King Richard II]] was murdered at the castle in 1400.<ref name=H2G2/><ref>Padgett 106</ref> Little is known of the precise nature of his demise; in particular Shakespeare may have "adjusted" the facts for his own purposes.<ref>Holmes 373</ref> There are atAt least three theories which attempt to explain his death:<ref>Holmes 373, 374</ref> either he was starved to death by his keepers, he starved himself to death or he was murdered by Sir Piers (Peter) Exton on 14 February 1399 or 1400.<ref>Holmes 374</ref>
===Early modern history===
In Elizabethan times the castle , and Pontefractthe itself,town waswere both referred to as "Pomfret".<ref name=H2G2/> [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' mentions the castle:<br /> ▼
====Tudor====
▲In Elizabethan times the castle, and Pontefract itself, was referred to as "Pomfret".<ref name=H2G2/> [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' mentions the castle:<br />
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
====Stuart history====
====Civil war====
[[File:The New Church within the Old, All Saints, Bondgate, Pontefract. - geograph.org.uk - 239265.jpg|thumb|The new church within the old. After [[All Saints' Church, Pontefract|All Saints' Church]] was damaged during the [[English Civil War|civil war]] a new one was built within.]]
Pontefract suffered throughout the [[English Civil War]]. In 1648–49 the castle was laid under siege by [[Oliver Cromwell]], who said it was "... one of the strongest inland garrisons in the kingdom."<ref name=H2G2>[http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A2350108 "Yorkshire's Castles: Pontefract Castle"]; H2G2.com, Not Panicking Ltd.</ref> Three sieges by the Parliamentarians left the town "impoverished and depopulated".<ref name=petition>Padgett 166–169</ref> In March 1649, after the third siege, Pontefract inhabitants, fearing a fourth, petitioned Parliament for the castle to be [[slighted]].<ref name=petition/> In their view, theThe castle was a magnet for trouble,<ref name=petition/> and in April 1649 demolition began.<ref name=petition/> The ruins of the castle remain andruins are publicly accessible.
Pontefract was the site of [[Pontefract Priory]], a [[Cluniac]] priory founded in 1090 by Robert de Lacy dedicated to [[John the Evangelist|St John the Evangelist]] . The priory was [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|dissolved]] by royal authority in 1539.<ref>{{cite book|section=Houses of Cluniac monks: Priory of Pontefract |title=A History of the County of York: Volume 3 |editor-first=William |editor-last=Page |editor-link=William Page (historian) |location=London |year=1974 |pages=184–186 |via=British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/vol3/pp184-186 |access-date=3 October 2022}}</ref> The abbeypriory maintained the Chartularies of St John, a collection of historic documents later discovered among family papers by [[Thomas Levett]], the [[High Sheriff of Rutland]] and, a native of Yorkshire, who later gave them to [[Roger Dodsworth]], an [[antiquary]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/collectaneatopo17nichgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/collectaneatopo17nichgoog/page/n112 103]|quote=pontefract levet.|title=Collectanea Topographica Et Genealogica|first1=Frederic|last1=Madden|first2=Bulkeley|last2=Bandinel|date=1 May 1835|publisher=J. B. Nichols and son|access-date=1 May 2019|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> They were later published by the [[Yorkshire Archaeological Society]].<!--by the way, this is a really poor ref, what on earth can be understood by it? Has anyone really read and understood it; if they have I would dearly love to have it explained to me (lucidly please!):[[user talk:jodosma]] ▼
====Pontefract Priory history====
▲Pontefract was the site of [[Pontefract Priory]], a [[Cluniac]] priory founded in 1090 by Robert de Lacy dedicated to [[John the Evangelist|St John the Evangelist]]. The priory was [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|dissolved]] by royal authority in 1539.<ref>{{cite book|section=Houses of Cluniac monks: Priory of Pontefract |title=A History of the County of York: Volume 3 |editor-first=William |editor-last=Page |editor-link=William Page (historian) |location=London |year=1974 |pages=184–186 |via=British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/vol3/pp184-186 |access-date=3 October 2022}}</ref> The abbey maintained the Chartularies of St John, a collection of historic documents later discovered among family papers by [[Thomas Levett]], the [[High Sheriff of Rutland]] and a native of Yorkshire, who later gave them to [[Roger Dodsworth]], an [[antiquary]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/collectaneatopo17nichgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/collectaneatopo17nichgoog/page/n112 103]|quote=pontefract levet.|title=Collectanea Topographica Et Genealogica|first1=Frederic|last1=Madden|first2=Bulkeley|last2=Bandinel|date=1 May 1835|publisher=J. B. Nichols and son|access-date=1 May 2019|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> They were later published by the [[Yorkshire Archaeological Society]].<!--by the way, this is a really poor ref, what on earth can be understood by it? Has anyone really read and understood it; if they have I would dearly love to have it explained to me (lucidly please!):[[user talk:jodosma]]
--><ref>''Early Yorkshire Charters: being a collection of documents anterior to the thirteenth century made from the public records, monastic chartularies, Roger Dodsworth's manuscripts and other available sources''; edited by William Farrer. 3 vols. Edinburgh: Printed for the editor by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co., 1914–16</ref>
[[File:Pontefract Registry Office (1).JPG|thumb| leftright|upright|[[Pontefract Town Hall]], now used as a registry office]] ▼
For local government purposes the town lies in the [[City of Wakefield]] , comingadministered under the governance ofby [[Wakefield Council]]. For this purpose itIt is divided into two electoral wards, [[Pontefract North]] and [[Pontefract South]]. Pontefract South is currentlywas represented by two Labour councillors and one Conservative councillor withand North ward represented by three Labour councillors [as of Augustin 2022 ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Your Councillors by Ward|url=http://mg.wakefield.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0|publisher=Wakefield Council|access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref> South ward is a marginal ward, containing relatively affluent suburbs of Pontefract and outlying villages such as Darrington, combined with less wealthy areas such as Chequerfield, whilst North Ward includes parts of Monkhill and Nevison.▼
From 1978 to 1997 the local, ex-miner and former local [[National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain)|NUM]] branch leader [[Geoffrey Lofthouse, Baron Lofthouse of Pontefract|Geoff Lofthouse]] (18 December 1925 – 1 November 2012) was [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP ) for the former[[Pontefract constituencyand ofCastleford (UK Parliament constituency)|Pontefract and Castleford constituency]]. During this time he rose to the position ofbecame Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons. When the general election of 1997 was called he stood down to allow [[Yvette Cooper]] to be selected as the Labour Party candidate for that election. He was made a peer on 11 June 1997. ▼
[[Yvette Cooper]] was elected as the MP for the Pontefract and Castleford constituency at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]. In her maiden speech to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], Cooper said:<blockquote>"It is true that my constituency is plagued by unemployment, but I represent hard-working people who are proud of their strong communities and who have fought hard across generations to defend them. They are proud of their socialist traditions, and have fought for a better future for their children and their grandchildren. In the Middle Ages, that early egalitarian, the real [[Robin Hood]], lived, so we maintain, in the [[Wentbridge|Vale of Wentbridge]] to the south of Pontefract. It was a great base from which to hassle the travelling [[fat cat (term)|fat cat]]s on the [[Great North Road (Great Britain)|Great North Road]]."</blockquote> She held a number of positions in the Labour governments up to 2010 and Shadow Cabinet roles (most notably [[Shadow Home Secretary]]) after the election of that year, but returned to the back benches after the [[2015 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|Labour leadership election of 2015]]. Pontefract and Castleford was merged with the [[Normanton (UK Parliament constituency)|Normanton constituency]] in a boundary change before the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]].▼
The seat, which hashad a history of mining and industry, has consistently returned Labour MPs at [[general election]]s. [[Yvette Cooper ]] polled 59.5% of the vote in the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]] . Support appears to have fallen with the majority falling toand 48.1% of the vote in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]]. ▼
==Economy==
▲[[File:Pontefract Registry Office (1).JPG|thumb|left|[[Pontefract Town Hall]], now used as a registry office]]
{{multiple images|
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| header = Pontefract Market Place
| image1 = Market Place, Pontefract (21st June 2020) 001.jpg
| image3 = Market Hall - geograph.org.uk - 429678.jpg
| caption3 = [[Pontefract Market Hall|Pontefract market hall]]
| image4 = St Giles' Church, Pontefract (2).JPG
| caption4 = [[St Giles' Church, Pontefract|St Giles' parish church]]
| caption1 = Market Place
}}
Pontefract has been a [[market town]] since the [[Middle Ages]]; market days are Wednesday and Saturday, with a small market on Fridays. The covered market is open all week except Sundays. The town is called ''Ponte'' or ''Ponty'' by its citizens and sometimes jokingly referred to as ''Ponte Carlo'', with reference to [[Monte Carlo]]. This theme is continued in the name of bars in the [[Xscape (building)|Xscape]] complex located in [[Glasshoughton]] between Pontefract and [[Castleford]], referred to locally as ''Cas Vegas''. Numerous pubs can be found in the town centre in particular; for example: Beastfair Vaults, the Liquorice Bush, the Red Lion, the Malt Shovel and the Ponty Tavern. A [[Wetherspoons|Wetherspoons public house]] opened on Horsefair in 2010. It is said by some that Pontefract once held a record for being the town with the highest number of pubs per square mile in the UK,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pontefractherittagegroup.wordpress.com/pontefract/ |title=Pontefract |last=Wollerton |first=Alison |website=Pontefract Heritage Group |access-date=7 July 2020 |quote=It has been said that Pontefract once held a world record for having the highest number of pubs per square mile.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://partynicemag.blogspot.com/2010/04/partynice-guide-to-pontefract.html |title=The Partynice Guide to Pontefract |last=Krasaukas |first=Vincent |website=Partynice Magazine |access-date=7 July 2020 |quote=it is believed that the town now has the highest concentration of pubs in the whole of the UK.}}</ref> but this is likely an urban legend, and the title is currently held by another town.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.libertygames.co.uk/content/britains-pub-capital/ |title=Britain's Pub Capitals |website=Liberty Games |access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>
[[File:Haribo Sweets Factory - Sessions House Yard - geograph.org.uk - 576986.jpg|thumb|right|[[Haribo]] Factory]]
The town has a [[Liquorice (confectionery)|liquorice-sweet]] industry; and the famous [[Pontefract cake]]s are produced, though the liquorice plant itself is no longer grown there. The town's two liquorice factories are owned by [[Haribo]] and [[Valeo Confectionery]] (formerly Tangerine). A Liquorice festival is held annually. [[Poet laureate]] [[Sir John Betjeman]] wrote a poem entitled "The Licorice Fields at Pontefract". In 2012, local farmer Robert Copley announced that he would be re-introducing a liquorice crop to Pontefract.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rebecca Smithers|date=30 July 2012|title=Liquorice to grow again in Pontefract|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/the-northerner/2012/jul/30/liquorice-pontefract|work=The Guardian|access-date=27 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2015|title=The Home of Liquorice|url=http://www.farmercopleys.co.uk/the-home-of-liquorice/|work=Farmer Copleys|access-date=27 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028020854/http://www.farmercopleys.co.uk/the-home-of-liquorice/|archive-date=28 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Close by is the site of the former coal-fired [[Ferrybridge power stations|Ferrybridge power station]], although the local [[Coal mining|coal mines]] largely closed in the 1990s, which contributed to high unemployment in the local area. The final colliery, [[Prince of Wales Colliery]], closed in August 2002.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wainwright |first1=Martin |title=Britain's oldest mine closes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2002/aug/31/6 |access-date=13 July 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=31 August 2002}}</ref> has since been redeveloped into a large housing estate named after the colliery.<ref>{{cite web|title=Prince of Wales, Pontefract {{!}} A Project by Harworth Group plc|url=https://harworthgroup.com/projects/prince-of-wales/|access-date=27 December 2021|website=Harworth}}</ref>
There are 4four supermarkets in Pontefract, including a [[Tesco]] and [[Morrisons]] that are located opposite each other and an [[Asda]], which was originally a Kwik Save store, and [[Aldi]] both a short distance outside the town centre. The secondary schools in the town are [[Carleton High School]] in [[Carleton, West Yorkshire|Carleton]] and the [[King's School, Pontefract|King's School]] on Mill Hill Lane, both for pupils aged 11–16. A sixth-form college, [[New College, Pontefract]], is located on Park Lane.
[[File:Pontefract General Infirmary , Old Entrance. - geograph.org.uk - 232097.jpg|thumb|Old Pontefract Infirmary]]
==Services==
The old Pontefract General Infirmary on Southgate (pictured) was a general hospital; it is the place at which serial killer [[Harold Shipman]] began to murder his elderly patients. Beneath this building is an old [[Pontefract Hermitage|hermitage]], open to the public on certain days. [[Pontefract Museum]], from which the hermitage schedule can be obtained, is in the town centre, housed in the former [[Carnegie library]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/Documents/libraries/free-public-carnegie-library-pontefract.pdf |title=Free Public Carnegie Library - Pontefract |website=wakefield.gov.uk |access-date=3 October 2022}}</ref>
A new hospital was built on Friarwood Lane and opened in July 2010, with the new name of [[Pontefract Hospital]]; there is now a modern hospital building. Near to the hospital is Friarwood Valley Gardens, a rose garden, a sensory garden, a pinhole camera (formerly an aviary and earlier a Georgian gambling den) and an avenue of cherry trees.
[[File:Police Station - Sessions House Yard - geograph.org.uk - 576989.jpg|thumb|right|The former Pontefract Police Station, now housed at Pontefract Fire Station.]]
[[File:Pontefract Fire station (geograph 5674705).jpg|thumb|Pontefract Fire Station]]
[[File:Luke William House, Pontefract (23rd May 2020).jpg|thumb|Luke Williams House. The [[Horsefair flats]] were designed by Pontefract architect [[John Poulson]] and dominate the skyline in the east of the town]]
The local police force is [[West Yorkshire Police]], with the town's neighbourhood policing team being situated at the new fire station on Stumpcross Lane. The original police station, situated in Sessions House yard,Yard has now closed and been demolished, since the new divisional headquarters for the Wakefield District opened in Normanton and the neighbouring magistrates' court has moved over to [[Leeds]], following the closure of the Wakefield and Pontefract courts.
Fire cover is provided by [[West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service]], with one pump (sometimes two) based at Pontefract Fire Station. Formerly located on Stuart Road in the town centre, the station has now moved to a new site at Stumpcross Lane, by the A645 at the town's eastern edge. The new fire station also provides cover for Knottingley; that town's fire station having been closed as part of the merging of fire cover for Pontefract and Knottingley.
Ambulance cover is provided by [[Yorkshire Ambulance Service|Yorkshire Ambulance service]], whose depot is situated in neighbouring town, [[Castleford]]
[[File:Barracks Business Centre - Wakefield Road - geograph.org.uk - 997478.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pontefract Barracks|Barracks Business Centre, Wakefield Road]]]]
The Territorial Army, Army Cadets and Air Training Corps all have a presence within the town and are based at the historic [[Pontefract Barracks|Barracks]] building on Wakefield Road. It now houses a Rifles Regiment Recruitment team.
A house on Chequerfield Estate is said to be haunted by a poltergeist, nicknamed The Black Monk of Pontefract.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O68ayjhr3O8C&q=poltergeist|title=Poltergeist: A Classic Study in Destructive Hauntings|last=Wilson|first=Colin|date=8 November 2010|publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide|isbn=978-0-7387-2237-5|pages=67, 152}}</ref>
==Media, arts and entertainment==
Pontefract made local and national newspapers in April 2020, with a range of art which lay tribute to the key workers and NHS during the coronavirus outbreak. The art was painted by a local mural artist, Rachel List.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Frame|first1=Nick|last2=Hale|first2=Olivia|title='I never expected this'-Pontefract Artist's surprise as NHS tributes are shared across the world|url=https://www.pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk/news/people/i-never-expected-pontefract-artists-surprise-nhs-tributes-are-shared-across-world-2534501|newspaper=Pontefract and Castleford Express|date=9 April 2020|access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref>
▲For local government purposes the town lies in the [[City of Wakefield]], coming under the governance of [[Wakefield Council]]. For this purpose it is divided into two electoral wards, [[Pontefract North]] and [[Pontefract South]]. Pontefract South is currently represented by two Labour councillors and one Conservative councillor with North ward represented by three Labour councillors [as of August 2022].<ref>{{cite web|title=Your Councillors by Ward|url=http://mg.wakefield.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0|publisher=Wakefield Council|access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref> South ward is a marginal ward, containing relatively affluent suburbs of Pontefract and outlying villages such as Darrington, combined with less wealthy areas such as Chequerfield, whilst North Ward includes parts of Monkhill and Nevison.
▲From 1978 to 1997 the local ex-miner and former local [[National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain)|NUM]] branch leader [[Geoffrey Lofthouse, Baron Lofthouse of Pontefract|Geoff Lofthouse]] (18 December 1925 – 1 November 2012) was MP for the former constituency of Pontefract and Castleford. During this time he rose to the position of Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons. When the general election of 1997 was called he stood down to allow [[Yvette Cooper]] to be selected as the Labour Party candidate for that election. He was made a peer on 11 June 1997.
[[Yvette Cooper]] was elected as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for the [[Pontefract and Castleford (UK Parliament constituency)|Pontefract and Castleford constituency]] at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]. Cooper held a number of positions in the Labour governments up to 2010, followed by Shadow Cabinet roles (most notably [[Shadow Home Secretary]]) after the election of that year, but returned to the back benches following the [[2015 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|Labour leadership election of 2015]]. Pontefract and Castleford was merged with the [[Normanton (UK Parliament constituency)|Normanton constituency]] in a boundary change before the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]].
▲In her maiden speech to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], Cooper said:<blockquote>"It is true that my constituency is plagued by unemployment, but I represent hard-working people who are proud of their strong communities and who have fought hard across generations to defend them. They are proud of their socialist traditions, and have fought for a better future for their children and their grandchildren. In the Middle Ages, that early egalitarian, the real [[Robin Hood]], lived, so we maintain, in the [[Wentbridge|Vale of Wentbridge]] to the south of Pontefract. It was a great base from which to hassle the travelling [[fat cat (term)|fat cat]]s on the [[Great North Road (Great Britain)|Great North Road]]."</blockquote>
▲The seat, which has a history of mining and industry, has consistently returned Labour MPs at [[general election]]s. [[Yvette Cooper]] polled 59.5% of the vote in the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]]. Support appears to have fallen with the majority falling to 48.1% of the vote in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]].
==Sport==
==Transport==
Pontefract lies in close proximity to the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] and the [[M62 motorway|M62]]. Access from the A1 is via a junction at the nearby village of [[Darrington, West Yorkshire|Darrington]], while access from the M62 is via Junction 32 (also for [[Castleford]]) and Junction 33 (also for [[Knottingley]]). ▼
===Railway===
{{multiple images|
| perrow = 2
| total_width = 260
| image1 = Pontefract Monkhill railway station (5th July 2019) 017.jpg
| image2 = Pontefract Tanshelf railway station, Yorkshire (geograph 3260001).jpg
| image3 = British Rail Class 142 DMU coupled with a British Rail Class 144 DMU at Pontefract Baghill railway station (5th July 2019) 001.jpg
| footer = [[Pontefract Monkhill|Monkhill]], [[Pontefract Tanshelf|Tanshelf]] and [[Pontefract Baghill|Baghill]] railway stations
}}
There are three railway stations in Pontefract. {{stnlnk|Pontefract Baghill}} is on the [[Dearne Valley Line]], which connects {{stnlnk|York}} and {{stnlnk|Sheffield}}. [[Pontefract Monkhill]] and [[Pontefract Tanshelf]] connect with {{stnlnk|Leeds}}, {{stnlnk|Wakefield Westgate}} and {{stnlnk|Wakefield Kirkgate}}. There are also rail services from {{stnlnk|Bradford Interchange}} to London, which stop at [[Pontefract Monkhill]]. ▼
===Buses===
[[File:Pontefract bus station (25th April 2019).jpg|thumb|[[Pontefract bus station]]]]
Bus transport is provided by [[Arriva Yorkshire]], operating from [[Pontefract bus station]] as the town's main hub.
▲There are three railway stations in Pontefractthe town. {{stnlnk|Pontefract Baghill}} is on the [[Dearne Valley Line]], which connects {{stnlnk|York}} and {{stnlnk|Sheffield}}. [[Pontefract Monkhill]] and [[Pontefract Tanshelf]] connect with {{stnlnk|Leeds}}, {{stnlnk|Wakefield Westgate}} and {{stnlnk|Wakefield Kirkgate}}. There are also rail services from {{stnlnk|Bradford Interchange}} to London , whichthat stop at [[Pontefract Monkhill]].
===Roads===
▲Pontefract lies in close proximity to the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] and the [[M62 motorway|M62]]. Access from the A1 is via a junction at the nearby village of [[Darrington, West Yorkshire|Darrington]], while access from the M62 is via Junction 32 (also for [[Castleford]]) and Junction 33 (also for [[Knottingley]]).
===Air===
The closest airport is [[Leeds Bradford Airport|Leeds Bradford]].
* [[Chris Silverwood]] (1975–), [[cricketer]] who represented [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]], [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex]], and England. Former coach of the [[England cricket team|England Men's Cricket team]]
* [[Jamie Davis (actor)|Jamie Davis]] (1981–), actor best known for his roles in Footballers' Wives, Hex, and currently in ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' as [[Characters of Casualty#Max Walker|Max Walker]]
* [[Rob Burrow]] (1982–1982–2024), former rugby league footballer with [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]]; he also has represented both England and Great Britain
* [[Toby Kebbell]] (1982–) actor known for "[[Black Mirror]]", "[[RocknRolla]]", "[[Dawn of the Planet of the Apes]]", "[[Warcraft]]", and "[[Kong: Skull Island]]"
* [[Jamie McCombe]], (1983–), footballer who currently plays for [[Doncaster Rovers F.C.|Doncaster Rovers]]
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