Pontefract: Difference between revisions

'''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]].

At the end of the 11th&nbsp;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>

In 2007 a suspectedan extension of [[Ferrybridge Henge]]&nbsp;– a [[Neolithic]] [[henge]]&nbsp;– 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>

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.

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.

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>

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.

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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>

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>

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: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.

* [[Rob Burrow]] (1982–1982–2024), former rugby league footballer with [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]]; he also has represented both England and Great Britain