Sheffield Independent – Wednesday 16 January 1884

The Early History Of Mexbro’ And Villages Around.

Cross Check:

Roman / early Britain

• c. 1st–4th century AD — Roman presence/roads in the Don valley; lecture says traces at “Roman Terrace” and journeys to the depôt at Templeborough and on to Doncaster.

Cross-check: A Roman road link between Templeborough and Doncaster is widely discussed, though parts of the route are uncertain/dubious in places.

• “1800 years ago” — Mexbro’ as part of a great “Brigantine forest,” with wolves and wild animals.

Cross-check: This is more colourful historical scene-setting than a checkable statement from a single record; I didn’t find a primary/standard reference that states it this way for Mexborough specifically. (Plausible in broad terms, but not verifiable as stated from the sources I checked.)

Legendary / early medieval

• Conflicts between Hengist and Aurelius Ambrosius; “Castle Hills” as remnants/gathering ground.

Cross-check: These are legendary/medieval literary traditions rather than firm local record; not something that can be confirmed as factual local events from standard historical sources.

• 489–1000 — “history … was a blank” (except the Egbert/Danes episode).

Cross-check: This is an interpretive remark, not a fact claim you can really verify; the period isn’t “blank,” but local documentation is certainly patchy.

Anglo-Saxon / Norman

• Conisbro’ = “the King’s town.”

Cross-check: Strongly supported. “Conisbrough” derives from Cyningesburh, meaning “the king’s borough/stronghold.”

• 853 — Egbert resided at Conisbro’; battle with Danes by the Don (defeated, then reinforced, Danes defeated).

Cross-check: Uncertain. A 13th-century chronicler (Peter Langtoft) claimed Egbert was received at “Burghe Conane,” often identified with Conisbrough, but this is not treated as firm fact. The specific “battle by the Don” refers to the battle of Maes Belli

• “Godwin, Earl of Essex” held Conisbro’, etc.; died 1053; Harold succeeded.

Cross-check: Partly wrong / partly right.

• • Godwin who died in 1053 is commonly known as Godwin, Earl of Wessex (not Earl of Essex).
  • “Harold, his son, succeeded” is broadly true in the sense Harold rose to succeed to his father’s power base (and later became king), but the lecture’s title/territorial framing is inaccurate.

Castle built by Normans, not Saxons; Sir Walter Scott “made the mistake” of placing it in Saxon hands.

Cross-check: Supported. Conisbrough Castle is a post-Conquest lordship; associated with William de Warenne and later major stone work/keep in the 12th century. Scott’s Ivanhoe popularised an Anglo-Saxon framing that modern history doesn’t support.

• Mexbro’, Denaby, Adwick held by “Ulfac, Ulchil, Ulchel.”

Cross-check: I didn’t find solid corroboration for these exact spellings/names in quick reference sources; they may reflect variant renderings of Domesday/Old English names, but as-printed here it’s unconfirmed (would need a Domesday/charter citation).

Later medieval / ecclesiastical

• 1310 — Wapentake court held at Mexbro’.
  Cross-check: Partly supported, partly unverified. Sources support the Strafforth Wapentake meeting/court association with the Mexborough/Strafforth area, but I did not find an authoritative citation for the specific year 1310 in the sources I pulled.
• A “Saxon” (Airiic/Ailric) gave half of Mexbro’ Church to Nostell Priory and the other half to Bretton (Monk Bretton).

Cross-check: Substance supported; details need tightening.

• • One “mediety” (half) connected with (Swaine) Fitz Ailric and a grant to Nostell Priory, with confirmation by Archbishop Thurstan (1130) is attested in local church-history material.
  • Mexborough’s later connection with Monk Bretton Priory is also commonly stated in local heritage summaries.
  • The lecture compresses/labels this as “Saxon” in a way that may blur post-Conquest holders and confirmations.
• Manor continued till Dissolution under Henry VIII.
  Cross-check: Supported in general (monastic holdings confiscated in the Dissolution).

de Tilli / Wortley

• “Dionepia de Tilli … was … seneschal of the lordship of Conisbro’.

Cross-check: Not supported as stated. What is supported is that (Otto/Otes) de Tilly is associated with steward/seneschal roles connected to Conisbrough’s Warenne/Plantagenet lordship. I did not find reliable confirmation that a Dionepia/Dionepia de Tilli held the seneschal office.

• Mr. Wortley, M.P. for Sheffield, descended from the de Tilli line.

Cross-check: Unverified from the sources consulted; confirming this properly would require a specific genealogical chain (and ideally a peerage/parliamentary biography source).