Barnsley, South Yorkshire

Barnsley, is located in South Yorkshire just off Junction 37 of the M1. The name Barnsley is believed to come from Berneslai, or Berne's Land.

The Barnsley Coat Of Arms shows two men, one glass blowing and the other mining. It is these two industries that allowed the town to prosper. Prior to the 1980's there were many collieries around the town, but these saw a steady decline and now no working collieries exist. The last reminder of the coal mining past can be seen at the former Barnsley Main Colliery where the pit head winding gear is still visible. Perhaps the best known colliery around Barnsley was the former Grimethorpe Colliery which was in the village of Grimethorpe. The film Brassed Off featured the Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band.
Glass is still being manufactured in Barnsley, even today.
Although many websites do not acknowledge it, Barnsley also had a number of clothing factories. Some of Marks and Spencer clothing was made at SR Gents until the factory closed around 1999. Tennis balls were also produced by Slazengers, while hot water bottles were made at the Suba Seal factory, Paper was also produced in Barnsley on land now occupied by the ASDA supermarket, there is a dam on the river Dearne that may have been used to supply water for the process.

Had a crystal ball been consulted by the local council, Barnsley would have now be a popular tourist attraction. It would have had a canal network that consisted of seven locks, an aquaduct, which could have been interconnected with a rail network used to collect coal from the collieries.

Although some locals refer to Pogmoor Sands and the Gawber Lighthouse, these locations were given as a reply to someone asking where one had been on holiday and do not really exist. The reply meant they had not been away on holiday. Barnsley is often referred to by 'Tarn' which is local dialect for Town. Morngy, is a local word used to describe a person's particular mode or behaviour. A child that cries easily, a child taking their ball in because they are not winning, a person easily upset are all described as 'being morngy'

Notable People from Barnsley

• Dickie Bird -- Cricket Umpire
• Brian Glover -- (1934–1997) Actor
• Ashley Jackson -- Artist
• Michael Parkinson -- TV presenter
• Arthur Scargill -- President of the NUM (National Union of Mineworkers) 1981-2000
• Charlie Williams -- Ex footballer and stand up comedian