In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Normanton like this:
NORMANTON, a village, a township, and a parish in Wakefield district, W. R. Yorkshire. The village stands adjacent to a junction of the Midland, the North eastern, and the Lancashire and Yorkshire railways, 3 miles E N E of Wakefield; and has a head post-office, ‡ and an important railway station with telegraph. ...
The township comprises 1, 181 acres. Real property, £3, 342. Pop. in 1851, 495; in 1861, 563. House, 111. The parish contains also the townships of Altofts and Snydale, and comprises 3, 974 acres. Real property, £13,008; of which £4,000 are in mines. Pop. in 1851, 1, 238; in 1861, 1, 923. Houses, 364. The increase of pop. was chiefly in Altofts, and arose there from the opening of new collieries, and the building of many new cottages for the miners. The property is not much divided. The manor of Normanton belongs to S. L. Fox, Esq.; that of Altofts, to H.M. Ingram, Esq.; and that of Snydale, to J. W. Torre, Esq. Newland Hall is the seat of J. Locke, Esq.; and occupies the site of a preceptory of the Knights of St. John. Altofts Hall is now a farm-house. Snydale Hall is the residence of Major Thursby. An ancient camp, with a fosse, was at Normanton village; and part of the fosse is still traceable. An artificial mound, supposed to have been a barrow, is on the E side of the village. Collieries are in Normanton and Snydale, as well as in Altofts; and about 200 houses, chieflyfor miners, have been built on Normanton Common. A large iron foundry is at Normanton; and three maltings are at Altofts. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of York. Value, £264.* Patron, Trinity College, Cambridge. The church is in a mixed style, chiefly pointed; was recently repaired, and to some extent re-built; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with porch and tower; and contains a very old register chest, and several monuments. An endowed grammar-school with £20 a year, and charities £4, are in Normanton; and a Wesleyan chapel and a national school, the latter built in 1867, are in Altofts.
Normanton through time
Normanton is now part of Wakefield district. Click here for graphs and data of how Wakefield has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Normanton itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Normanton, in Wakefield and West Riding | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/745
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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