Wales, South Yorkshire

This article is about the village in South Yorkshire, England, UK. For the country that is also part of the UK, see Wales.

Wales
St. John the Baptist church
Wales Location within South Yorkshire
Area	10.29 km2 (3.97 sq mi)
Population	1,260 (2011 census) Civil parish: 7,069
• Density	122/km2 (320/sq mi)
OS grid reference	SK480829
Civil parish	Wales
Metropolitan borough	Rotherham
Metropolitan county	South Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SHEFFIELD
Postcode district	S26
Dialling code	01909
Police	South Yorkshire
Fire	South Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Rother Valley

Wales is a village and a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it borders to the south Derbyshire and is astride the M1 motorway. The civil parish of Wales, which has a population of 6,455, increasing to 7,069 at the 2011 Census, encompasses the village and neighbouring settlement Kiveton Park.

Etymology

The village shares its name with the country of Wales, and it is likely that the two placenames share a derivation (see: Etymology of Wales). As such, the village name derives from the Germanic word *Walhaz, a term used by Germanic people across Europe to refer to the Romanised inhabitants of the former Empire. It is suggested therefore, that the name records the continuation of a "British" population in this area, which survived the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, and remained distinctively Romano-British in language and culture. An alternative explanation suggests that the settlement's name may be derived from the word Waelas, meaning "field of battle".

History

The first written reference to the village is as Walesho when the Saxon thegn, Wulfric Spot is recorded as possessing it in 1002, by the time of the Doomsday Book, the village is recorded as Walise. Sir William Hewet, Lord Mayor of London in 1559, was born in Wales, and his descendants, the Dukes of Leeds, would come to dominate the area. The collieries at Waleswood and Kiveton Park historically provided employment in the area, including to migrants from Wales' namesake country, until Kiveton Park Colliery was closed in September 1994.

Waleswood

Waleswood is a small hamlet located to the north-west of Wales. Historically the hamlet was known for Waleswood Hall, and later Waleswood Colliery, which also featured a railway station. Much of the former colliery site is now occupied by the Gulliver's Valley theme park.

Wales Bar

Wales Bar is another hamlet, located to the west of Wales. The village contains typical 20th Century miners housing, with many of the former occupants working in the surrounding collieries at Waleswood and Brookhouse.

Geography

The village of Wales itself is located at approximately 53°20′30″N 1°16′45″W, at an elevation of around 300 feet (100 m) above sea level. It lies on the A618 and B6059 roads. The M1 motorway bisects the parish, while the southern boundary is partly marked by the Chesterfield Canal whose Norwood Tunnel runs under meadowland to the south. To the west of the village is Rother Valley Country Park.

Education and employment

Education in Wales is provided by Wales Primary School and Wales High School. The industrial estate at Wales Common continues to be a large source of employment (not least the food manufacturer Greencore Prepared Foods) & LuK, part of the multi-national manufacturing group producing clutch & automotive parts.

See also

• Listed buildings in Wales, South Yorkshire

External links

• Media related to Wales, South Yorkshire at Wikimedia Commons
• Wales in the Domesday Book