Newsletter Rivelin Valley Conservation Group Donations Autumn 2009 no 72 Many thanks again for your donations to Through The Chair Machin, Goulding Jackson Hoyland Kershaw Communing with Nature Russell, Szabo Gwynn-Jones and Harston. Those of you who read the Sheffield We have had over £600 in donations this Telegraph will know that Keith and I had the privilege of attending their Awards year and we are very grateful for its help to Night at Whirlow Hall the other evening. continue our work in the valley. Also thanks We were there to receive the Winner‟s to everyone who has helped our group this Trophy in the Community Section on behalf year from the Task Group volunteers to of the Group which had been nominated by those involved in printing, organising, Mrs Rita Whiteley. We were delighted to be sorting into areas and delivering our able to take Rita and Edward along with us newsletter. Also thanks to those involved in to witness the event which was hosted by catering, organising events and open Paul Hudson. Paul gave the guests a short meetings, technical help, planning matters, anecdotal talk on Climate Change before publicity and to all our members. announcing the various Category Winners. He read out the citation for RVCG and it A New Local History Book was great to see our achievements As a follow up to his book “A Look at life in recognised in this way. Bradfield Dale and the Stannington Area”, We are the largest Community Voluntary Joe Castle has produced a booklet, “The Group in the city and the impact all your Early Years of Stannington Top House”, efforts have made is actually appreciated being the story of the Crown and Glove by the wider world. That folk can still enjoy public house, known on both sides of the getting back to nature along our valley – valley and where RVCG finished up after a walking the dog, studying the natural and recent walk. In the booklet Joe reveals how industrial history or simply recharging the it got its name, the only one in the country. batteries within the peace and tranquillity The booklet costs £2 and a proportion of of Sheffield‟s best bit of countryside is the proceeds going to charity. down to your efforts. Well done – whatever Copies of the book are available by order your contribution, you are to be only from the Crown and Glove or from Joe Castle on 0114 2301032 congratulated for your contribution to the well-being of the local community. River Channel Flood Management Work Roger and Out You might have notice the disappearance of (soon to be down and out!) trees at Malin Bridge which has changed Contacts the landscape. The Environment Agency Chairman Roger Kite 01142306194 has sent the following information. Task ForceCoordinator Keith Kendall 01142307144 “The initial work involves the removal of Membership/Newsletter M Sanderson 01142306790 trees from the river channel and mill race Treasurer David Lyon 01142302660 at the junction of the rivers Loxley and Group Recorder Joan Buckland 01142305829 Events Janet Bowring 01142307570 Rivelin. This has been carefully timed to Internet Graham Appleby 01142660203 avoid the bird nesting season and the trout Mail to: [email protected] spawning season which begins in October.” Web: www.rivelinvalley.org.uk “Trees growing in river channels can lead Page 1 of 6 to serious problems during flood or high and the present market. Burnt timbers of water events when branches and trunks can the period were found there during an end up causing blockages in the channel excavation. Two more historians, Hunter and under bridges.” and J D Leader thought so too. S O Addy This programme will help to reduce the thought it was in Rivelin, near to flood risk to large parts of Sheffield and Stannington but the Rev. Odom and Walter before long we hope to see the site looking Hall were convinced that it stood at Hallam attractive again. Head near the present golf course which was also a possible site of the long gone Close Encounters October 2009 village of Hallam. One night last week, I heard loud banging One thing is certain that in this dim and noises coming from near the back door. I shadowy time without a great deal of looked out of the window and could see written history, the old boundaries of nothing. Next morning, I found the Hallamshire (which are not quite the same containers of bird food that I kept there as the present constituency) would contain had been moved down four steps and were the heavily wooded, good hunting and on the lawn. They had very secure lids. The hawking country essential for an one with fat balls had been opened and the aristocratic lifestyle. empty packet was a long way down the Waltheof‟s hall was likely to be similar to garden. I bought some more fat balls, put the one described in the Anglo-Saxon them back in the container and placed a poem, Beowulf. It would have been richly very heavy boulder on top. The next night I decorated to show off wealth, a place of heard the same noises and opened the door hospitality and revelry, convenient for and a very well fed badger was within meetings and sometimes acting as a inches of me and we stayed looking at each courthouse. In times of trouble the hall other for what seemed a long time until I would be filled with soldiers, their bedding shooed him/her away. The boulder had lying on the floor and weapons stacked been moved down four steps and the fat around the walls, a good place to plot ball container was open on the lawn. The against your enemies. It was also built of badger seemed to be returning for the box wood, convenient for William when he was of birdseed. This serves as a reminder that in his „burning and razing to the ground‟ the South Yorkshire Badger Group says that mood. feeding badgers is not a very good idea. Waltheof was unfortunate in that he Firstly, they are not getting food that is wavered in his commitment to William. At natural for them and secondly, it leads to first, they were friends and he managed to increased fertility bringing problems in keep his lands when other Saxon lords lost urban areas. I wondered if the tameness of them and their lives. He even spent time in the badger was because of this. France with William and married his niece, Margaret Sanderson Judith. Did Waltheof Have a Hall Here? Waltheof along with invading Danes Yes, he did because the Domesday Book became involved in a plot against William (1086) says so. The hall was somewhere in but they were later reconciled perhaps Hallamshire but it omits to say exactly indicating that Waltheof was a charismatic whereabouts and this anonymous writer figure but later he joined a conspiracy to has caused problems for historians ever divide the country between himself and the since. Earl of Norfolk. He confessed this to the Waltheof was an Anglo-Saxon earl who had Archbishop of Canterbury and was given a the misfortune to be around at the time of penance but this was not enough. William William the Conqueror. Our most well worked on the same principle as invading known local historian, David Hey is certain Romans. If you weren‟t for him, you were that the hall was on the naturally defensive against him. Waltheof was arrested and site at the confluence of the Don and Sheaf taken to Winchester where he was later to become the site of Sheffield Castle beheaded in 1076and buried at crossroads. Page 2 of 6 Later, on intercession from his wife he was a champagne breakfast. Accompanied by re-interred at Crowland Abbey where he jungle noises, we looked down on scenes of was venerated probably because of his giraffes, lions, elephants, zebras and more, generosity to the church. This information all with wonderful sunrise scenes. on Waltheof‟s downfall comes from Odam‟s The Kenyan people look happy, colourful „Historic Personages of Sheffield‟, but he and friendly and coping with visitors must gives no sources. Countess Judith inherited bring a welcome livelihood. his land. Where are you going to next Graham? The question of Waltheof‟s hall still remains. Walter Hall thinks that the site on 13th October 101 Natural History Enquiries the Don and Sheaf would have been Paul Robinson, a curator from Sheffield Swein‟s of the Manor of Sheffield. His Museum returned to give a talk on his preferred site above the Rivelin in what he work. Last time we heard about alien believed to be the ancient village of Hallam invaders but there‟s a lot more to Paul‟s job comes from the Latin of the Domesday than that. He seems to be permanently on Book – the phone answering Sheffielders‟ wildlife “Ibidem habituit comes Wallef aulum”. queries. ( In the same place the companion Wallef In between phone calls he manages to had a hall.) research, teach, cope with school visits and But there is no archaeological evidence for keep the natural history collection in good this but there is a loose link with the local order. He also seems to be a skilled name „Burnt Stones‟ which perhaps refers taxidermist and prehistoric monster model to William‟s devastating quelling and laying maker. (If you ever make one, lentils are waste to the rebellious north. If you live very good scales). We also learned that the around the area and digging your garden, museum is doing well since its revamp.