East Hardwick is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
City of Wakefield
Wakefield, also known as the City of Wakefield, is a Local government in England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status and a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Wakefield, the largest settl ...
in
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
, England. It has a population of 191,
reducing to 173 at the 2011 Census.
Until 1974 it was part of
Osgoldcross Rural District
Osgoldcross Rural District was a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was created in 1938, from 19 remaining parishes of the disbanded Pontefract Rural District after three-quarters of its population (but only a small frac ...
.
History
The name 'East Hardwick' has its origins in
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
. The 'East' distinguishes it from
West Hardwick
West Hardwick is a village and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humbe ...
, and 'Hardwick' comes from the Old English phrase ''heorde-wīc'', meaning a herd farm or a farm for livestock. It adjoins the line of the Roman Great North Road now linking Pontefract to the North with the
A1 and Doncaster in the south.
The
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
does not record the village, but documents from 1120 refer to a Herdwica, and in 1296 as Herdwyk. The name means herd farm, an area used for livestock instead of arable farming. The version spelled as East Hardwick first appeared in 1424.
The township, later civil parish of East Hardwick, lies in the ecclesiastical parish of Pontefract. It became an independent parish in 1871 and its church record dates from 1874.
It is south of Pontefract, and east of Wakefield.
The earliest map dates from 1800 when the open fields were being enclosed. Two farms: Manor Farm and Norman's farm extended over 150 acres and records show cattle farming as well as wheat, oats, barley, potatoes and pea production.
In 1820, the Leeds to Barnsdale Bar turnpike opened through East Hardwick. This avoided traffic from Leeds having to travel through Garforth and Ferrybridge to get on the Great North Road going south. Tolls were collected until 1878.
Today East Hardwick consists of three main areas: the Kennels, around Doncaster Road, the hamlet of Hundhill, and the main part of the village located along Darrington road, a small winding road leading to the what is known locally as 'the Moor'. The village is still based around farming, although it is now a mixed community of residents.
The
A639 road
List of A roads in zone 6 in Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the la ...
cuts through the western portion of the village, linking the settlement with
Pontefract
Pontefract is a historic market town in the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. It lies to the east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the ...
to the north and the
A1 and
Doncaster
Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
to the south-east.
There is also a small church, St Stephen's, and a village hall.
Governance
Until 1974 the village was part of Osgoldcross Rural District in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is now part of Wakefield Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire. It is represented at Westminster as part of the
Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford Constituency.
See also
*
Listed buildings in East Hardwick
References
External links
East Hardwick Parish Council page
{{authority control
Villages in West Yorkshire
Civil parishes in West Yorkshire
Geography of the City of Wakefield