Which Water Wheel Is This?

[duckweed]

January 16th. WHI (Engl) of Roger Barnsley of the parish of Sheffeld,

proved the 2nd May 1566 at York; whereby he directed that his body should be

buried in the parish church yard at Sheffeld and for his mortuary, according

to the laws of this realm; testator willed that Agnes his wife and Thomas

his son should enjoy the farm which he then dwelt on " joyntlic to gether

and after the decease of my wife hollie to remaine to Thomas my sone "; and

that Agues his wife should have hollie the field and halfe of Standles

during her life and then to remaine to Thomas his son ; he gave to Agnes his

wife the third part of all his goods and for default to Thomas his son "and

then to rernaine to the longer taryer of Johan and Eliz " his daughters; to

Thomas his son he gave his " waynes plowes yron and other husbandrie gear

and a whele in Porters Feild with all my barn~ to -serve the Lord with "; to

Joban and Eliz his daughters, " pottes and pan~ with all my instewe "; to

Agnes his daughter x s; to John and Nicho his daughter's ~ "either of them

one ewe lamb " ; to every god-child that he had " iiii d a pece " ; he

willed that every one of his records (witnesses) should have " ij s a pece

ther costs borne " ; the rest of all his goods unbequeathed he gave to

Thornas his son, Johan and Eliz his daughters, whom he made executors " to

se that yt be fulfilled as they will answer me before God." Witnesses: Sir

Richard Haward vicar, William Foxe, John Barnsley. Notes: from the wills at

York Probate Registry. The will was proved by the three executors therein

named.

[syrup]

Sent PM.

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I am trying to establish what other people think about this as I am looking at various connecting families to the barnsley's who seem to have either worked at Shepherds Wheel or Nether Spur. Thomas Dale of Whiteley Wood.

[Bayleaf]

There are two possibilities, either Shepherd Wheel or Leather Wheel. Porter (s) field was the piece of land immediately above Shepherd Wheel Dam, above the dam and crossed by what's now Hangingwater Road. Looking at the field map, it's next to Shepherd Wheel, so that's the more likely.

(Map based on Upper Hallam Enclosures map by Fairbank. The arrow at the bottom points to the bridge carrying the road over the Porter, and is labelled "From Greystones")

[duckweed]

Can't be Leather Wheel as according to Crossley it was mentioned as newly errected in 1754 so much too late.

Barnsley lived for 80 years so if he was renting the wheel during his working life that would put Shepherds Wheel dating back to 1520s at least. I think there may be some earlier references if I follow families back and look at land rented or sold in the areas. The problem is that wheel on the porter isn't clear. What I need also is old field names and property names. Does anyone know of a good source for those?

I have already found that Crossley's date for Blythe wheel is too modern as it is mentioned earlier in Blythe wills though of course they don't mention it as Blythe Mill but the Mill on the county boundary.

[Bayleaf]

Can't be Leather Wheel as according to Crossley it was mentioned as newly errected in 1754 so much too late.

Barnsley lived for 80 years so if he was renting the wheel during his working life that would put Shepherds Wheel dating back to 1520s at least. I think there may be some earlier references if I follow families back and look at land rented or sold in the areas. The problem is that wheel on the porter isn't clear. What I need also is old field names and property names. Does anyone know of a good source for those?

I have already found that Crossley's date for Blythe wheel is too modern as it is mentioned earlier in Blythe wills though of course they don't mention it as Blythe Mill but the Mill on the county boundary.

It would only be pushing the date of the wheel back 60 or so years. The field names on the map are from the Upper Hallam Enclosures in the Sheffield Archives, which date from the end of the 1700's. There is a section in the History of Agriculture in the Porter Valley published by the Friends of the Porter Valley which deals with field names, but mostly in the Upper Hallam side of the river. There would appear to be little change in field names over the centuries, and I would have thought the juxtaposition of the Shepherd Wheel and dam and the 4 Porter Fields shown (which may well be a larger, earlier Porter Field later sub-divided), makes a likely case for this being the wheel in question, it being one of the earliest wheels on the river.

[syrup]

Shepherd Wheel knife-grinding workshop

The Shepherd Wheel was in use until the 1930's, and might have been in use as early as 1566 when 'a whele in Porter's field' was mentioned in a will.

It was certainly in use in 1584 when Porter Wheel, as it was called was referred to in a will.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1217306

Possibility ?.

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I think this is Shepherd wheel and see I am not the only person that thinks so. William Beighton's will is clearer but there are certain wills and land grants and names that hint at the history of the early wheels such as Shepherds Wheel going back a bit further. If you know the wheel is associated with certain field names and also you know certain family names are related and they mention a wheel you then have a strong case.

Some wheels have definite documentation when they were built but others such as Shepherds Wheel do not have such evidence so it is a matter of putting all the evidence together.

There is a great network of similar families inter-marrying so eventually in the 17th century nearly all the people renting or owning the wheels on the Sheaf and the Porter seem to be related.

Several Brights have married into other metal working families for instance. The Blythe family married into the Bright family twice.

The Blythes owned or rented land in Bents Green, Stumperlowe, Whitely Wood, Whirlowe, Greystones and Machon Bank.

Their land at Whirlowe seems to have been bought by the Dales who had been apprenticed to John Bright, a cousin to the Blythes, another Blythe married a Scargill and that links directly to the Scargills wheel.

I think they may be linked to Shepherds wheel but haven't enough evidence yet to make my case. They certainly seem to be in that neck of the woods. That's why I am searching for field names as their lands are mentioned in several documents.

[Bayleaf]

I think they may be linked to Shepherds wheel but haven't enough evidence yet to make my case. They certainly seem to be in that neck of the woods. That's why I am searching for field names as their lands are mentioned in several documents.

I've done quite a bit of research on field names in the Porter valley. can you tell me any you're looking for, I may be able to help?

[duckweed]

Rough field, Brownfield, and Lathe field are 3 I have not established where exactly they are and some mention of a Kiln.

[Bayleaf]

Rough field, Brownfield, and Lathe field are 3 I have not established where exactly they are and some mention of a Kiln.

If you look at the right hand side of the map above there are two fields called Rough Field, immediately above ibbotson Wheel, downstream from Shepherd Wheel. There are also 2 broom Fields nearby, but no Brownfield. I'll have another dig.