Mexborough and Swinton Times July 24, 1937

Forward March

If 60 years has seen many changes in the life of the “Times” what must it be in the life of a town? Progressive, or otherwise? So far as Wath upon Dearne is concerned the change has been entirely progressive.

Over 70 years ago I first saw the light of day, on arriving at the age of understanding and feeling my feet in the district as a youth, I soon began to realise that almost everyone in the place knew everyone else.

The population was then under 2000, and, with the exception of the High Street, New Row, Chapel Street, Cemetery Road, Well Lane, Church Lane, “Smithly” Lane, the Townend, Fitzwilliam Street and the lower portion of Sandygate, there were very few other houses in the district.

There was one public school, the one in Cemetery Road – then called Mangham Lane, after the large family of Manghams, who formerly resided there – opposite Newhill Hall grounds founded by the Rev Thomas Wombwell in year 1663, who gave towards the building of the School as the sum of £30. A preparatory school was conducted by Miss Matthews and Miss Ryles at the Friends Meeting room in Chapel Street, ladies and gentlemen’s evening seminar for boarders and daily scholars attracted a number of middle-class pupils, this was successfully conducted by Mrs Wood and her niece for many years. Then we had a one room “School for infants” run by the village pedagogue, Miss Roberts, on the site of Dr Johnson’s present surgery. This was a the sum total of our educational establishment.

The welfare of the town was then in the hands of local gentlemen call the Improvement Commissioners, who held their monthly deliberations in the Commercial Room at the Red Lion hotel, over a drink and a smoke. As to the latter, the meeting was generally unanimous. The Commissioners were subsequently superseded by the local Board.

In the 70s there were only two medical men in the district, Dr Payne of Newhill Hall, and Dr William Burman – the father of the late Dr WM Burman and grandfather of the late Dr FJ Burman.