Campsall, United Kingdom

History

The name Campsall probably derives from the Old English camshalh meaning 'Cam's nook of land'. Alternatively, the first element could be derived from the Primitive Welsh camm meaning 'crooked'.

Following the departure of the Romans, who had a small fort two miles to the west which guarded the crossing of the River Skell by the Great North Road, an early wooden Saxon church was established at Campsall, although nothing of this remains today. Following the Conquest a large Norman church was built out of local stone to serve the local population who were engaged with agricultural and rural employment during the mediaeval period. During this time Campsall was rapidly growing in importance and was granted a royal charter in 1294 entitling it to a weekly Thursday market and an annual four-day fair. These had ceased by 1627. A public house, the Ring of Bells (now called the Old Bells) was opened near the church and this pub is believed to be one of the oldest in Yorkshire.

During the 18th century, the village was dominated by the landed gentry. At opposite ends of the village, the Bacon-Franks constructed Campsall Hall and the Cooke-Yarboroughs built Campsmount. The villagers were still mostly employed with farming and working on the two estates, and even the establishment of nearby Askern Colliery in 1910 had little impact on the work force of Campsall.

From the History section of Campsall on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.