The History of Doncaster

By Tim Lambert

EARLY DONCASTER

Doncaster began when the Romans built a fort in the area about 71 AD. The Romans called the fort Danum. However in the 4th century Roman civilisation declined and the last Roman soldiers left Britain in 407 AD.

After the Romans left the Saxons invaded Eastern England. The Saxons called a Roman fort a ceaster. When they arrived in South Yorkshire they called this one Don ceaster. In time the name changed to Doncaster and they created a village nearby.

In the 12th century Doncaster grew into a busy town. In 1194 King Richard I gave Doncaster a charter (a document granting or confirming certain rights). In the Middle Ages Doncaster was a busy little market town although it would seem tiny to us. In 1204 Doncaster suffered a disastrous fire. In the Middle Ages most buildings were of wood so fire was a constant hazard. On the other hand if buildings did burn they could be easily be replaced.

The street name gate is derived from the old Danish word 'gata' which meant street. In Medieval towns craftsmen of one type tended to live in the same street. Baxter is an old word for baker so Baxtergate was the baker's street. Frenchgate may be named after French speaking Normans who settled there.

In the 14th century friars arrived in Doncaster. The friars were like monks but instead of withdrawing from the world they went out to preach. In 1307 Franciscan friars arrived in Doncaster. They were called grey friars because of the colour of their costumes. Carmelites or white friars arrived in the middle of the 14th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries the little market town of Doncaster continued to grow. This was despite outbreaks of plague in 1562, 1582, 1583, 1604 and 1606. Each time plague struck a significant part of the town's population perished but each time it recovered.

Doncaster gained a grammar school in 1575.

Doncaster suffered an outbreak of typhoid in 1700.

In the 18th century Doncaster was a coaching town. Many stagecoaches passed through Doncaster and there were many inns.

The Mansion House in Doncaster was built in the years 1744-1750.

Doncaster gained its first theatre in 1776. Furthermore Doncaster is famous for horse racing. The St Ledger was first held in 1776.

In 1792 a dispensary opened where the poor could obtain free medicines.

MODERN DONCASTER

By 1831 Doncaster had a population of 10,000. Like all towns in those days it was dirty and unsanitary and many of the inhabitants lived in squalid and overcrowded conditions. However things improved in the late 19th century when sewers were built and a piped water supply was created. An infirmary opened in Doncaster in 1853. The first free public library in Doncaster opened in 1869.

A new Guildhall was built in 1847 and a Corn Exchange, where grain was bought and sold was built in 1873.

The railway reached Doncaster in 1849. Railways meant the end of the stagecoaches but they brought new prosperity to the town.

The first public library in Doncaster opened in 1869.

St Georges Church was rebuilt in 1858. It was designed by the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878).

In 1827 the Corporation decided to light the streets of Doncaster with gas. Doncaster gained electric light in 1899.

In 1853 the Great Northern Railway moved its engine building works from Boston to Doncaster. The engine works became the main employer in the town. In the late 19th and 20th centuries industry in Doncaster was dominated by engineering. Furthermore in the 20th century Doncaster became known for its butterscotch. In the 1970s 2 new shopping centres were built in Doncaster, the Frenchgate Centre (originally called the Arndale Centre) and the Waterdale Centre.

From 1902 electric trams ran in the streets of Doncaster. However trolleybuses replaced the trams in the years 1928-1931. The trolleybuses were in turn phased out in the years 1961-1963.

Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery opened in 1909.

In 1914 the Borough of Doncaster was extended to include Hexthorpe, Wheatley and Balby. The town grew rapidly in the early 20th century and by 1951 it had a population of 83,000.

Elmfield Park opened in 1923.

Doncaster escaped relatively lightly during the Second World War although there was a serious attack in May 1941 when 2 parachute mines fell on the town.