In April 1934 a South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough and Swinton Times newspaper article, reminiscing about bygone days of South Elmsall, noted that Rose Cottages “surroundings have altered so greatly that there is some excuse for not being able to locate them” and that once upon a time “they were the only buildings in what was then a cart track until one reached Broad Lane Farm” and “instead of their gardens stretching to Barnsley Road, as hitherto, they look into the backs of the shops lining the busy thoroughfare.” The same article also told us that the cottages were originally a farm house, and later became the residence of Dr Stones. The article noted that “when he left 50 years ago they were converted into three cottages, the first tenant of which was the grandmother of Mrs Ernest Shepley, who still occupies one of them.” In summary the article gives us anecdotal evidence that the farmhouse was converted into cottages some time close to 1884, or thereabouts. This peaked our curiosity. Constructed primarily of stone, Rose Cottages are visibly much older than the majority of South Elmsall’s red brick buildings, and belong to an era when Westfield Lane was an agricultural landscape.

The 1891 census seemed the logical place to start searching as this is a census record close to the date of conversion hinted at in the newspaper article. Sadly this census has no record of a Rose Cottages, but sandwiched between the Chequers Inn and Westfield Grange farm were three households recorded as “Westfield House” and one of the families there were the Ramsden family. The head of the household in 1891 was 58 year old Ellen Ramsden, who was “living on her own means” and the census records her birthplace as South Elmsall. Amongst others recorded in the household were Ellen’s daughter, 27 year old Sophia Norman, a dressmaker, and her husband William Henry, a 28 year old Signalman. The young Norman family had an infant child, Bertie (formerly identified in later documents as Albert Edward). Whilst no house number is provided in the 1891 census the Ramsden family were in the middle of the three houses, sandwiched between the France family and the Fletcher family, respectively. Tracing the Ramsden’s back from here in the census records is easy to do, sadly the 1861 census merely records their address as on “Common End”, but we learn that Ellen was married to Thomas Ramsden, an Agricultural Labourer from Smeaton. From here we can trace the couple back to living in Skelbrooke, at the time of the 1851 census, and marriage and other records show that Ellen was born Ellen Crossley, daughter of Joseph Crossley of Minsthorpe.

The earliest Ordnance Survey map of South Elmsall, from 1854 shows that buildings were there in the location of where Rose Cottages are today, but they were not named. In 1861 almost all of the Ramsden’s neighbours were agricultural workers, showing the area they lived at the time was farmland, as would be expected. The 1871 census is even less useful, in that their address, and that of many other neighbours, was simply noted as “lower part of village”. However there is a clue, the Watson family. In the 1891 census the Watsons were recorded as being the occupiers of Westfield Grange, the manor house next door to Westfield House, which we can now be confident was what is now known as Rose Cottages. The Watson family appeared in the immediate area for the first time in the 1871 census as neighbours, though Westfield Grange itself is not named. The seems to support a theory that the Ramsdens had been occupiers of their home since at least the 1871 census. The families either side of the Ramsdens in 1871 were the Walker family and the Gray family and by the 1881 census they were sandwiched between the Fletcher and the France families. Interestingly by 1881 Thomas Ramsden is no longer recorded at the property, but Ellen is not recorded as a widow, and Ellen has started to take in boarders, probably needing to bolster her income.

The 1901 census once again sees their property recorded with no name or number, though again there are three households sandwiched between Westfield Grange and the Chequers Inn, the neighbours either side of the Ramsden’s being the France and the Fletcher families, respectively. Ellen’s daughter Sophia, her husband William Henry Norman and their son, Albert Edward, are not recorded at the home, but Ellen’s son, Albert, was back living with his mother. Ellen again has boarders living with her. By the time the 1911 census was taken Ellen Ramsden had passed away, and her son Albert had become the head of the household, and for the first time in the census records the property was recorded as 2 Rose Cottages. Why the property was stripped of its longstanding link to the Westfield Grange farm and renamed from Westfield House is a mystery! Albert was joined by his sister Sophia, her husband William Henry Norman and their children, Albert Edward and Gertrude. Interestingly the extended family at 2 Rose Cottages were joined by a boarder, 24 year old Ernest Shepley, a Colliery Corve Repairer (corves were small railway tubs for moving coal). In 1911 census records show that the Nassau family were residents at 1 Rose Cottages and the Allis family occupied 3 Rose Cottages.

By the 1921 census William Henry and Sophia Norman were named as heads of their household at 2 Rose Cottages. Their 29 year old daughter, Gertrude, had joined them back at home, and their lodger, Ernest Shepley, was still with them (having the same lodger for over a decade seems rather unusual) and he was still occupied repairing waggons at the colliery. The Norman family were surrounded by the Charlesworths on one side at 1 Rose Cottages, and the Fullwood family at the other side, in 3 Rose Cottages. Interestingly on the return Albert Ramsden was still named as the person responsible for completing the return, and appeared on his own separate census sheet as being the sole occupant of 2 Rose Cottages. Was 2 Rose Cottages temporarily sub-divided? For the record, Albert Edward Norman, the son of William Henry and Sophia Norman, was recorded in the 1921 census records as living with his wife Amelia and daughter Gwendoline at 16 Poplar Terrace in South Elmsall. Marriage records show that Gertrude Norman eventually married the long time lodger, Ernest Shepley, at St. Mary’s Church, on the 15th of April 1922.

The retirement of William Henry Norman, of 2 Rose Cottages, was covered in some depth by the Sheffield Independent, on Saturday the 24th of August 1929. After almost 50 years of service with the London and North-Eastern Railway Company William Henry was presented with an oak clock by his workmates. According to the article he began his career on the railways as a Porter in 1882, in Nottinghamshire, but within six months he moved to South Elmsall, in the signalling department. After 12 years in South Elmsall he was promoted to control Shaftholme Junction, near Doncaster, and returned to take over at the signal box in South Elmsall, in 1909. The article noted that “during both of his sojourns in the town he has lived in his present house, which had been formerly occupied for many generations by his wife’s relatives.” It was also reported that William Henry was an active trade unionist and did a great deal to raise money for local charities such as the hospital in South Elmsall. Music was clearly also a passion for William Henry, he was the founder of the South Elmsall Brotherhood Orchestra, and before that he also founded the South Elmsall Brass Band.

An obituary published in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough and Swinton Times on Friday the 14th of March 1930 reported that Albert Ramsden, the brother of Sophia Norman, of 2 Rose Cottages had died. Albert Ramsden was a bachelor who was a long time employee at South Kirkby Colliery and a popular member of the nearby Pretoria club, where he excelled at billiards. On Saturday the 23rd of December 1933 the Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express reported that the family of the late Albert Edward Noman of Rose Cottages, wished to thank well-wishers for their kindness, following his death, after a long illness. Albert Edward was the son of William Henry and Sophia Norman.

The South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough and Swinton Times reported on Friday 13th of April 1934 that Alice Eastwood of 1 Rose Cottages had passed away. She was survived by husband John S. Eastwood and three daughters. According to the report Alice was a respected member of the Congregational Church and came to South Elmsall, from Barnsley, 21 years prior. The 1921 census shows Alice and her family living at Dearne Street. The 1911 census shows the family moved from Monk Bretton to South Elmsall. The 1939 register provided us one final twist. Living at 1 Rose Cottages was the widower John S. Eastwood, as expected, with his daughter, Laura, a Draper’s Assistant. At 2 Rose Cottages we find Ernest and Gertrude Shepley and their daughter, Molly Almena. Ernest was still employed repairing tubs at the colliery. At 3 Rose Cottages? None other than Amelia Norman, the widow of Albert Edward Norman, and her daughter Gwendoline Norman!

1948 electoral registers show that Ernest and Gertrude continued to live at 2 Rose Cottages, and Amelia Norman at 3 Rose Cottages (along with lodgers). Amy and Horse Gill were the occupants of 1 Rose Cottages. 1954 electoral registers recorded the family still occupied both 2 and 3 Rose Cottages, but Godfrey and Ann Eliza Tarr had taken possession of 1 Rose Cottages. Ernest Shepley passed away on the 27th of February 1956, and laid to rest at St. Mary’s church. Gertrude Shepley died shortly afterwards, on the 24th of September 1957, probate records show that her spinster daughter Molly Almena inherited her effects. Rose Cottages still stand today, as a forgotten reminder of the lost Westfield Grange and a forgotten agricultural landscape of South Elmsall that was destroyed by rapid expansion, due to the sinking of Frickley Colliery. Few streets or houses in South Elmsall could likely lay claim to such a long standing family link.

One mystery remains though. The 1934 South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough and Swinton Times newspaper article claimed that prior to being converted into the three separate cottages, Rose Cottages had been the home of a Dr Stones. Trade directories between 1849 and 1852, in Sheffield, show a surgeon by the name of Erasmus Stones was operating in the city and again in 1855 he was operating in Wentworth, in the Wath Upon Dearne area. Various newspaper articles exist relating to Erasmus Stones of Wentworth can be easily found, none tie him to South Elmsall. However, electoral registers from 1871 to 1874 show that an Erasmus Stones was living in a property listed simply as “Westfield” in South Elmsall. The dates fit the other records loosely, beyond that… If you have further information, please let me know.