In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Masbrough like this:
MASBROUGH, a quondam hamlet and a chapelry in Rotherham parish, W. R. Yorkshire. The quondam hamlet is now a suburb of Rotherham, separated only by the river Don; stands on the W side of that river, and on the North Midland railway at the junction of the branch to Sheffield; has a station with telegraph at the railway junction; and communicates with Rotherham by an ancient bridge of five pointed arches. ...
It has risen rapidly. from the condition of a hamlet to that of a town; and it presents a street appearance of similar character to that of Rotherham. St. John's church was built in 1864; is in the early decorated English style; was left off with tower and spire unfinished; and contains 800 sittings, all free. The Independent theological college stands on a gentle eminence, amid a plot of garden and pasture; was founded in 1756, and opened in 1795: has two fronts, toward respectively the SW and the NE; contains apartments for 21 students; is in connexion with the University of London; and has an income of about £530. A chapel is connected with the college, and was built in 1815. A Baptist chapel stood formerly on Masbrough Common; and was rebuilt in Rotherham in 1836, at a cost of £1,100. The Roman Catholic chapel was built in 1843. A monument is in the par ish church of Rotherham to 50 young persons, who were drowned on occasion of a launch at Masbrough in 1841. Extensive iron-works in Masbrough were founded in 1746, by Walker of Clifton; produced vast quantities of ordnance during the French war; and have turned out a number of notable iron bridges, including the Southwark one at London. Extensive steel-works were erected in 1842, at a cost of £20,000. There are also large foundries, manufactories of stove-grates, glass-works, chemical-works, and other industrial establishments. A colliery likewise is adjacent. Ebenezer Elliott, the corn-law rhymer, w as a native.—The chapelry was constituted in 1865. Polp., 6,588. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of York. Value, £200.* Patron, the Archbishop of York.
The location is that shown for Masbrough on modern 1:50,000 maps.
Masbrough through time
Masbrough is now part of Rotherham district. Click here for graphs and data of how Rotherham has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Masbrough itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Masbrough, in Rotherham and West Riding | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20368
Date accessed: 24th April 2024
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