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Mexborough is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the estuary of the River Dearne, on the A6023 road, between Manvers and Denaby Main. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Mexborough has a population of 14,750.〔(Office for National Statistics : ''Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population'' ) Retrieved 26 August 2009〕 ==History== The name ''Mexborough'' combines the Old English suffix ''burh'' meaning a fortified place with an Old English or Old Norse personal name, which may be ''Meke'', ''Muik'', ''Meoc'', or ''Mjukr''. Mexborough is located at the north eastern end of a dyke known as the ''Roman Ridge'' that is thought to have been constructed either by the Brigantian tribes in the 1st century AD, perhaps as a defence against the Roman invasion of Britain, or after the 5th century to defend the British kingdom of Elmet from the Angles. The earliest known written reference to Mexborough is found in the Domesday Book of 1086 (''Mechesburg''), which states that before the Norman Conquest of England the area had been controlled by the Saxon lords Wulfheah and Ulfkil. Following the Conquest the area fell under the control of the Norman Baron Roger de Busli. The remains of an earthwork in Castle Park are thought to have been a motte and bailey castle constructed in the 11th century shortly after the Conquest. St. John the Baptist C of E church includes elements that date from the 12th century. A few other pre-1800 buildings remain, including several public houses: the Ferryboat Inn, the George and Dragon, the Bull's Head and the Red Lion. Most of the buildings in the town are post-1800. Throughout the 18th, 19th and much of the 20th century the town's economy was based around coal mining, quarrying, brickworks and the production of ceramics, and it soon became a busy railway junction. These industries led to an increase in industrial illness and an increase in the mortality rate. Although the town boasted a cottage hospital, the lack of suitable facilities led to Lord Montagu donating land for a new hospital to be built. Lord Montagu laid the first stone at the site in 1904. The site is still a working hospital, and now forms part of the Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS trust. The industries which led to the creation of Montagu Hospital not only brought problems to the town, but also led to an increase in population and, for some, an increase in wealth and opportunity. Many more public houses and other businesses were created, many of which are still trading today. It was in one of these public houses, the Montagu Arms, that Stan Laurel stayed overnight after performing at the town's Prince of Wales Theatre on 9 December 1907. During the second half of the 19th century, like many other industrial towns, a Cooperative Society was formed in Mexborough. This was modelled on the consumer cooperative set up by the Rochdale Pioneers in 1844. In 1861 nine working men met together at the home of James Simpson in Mexborough and decided to form the Mexborough Working Men's Industrial Society (later renamed as the Mexborough Cooperative Society). The aim of the Society was to supply (at first to the nine men themselves) the necessary things of life. Membership quickly grew and by the 1890s it stood at 1,200. In its heyday, there were ten shops which were to be found in every built up area of Mexborough. By 1903 land had been purchased in the middle of Mexborough on which to build a large and grand new central store, but then suddenly in 1904 the Mexborough Cooperative Society went into liquidation. Soon after they were taken over by the Barnsley British Co-operative Society.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Newsletter 26 November 1996 )〕 One of Mexborough's landmarks is closely associated with the Cooperative Society. This is the former Barnsley British Cooperative Society flour mill which stands on the north side of the River Don Navigation close to the Church of St John the Baptist. It started off as the "Don Roller Mills". It was owned by James White who sold it to the Barnsley British Cooperative Society in 1912.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Don Roller Mills )〕 For over a hundred years, the railway locomotive maintenance and stabling depot (colloqually known as "Mexborough Loco") was a major employer. The South Yorkshire, Doncaster and Goole Railway arrived in Mexborough in 1850. The extensive coal traffic generated by the local collieries required railway locomotives to haul them and these locomotives required driving, firing, refuelling, maintenance and stabling. Mexborough was chosen as the site for a large 15-road depot. In its heyday, it had an allocation of about 150 locomotives. In the 1920s it was the stabling point for the LNER Garratt, then the most powerful locomotive in the UK. The depot closed in 1964. Following the demise of the coal mining industry in the 1980s Mexborough, like many ex-mining towns and villages, is still in the process of economic and social recovery. The history of the town is charted on the Mexborough & District Heritage Society's extensive website: () 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mexborough」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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