Although I still can’t find my previous references to the boneyard in P***stone, I was back there for another family visit yesterday and the person I spoke to thought there had once been one – except that he called it ‘the slaughterhouse’.
A clue to its whereabouts might be had from the minutes of the thingytone Forum in 2006 at which a question was raised about planning decisions for ‘the old Lairage and slaughter house site in thingytone’. The substance of the question places the slaughter house site in the locality of the present market and fire station. A second clue is in a complaint raised at the same forum last year - 'the path from Martin’s Slaughter House to the market was covered in litter'. Two separate references to the same locality might favour this being the site of the former 'boneyard'.
If you’re able to visit P***stone, there’s a good farmer’s market every 2nd Saturday of the month, the next being Easter Saturday, 11th April. The farmers might be more informative if you’re buying something from them!
Alternatively, this correspondence is extracted from a website that’s really about memories of Sheffield, but the following message turned up.
www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=4302648" I know exactly where you mean. We as kids used to explore the derelict place which is on the bend right at the top hill, just as you get to the 2nd back edge. We were told was an old slaughter house. It must be the same place, it was later turned into houses which my sister in law used to live in with her family".
The respondent’s codename on this site is SWEETDEXTER and this is the response provided
"I can see why you used to call it a slaughter house, because of the bones but Marsden's slaughter house was at P***stone.
Old man Marsden, (William) used to drive a Rolls .When he called at the farm at Foxhill, if there was a sick sheep he would throw it into the boot of the Rolls and take it to the slaughter house at P***stone.
I did hear that Rolls Royce threatened not to sell him another vehicle if he continued this practise".
This next response, on the same website and also from SWEETDEXTER, is in relation to a general query about William Marsden’s factory in Sheffield.
"… We had a brief chat about what happened to the William Marsden company. At one time they had a couple of dozen stores, the factory, Slaughter house at P***tone and three farms one which was at Foxhill plus a fleet of vans which were all wood-grained on the body(I was a painter)"
With the passage of time, there’s not much difference between the two names ‘Martin’ and ‘Marsden’ so, if all else fails, it might be an idea to contact SWEETDEXTER.
This last reference for 1808 might refer to a different slaughterhouse, probably just attached to a farm, since the Grammar School is on the opposite side of P***stone to the market.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/records.aspx?cat=199-sy45e&cid=-1&Gsm=2008-06-18#-1Lease SY/45/E2/20/8 1808
Contents:
Walter Spencer Stanhope, esquire, William Bosville, esquire, Robert Pemberton Milnes, esquire, Josias Verelst, esquire, John Goodair, clerk, William Smith, gentleman, John Firth, gentleman, John Greaves, gentleman, and John Hague, gentleman, all trustees of the Free Grammar School, to Jonas Beaumont of thingyton, butcher. A dwelling house with stables and slaughterhouse on the west side of the school house in P***ston and one dole in the middle of Lumm-Rhoyd, all now occupied by Beaumont. For 21 years at an annual rent of £4. 4s
1 January 1808
Woody
