Darton

History

The name Darton is believed to be an amalgamation of "Dearne" and the Anglo-Saxon word "ton" (meaning 'town'). Hence, in ancient times it was known as the town on the Dearne. However, other sources dispute this explanation and claim that the name originates from a description given to a deer enclosure or something similar. In 1086 the hamlet of Dertone was in the wapentake of Staincross. The hamlet grew to become a village so the Parish of Darton was founded in 1150, when the first church was built. As elsewhere in England, an official register of baptisms, deaths and marriages did not begin until later, in 1539. The parish was historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire and became a part of the former county of South Yorkshire upon its creation in 1974.

Geography

Darton lies on the River Dearne, directly to the east of Kexbrough, and is situated about west of Mapplewell, north of Barnsley, south-west of Wakefield, south-east of Huddersfield, south of Leeds, and north of Sheffield. It is served by the A637 road and is bisected by the M1 motorway (junction 38 being a mile to the north). Its location is approximately , at an elevation of around above mean sea level.

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,466
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  12,692
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,205
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,361
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,056
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  10,980
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,599
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  9,155

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2023-06-28
  2 km SE of Cheadle, United Kingdom
• M 2.6 — 2014-10-28
  2 km NNE of Hucknall, United Kingdom
• M 2.9 — 2013-01-18
  0 km NE of Hathern, United Kingdom
• M 3.6 — 2011-01-03
  5 km S of Masham, United Kingdom
• M 3 — 2009-04-11
  5 km ENE of Goxhill, United Kingdom
• M 3.1 — 2008-04-05
  3 km SSE of Middle Rasen, United Kingdom