1999 Annual Reunion

Our annual reunion for 1999 was held at The Edmunds Arms Inn, Worsbrough Village, Barnsley, South Yorkshire on Saturday 8th. May.

More than Thirty members and friends gathered at the Inn, coming from all points of the country, including Mr.Willis Petersen from Utah, USA. In the morning we looked over records and discussed interesting facts that we had unearthed. After lunch we proceeded across the road to the parish church of St. Mary.

Where we were joined by a reporter from BBC Radio Sheffield, who interviewed members during the rest of the day. The report was being transmitted during the following week over South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire.

St.Mary's was a chapel-of-ease of the parish of Darfield and the earliest masonary in the chapel is Norman. The present church is mostly Decorated and Perpendicular periods, rebuilt in 1838-39. Within the church there is an effigy to Roger Rockley who died in 1534. In the church records are a number of events connected with the Wagstaff's, there being 1 marriage, 8 burials and 13 baptisms and within the church yard are a number of "Wagstaff" headstones.

After taking in the information from the church it was then a short trip to the Worsbrough Mill Museum; where we were treated to a guided tour around the mill. The mill was first recorded at Worsbrough as far back as the Domesday Survey (1086) although the existing building dates from about 1625 and houses a water-powered mill. In the 19th Century a steam-powered mill was added. Since 1976 the mill has been opened as an Industrial Working Museum. The mill has "Wagstaff" connections as in the early 1800's a number of Wagstaff's worked there.

To round off the day eleven members had dinner at the Edmunds Arms. Where the conversation ranged from what we had seen that day to where and when would our next meeting be.