Thurgasyke - The Anglo-Saxon Stream

It may seem hard to believe, but the Thurgasyke stream that runs from the Burr Well towards Manor Road probably gets it name from an Anglo-Saxon who once lived in Harthill.

Syke is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning watercourse, but from research we have carried out, it would appear that 'Thurga' was most probably a person's name.

We still have several 'Sykes' or watercourses running through the landscape in Harthill today. There is 'Honey Syke' at Honeysykes Farm at Loscar. There is also 'Hassyke' that runs past Oaklands Farm on Manor Road towards Hard Lane. This watercourse originally ran across Hard Lane into Harde Dam that was located behind Fieldhouse on Hard Lane.

'Honey Syke' may have referred to the sweetness of the water in Anglo-Saxon times, or it may even have had something to do with bee keeping, whilst 'Has Syke' or Hassyke refers to Hazle trees that must have once grown there.

In the 1584 Land Tax Survey for Harthill, it also refers to 'Thurgasyke Ford' which means that travellers would have had to walk through the flowing stream if they travelled along Thorpe Road to or from Harthill.

Harthill was once surrounded by flowing water on its southern, western and northern boundaries. It was this that probably made it an ideal spot to settle and farm. It was only along its eastern edge that it did not have flowing water, otherwise it could have been an island!