The history of Thorne can be traced back to Medieval Times; there are still signs and traces of Saxon, Norman, Viking and Roman influences in the area today. However it was the 1600’s that were to be instrumental in our town developing into what it is today. Up to this time Thorne had virtually been an Island completely surrounded by water.

In the 1600’s everything started to change. James the First and his son Charles the First arranged for a Dutch Engineer Cornelius Vermuyden to drain the land surrounding Thorne. Oliver Cromwell must have thought well of Thorne because in 1658 he instructed his son Richard to grant us our first Market Charter. The Charter was granted initially to 14 good men of the Town for a Market to be held every Thursday.

King Charles the second must also have held Thorne in great esteem because 14 Years later in 1672, he granted a new Charter stipulating that the Market Day would be held on a Wednesday. He also proclaiming that the Town be granted a three day Fair to take place twice a year in June & October. It can’t be bad! James the First, Charles the first, Oliver & Richard Cromwell and King Charles the Second, all members of the Thorne Appreciation Society.

The original Market Charters are still in existence and are at present being held in safe keeping in the Archives of Doncaster Library.

The 1800’s were also good to the Town. Thorne was at the centre of an excellent corn growing area, and in 1818 we were given the right to hold a Corn Market each week. There were seven Windmills in the Town where the corn was ground ready to be sold at the Corn Market, which ran and prospered for over 40 Year’s.

Boat building was always also an important industry in Thorne due to it being waterlogged for so long. For centuries all kinds of boats were constructed by necessity. By the 1800’s they were Building Paddle Steamers on the River at Waterside where at that time there were 2 Shipyards producing vessels. It was possible even in those days to board a Steamer at Waterside & travel to London, Hull or even Europe. Boat Building later moved on to the canal side in the town where it stayed until the 1900’s. We were also able to boast about the building of our very own Brewery, which was greatly appreciated by the drinkers of the community as several public houses sprang up to sell the Breweries product. They also erected The Temperance Institute, which is at present our Council Offices, to cater for the anti drink fraternity. A Railway line, which had run parallel to the Canal for several Years’, was replaced with a sophisticated Railway system & we were blessed with not one but 2 Railway Stations, which are still in use today. Of course I must not forget that the 1800’s also gave us Thomas Crapper the inventor of the Flush Toilet who was born and lived at Waterside.

The 1900’s started off well with the building of a new Pit and one of the countries first and most up to date purpose built Colliery villages, certainly the first in which every house could boast of indoor Flush Toilets (good old Thomas Crapper), Running Water, Bathrooms and Electricity which was supplied from the Colliery’s own Power Station. The sinking of the Pit was dogged by problems with flooding but eventually started producing coal in 1926, 16 years after the shaft sinking started. The Pit of course created more employment than had ever been seen in the area, attracting a workforce from all over the British Isles.

The local shipyard was thriving and building high quality Tugs, Trawlers and other smaller vessels which were exported all over the world.

The Brewery was also going from strength to strength with outlets opening throughout the north of England.

In mid-century everything seemed to go pear shaped. The Pit closed due to the old enemy water. The Brewery and Shipyard were also closed as was the AEI Factory, and for several years Thorne was on the bottom rung of the prosperity ladder. Now though with the prospect of regeneration funding we are climbing back and at last there is light at the end of the tunnel. A lot of people have worked very hard to ensure that we have this opportunity. Money alone will not solve all our problems but we are fighting back, and in partnership we will make Thorne & Moorends an area to be proud of.

The Re-generation has already started with major employers like BMW, Grampian Foods, Dixon’s and others being attracted to Thorne. You only have to look around Dixon’s to see that companies like these are going to play a big part in the future of our area.

The regeneration initiatives which are now underway include a single Regeneration Budget, Funding also being made available by Objective One, Sure Start, The Lottery in the form of Sport England and of course The Market Towns Initiative. The Market Towns Initiative is an important aspect of Thorne’s regeneration and will provide improved opportunities & amenities for the Community. For instance, one of the agreed projects of the MTI is a new concrete Skate Park Which is funded by money from The MTI, Sport England, The Town Council and Dixon’s. The £15,000 MTI money has levered in £75,000 of other funding. This project starts this week and will be completed by the end of March.

The bulk of the MTI will be focused on the Town Centre Re-generation, with the aim of targeting sites of dereliction, improving amenities and increasing opportunities such as better job prospects and greater Recreational Facilities.

Opening address
by Cllr. N Walsh
at the
Market Town Initiative Conference
Held at Dixons - Thorne
February 2003