A Meteorite Hits Silkstone

 A Meteorite Hits Silkstone

It's suprising what other unusual unexpected stories you sometimes stumble across. When looking into the sale of John Haynes' land and properties in 1911 I found a newspaper article which gives details of some historical items of interest that were donated to the Penistone Grammar School Museum by the trustees of John Haynes in Oct 1911.

One of the objects was "a very large and heavy meteorite". The story of how John Haynes came to own a meteorite is best told directly from the 1911 newspaper article without any alterations:-

"One day in the early seventies of the last century, Messrs John F Moorhouse of New Chapel, Penistone, John Greaves and James L Nokes of Thurlstone, and John N Dransfield, of Penistone, were at Mr Haynes's shooting over Silkstone Fall Wood and other of his preserves.

After finishing shooting, and whilst sat at Mr Haynes' house - then called Beacon Villa - waiting for dinner, a heavy storm came on, during which there was a very loud thunder-clap, and simultaneously the sky was brilliantly lit up. Mr Moorhouse shouted out to Mr Haynes, who was standing at his kitchen door, "John, what is that ?" Mr Haynes replied, "It is a meteorite and I have marked it down; it has fallen in the fish-pond". This was some distance away.

Several years afterwards Mr Haynes was clearing out the fish pond, and embedded four feet deep and surrounded by a mass of molten material that had run off it, he found the meteorite, and had it removed and set up in front of his residence at Beacon Villa.

Two of Mrs John N Dransfield's sisters who were walking from Denby Dale Station to Millbank, Highflatts, the residence of their uncle, the late Mr Herbert Camm Dickinson, at the time, also noticed the great illumination of the sky towards Silkstone when the meteorite fell".

This story is hidden away at the bottom of page 2 of the Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express newspaper published on 7th October 1911 but gives a wonderful account of an occurence in the village about 40 years previous.

Mr Haynes' fish pond was located next to Blacker Dam and he regularly fished there with friends and acquaintances in addition to shooting and hunting on land in and around Silkstone and Silkstone Common.

The map above dated 1855 shows Blacker Dam and surrounding area before Haynes' fish pond was created 


 The map above from 1893 shows the direction from John Haynes' residence at Beacon Villa to his fish pond. He also owned most of the fields east of the pond towards Silkstone Common


By 1931 when this map was published the fish pond had been filled in

The meteorite removed from his fish pond by John Haynes found its' way into the Penistone Grammar School Museum in 1911. The Grammar School had moved from the town centre to Weirfield House in 1893. The museum was housed in this building. In Sept 1911 Mr John N Dransfield had given an index book to the governors listing articles that had previously been given to the museum. It is highly likely that Dransfield looked after the artefacts. He had been the solicitor acting for John Haynes' trustees when Haynes' properties were auctioned off and was an old family friend. More importantly, he was actually there as a witness when the meteor landed in Silkstone, therefore it must have been his account of the story which made it into the Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express and now into this blog.

In addition to donating the meteorite, the trustees also donated a large boulder which Mr Haynes had purchased to display opposite the meteorite as a feature at the front of Beacon Villa. Although Haynes bought it as a meteorite, there is much doubt that it was.

The trustees also donated four old antique firearms, and a framed piece of woolwork created by John Haynes' aunt, Sarah Haynes, and dated 1822. This featured the image of an inn and an interesting poem underneath which may be the subject of a further blog as it needs some research. 

A question does arise from this story. Does the meteorite still exist in a cupboard somewhere at Penistone Grammar School. Before the demolition of Fulford Block and the old buildings I would have thought that there may have been a chance, but I very much doubt it now.



Weirfield House which was converted to accommodate Penistone Grammar School in 1893. The school museum was housed here (AH collection)

Text and Research Andy Horsfield Heritage Silkstone Apr 2026



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