Hatfield, South Yorkshire
town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 17,236 at the 2011 Census. The town is located on the A18 road between Doncaster and Scunthorpe, and to the west of the M18 motorway. It shares a railway station with Stainforth on the line between Goole and Scunthorpe, and Doncaster. Recorded history in the parish extends as far back as 730, when Bede wrote about the Northumbrian King, Edwin, being killed in battle in the area.
History
Hatfield (called Heathfield historically) is an ancient settlement and a palace of the Northumbrian Kingdom called Meicen, (or Meigen).
On 12 October 633 AD, King Edwin was killed in the Battle of Hatfield Chase by Penda, King of Mercia. Penda was assisted in the battle by the Welsh under the leadership of Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Welsh (British) King of Gwynedd. Osric, a possible successor to Edwin, was also killed in the battle. Edwin's son Edfrith surrendered to Penda.
“Hatfield, South Yorkshire” enters the record as town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Hatfield, South and Yorkshire can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Hatfield, South Yorkshire” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Hatfield, South and Yorkshire provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q663350. VIAF identifies the subject as 125523471. The Library of Congress control number is n83030081. Authority coordinates are 53.580, -1.000. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2011.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Hatfield, South Yorkshire”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Hatfield, South Yorkshire primary sources, Hatfield, South Yorkshire archive and Hatfield research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Hatfield, South Yorkshire”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Hatfield, South Yorkshire” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.