The Thompson Family

    Mr and Mrs Colin Thompson

For many years the Thompson Family ran butcher’s shops at Totley Rise and Dore. On 10th December 1984, I visited Frank W. Thompson at his farmhouse on Northern Common, Dronfield Woodhouse. He showed me photographs of Colin Thompson, his father, with horses, cows, etc, several of Totley Rise in the past, Farming scenes, highland cattle etc. He said I could borrow them sometime for copying but at that time I had not got good copying facilities. 

    Frank Thompson

Frank was in his 70s and told me that his family had been butchers for six generations. His grandfather Jonathan (John) came from Swallownest where he had a butchery and farming business. Later,went bust when his cattle contracted anthrax and in those days that meant destroying the beasts without having recourse to compensation. He came to Dore to stay with his wife’s family (she was from the Crapper family). He started up butchering there about 1876 (although he is not mentioned in the directory for that year, so may have been under another name) About 1888 he opened the shop on Totley Rise. It seems that John died about 1898/9 as directory for 1900 gives Mrs Keziah Thompson, butcher, Totley Rise. In 1901, it gives Colin Thompson.

According to Frank, Colin had a bit of a row with his mother about who should run the business. She left and bought a shop in Psalter Lane. Apparently her brother had got into some commotion in Swallownest and, after a fistfight, another man had fallen down hitting his head and dying. Thus Frank’s great uncle was one of the last to be transported to Tasmania. When he finished his term, he went to Australia and started up a business making surgical instruments with several items that his sister had sent him to get him started. He apparently made a success of the business for when he died at the beginning of the 1900s he left his sister £35000.

Anyway Colin took over the butchery and his brother took the corner shop next door as Leonard Thompson, grocer and wine & spirit merchants. Apparently there were plans to turn this into a pub. There are some fine shops of Colin and various others in the 1900s with horses and cattle. 

Colin Thompson taken in Back Lane with the old slaughterhouse on the left and dam wall on the right.

Colin Thompson, left, and Selby Wolstenhome, right. Taken in Back Lane with the old slaughterhouse on the

right. The notice warns of danger from the Mill Dam.

In the 1920s Colin was Master of the Hounds and a parish councillor etc., there are some photos of him with Selby Wostenholme, the draper and sub-postmaster next door. Leonard, meanwhile, married the daughter of Tom Reeves of the Cross Scythes.

Charlie Thompson in the Dam Field by Totley Brook

Another brother Charlie had the Rising Sun on Abbey Lane for a time. Colin farmed land where Marstone Crescent was formed, the Rolling Mill dam field behind Totley Rise and also fields where the Aldam Estate stands today. He lost the latter through compulsory purchase, to make way for prefab houses, and bought a farm and land at Lydgate, Holmesfield with the tax-free compensation. He also farmed land off Mickley Lane.

Many years ago, the Thompson’s married into the Lane (?) family who were drovers who brought cattle from Fife in Scotland down to Lincolnshire. Two Thompson brothers were driving cattle on this route one time when they saw a farm for sale at Brightside in Sheffield. They bought it and settled in the area.

From the directories within my files, I have the following entries for the family: 1888,90,91,93,95,96,98,99 Jonathan Thompson butcher, Totley Rise 1895/6 Mrs. K. Thompson, draper (Totley Rise not mentioned) 1901,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 and so on Colin Thompson butcher, Totley Rise 1901,2,3,4 Leonard Thompson grocer and wine & spirit merchant, Totley Rise Frank Thompson ran the shop until it closed in the 1980s(?) 

Peter Thompson with a champion baby shorthorn, 25 December 1962

Peter Thompson, son of Frank, and I had two meetings in July 2001, one at his place at Dronfield Woodhouse and the other at our home, The Coach House, in Great Longstone (when he turned up unexpectedly but welcome just before 11 pm). He talked about Totley Rise and in particular the slaughterhouse on the Rolling Mill dam field, and produced some photos of the interior (B.E.copy). Mentioned that one beast escaped and was hit by a car on Baslow Road and they had to have it certified dead by the RSPCA before they could hall it away and hang it from a long wooden ‘Campbell’ - a sort of beam. There was also a space with curved steel runways suspended from the roof to ease the movement of the carcasses and a large wooden wheel system for hauling up the heavy carcasses The slaughter house was used up until about 1905 and after a fire the buildings were destroyed in the 1970s. At one time they had a small herd of Highland Cattle but, after they ran off and were discovered as far away as Barlow, decided to do away with them. 

Long horn cattle on Totley Rise

One photograph in existence shows these shaggy beasts with long horns grazing opposite Totley Rise shops. Peter also lent me for copying: aerial view of Totley Rise in the 1940s (?), bus passing Milldale Road in the 1950s(?) and a shot of the shop in c1914 with Kath Thompson outside and many carcasses hanging outside on rails. Peter had, but did not leave, other photos and four copies of St Johns parish magazine from 1905 - 1925, which included some announcements, fascinating adverts including Thompson’s and the Mickley Colliery. 

Kath Thompson outside the Totley Rise shop

In return I gave Peter about 20 odd colour prints from originals or prints I have. He is a great collector of stamps and early postmarks from the 1850/60 period including some issued as larger temporary stamps from Totley Rise. 

Brian Edwards July 2001