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The Barnsley Holgate Grammar School Archive

Paul Stebbing, Barnsley Archives & Local Studies Manager, examines a collection of material relating to Barnsley’s former Holgate Grammar School.

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Holgate Grammar School in Barnsley educated generations of boys (and later girls) until its closure in 2012, when it merged with the Kingstone School to form the new Horizon Community College on a new site on Dodworth Road.

A signed photograph of cricketer Martyn Moxon, featuring a message with fond memories of Holgate School.
Autographed photo of cricketer Martyn Moxon, honoring his memories of Holgate School.
A man with glasses and a mustache holds a shotgun, wearing a knitted sweater and a green jacket, posing outdoors with trees in the background. The image includes a handwritten note with best wishes to Holgate School from Stan Richards.
A nostalgic photo of Stan Richards, known for his role as Seth Armstrong in Emmerdale, sending his best wishes to Holgate School.


Cricketer Martyn Moxon, broadcaster Michael Parkinson and Emmerdale actor Stan Richards were amongst the many famous names to have passed through the school. The origins of Holgate Grammar School date back to 1546 when Archbishop Holgate founded a free school at Hemsworth. This was followed in 1660 by the foundation of a school in Barnsley itself by Thomas Keresforth. Two centuries later, in 1887, Hemsworth’s endowment was transferred to Barnsley and the school building in Church Street now occupied by the Cooper Gallery became Archbishop Holgate’s Grammar School.

Historic image of the exterior of The Grammar School in Barnsley, featuring ivy-covered walls and traditional architecture.
Historic image of Holgate Grammar School in Barnsley, showcasing its iconic architecture.

A further move followed in 1912 when a new and much larger school was built on a site in Shaw Lane. The new buildings were constructed at a cost of £15,000 and covered a huge site of over eight acres. The school was later renamed the Barnsley and District Holgate Grammar School, ultimately, Holgate School. It became a comprehensive in 1974, although still subject to the voluntary control of a board of trustees. Girls were admitted for the first time in 1978.

Group of distinguished individuals gathered outside a building, celebrating the opening of the new grammar school in Barnsley, led by the Archbishop of York in January 1912.
Historic black and white photograph of the New Grammar School in Barnsley, showcasing its architectural design and surrounding landscape.


The imminent closure of Holgate School in 2012, a century after it had relocated to the Shaw Lane site, prompted the decision to transfer the entire archive of the school to Barnsley Archives and Local Studies. Of prime importance were the very detailed pupil records contained within the archive. Large pupil admission registers have survived for the period 1888-1923 and these are now openly available to researchers. For the period 1923-1970, individual pupil files have survived and an extensive programme to conserve, sort and index them all has been completed.

Cover of the Archbishop Holgate's Grammar School Admission Register, featuring black textured material and embossed gold lettering.
Admission register of Archbishop Holgate’s Grammar School in Barnsley, documenting student enrolment history.
Handwritten record page from Holgate Grammar School, listing scholars and categories of achievement.
Historical admission register from Holgate Grammar School, detailing students' names, ages, and admission dates.

These contain quite detailed information about each pupil and their time at the school. For data protection reasons, access to the pupil files has to be limited, but if you are interested in a copy of your own file or that of a deceased relative, do contact Barnsley Archives and Local Studies for further information.

Staff registers for the period 1888-1953 are also included in the archive, entry number one relating to Charles Butler, the first Headmaster. Butler was an Oxford graduate and had been Headmaster of the former Hemsworth Grammar School. He went on to stay at the school until
retirement in 1919 and the registers give a detailed history of his career and that of other members of staff to pass through Holgate.

  • A weathered, torn notice from Barnsley Grammar School dated 1917. It instructs boys not to play near school gates, limits playground access to specific times, and warns against disorderly conduct on their way to school or during travel.
  • A vintage program for Archbishop Holgate's Grammar School entertainment. It features a list of musical and dramatic performances scheduled for February 28th and March 1st, 1889, including choirs, songs, and violin duets.
  • Old program from "Archbishop Holgate's Grammar School, Barnet" detailing a speech day and prize list. The event is on August 1st, 1902, mentioning W.A. Brampton. Includes names and prize categories on the right page.
  • Vintage program cover for Archbishop Holgate's Grammar School entertainment event, Barnsley, dated February 22nd and 23rd, 1892. The design features ornate borders and lists various performances with composers' names.
  • A vintage flyer with ornate blue borders advertising a lecture titled "Two Yorkshire Rivers" by F.P. Walbank. The right side lists another lecture by Dr. G.E. Alderson. The text is framed within decorative patterns.
  • Pink poster for Archbishop Holgate's Grammar School athletic sports event on July 22, 1897, at Shaw Lane Ground. Lists various races and events with prizes. Features a notice about the band performance and admission details.

There is also a nice range of supplementary documents which help to paint a fuller picture of life at the school. These include financial ledgers, governors’ letter books, prize giving programmes, printed school histories, and a complete run of the Alumnus magazine which covers 1913- 1980 – a valuable source of information for those researching the school and former pupils.

Black and white photo of a large group of boys and men, presumably students and staff, posed outside a school building, likely Holgate Grammar School.
Barnsley Grammar School, 1905

Finally, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so we are delighted to have received, as part of the archive, a large collection of Holgate photographs going back to the early years of the 20th century. These include images of former masters, pupils, premises and events. Perhaps you attended Holgate School? If so, why not come and browse the many uncaptioned photos. Any help in identifying them would be greatly appreciated.

  • A vintage black-and-white photo of a rugby team posed in front of a brick building. The players, dressed in dark jerseys and striped socks, sit and stand in rows with two men in suits at the ends. One player holds a rugby ball.
  • A group of students in school uniforms sit at desks with vintage computer monitors. An adult, likely a teacher, points at one screen, appearing to give instructions or guidance. The setting is a classroom with multiple computers.
  • A group of students in uniforms and a teacher pose around a table in a classroom. They are smiling, with some holding papers. Behind them, a bulletin board displays various notices and articles.
  • A group of eleven people posing for a group photo indoors. Four men are seated in the front row, and seven people, including women and men, are standing behind them. Some individuals are wearing name tags. They are in a room with shelves and large windows.
  • A black and white photo of a young boys' rugby team. They are wearing striped jerseys and shorts, posing together in two rows outdoors on a cloudy day, with trees in the background.

Tom Selleck!

Display case labeled 'Chamber of Treasures' showcasing various artifacts and items on shelves, with a red background and green plant nearby.
Chamber of Treasures at Experience Barnsley
Signed photo of Tom Selleck in cowboy attire, celebrating 400 years of the Grammar School

One of the more surprising photographs in the collection is of Tom Selleck in celebration of the Grammar School’s 450th anniversary. The Barnsley connection? A former pupil John Daykin worked for Tom in California in the1960s. It is one of the photos which now appears in the Chamber of Treasures area of Experience Barnsley Museum. It has also been revealed that Tom Selleck also has Yorkshire roots, as this Around Town article explains.

Barnsley Archives holds records for schools across the Barnsley borough, for a complete list of catalogues visit the Collections Guide section of our website. The Archives Discovery Centre, based in the town hall is open Tuesday-Thursday and you can visit without making an appointment.

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