Prior to the
Norman conquest of England, Holdworth was a small
Ango-Saxon farming community. Settlements which end in "worth" signify a farmstead that is thought to have
Mercian origins with "Hold" being an
Old English personal name. It was located in the
Strafforth wapentake and was owned by the
Saxon Lord Healfdene or Aldene, who also held land in the nearby settlements of
Wadsley,
Worrall and
Ughill. After the Conquest, ownership of Holdworth passed to
Roger de Busli (Roger of Bully) who had been given extensive lands by
William the Conqueror across
Nottinghamshire and
Yorkshire for his part in the Conquest. The
Domesday Book states that in 1086 Holdworth consisted of one
ploughland with some woodland with a taxable value of two geld units. Between 1270 and 1314, the name of Thomas de Haldeworth was recorded in the area on three occasions. In 1393 John Smallbeehind acquired eleven and a half acres of land in Holdworth, he built this up to a farm holding which was to remain in the family name until the middle of the sixteenth century. The Moorwood family rose from humble beginnings in the 13th century to become one of
Hallamshire’s aristocracy 400 years later, it is recorded that they held land at Holdworth in 1411 through John de Moorwood. Another eminent Hallamshire family with connections to Holdworth were the Steads, Thomas Stead, the builder of
Hillsborough House, held an estate of over 2,000 acres on his death in 1793, including land at Holdworth. ==Present day==