Todwick was first recorded in the Doomsday Book dated 1086, which holds the results of the survey of land and properties ordered after the Norman invasion by King William also known as William the Conqueror.
The name of Todwick has undergone many spellings and changes, for example:
Tatewic, Tatewich, Tatwk, Tathewick, Tadwick, Toddwyke, Totwik, Todewyk
Todwick was relatively small until significant expansion in the 1960’s. Despite these changes and the addition of 2 significant housing developments South-West of the village (Kiveton Lane/The Pastures) and East (off Kiveton Lane), a number of old buildings and reminders of the past still exist.
Todwick Manor
The present Manor House is a modern building, whereas the old manor house (which stood NE of the present house), is shown as an “antiquity” on older Ordnance Survey maps. It was demolished in 1951, and a level lawn now occupies the site.
Todwick Milepost
The milepost, dating back to the late 19th century, is a sandstone pillar with a cast-iron rectangular plaque with raised lettering which reads:
Sheffield/10/Worksop/-
The lower part is buried beneath the pavement, approximately 35 metres to the east of the entrance to Todwick Grange. Other mileposts on this route are now without their plaques.
Tysting Tree
There is a Trysting Tree to the memory of Robin Hood, in the small wood just off the left-hand side of Kiveton Lane on the south exit of Todwick (just after the 4 large detached houses). The “venerable oak” was stated as a “great trysting tree in the Hart-hill Walk” which was a private road owned and maintained by the Dukes of Leeds, and now forms that part of Kiveton Lane between the Rectory glebe land and Kiveton. The trysting tree is, therefore, firmly placed at Todwick and at the site marked by the plaque.
The original tree was on the edge of a piece of ancient Woodland known locally as “The Bluebell Wood”. This tree was badly storm damaged at the turn of the century and the remains were cut down and taken to the Duke of Leeds agent’s house in Lodge Hill and placed in the garden there. It is thought that Sir Walter Scott’s novel “Ivanhoe” lists places such as Kiveton, Steetley, Bedgrave and other local places as settings for some of the scenes in the book. Kiveton was therefore classed as situated in Sherwood Forest
Todwick Historical Society
This information is a summary of some of the notable aspects of the village, taken from other sources. There is an active Historical Society, which meets at the Village Hall at 7.30 pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month (excluding August)