The split is reflected in the Domesday entry. This shows that in 1066 the Saxon Morcar, who also held part of Treeton, held an estate belonging to Aughton. Ulley was one of the estates granted to the Earl of Mortain after the Conquest. In 1086 the tenant was the same Richard who also held Treeton, Aston and Aughton. The manor was of no value, being waste.
Ulley was later held by the Paganels and Luterels, with the Horburys and Bernakes under them. At some time in the Middle Ages, Ulley was given to Worksop Priory.
After the dissolution of the priory, the land passed to the Darceys of Aston. The lordship of the manor was acquired by Sir Thomas Tempest from whom it descended to the Lockey family and the Allertons. In 1722 the Allerton heiresses sold the manor of Ulley to Samuel Buck of Rotherham. In the early 19th century the lordship passed by marriage to the Woods of Hemsworth (later Viscounts Halifax) and the Cookes of Warmsworth.
The village of Ulley probably had a population of around 90 in the late 14th century. The village was headed by John de Ullay, “frankeleyn” (= freeholder) and Margaret his wife.
The Domesday split of Ulley into two estates was mirrored by the medieval division of the township between the parishes of Aston and Treeton. The split continued until 1851 when Ulley and Brampton-en-le-Morthen were constituted a new parish. The new church of Holy Trinity at Ulley was erected at the expense of Viscount Halifax in memory of a dead brother.
The village has remained a small, agricultural settlement, with quarrying the only industry. The main change came in 1871 when Rotherham Borough Council obtained powers to dam the Ulley Brook to form a supply reservoir. The population has fluctuated over the years, usually around the 200 mark. In 1801 it stood at 196, rising to 203 in 1821 and falling to 136 in 1881 before climbing to a peak on 225 in 1901. There was then a gradual decrease to 157 in 1981 before the figure rose once again to 221 in 1991.
(Extracted from:- R.M.B.C, Patchwork of parishes, 1997)
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