- published: 28 Nov 2010
- views: 656
Coordinates: 53°25′26″N 1°32′20″W / 53.424°N 1.539°W / 53.424; -1.539
Worrall is a small rural village in the civil parish of Bradfield within the boundary of the City of Sheffield. It stands in an elevated position at a height of approximately 230 metres and is 4 miles (6.5 km) north west of Sheffield City Centre. The village has an area of 233 hectares and a population of 1,306 in 2006. Although a distinct village, Worrall has tenuous borders with the Sheffield suburbs of Wadsley, Middlewood and Loxley to the south and east and with the adjoining village of Oughtibridge to the north; to the west is a rural area extending out towards the village of High Bradfield.
The origins of Worrall go back to Viking times as the names of Towngate Road and Lund Road indicate. Also it is sited away from existing Anglo-Saxon villages such as Wadsley and this was quite common for many Viking settlements. There is no evidence of Anglo-Saxon activity in Worrall. It had its roots in farming and was mentioned in records as part of a manor which also included the areas of Ughill and Wadsley. The manor was held by the Saxon chief Aldene and included 14 bovates of land and an open woodland, a mile square. The villages name derives from the Saxon word Hrivfull meaning “top” and this would certainly apply to Worrall’s lofty position above the Don and Loxley valleys.
John "Jack" Worrall (20 June 1861 – 17 November 1937) was an Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy in the VFA and a test cricketer, a coach of both sports and a sporting journalist.
A small, nuggety man with broad shoulders, pink complexion and intense brown eyes, Worrall was one of Australia's great all-round sports people of the nineteenth century, and was involved in Australian football and cricket at the elite level for many decades. After his retirement, he coached both sports, and is considered the "father" of Australian football coaching. Worrall had an extended career as a sporting journalist, and he was a highly respected member of the press box right up until his death in 1937. He was no stranger to conflict, and his forthright manner embroiled him in a number of sporting controversies throughout his lifetime.
Born on the Victorian Goldfields at Chinaman's Flat (now in the locality of Snake Valley near Maryborough, Worrall was the seventh child of Irish-born parents, Joseph and Ann. He attended state school in Maryborough, but moved to Ballarat in his early twenties. There, he came under notice playing cricket against the touring English team, which led to his selection for Victoria in 1883. Joining the South Ballarat Football Club, Worrall showed excellent potential and he was persuaded to move to Melbourne and play for the fledging Fitzroy club in 1884. At this stage, Fitzroy had just secured admission to the game's elite competition, the Victorian Football Association (VFA). Worrall became a major factor in the emergence of Fitzroy as a powerful team. During summer, he turned out for the Fitzroy Cricket Club.