ARCHAEOLOGY
Canklow Wood is of national importance for archaeology as the summit and eastern
edge of the site has the remains of a settlement that was occupied from the Bronze age (c.1000 B.C.) through to early Roman times (50-400 A.D.). A recent survey of this area
by South Yorkshire County Archaeology Service has revealed an extensive system of low earthworks, comprising domestic enclosures, field systems, boundaries and tracks. Although the site occupies a strong defensive position, there is no evidence to suggest that is was ever fortified.

Towards the southern end of the site are remains of terracing, including earth embankments topped by remains of stone walls. Above and below these embankments
are levelled areas, presumably used for agriculture in the past.

This multi-stemmed Oak tree is in the area near the summit of the site occupied by the remains of a Bronze Age settlement

ANCIENT WOODLAND STATUS
The first documentary record of Canklow Wood dates from around 1600, meaning that it can be classified as an ancient woodland site. In fact, it is very likely that the area has been wooded for much longer than this.

Canklow Wood displays a number of features typical of ancient woodlands. In terms of location, the site is exactly where ancient woodlands are typically found. It is situated on relatively steeply sloping ground, this being less likely than other areas to have been cultivated for agriculture, and is also located at the edge of a parish, in this case the parish of Whiston.

Another way by which ancient woodlands such as Canklow Wood can be distinguished from more recently established woods is by their diverse flora and fauna. Indeed, certain plant species, usually those that spread relatively slowly by vegetative means, are known to be either entirely
restricted to, or only rarely found outside, ancient woodlands. These are known as 'indicator species'. Where a number of these species are found together, this means that there is a high likelihood that the wood in which they occur is of ancient origin. A wide range of ancient woodland indicator species can be found in Canklow Wood, including Bluebell, Dog's Mercury, Ramsons, Wood Anemone, Wood Sorrel and Yellow Archangel.

WOODLAND MANAGEMENT
Until early in the year 2000, Canklow Wood was the property of the Dukes of Norfolk and their predecessors, the Earls of Shrewsbury for a period of 700 years. As a result of this continuity of ownership, a full record of the management of the woodland exists since its first record in a list of woods belonging to the 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, which dates from between 1598 and 1616.

In common with many other woodlands in the Rotherham area, Canklow Wood has, for much of its history, been managed by coppicing. This practice involves a regular cycle of harvesting of the poles that sprout from the base of a tree known as a coppice stool. To facilitate this, Canklow Wood is known at various times to have been sub-divided into compartments, each coppiced in a different year. A map of these compartments can be seen in the book Rotherham's Woodland Heritage by Professor Melvyn Jones.

In order to protect the young coppice from grazing, both the external boundary of the woodland and the compartment boundaries were provided with stock-proof fences, hedges or walls, often placed on top of low banks. Evidence of these boundaries still exists in places in the form of low, winding banks and ditches. When the trees in an area of coppice were sufficiently well grown, tenant's animals were often allowed to graze these areas on payment of a fee. This is known to have taken place in a number of Rotherham's woodlands, including Canklow Wood.

As well as potentially being damaged by grazing, coppice woodlands were often the target of trespassers and thieves who stole timber, wood and bark. In addition, the practice of collecting hazel nuts could cause considerable damage to wood boundaries and to the lower levels of the woodland itself. As a result, in the autumn of 1812, the Duke of Norfolk posted notices around woodland boundaries, including those of Canklow Wood, warning of prosecution for 'nutters'. A copy of this notice can be seen in Rotherham's Woodland Heritage.

As well as coppice poles, woodlands such as Canklow Wood were used to provide a variety of other products. For example, Oak trees from the wood were used to produce the bark widely used in the leather tanning industry until the closing decades of the nineteenth century. In addition, the old quarries towards the top north-eastern corner of the site, together with those in adjacent Boston Park show that this area was quarried for the red Rotherham sandstone out of which a number of the town's buildings, including the Parish Church, are constructed.

By the 1890s, the practice of coppicing was coming to an end, at least partially due to the widespread adoption of coal as the main domestic and commercial fuel supply in place of wood. Income from local coppice woodlands had declined sharply and management problems were increasing. As a result, more and more woodlands were converted into high forest. This was done by selecting the best stem from a coppice stool and allowing only this to grow into a standard tree. The oldest coppice stools and sickly trees were cleared away and in their place were planted young timber trees, including many not native to the Rotherham area, such as Beech, Sweet Chestnut, Common Lime and Sycamore.

The decline in demand for woodland products and resulting loss of management of sites such as Canklow Wood resulted in a general decline in the extent and quality of woodlands. At Canklow Wood, a combination of neglect, unlawful cutting of wood, clearance for smallholdings and general abuse and lack of management, meant that by the 1980s, there had been a very significant reduction in the amount of tree cover. This clearance was particularly marked in the northern and central parts of the site during the early 1900s, this being a direct result of the 1926 General Strike and the two World Wars.

In April 2000, as part of the Fuelling a Revolution programme, Canklow Wood was purchased from the Duke of Norfolk by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council for a sum of £135,000.