History and Details on Psalter Lane & Stag

[3pce]

A Psalter is a liturgical collection of psalms.

A Salter is a preserver of meat in salt or a dealer in salt.

There are other roads called Salter elsewhere in the country.

It is possible that the road was a main thorougfare for, amongst other items:- salt.

The Stag was built as a coaching Inn to service this route, as were many other pubs.

My question is twofold.

1) History of Stag - please - any stories

2) Why Psalter and not Salter

Work with me on this one, I'm sure the landlord has a spare pint concealed about his premises for useful info

[Ousetunes]

Towards the summit of Psalter Lane, on the right where the pavement rises above the road, there used to be some houses called The Salt Box houses. These buildings backed onto the large stones that I believe are still there.

 

Apart from their name, I don't know what their connection to salt is! But the very fact that they were called Salt Box Houses could, in some part, indicate that the road was originally named after them, ie Salter Lane.

 

However, Psalter is a more interesting word. You pointed out that a psalter is a collection of psalms but I would add that that Psalter Road runs off Ecclesall Road. Eccles is a Celtic word which means Romano-British Christian Church. Thus, the roads got their names from some (possibly distant) connection with the church. (There is also a book in the Old Testament called Ecclesiastes.)

 

As for The Stag - I don't know anything about the place except that there are some old piccies of it - with the garage next door where the car park is nowadays - on picturesheffield.com. There you'll find pictures of the Salt Box Houses too!!

 

The Stag? Serves Stella doesn't it? Do I get my free pint?

[3pce]

I believe ecclesall is named after Roger de Ecclesall who got that bit of town, whereas Mr Darnall got another, but thankyou any way.

[Plain Talker]

the road called Psalter Lane, afaik definitely was used as the route out to cheshire, and the salt mines.

 

I heard tell long ago in my youth, that someone made a mistake, and thought "Salter" lane (the salt route) was "Psalter" (psalm booK) Lane, and in one stroke altered the historical connections.

 

my money is on the "saltiness" rather than the "ecclesiastical" explanation.

 

PT

[Hopman]

I believe that the Stag was built on land owned by a Mr Mackenzie and his arms included a stag. At one time there was a bowling green at the back, possibly the playgroaund now.

There used to be a different tyope of filling station next door - a national benzine filling station, owned (if my memory serves me correctly) by a Mr Chedzoy.

[algy]

You're right, it should be Salter. When they got round to puting it in writing the old salt route was forgotten, whereas it's not far from Beauchief Abbey, whose monks had a chapel where Ecclesall Church stands, so someone obviously put 2 and 2 together and made 5. The salt box houses were so-called because in the old days salt would be kept dry on the mantelpiece in a saltbox, which was shaped rather like a present day bird nesting box, and the houses were thought to resemble this shape. Sorry I don't know anything about the Stag, but I've always understood it or a predecessor on the same site served the salters on the way to and from Sheffield and Rotherham.

[Greybeard]

3pce,

 

The Stag Hotel was erected in 1805 by the Rev. Alexander Mackenzie, who was the minister at St. Paul's Church in Pinstone St. He built it to replace a much older inn (which he bought and had pulled down) which stood at the end of the garden of his house at Sharrow Head. The new inn was originally called 'The Stag's Head' which was the crest of the Mackenzie family. He let the inn to a Robert Marples.

 

The old house at Sharrow Head had the date of 1664 in the lintel stone, but the old inn was probably not built until the road was turnpiked around 1758...although being on an old salt-way it could have been earlier.

 

Cemetery Road was just a bridle way in those days, and not made into a proper road until 1846 to allow wheeled traffic access to the new General Cemtery.

 

At that time there was a toll bar at that end of Psalter Lane. Sharrow Lane and Psalter Lane were part of the 1758 turnpike road from Highfields to Chapel-en-le-Frith, but this section of the turnpike was by-passed by the Ecclesall New Road in 1811, and the toll bar was removed.

 

Most serious local historians agree that 'Psalter' is a fanciful corruption of 'Salter' and that Psalter Lane is part of an ancient salt-way into Sheffield, and also that Salt Box Row owes it's name to the peculiar shape of the houses rather than any connection with the name of the road.

 

My only memory of The Stag is that in my final year at Nether Edge School I went in there with a friend one lunchtime to celebrate the end of our 'O' level exams, ...only to come face to face at the bar with the Deputy Head Master. He bought us a half-pint each and told us to "sup it outside and never darken the door again !"

[Fareast]

I guess the Stag's main claim to fame was that they held the inquest into Mr. Dyson's death there----the man shot to death by Charley Peace at the other end of Psalter Lane.

[stevie1957]

Originally posted by 3pce

A

My question is twofold.

1) History of Stag - please - any stories

 

In the late 70’s early 80’s before the licensing laws changed…5:30pm opening…… Office workers used to fill the Stag up………Bosses used to take their secretaries in there to buy them a drink for all the hard work they had done.

 

I went passed the Psalter Tavern/Roslin Court hotel today (20/03/2005) and noticed the place has changed. Anyone tell me what it is now?

[Draggletail]

Originally posted by 3pce

I believe ecclesall is named after Roger de Ecclesall who got that bit of town, whereas Mr Darnall got another, but thankyou any way.

And Mr Troll got London Road?