Editing Rothwell, West Yorkshire (section)

=== Early history ===
Rothwell was mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]], an 11th-century landholding survey commissioned by King [[William the Conqueror]], as ''"Rodewelle"''.<ref>{{OpenDomesday|OS=SE3428 |name=Rothwell |display=Rodewelle |accessdate=30 April 2019 }}</ref>

One of the royal lodge’s documented owners was [[John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster]], who is supposed to have killed the last [[wild boar]] in England while hunting nearby; hence, a boar’s head formed part of the arms of the former Rothwell Urban District Council.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/articles/2009/03/02/places_rothwell_country_park_feature.shtml|title=From pit to park|publisher=BBC News|access-date=19 August 2024}}</ref>

The [[Church of England parish church|parish church]] (Church Street) is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and is on the site of an Anglo-Saxon predecessor. The current church, which has a ring of eight bells, is of medieval origins but was substantially rebuilt in the 19th century: the tower retains medieval fabric believed to be from the 15th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rothwelldistrictcofechurches.org.uk/holy-trinity/1-about-our-church/-bricks-mortar.php|title=Rothwell District C of E Churches {{!}} Bricks and Mortar|website=rothwelldistrictcofechurches.org.uk|access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref> [[John Blenkinsop]] (1783–1831), a pioneer in the use of steam locomotives on the nearby [[Middleton Railway]], is buried at the church.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Gravestone of John Blenkinsopp approximately two meters north of tower of Church of the Holy Trinity|num=1184672|access-date=19 August 2024}}</ref>[[File:Rothwell Jawbone 2016 01.jpg|thumb|right|Whale jaws boundary marker]]
The town was granted the rights of a [[market town]] in the 15th century and a twice-yearly [[fair]]. The tradition of a fair is maintained by the annual carnival which is organised by the Rothwell Entertainments Committee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ls26.org.uk/cms/local-organisations/rothwell-entertainments-committee/|title=Rothwell Entertainments Committee|access-date=28 April 2019}}</ref> [[May Day]] is celebrated beside the stone cross and on the Pastures on the first Monday Bank Holiday in May, while Rothwell Carnival is held in [[Springhead Park]] on the second Saturday of July every year. [[Rothwell Town Hall]] was completed in 1895.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://dotguide.co.uk/yorkshire/content.pl?action=rothwell  |title=Rothwell|publisher=Yorkshire Guide| access-date=19 August 2024}}</ref>

A notable landmark of the town is an arch made of whale jawbones, which has marked the northern boundary by the junction with Wood Lane and the [[A61 road]] for over 100 years.<ref name=jaws>{{cite news|url=http://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/town-claws-jaws-back-in-boundary-changes-1-972974 |work=Wakefield Express|date= 8 August 2003|title= Town claws jaws back in boundary changes|access-date=22 September 2016}}</ref>

Rothwell is part of the historic [[Rhubarb Triangle]], with the town and surrounding areas famed for having once produced 90% of the world’s winter forced [[rhubarb]] from the forcing sheds that were common across the fields there.<ref name="WL">{{citation |title=Working Lunch|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/4685636.stm|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=21 February 2010| date=7 February 2006}}</ref>