Cleveland Street's link with Leger

CLEVELAND street was named after the late Duke of Cleveland - in part because the town clerk at the time admired the Duke's interest in the town's racing culture.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Sep 2007, 14:03 BST

It was opened as a thoroughfare in the 1830s although portions of it had been previously built upon.

CW Hatfield in the second volume of his Historical Notices of Doncaster stated: “Cleveland Street was named on Thursday August 1, 1831, in honour of William Henry Vane who became Marquis of Cleveland in 1827 and Duke in 1833, by Frederick Fisher Esq, Town Clerk.

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“The Duke of Cleveland had in Mr Fisher a warm-hearted admirer; he believed him to be ‘the kind and powerful friend of Doncaster’.

“His love of field diversions, the maintenance of a magnificent stud, and the interest he took in the success of the national sports and pastimes on the Town Moor Doncaster, elicited this graceful acknowledgement.

“He bore away in triumph the St Leger by Chorister 1831.”

The clearance of many old Cleveland Street properties by the mid-1960s brought about the building of new office and shop precincts, a bus station, cinema, high-rise flats and the inner relief road.