SWINTON, a town in the West Riding of Yorkshire, is situated at the junction of the Dearne and Dove navigation with the river Don navigation, and of the South Yorkshire and Midland railway lines, 9 miles north-east of Sheffield and 8 south-west of Doncaster. In the church of St Margaret (rebuilt in 1817) two beautiful Norman arches of the old church are preserved. There are collieries, quarries, and brickfields in the neighbourhood. A large number of persons are employed in the South Yorkshire Railway establishment for the repairing of engines and waggons. There are also flint and glass-bottle works, iron-works (for stoves, grates, fenders, and kitchen ranges), and earthenware manufactures. The town was formerly renowned for its Rockingham ware, but the manufacture has been discontinued for some years. A free warren was granted to Swinton by Henry II. King John, on his march from York to Boston, slept at Swinton old hall. The population of the urban sanitary district (area 1700 acres) in 1871 was 5150, and in 1881 it was 7612.