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| metropolitan_county = [[West Yorkshire]]
| region = Yorkshire and the Humber
| constituency_westminster = [[
| post_town = PONTEFRACT
| postcode_district = WF8
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| type = Town
}}
'''Pontefract''' is a historic market town in the [[
==Etymology==
[[File:An almost deserted Market Place, Pontefract during the COVID-19 pandemic (23rd May 2020).jpg|thumb|Pontefract Market Place]]
At the end of the 11th century, the modern [[Township#United Kingdom|township]] of Pontefract consisted of two distinct localities, Tanshelf and Kirkby.<ref name="Eric Houlder 2012 p.7">Eric Houlder, Ancient Roots North: When Pontefract Stood on the Great North Road, (Pontefract: Pontefract Groups Together, 2012) p.7.</ref> The 11th-century historian Orderic Vitalis recorded that, in 1069, [[William the Conqueror]] travelled across Yorkshire to put down an uprising which had sacked York
Upon his journey to the city, he discovered that a crossing of the [[River Aire]] near what is modern-day Pontefract had been blockaded by local [[Anglo-Scandinavian]] [[insurgent]]s, who had broken the bridge and held the opposite bank in force.<ref>Orderic Vitalis, ''Ecclesiastical History of England'', 2:27.</ref> Such a crossing point would have been important to the town, providing access between Pontefract and other settlements to the north and east, such as York.<ref name="Ayto & Crofton">Ayto & Crofton</ref> Historians believe that it is this historical event which gives the township of Pontefract its modern name. The name "Pontefract" originates from the Latin for "broken bridge", formed of the elements ''pons'' (bridge) and ''fractus'' (broken). Pontefract was not recorded in the 1086 ''[[Domesday Book]]'', but it was noted as Pontefracto in 1090, four years after the Domesday survey.<ref>Frank Barlow, ''William I and the Norman Conquest'' (London: The English Universities Press, 1965) p.95. David Crouch, ''The Normans: The History of a Dynasty'' (London: Hambledon and London, 2002) p.105</ref> ==History==
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{{main|de Lacy|Pontefract de Lacys' family tree}}
After the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest]] in 1066 almost all of Yorkshire came under the ownership of followers of [[William the Conqueror]],<ref name=Ilbert>Fletcher 16–17</ref> one of whom was [[de Lacy|Ilbert de Lacy]] who became the owner of Tateshale (Tanshelf) where he built a castle.<ref name=Ilbert/>
[[Pontefract Castle]] began as a wooden [[motte and bailey]] castle before 1086 and was later rebuilt in stone. The de Lacys lived there for more than two centuries<ref>Padgett 54</ref> and were holders of the castle and the [[Honour of Pontefract]] from 1067<ref>Padgett 55</ref> until the death of Alice de Lacy in 1348.<ref>Padgett 85</ref>
[[Richard II of England|King Richard II]] was murdered at the castle in 1400.<ref name=H2G2/><ref>Padgett 106</ref> Little is known of the nature of his demise; Shakespeare may have "adjusted" the facts for his own purposes.<ref>Holmes 373</ref> At least three theories attempt to explain his death:<ref>Holmes 373, 374</ref> either he was starved to death by his keepers, he starved himself to death or he was murdered by Sir Piers (Peter) Exton on 14 February 1399 or 1400.<ref>Holmes 374</ref>
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Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC Yorkshire]] and [[ITV Yorkshire]]. Television signals are received from the [[Emley Moor transmitting station|Emley Moor]] TV transmitter. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Emley_Moor|title=Emley Moor (Kirklees, England) Full Freeview transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=20 September 2023}}</ref>
Local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Leeds]] on 92.4 FM, [[Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire]] (formerly [[Ridings FM]]) on 106.8 FM, [[Heart Yorkshire]] on 106.2 FM, [[Hits Radio West Yorkshire]] (formerly [[Pulse 1]]) on 102.5 FM, [[Capital Yorkshire]] on 105.1 FM and 5 Towns FM, a community online radio station that broadcasts from [[Castleford, West Yorkshire|Castleford]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://internetradiouk.com/5-towns-fm/|title=5 Towns FM Radio Online|website=Internetradiouk.com|accessdate=20 September 2023}}</ref>
The local newspaper is the ''Pontefract and Castleford Express''.
Novelist [[Jack Vance]], in the "[[Demon Princes]]" cycle has named the capital of Aloysius, the main planet in the Vega system, after Pontefract. The hero of the series, Kirth Gersen, has his residence there.
Pontefract made local and national newspapers in April 2020, with a range of art which lay tribute to the key workers and NHS during the coronavirus outbreak. The art was painted by a local mural artist, Rachel List.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Frame|first1=Nick|last2=Hale|first2=Olivia|title='I never expected this'-Pontefract Artist's surprise as NHS tributes are shared across the world|url=https://www.pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk/news/people/i-never-expected-pontefract-artists-surprise-nhs-tributes-are-shared-across-world-2534501|newspaper=Pontefract and Castleford Express|date=9 April 2020|access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref>
==Sport==
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* [[Chris Silverwood]] (1975–), [[cricketer]] who represented [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]], [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex]], and England. Former coach of the [[England cricket team|England Men's Cricket team]]
* [[Jamie Davis (actor)|Jamie Davis]] (1981–), actor best known for his roles in Footballers' Wives, Hex, and currently in ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' as [[Characters of Casualty#Max Walker|Max Walker]]
* [[Rob Burrow]] (
* [[Toby Kebbell]] (1982–) actor known for "[[Black Mirror]]", "[[RocknRolla]]", "[[Dawn of the Planet of the Apes]]", "[[Warcraft]]", and "[[Kong: Skull Island]]"
* [[Jamie McCombe]], (1983–), footballer who currently plays for [[Doncaster Rovers F.C.|Doncaster Rovers]]
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