When searching for jobs in Sheffield, you are not just looking to work in one of the United Kingdom’s largest cities, you are also about to live in one of the nation’s oldest settlements. Archaeological findings show that Sheffield may have been settled by humans from the Upper Paleolithic period of almost 13,000 years ago. There are also scores of remains dating from the Mesolithic era, Bronze Age and Iron Age including urns and forts. Although Sheffield was one of the regions that fell under Roman rule during their invasion to Britain, there have been few Roman artefacts found in the area.

The origins of Sheffield as we know it now can be traced to an Anglo-Saxon settlement between the rivers Don and Sheaf between the 6th and 9th centuries AD. The area around Sheffield was first settled by Vikings with the Normans creating their own settlement several centuries later.

Modern Beginnings

The formation of modern Sheffield began with a castle built by William de Lovetot. This castle was burned in 1266 but rebuilt within four years. Medieval Sheffield housed a few hundred citizens and was far from the powerhouse it is today though wool was one of its important industries at the time. Mentions of Sheffield cutlery appear in documents from the 14th century though it was only one of several English towns that created cutlery in the era.

Middle Ages

Yet this was to change and by 1600, only London was deemed to be a more important location for the creation of cutlery. Just over 2,000 people lived in Sheffield at the beginning of the 17th century but more than 30% of the population were beggars. Sheffield Castle became a hot point during the English Civil War in the 1640s with the Royalists and the government both seizing the castle at different times. The castle was unfortunately destroyed by government soldiers in 1648. The last 1600s saw Sheffield’s population rise to more than 5,000.

Industrial Revolution

Sheffield was one of the town’s most affected by the 18th century Industrial Revolution which swept through Britain. Benjamin Huntsman invented Crucible Steel, a higher quality steel which became famous throughout the nation. Sheffield also saw silk and lead mills built in the middle of the 18th century. Sheffield grew exponentially throughout the 19th century, its population increasing from just over 30,000 in 1801 to 135,000 in 1851. Sheffield F.C had the honour of becoming the first football team in the world in 1857.

However, Sheffield was also rife with poverty and disease with a cholera epidemic killing more than 400 people in 1832. The drainage of Sheffield improved during the Victorian era and museums and galleries were also built. Sheffield was officially made a city in 1893. Four years later, the Town Hall was built and electric trams followed in 1899.

20th Century

By the start of the 20th Century, Sheffield was every inch the city with a population of more than 450,000. When the city became a diocese of the Church of England in 1914, the parish church was upgraded to Cathedral status. The city was involved in both World Wars and suffered casualties during both conflicts. German zeppelins bombed the city in 1916, killing 28 people. Further bombing by Nazi Germany during World War II killed almost 600 people and levelled 3,000 homes. There was a particularly heavy bombing period in December 1940 which became known as the Sheffield Blitz.

Between the wars, Sheffield suffered from a major recession. Like the rest of the world, the Great Depression, which began in 1929, badly affected the city. Despite a high rate of unemployment, the city did manage to remove many of the slums which were a black mark on Sheffield up to that point. The clearance of the slums continued after World War II with new council houses built in places like Hyde Park. The city also became more multicultural during this period thanks to the influx of West Indian and Asian immigrants.

Modern Sheffield

Sheffield was also hit with another recession in the 1980s. This caused massive unemployment but substantial government funding ensured that the city began to thrive. As things stand, Sheffield is growing faster than almost any other UK city. Its economy is strong with thousands of new employment opportunities attracting applicants from all over the UK. As at 2011, Sheffield is seen as one of the best places to live in the United Kingdom.