“At the extreme north of the county the boundary takes an eccentric course, for in a curious little tongue of land, projecting into the county of Yorkshire, is situated the parish of Finningley. Every appearance of the village betokens it an old-fashioned country community; its spacious green, upon which the spreading branches of a stately elm cast their shadows, its village pond, and its manorhouse, are all institutions peculiar to rural life.” (A History of Nottinghamshire, Cornelius Brown, 1896)

 The village of Finningley dates back a long time. It is recorded in the Doomsday Book as Finig lei which means “a clearing in the fens” with the manor being held by Gilbert Tison. Parts of Finningley Church also date back to this period. Finningley Grange, which until the Reformation had belonged to the Priory of Mattersey, was granted to Sir Martin Frobisher, one of Queen Elizabeth's most noted admirals, in 1576. It remained in the Frobisher family until the late 17 century when the Harvey family of Ickwell, Bedfordshire took it over and resided there until the late 19 century. During a significant part of this time they became patrons of the church in Finningley, with generations of their sons becoming vicars of the parish. Their name lives on through the naming of the village's public house and one of the recent housing developments, Harvey Close. Finningley was part of the county of Nottinghamshire until 1974 when as part of the reorganisation of county boundaries it came into South Yorkshire and became part of DoncasterMetropolitan Borough Council. Up until themiddle of the last century Finningley was a quiet little village. This changed in 1936 when Finningley RAF base was officially opened with the arrivals of Nos. 7 and 102 Squadrons with their Handley-Page Heyford Bombers. Those airmen whose lives were lost in the Second World War are remembered in the war graves that can be found in Finningley church and grave yards, the latter situated adjacent to the airfield in the village.

The annual Air Shows of the sixties onwards were always characterised by massive crowds, bringing the village to a standstill. Possibly the most remembered aircraft which flew from this airbase were the noisy Vulcan bombers.

In 1970 all RAF navigators were trained here when the base became an Air Navigation School and in 1976 the RAF Search and Rescue Wing came to Finningley. However 1996 marked the end of an era when the Finningley RAF base was closed. Three years later Peel Holdings, a leading property and transport company in the UK, purchased the land and on 28 April 2005 Robin Hood Airport commenced commercial operation. The airport offers flights to more than 40 destinations worldwidewith over a million passengers passing through annually. The arrival of the Vulcan bombers in 1957 not only increased the level of noise but also meant that the main road from Doncaster was re-routed. Its original route was from the end of Gatehouse Lane across what is now the airport runway and into the village in front of the Chinese take-away. This was replaced with the road we now use through the village of Blaxton. The road was also re-routed through Finningley village in order to take traffic away from the road that ran along the edge of the airfield (now Old Bawtry Road). Prior to the re-routing of the road the Village Feast was held annually on Trinity weekend on The Green. People flocked from miles around to attend. Following the changes it moved for a while into the field behind the Harvey Arms, until like many others the Feast fell out of popularity. There used to be a station adjacent to where the Doncaster to Lincoln line crosses Station Road that served the village but this was closed as part of the Beeching cuts. The station buildingwas subsequently converted to a residential property. The first buses serving the village were operated by Premier, a business owned by Mr Madeley of Beech Grove, Blaxton. Until recently the petrol pumps could be seen by the gate. Leon Motor Services, owned by Mr and Mrs Leonard Heath, began to operate this service too in the 1920's and the morning and afternoon shifts were shared between the two companies. They worked together until 1951 when Leon took over. Eventually they moved their garage to Old Bawtry Road. Leon continued to run the bus service for Finningley until recent times.

-          Finningley today Employment Housing

Today Finningley is an attractive semi-rural commuter village, with most people traveling out of the village to work in the towns and cities of South Yorkshire or further afield. The village, which is situated about 7 miles to the south east of Doncaster, sits on the A614, which connects with the M18 to the north and the A1 to the south. This busy main road is a source of concern because of the density, speed and noise from traffic that passes through the village on a daily basis. The road splits the village green in two and passes by the village duck pond. A significant area within the village is designated a conservation area. To the west of the village lies Robin Hood Airport, whilst to the north runs the Doncaster to Lincoln railway line and to the south-east and north-east are working sand and gravel quarries. With the continuing need for these minerals quarrying activity is set to continue in the area for many years. According to the 2001 census 1,442 people were living in the parish of Finningley. Of these 244 were under the age of 16, 988 people were between the ages of 16 and 65 and 210 people were over the age of 65. Local employment was formerly on the farms, in the building trade, the sand and gravel quarries or at the RAF base. With the RAF base now closed the new international airport has brought different job opportunities to the area. Agricultural activities have always taken place in and around Finningley but now there are few farms with some having diversified (e.g. the Bank End farm shop and fishing lakes) and others have developed as farm related businesses (e.g. Higgins potato suppliers). There are various other businesses in and around the village. At the time of the 2001 census the unemployment rate for the area was very low at 2%. Of those in employment the majority, about 75%, worked in service industries, about 25% worked in extractive or manufacturing industries and a similar percentage worked in more routine occupations. Over 50% of the working population were in a managerial or professional occupation. From its original cottages and farms Finningley has grown considerably over the years. The development of the airfield in the 1930's would have the biggest impact. Post war saw the building of council houses first along Wroot Road in 1948, followed by Chapel Lane then on Lindley Road in the late 1950's. Every decade since then has seen the building of new developments around the village taking Finningley from its original rural roots to what it is now. Doncaster MBC now has the village classed as a non-development area. Finningley is a relatively prosperous community. Most people own their own home with, according to the 2001 census, about 70% of houses being detached properties. About 6% of properties are rented. 70% of respondents to the questionnaire felt that where planning approval was given for residential building this should only be for low cost housing. In the past the village had a chapel as well as the church, 4 shops, 2 public houses and a filling station/service centre. But the chapel closed and fell into disrepair and the Horse and Stag public house also closed and was swiftly demolished. More recently Finningley has lost its newsagents, its general store and its filling station. : Only 1 shop remains in the centre of the village, the village post office. Finningley is most fortunate in its Post Office and long may it continue. In Bridget and Alan we have the hub of the community and some may not realise that they are part of a dynasty Bridget's family has run the Post Office (originally in the location of the Chinese Take-away) for 6 generations since 1850, together with a sorting office, which has been enlarged in recent years. As well as giving a first class service as sub-postmasters they are rising to the challenge of selling groceries since the closure of other village shops. This need was recognised by 94% of respondents to the questionnaire, the majority of whom said they used the post office regularly (more than once a fortnight) and agreed that the social contact it gave was important to them. Further provision has been made recently for fresh fruit and vegetables to be sold in the post office lay-by on Thursdays between 9.30 and 1.00pm. There is also the Chinese Take-away in the centre of the village, which was originally the Post Office. The “Golden Sun” is never short of customers and is especially popular with Finningley's teenage population. It does however attract a considerable amount of litter, something the group is anxious to address. Bank End Farm Shop is situated on the outskirts of the parish a mile or so out of the village. Formerly a fruit farm the McCallums have in recent years diversified and expanded. They also operate successful fishing lakes and in 2004 opened a new farm shop selling a wider variety of produce (much of it locally made) with a café that has proved to be very popular with anglers as well as locals and passers-by. The village is served by a mobile fishmonger. Kevin Loadman brings fresh fish from Grimsby into the village every Wednesday morning.

The original village school (now the village hall) opened in 1855 to commemorate the 21 birthday of Gervais Harvey Woodhouse, the son of the Lord of the Manor of Finningley. It transferred to the Silver Birch Grove site in 1965 and in recent years has been extended to accommodate rising pupil numbers as the village population increased. In September 2003, with the backing of Finningley Parochial Church Council, the school became a voluntary-aided church school. The number of pupils currently attending Finningley Primary School is 179 (79 in the early 1980's), with most of its pupils continuing their education at The Hayfield School in the nearby village of Auckley. Holy Trinity and St Oswald's Church has a long history with architectural features from the Norman period and remains that possibly date back to an earlier Anglo-Saxon church. Today there is a thriving, welcoming congregation always keen to involve the wider community in its activities. In recent years the churchyard has been managed with conservation in mind as part of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Living Churchyard Project. Finningley's modern dispensing surgery opened in 1991 on the site of the previous old building. It is a vast improvement on the surgery that used to serve the villagers. It is part of the larger health centre at Bawtry. The bus service to Finningley is now operated by First Mainline with the service to Doncaster being diverted via Robin Hood Airport adding 15 minutes onto the journey time, a move which has not been welcomed by villagers (78% said they would hardly ever use a service to the airport). However this may offer the opportunity to link up with bus services to Bawtry and Retford which was a service that some respondents requested. The 2001 census indicated that over 90% of households in the village own 1 or more vehicle and more than 70% of people travel to work by motorcycle, car or van with only 9% using public transport. The average distance that people in Finningley travel to work is just under 20km. The Harvey Arms, named after the Harvey family who resided at Finningley Hall for 2 centuries, is located in the centre of the village just off The Green. It is popular among locals wanting to eat out especially on Sunday lunchtimes though food is served regularly at lunchtimes and evenings. 75% of respondents said that they would like to see the village pub play a more central role in village life for all ages

Formerly the village school, the village hall was officially opened in 1969. Today the hall is home to the Parent and Toddler Group, the See-Saw Pre-school Playgroup, the Youth Club, Finningley WI, Weight Watchers and the church's Sunday School and Friendship Group. Parish Council, Neighbourhood Watch and Playing Field Committee meetings are held there and a number of interest groups meet, carrying out such activities as Tae Kwon Do and dance, woodturning and art. The village hall also hosts one-off community events such as the church's Harvest Supper and the school's “Flavour of Christmas”, which is always a popular event within the village. The majority of respondents felt that community events were an important part of life in the village. The playing field serves the villages of Finningley and Blaxton. It has football and cricket pitches, tennis courts, 2 basket ball courts/nets, a skate park and recently installed children's play area. 6 football teams, 2 adult and 4 youth teams, use the facilities here as well as 2 cricket teams. It is actively managed by the Playing Fields Committee with members from both villages represented. Their efforts were acknowledged in the questionnaire with 96% of respondents agreeing that the area is well maintained although many comments were made about problems with litter and dog fouling. The mobile library van comes into the village on alternate Thursdays. The van makes a number of stops at set points around the village including one on The Green at 11.35am.