Industrial town and administrative headquarters of Doncaster metropolitan borough, South Yorkshire, England, on the River Don, 56 km/35 mi southwest of York; population (2001) 286,900. It has been an important centre for railway engineering (locomotives and rolling stock) since the 19th century. Traditional iron, steel, and coal production has declined, although active collieries remain, including the Rossington deep mine. Other industries include the production of synthetic textiles, confectionery, agricultural and electrical equipment, fencing, brass fittings, and optical fibres. History Originally the Roman military station of Danum , Doncaster was later the site of a Saxon settlement and is repeatedly mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) as Donecastre . In 1194 Richard I gave the town its first known charter, and in 1467 Edward IV authorized the election of a mayor. For its loyalty to the crown in the English Civil War, Charles II granted the town the privilege of being a free…