The earliest newspaper reference to Pigburn that I have found is: 11 January 1785: Leeds Intelligencer, an item advertising the sale of an estate:
situate at Pigburn, in the parish of Brodsworth, in the said County of York.
Despite the earliest OS map, 1854, showing it as Pickburn, the name Pigburn seems to have survived well into the 20th century. In the 26 June 1942 issue of the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer there is an item detailing the awards of West Riding County Minor Scholarships which, under Adwick-le-Street, includes one boy from Brodsworth-with-Pigburn.
On the other hand, Pickburn has also been used for a long time. The first newspaper item is from 26 July 1828: Sheffield Independent, describing the route of the Roman road between Doncaster and Castleford:
It may be traced in an unbroken line over Scawsby and Pickburn Lees. It divides the two parishes of Brodsworth and Adwick
and an 1845 item refers to "Pigburn or Pickburn".
