nottinghamshire

nottingham

First built 1068 by William the Conqueror.

The remains of the stone Middle Bailey built by Henry II are still visible at the site.

In 1191 Prince John seized Nottingham Castle.  Returning from the crusades King Richard I travelled to Nottingham in 1194 to recapture the only of the castles held by John's supporters that would not surrender.

Henry III carried out extensive work on the castle to improve defences and make it a suitable royal residence.

Supporters of Edward III crept into the castle to overthrow Roger Mortimer who had ruled England with Queen Isabella as his mistress after murdering Edward II.

King David II of Scotland is believed to have been imprisoned at Nottingham Castle.

Edward IV created a new Royal Palace at the Castle.

In 1651 the Parliamentary Council ordered the slighting of the Castle and it was demolished from within.

In 1663 William Cavendish purchased the Castle from the Duke of Buckingham and built the current Ducal Mansion.

When the current Duke opposed the Reform Bill in 1831 a large crowd smashed through fencing when the gates would not give and looted the building then set it on fire.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ARCHIVE



This archive is both the Nottinghamshire County Archives and the Southwell Diocesan Record office. Note that some records on Nottinghamshire, for example the archdeaconry

court records, are held at Nottingham University library. The Nottingham University website has a very good introduction to the types of archdeaconry sources held, (see Contacts below).



The staff are very friendly and helpful. To have access to the original documents you require a CARN card (County Archive Research Network), which the staff will provide on presentation of proof of identity and address. This is not required to use other parts of the search room, including the microfiche machines. The research room is quite small

and relatively noisy since the reception desk is in the middle of the room. There is no booking system but the archives never get so busy that you can't find a table and there are plenty of microfiche machines. Laptops can be plugged in for use when consulting original

documents both on the desks and at the microfiche machines. Alert the receptionist that you have a laptop when you sign in, since legally you have to use a circuit breaker.



Records such as wills and inventories, or assize court records have been photographed

and are available for consultation on microfiche. Originals of such documents may only be

consulted with permission from the archivist. Depending on the condition of the document, the staff will produce photocopies for a small charge. You are allowed to bring in your own digital camera, but are charged 50p per photograph you take. You would, however, be charged a lot more for the archive staff to photograph the document on your behalf.



Facilities:



The archives have many lockers for bags and coats, and, usefully, some of a larger size available for large bags. There is also a room with a coffee machine where you can eat lunch and the record office is located near many cafes.



The Nottinghamshire Archive is in the centre of Nottingham, about a 3-minute walk from the railway station. There is limited parking at the archives, but there are many nearby public parking sites.







Contacts:

Nottinghamshire Archives



Website: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/archives.

Email: archives@nottscc.gov.uk

Tel: (+44) 0115 9581634 or (+44) 0115 9504524


Nottingham University Library



Website: www.nottingham.ac.uk/mss



Opening Hours:



Nottinghamshire Archives are open six days a week –



Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - 9am to 4.45pm (last document production 3.15pm)



Tuesday - 9am to 7.15pm (last document production 6.15pm)



Saturday - 9am - 12.45pm (last document production 11.45am)



Nearest Railway Station:



Carrington Street, Nottingham. – approx 3 minute walk away




Katie Wright



Katie is looking at the construction of Godly identity in late Elizabethan and early Stuart England as 'performance.' Her research is based on records for the towns of Nottingham and Banbury. Katie’s supervisor for this work is Dr Graeme Murdock.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAM
SAXON NOTTINGHAM
Nottingham began in the 6th century as a small Saxon settlement called Snotta inga ham. The Saxon word ham meant village. The word inga meant 'belonging to' and Snotta was a man. So it was the village owned by Snotta. It was inevitable that sooner of later Nottingham would grow into a town as it is the first point where the Trent can be forded but the river is also navigable this far inlandIn the late 9th century the Danes conquered North East and Eastern England. They turned Nottingham into a fortified settlement or burgh. Nottingham had a ditch around it and an earth rampart with a wooden palisade on top.In 920 the English king recaptured


Nottingham and he built a bridge across the Trent. By the 10th century Nottingham was a busy little town though with a population of only several hundred. The Western limit of the Nottingham stood roughly where Bridlesmith Gate is today. From the 10th century Nottingham had a mintIn 1067 William the Conqueror built a wooden castle to guard Nottingham. (It was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century). Nottingham grew rapidly after the Norman Conquest. A new area was created between the old town and the castle. It was called the French borough because most of those who lived there were Norman French. The old town was called the English borough. The two areas had separate administrations until about 1300. The ditch and rampart around Nottingham were extended to surround the new area. Later, in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, they were replaced by stone walls Nottingham may have had a population of around 1,500 at the time of the Norman Conquest.
By the 14th century it may have grown to 3,000.


By the standards of the time Nottingham was a fair sized town. However it was not large or important nationally In 1155 the king gave Nottingham a charter. In the Middle Ages a charter was a document granting the townspeople certain rights. Nottingham gained its first mayor in 1284. The town gained its first sheriff in 1449 In the Middle Ages Nottingham had a weekly market. It also had an annual fair. From 1284 it had two. In those days a fair was like a market but was it was held only once a year for a period of a few days. Buyers and sellers would come from all over Nottinghamshire and YorkshireThe story of Robin Hood is so well known that it scarcely needs to be reviewed, but don't worry, I'll do it anyway. The "facts ", at least one romantic version of them, are these. In the time of Richard the Lionheart a minor saxon noble of Nottinghamshire, one Robin of Loxley, was outlawed for poaching deer. Now at that time the deer in a a royal forest belonged to the king, and killing one of the king's deer was therefore treason, and punishable by death



Robin took to the greenwood of Sherwood Forest, making a living by stealing from rich norman travellers and distributing the loot among the poor saxons of the area. In the process he gained a band of followers and a spouse, Maid Marian. Despite the best efforts of the evil Norman Sherrif of Nottingham he avoided capture until the return of King Richard from the Crusades brought about a full pardon and the restoration of Robin's lands other versions he dies at the hands of a kinswoman, the abbess of Kirklees Priory. That, in a very small nutshell, is the legend, but is there truth behind itWell,yes possibly.



Someone, or maybe several someones, named Robin Hood existed at different times. Court records of the York Assizes refer to a "Robert Hod", who was a fugitive in 1226. In the following year the assizes referred to the same man as "Robinhud". By 1300 at least 8 people were called Robinhood, and at least 5 of those were fugitives from the law. In 1266 the Sherrif of Nottingham, William de Grey, was in active conflict with bands of saxon outlaws in Sherwood Forest. It seems most likely that a number of different outlaws built upon the reputation of a fugitive in the forest, and over time, the legend grewOne thing to note about the early legends is that Robin Hood was not an aristocrat but just saxon, as he was later portrayed, but a simple saxon yeoman driven to a life of crime by the harsh rule of the law of the rich normans. As such, it is easy to see how his story soon became a favourite folk tale among the poor saxon englishThere is, in the grounds of Kirklees Priory, a old grave stone, marking the final resting place of one "Robard Hude". Proof that part of the tale may be true? It would be nice to think so. being a saxon english man my selfThe story of Robin Hood is so well known that it scarcely needs to be reviewed, but don't worry, I'll do it anyway. The "facts "

at least one romantic version of them, are these. In the time of Richard the Lionheart a minor saxon noble of Nottinghamshire, one Robin of Loxley, was outlawed for poaching deer. Now at that time the deer in a a royal forest belonged to the king, and killing one of the king's deer was therefore treason, and punishable by death So Robin took to the greenwood of Sherwood Forest, making a living by stealing from rich norman travellers and distributing the loot among the poor saxons. the area. In the process he gained a band of followers and a spouse, Maid Marian. Despite the best efforts of the evil Norman Sherrif of Nottingham he avoided capture until the return of King Richard from the Crusades brought about a full pardon and the restoration of Robin's landsIn other versions he dies at the hands of a kinswoman, the abbess of Kirklees Priory. That, in


a very small nutshell, is the legend, but is there truth behind it?Well,yes possibly. Someone, or maybe several someones, named Robin Hood existed at different times. Court records of the York Assizes refer to a "Robert Hod", who was a fugitive in 1226. In the following year the assizes referred to the same man as "Robinhud". By 1300 at least 8 people were called Robin hood, and at least 5 of those were fugitives from the law. In 1266 the Sherrif of Nottingham, William de Grey, was in active conflict with bands of saxon outlaws in Sherwood Forest. It seems most likely that a number of different outlaws built upon the reputation of a fugitive in the forest, and over time, the legend grew One thing to note about the early legends is that Robin Hood was not an aristocrat


but A just saxon, as he was later portrayed, but a simple saxon yeoman driven to a life of crime by the harsh rule of the law of the rich normans. As such, it is easy to see how his story soon became a favourite folk tale among the poor saxon englishThere is, in the grounds of Kirklees Priory, a old grave stone, marking the final resting place of one "Robard Hude". Proof that part of the tale may be true? It would be nice to think so. being a saxon english man my self