Warsop

History

The aims of the group are;
to encourage members to take up research in areas of Local History that interests them.
to provide assistance where needed.
to enable members to share their findings with the whole of the group.
The History Group meets every third Tuesday of the month in the Roman Catholic Church meeting room at 10.00am, except when a visit is arranged.

The group are now meeting again face to face whenever possible.

‘If only half of the history that has happened in Nottingham had happened in some other place, that place would be famous, but because it did happen here no one knows’. A quote by the Nottingham Hidden History Team

Tamar Holland: Nottingham is my hometown, and I knew little of its history. I wanted to find out if there was more to Nottingham than just lace and Robin Hood? In the spirit of the U3A I am sharing my findings with you – I do not claim to be an expert on the subject.
This quest wasn’t as straight forward as it had been in many places I have visited – there was no museum dedicated to tracing the city’s timeline like Liverpool or a selection of history trails as in Lincoln – my visit to Nottingham Tourist Information drew a blank. Much of what is known of Nottingham is due to local archaeological teams who excavated sites before some short-sighted city developers were allowed to destroy some of our heritage for good. Also, the work of public pressure groups and local history associations.

Nottingham stands on top of a sandstone rock riddled with caves. To the south of the town a cliff edge forms a natural defensive border. At the foot of this cliff the R Leen once flowed joining the R Trent a mile to the south of the city.
Along the eastern side of the town a beck flowed down to the R Leen forming another natural border. This Beck drained freshwater from springs in the St Anne’s area to the NE of the town. The Beck, like the R Leen, can no longer been seen but it ran roughly parallel to where Huntington Street is today.
The west and north of the city had a defensive stone wall built in C13th

Evidence from archaeological digs suggest there has been a settlement in Nottingham dating back to pre-Roman times. The earliest Bronze Age settlements were to the eastern edge of today’s city. Little evidence exists of Roman settlement in the town. Shards of Roman pottery has come to light in the back fill of caves. Stony Street, originally named Stane Street, which in the time of King John meant a stone or paved street may have been a Roman road. It runs north/ south through the old town.

Nottingham derives its name from the Saxon name for the town which was Snottingham– there are various spellings of this- Snotenceham, (Snotengeham, Snothryngham Snottingham.) The name means the homestead of the people of Snot. It was adjacent to another Saxon settlement – Sneinton. Little of the Saxon town now remains other than the road layout, which is that of a typical Saxon Burgh. These ancient thoroughfares are now lined with buildings from a more recent era and the area is usually referred to as the Lace Market, reminiscent of the once booming lace trade in the city.

The Saxon period was a turbulent time for the town as different armies fought to control it. In 852 it became part of Mercia before falling into Danish hands. Following the end of the Danelaw Snottingham was recaptured by Edward the Elder in 918 only to be invaded again by a Norwegian army a few years later before being recaptured by King Edmund. Snottingham’s connection with Scandinavia didn’t end here. Tostig, brother of Harold Godwinson, owned lands in this area and he supported Harald Hardrada’s claim to the English throne – not his brother’s.

By 1350 much of the old Saxon town had been abandoned. It is unclear why, although Nottingham twice was set alight during the Anarchy (the civil war between King Stephen and Queen Matilda) and there was a Plague Epidemic in 1348, which could explain the reasons for abandoning the area.

The arrival of the Normans in 1066 led to the S being dropped from the town’s name, as the Norman tongue had difficulty pronouncing the ‘sn’ sound. The town became known as Nottingham.
The Normans built their own town around a Castle on the western side of the town site with the old Saxon town in the east. The two towns of Nottingham had their own markets, laws, administration, customs and punishments, with separate Moot Halls and even different languages. These remained separate from each other until the C18th

The Norman town was built with the focal point being the castle on the hill and a number of hollows ran at right angles from the curtain wall of the castle to the green which was the Norman marketplace – today’s market square. These hollows/ roads still exist today – Mount Street, St James’ Street, Castle Gate, Hound Gate and Friar Lane.

The effect of the castle dominating the town was lost in 1968 when Maid Marian Way scythed through the ancient hollows and the high-rise buildings lining the new road obliterated the view of the castle from the town
Many street names retain their names, and these describe the medieval trades which took place there – Fletcher Gate (fleshing), Barker Gate (tanning), Smithy Row (metal working). Sheep rearing and the woollen trade were a source of wealth locally - Lister Gate (Litster – dyers), Walker Street (pounded woollen cloth with feet in a bath of urine/ later fullers earth used) this cloth was then dried by stretching it out on tenter frames – hence the saying “on tenter hooks.” The many Gates and Bars, meaning thoroughfare, link to our Scandinavian connections –

A Royal Charter in 1434 labelled Nottingham as an ‘impoverished town’. A Royal Order from Henry VIII stated many houses in Nottingham were in ‘great ruin and decay’. The order warned of unsafe open vaults and cellars.

A final thought….an ‘impoverished town’. A Royal Order stated many houses in Nottingham were in ‘great ruin and decay’.
How true today?

Next trips out are to Southwell Workhouse on 15th Aug 23, and Bakewell on the 19th Sept 23.

Click on a picture below to see it full-size with more details.

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More Group Pages
Books & Literature Crafts
Cycling Group Day Trips
Friendship Group Gardening Group
History International Dining
Luncheon Group Medium Walking
Nature, Science & Technology Photography
Silver Screeners Social Events
Strollers Theatre Group