Blidworth (Bludworth)
"Blidworth, 5 miles south-south-east of Mansfield, is a large village and
parish, pleasantly situated upon an eminence, surrounded by some of the
beautiful sylvan scenery of Sherwood Forest. Its parish is in the liberty of
Southwell and Scrooby, and comprises 1,398 inhabitants and 5,350 acres of land,
including Blidworth Dale and Rainworth, which latter gives name to the forest
rivulet that rises near Robin Hood's Hills. The principal owners are Jonathan
Hardcastle Esq., Sir Edward Walker Bart., Francis Hall Esq., John Clarke Esq.,
John Barber Esq., Mr William Heath, Mr John Bailey, Mr James Wilson and Mr John
Marriott, and several small freeholders.
The church is a neat structure, with a tower and three bells, and was partly
rebuilt in the early part of the last century. It was also greatly enlarged and
beautified in 1839, when the old chancel was taken down, and the tower raised
about five feet, and in 1850 it was newly painted. The vicarage, valued in the
King's books at £3 17s 6d, now £188, is annexed to the vicarage of
Oxton. The Archbishop of York is lord of the manor, and the two prebendaries of
Oxton are the appropriators. The Rev. Collingwood Fenwick is the incumbent, and
the Rev. john Porter M.A. is the curate. All the tithes were commuted for
allotments at the enclosure in 1809."
[White's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]
- The parish was in the Blidworth sub-district of the Mansfield Registration District.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2430 |
| 1891 |
R.G. 12 / 2657 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary of the Purification.
- Originally a Norman building, it was rebuilt in the reign of Richard III and a tower added in the 15th century.
- Re-built again in 1739, with parts re-erected in 1839.
- The Anglican parish register starts with burials in 1556; baptisms and marriages begin in 1567.
- The church was in the rural deanery of Southwell.
- A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built here in 1837.
- The parish was in the Blidworth sub-district of the Mansfield Registration District.
- Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
Blidworth is both a village, a sub-district and a parish about 135 miles north of London, 5 miles east of Mansfield. The parish covers just over 5,030 acres and inluded the hamlets of Bottoms, Fishpool, and Rainworth.
If you are planning a visit:
- By automobile, take the A617 arterial road east out of Mansfield. Blidworth will be on your right as you enter Rainworth.
- Before the Norman Conquest, the village was called Blidword.
- Legend has it that Will Scarlet (Scathlock), a follower of Robin Hood, is buried in the graveyard. Another legend, which can't be substantiated, is that Maid Marian was born in the parish.
- History of Blidworth from Heather Faulkes.
- On the outskirts of the village is a large stone known as "the Druid Stone." Again, there is no evidence to link the stone with Druids.
- Many of the homes in the village were built in the first half of the 20th century to provide housing for workers at Blidworth Colliery.
- The national grid reference is SK 5956.
- You'll want an Ordinance Survey Explorer map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
- This place was an ancient parish in Nottingham county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
- The parish was in the ancient Thurgaton Wapentake (Hundred) in the southern division of the county.
- The parish was also in the ancient Southwell and Scrooby Liberty.
- On 1 April, 1935, this parish was reduced in size by 439 acres which were ceded to Newstead Civil Parish.
- In 1935, this parish joined the Southwell Rural District and particiapated in that entity until 1974.
- The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1809.
- After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became part of the Mansfield Poor Law Union.
| Year |
Population |
| 1801 |
427 |
| 1851 |
1,376 |
| 1871 |
1,064 |
| 1881 |
1,109 |
| 1891 |
1,079 |
| 1901 |
1,024 |
| 1911 |
1,184 |
| 1921 |
2,003 |
- A National School was built here in 1847 to hold 200 children.
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[Last updated: 13-February-2011 - Louis R. Mills]
