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Nottingham

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"Nottingham, the principal seat and emporium of the lace and hosiery manufactures, is an ancient, populous and well-built market and borough town, as well as being the capital of the shire and archdeaconry to which it gives its name, It is in the diocese of Lincoln, and in the midland circuit of England. It occupies a picturesque situation on a sandy rock, which rises in broken declivities, and in some places in precipitous, above the north bank of the little River Leen which, at a short distance to the south-east, falls into the River Trent, near the opposite locks of the Grantham and Nottingham canals, and a little below that magnificent and noble structure, the Trent bridge, which is connected to Nottingham by a flood road, raised at great expense above the intervening meadows, which are often subject to inundation. There is great reason to believe that anciently the River Trent covered all the vale, and that the tide flowed up to Nottingham, which certainly is one of the most ancient towns in England, but its origin is hid in the impenetrable gloom which is cast over the aborigines of Britain.
The town holds a central situation betwixt Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Portsmouth to the north and south, and betwixt Newcastle-under-Lyne and Boston to the west and east. It is in the south-western division of Nottinghamshire, at the junctions of the hundreds of Broxtow, Thurgarton and Rushcliffe, at a distance 125 miles north-west of London, 80 miles south of York, 20 miles south-west by west of Newark, 14 miles south of Mansfield, 15 miles north by east of Derby, 27 miles north of Leicester, and 39 miles south by east of Sheffield, and is at 53 degrees north latitude, and at 1 degree 13 minutes west longitude from the meridian of Greenwich."
[WHITE's "Directory of Nottinghamshire," 1853]

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Archives & Libraries

The Local Studies Library has family history resources:

  • Nottingham Central Library
  • Angel Row
  • Nottingham, Notts, NG1 6HP
  • Tele: 0115 915 2828

The Bromley House Library in the Market Place was established in 1816. It inculdes the Stanfast Library, a collection left by the Rev. W. STANDFAST, D.D., in 1744.

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Bibliography

Terry LAMBLEY, "Nottingham a Place of Execution - from 1201 to 1928", published by Terry LAMBLEY, ISBN: 0 907539 01 7.

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Cemeteries

  • A company called Deceased on line - www.deceasedonline.com has got all the burial details for the two main public cemeteries in Nottingham - The General Cemetery and the Church Cemetery also known as The Rock Cemetery. Note that these records are also available at Notts Archives. Contributed by Brian Binns, 29 July 2017.
     
  • Only a half mile away is the General Cemetery of about 18 acres was entered via Canning Street (Canning Circus) or Talbot Street off the Derby Road. It opened in 1837.
     
  • Details of Nottingham Cemeteries.
     
  • Monumental Inscriptions in the Baptist Burial Ground, Mount Street.
     
  • The Jews' Burying Ground was at Harding Street and Southey Street.
     
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Census

  • The parish was in the Bulwell sub-district of the Nottingham Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 869 - 871
1861R.G. 9 / 2457
1871R.G. 10 / 3513
1881R.G. 11 / 3351
1891R.G. 12 / 2692
1901R.G. 13 / 3180 thru 3187 & 3191
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Church History

There were three Anglican parishes in Nottingham (taken from White's 1853 Directory and provided by [John MELLORS]:

  1. St Mary's Parish - largest of the three parochial divisions of the Town, and county of the Town of Nottingham as it contains about four fifths of the buildings and population. It includes all of the buildings and land on the south side of the (River) Leen, betwixt the Trent and the parishes of Sneinton & Lenton; and all that part of the town on the North Side of the Leen, lying east of Sussex St, Middle Hill, Market St, & Fletchergate; whence its boundary turns westward, and includes all the buildings north of Bottle Lane, Poultry, Timber Hill, Beast Market Hill, Chapel Bar, and the Park until it joins the parish of Radford.
  2. St Nicholas Parish - averages about 500 yds in length and 250 in breadth. It is bounded on the West by Brewhouse Yard, the Castle Wall, Standard Hill, the General Infirmary and Park Row; and on the North by Chapel Bar, Angel Row & Beast Market Hill; whence its boundary, including the greater part of Friar Lane passes in an irregular line behind the Friends Meeting House and Independent Chapel across Castle Gate to Greyfriar Gate down which it passes to the Leen; which forms the southern limit of the parish.
  3. St Peter Parish - the smallest of the 3 is encompassed by St Mary & St Nicholas parishes and averages about 450 yards in length and 200 yards in breadth. It extends from Timber Hill, the Poultry, and Bottle Lane to the North Bank of the Leen and is bounded on the east by Sussex St, Middle Hill, Middle Pavement and the buildings behind Market St & Fletcher Gate; and on the West by Grey Friar Gate, the Independent Chapel and Friends Meeting House and the North end of Friar Lane.

In the late 1800s an additional parish, St. George in the Meadows, opened down by the River Trent. Construction started in 1887 and the church opened for services in 1888. The chancel was added in 1897 and the Lady Chapel in 1911. This church is now a Grade II listed structure by British heritage. The parish is on the south side of the city, but north of the River Trent, in the area known as "The Meadows".

Holy Trinity parish was formed in 1842. The church is in Milton Street.

All Saints parish was created out of St. Mary's parish in November, 1864. The church was in Raleigh Street. It will seat 830.

Saint Ann's parish was created out of St. Mary's parish in May, 1865 and extends part-way into Basford parish. The church was in St. Ann's Well Road and was built in 1864. It will seat 1,200.

Emmanuel parish was created out of St. Ann's parish in 1886. The church was on Woodborough Road and was built in 1884-85.

Saint Bartholomew's parish was created out of St. Ann's parish in 1905. The church was on Blue Bell Hill and was built in 1902.

Saint Matthew's parish was created out of St. Mary's parish in 1856. The church was in Talbot Street and opened in 1853.

Saint Paul's parish was created out of St. Mary's parish in February, 1839. The church was in George Street, built in 1822. The register dates from 1839.

Saint Philip's parish was created out of St. Luke's parish in February, 1880. The church was in Pennyfoot Street, built in 1879. The register dates from 1880.

Saint Saviors parish was created out of St. Mary's parish in May, 1865. The church was in Arkwright Street, built in 1865.

Saint Stephen's parish was created out of St. Mary's and St. Matthew's parishes in April, 1869. The church was in Lower Parliament Street and was rebuilt in Bobbers Mill road in 1898.

Saint Thomas's parish was created out of St. Matthew's, St. Niocholas and St. Peter's parishes in 1873. The church was in Park Row.

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Church Records

There is a copy of the BADDER & PEAT 1745 map which shows the streets. For more detail, see:

  • St Mary Parish.
     
  • St Nicholas Parish.
     
  • St Peter Parish.
     
  • St George Parish.
     
  • There is a photograph of the Wesleyan Chapel at Picture the Past, on page 41.
     
  • The Jewish synagogue in Chaucer Street was built in 1890.
     
  • The Baptist chapel in Derby Road was built in 1850. It seats 800. Another Baptist chapel was built in Milton Street in 1866.
     
  • The Catholic Church was dedicated to Our Lady and Saint Patrick. It was in the London Road, built in 1880. The church seats about 600.
     
  • There is also St. Edward's Catholic Church on Blue Bell Hill, erected in 1886. The church seats about 300.
     
  • St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Goldsmith Street was erected in 1870. The church seats about 500.
     
  • The Congregationalist chapel in East Circus Street was built in 1860. It seats 800.
     
  • The Castle Gate Independent Chapel was founded in the 1650s. A Meeting House was built in 1689. It was replaced with a chapel built in 1863. In 1972 both Castle Gate and St Andrew’s joined the new United Reformed Church denomination. The two churches joined to form St Andrew’s-with-Castle Gate United Reformed Church. The new church was based at St Andrew’s on Goldsmith Street, Nottingham. The Castle Gate church buildings were sold in 1980 to the Congregational Federation.
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Bulwell sub-district of the Nottingham Registration District.
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Correctional Institutions

  • Prisoners sentenced to transportation were kept at Nottingham House of Correction while arrangements for their transportation were made.
     
  • A new city gaol opened in 1890. This building was rebuilt in 1912.
     
  • The old Nottingham House of Correction was closed in 1891 after its prisoners were transferred to Bagthorpe Prison. The old House of Correction was soon-after demolished.
     
  • H. M. Prison was north-west of the city proper, between Hucknall Road and Mansfield Road. It generally held 200 male prisoners.
     
  • In 1894 a new cellblock was added to hold 40 female prisoners.
     
  • The first execution was carried out in 1897. In 1930, the prison closed and was reopened as a Borstal institution (for seriously delinquent young people) in 1932.
     
  • In 1950 it reverted back to being a prison, but this time as a maximum security prison. New blocks opened in 1996 to accommodate 100 more inmates.
     
  • There are no prisoner records held in the Nottinghamshire Archives or the Local History Library. Local newspapers are often a good source of information in this regard.
     
  • The Great War Bulletin for November 23rd, 1914; tells us that William FLETCHER of Nottingham was imprisoned for a month with hard labour for poaching on the Winkburn Hall land of retired Colonel Edward Strelley Pegge BURNELL, aged 78.
     
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Description & Travel

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. Nottingham is famed for its links to the legend of Robin Hood.

If you are planning a visit:

  • The city has the largest publicly owned bus network in the UK.
     
  • The city is also served by a large railway station (in addition to several suburban stations), and an expanding tram system.
     
  • East Midlands Airport is located just over 10 miles to the south-west of the city.
You can see pictures of Nottingham which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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Genealogy

  • Nottingham - A Healthy Place to Live - "a list of Aged Persons from 80 Years and upwards, who are either now Living or died since 1740."
     
  • A list of Nottingham Mayors compiled in 1751 by Charles Deering M.D.
     
  • From the North Wakes Gazette (Bangor), 25 September 1823:
    "On Monday se'nnight, a little boy, of the name of William, son of Mr. William DAVIS, of No. 173, North-row, Back-barn, Nottingham, had been out playing in the fields, in the evening, on coming home, about eight o'clock at night, he complained of being very ill, and was attacked with purging and vomiting. This continued the whole of the night, and in the morning, professional assistance was called in, but he died about eleven o'clock. - An inquest was taken the same evening at the Bugle Horn, when it being thought necessary that the body should be opened, the Jury adjourned till Wednesday night. In the interim, Mr. Jowett made the necessary inspection, and found in the stomach a quantity of the herb known by the name of "petty sponge," or wart grass, and it was at once concluded that the eating of this herb, which is of a very noxious nature, had caused his death; and the jury, at their adjourned sitting in the evening, brought in their verdict accordingly. We understand the boy had been playing at horses, and had eaten this in the field, in order moré fully to personate his assumed character."
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History

Nottingham was built over a set of caves above the river bank, Some of those caves are still in use.

John SUTTON has a photograph of the Flying Horse Inn on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2017. The Inn dates back to 1483.

Nottingham City was known for its musicians, its intellectuals and its artists. Public Houses often doubled as music halls hosting local musicians, singers and vaudeville acts. Local newspapers are the best way to track talent in the county. See who performed at the Theator Royal and Royal Concert Hall on Theater Square in the heart of Nottingham City.

During the Industrial Revolution (1760 - 1840), Nottingham's prosperity was founded on the textile industry; in particular, the city became an internationally important centre of lace manufacture.

In 1831 citizens rioted in protest against the Duke of Newcastle's opposition to the Reform Act 1832, (which spelled out voting rights for citizens) setting fire to his residence on the site of Nottingham Castle.

John PLAYER bought William WRIGHT's tobacco factory in Craigshill, Livingston, West Lothian in 1877. He had the Castle Tobacco Factories built in Radford, Notts, after merging with the Imperial Tobacco Company. He had three large factory blocks built, but initially only one was used to process and pack tobacco. The other two blocks were loaned out to lace manufacturers until the business had expanded enough to use the additional space. John Player died in December 1884 and for the next nine years, the business was run by a small group of family friends until W. G. and J. D. Player were ready to take over the firm in 1893.

A new factory, the "Horizon" factory, was opened in 1970, on Thane Road next to the headquarters of Boots the Chemists. The Player Cigarette Company closed its Horizon factory here in 2016 after 150 years of packaging tobacco products. It was one of the "big three" employers in Nottingham City (the other two were Boots and Experian). There was a Player Infant and Player Junior school in town, too. For some reason, they left off the first name of John. The Notts archives has a record book of new staff in which you might find family members listed.  There is a followup story on the NottinghamshireLive website.

David WILSON tells us (2022) the elder John Player was born Saffron Walden in Essex about 1839 (1861 Census gives 1836). Died 1884. It appears he was at first a servant to Robert DICKINSON, draper at Long Row which later became the better known store of Griffin and Spalding. In the 1871 Census he is living Colville St, St Mary's and profession now Tobacconist employing 1 man and 3 boys. Also at the address is his wife Ann (GOODACRE) and children John Dane PLAYER born c1875 and William Goodacre PLAYER born a year later who later ran the business.

In 1920, Nottingham Council bought Wollaton Hall and the 500 acres of parkland around it, for the citizens to use. It is near the main campus of the University. The Hall has appeared in the Batman films (as Wayne Manor) and the parkland is roamed by a herd of deer.

The City is also known for a fishing reel called "The Nottingham Fishing Reel". The first wooden reel was designed in the late 1790s in Nottingham, England. This became known as the Nottingham Reel. By the early 1800s the simple effective wooden reel design was being copied all over England and across the Atlantic in America. The name Nottingham stuck. Reels inward only. The wooden Nottingham reel did not cast out. It spun without locking. This meant that a fisherman could only drop the line down with a weight attached.

The City held a Goose Fair in late September or early October each year. There is a 1910 postcard advertising the fair. The Fair dates back to 1541.

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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK571396 (Lat/Lon: 52.950751, -1.151593), Nottingham which are provided by:

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Medical Records

  • The Nottingham General Hospital, on Standard Hill, was built in 1781 and enlarged in 1855.
     
  • The Corporation Isolation Hospital was built on Hucknall Road 3 miles noth of the Market Place. It could hold 220 patients with smallpox, scarlet fever, typhoid and diptheria.
     
  • During World War One, the Nottingham City Hospital became the Bagthorpe Military Hospital. The Nottingham Evening Post, for 15th February 1915 reported that the hospital will be operated by the Royal Army Medical Corps after the existing patients had been re-located. "The military authorities will supply the beds, bedding, and other articles required for the wounded."
     
  • The Hospital opened in 1923 as the result of a merger between Nottingham Castle Gate Hospital and Samaritan Hospital Nottingham.
     
  • Nottingham Women's Hospital, also known as "Peel Street" Hospital, was a maternity hospital for women which closed in November 1981.
     
  • Hospital records are archived with the University of Nottingham.
     
  • Most patient records are protected by Closure regulations.
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Military History

  • John SUTTON has a photograph of the War Memorial just outside the church on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2012.
     
  • In 1912, the Territorial Force stationed here was B Squadron of the South Nottingham Hussars and the Robin Hood's (7th) Battalion Nottingham and Derbyshire Regt.
     
  • Were you there during the Nottingham Blitz?
     
  • The town clerk wrote to the Mayor of Newark asking for assistance in a drive for more recruits for the Royal Field Artillery during WWI. There is a copy of hia letter at Newark Great War Bulletin of 19 April, 1915.
     
  • A new memorial to Nottinghamshire’s 13,000 Great War dead is expected to be unveiled in time for the centenary November 2018 of the Armistice that ended that conflict. It will be in the Memorial Gardens on Nottingham’s Victoria Embankment. It will be the only county-wide memorial known in the UK.
     
  • The Imperial War Museum has photographs of the Soldiers, Sailors and Nurses Memorial Home. It opened in August 1923. It had been Nottingham General Hospital. There are no names associated with this memorial, just the soldiers, sailors and nurses who served.
     
  • HMS Nottingham is a batch two Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy, launched on 18 February 1980, and commissioned on 8 April 1983 as the sixth warship to bear the name. This ship was recently retired from service.
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Military Records

David LITCHFIELD contributes this William Crane School list of students who went off to World War II.

Nottinghamshire County Council has collected the names of a number of veterans from Nottingham, Sneinton and surrounding parishes and hamlets into what they are calling Sneinton Virtual District. You can see their Roll of Honour for the long list of names.

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Newspapers

  • The Nottingham Post has replaced the Nottingham Evening Post. The first edition was printed by Thomas FORMAN on 1 May 1878. In 1963, the Nottingham Evening News merged with the Post.
     
  • There is a monthly Bygones paper, published by the above, which features stories on the history of Nottingham.
     
  • For online news, try the This is Nottingham site (now the Nottingham Post).
     
  • In the 4 June 1859 edition of The Portadown Weekly News, by permission of The British Library:

Attempt to Poison a Family.--On Saturday, Jane Riley, domestic servant to Mrs. Knotman, Plumtree Street, Nottingham, was brought before Mr. Close and Mr. Heymann, borough magistrates, on a charge of attempting to poison her mistress and four children. It appears that a few days previously the prisoner had prepared some gruel for the children. Mrs. Knotman, perceiving that it was of an unusual colour, tasted it, and became ill in consequence. Her suspicions were then aroused, and she questioned the prisoner as to what she had put in the gruel; and after some hesitation she acknowledged that she had put some copperas into it. Mrs. Knotman asked her for what reason she had done so, as she had been previously told that the copperas was poison. Prisoner said she was quite sure she did not wish any of them to die, but could not explain why she mixed the poison in the gruel. The prisoner was remanded.

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Obituaries

We report from the Worcester and Sherwood Forest Regimental Association:
18th November 2018

It is with regret that we notify you that 23946789 LCpl Eric 'Danny' SHOOTER of Nottingham died on 26 October 2018. Danny enlisted into 5th/8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters in 1962 and when it was disbanded in 1967 he continued serving with D (Sherwood Foresters) Coy Mercian Volunteers..
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Occupations

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Nottingham county.
     
  • Nottingham functioned as a town or city for hundreds of years, going back before WiIliam the Conqueror arrived.
     
  • The town became a county corporate in 1449, giving it effective self-government.
     
  • In 1835 the town consisted of the parishes of St Mary, St Nicholas and St Peter. It was expanded in 1877 by adding the parishes of Basford, Brewhouse Yard, Bulwell, Radford, Sneinton, Standard Hill, and parts of the parishes of West Bridgford, Carlton, Wilford (North Wilford). Nottingham was extended in 1933 by adding Bilborough and Wollaton, parts of the parishes of Bestwood Park and Colwick,
     
  • Standard Hill was a portion of Nottingham that included the Castle. It is named after the fact that the Royal Standard was raised here at the beginning of the English Civil War (1642). It was a Civil parish from 1858 until 1897, when it was enfolded into Nottingham City.
     
  • This place was incorporated as a modern Civil Parish in late 1897 and received its charter as a city that same year as part of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
     
  • You may contact the Nottingham City Council regarding political or civic matters, but they will NOT help you with family history searches. They are not funded for that.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Nottingham petty session hearings.
     
  • Barnaby WARTNABY's Almshouses, established in 1672, were pulled down in 1890 and the capital vested in trustees for the benefit of four pensioners.
     
  • BILBY's and COOPER's Almshouses were endowed and built in Colpit Lane in 1709 and were rebuilt in 1872.
     
  • UNWIN's Almshouse, established in 1817, allowed ten paupers to seek refuge here and get 3s per week and two tons of coal per year.
     
  • BURTON's Almshouses on the London road were built in 1859 by Miss Ann BURTON. They could hold 24 tenants.
     
  • CULLEN’s Almshouses on Bingham Road, Carrington were designed by the Nottingham architect William FOTHERGILL in 1882. They were paid for by the Misses Elizabeth Marianne CULLEN, in memory of their brother James CULLEN, who died in 1878.
     
  • After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became the heart of the Nottingham Poor Law Union.
     
  • The Poor Law Offices were located on Shakespear Street, opposite the University buildings.
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Schools

  • Nottingham High School, Waverley Mount, Nottingham, NG7 4ED. Telephone: (0115) 978 6056.
     
  • The Nottingham Bluecoat School and Technology College, Aspley Lane, Nottingham, NG8 5GY.
     
  • Trinity Schools, Beechdale Road, Aspley, Nottingham, NG8 3EZ. Tele: (0115) 929 6251.
     
  • The Shepherd School, Harvey Road Bilborough Nottingham NG8 3BB. Tele: (0115) 915 3265. For over thirty years they have provided education & provision for pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties. They can be found on Facebook.
     
  • The William Crane School, Minver Crescent, Aspley, Nottingham, Nottingham NG8 5PN, was a comprehensive school consisting of infants, juniors and seniors. The school was built in 1930 and was closed in 2000/2001 and subsequently demolished.
     
  • Nottingham University College in Shakespear St., South Sherwood St., and Bilbie street was built by Nottingham Corporation and was formally opened on 30 June 1881.  After the First World War, the college outgrew its original building. A generous gift by Sir Jesse BOOT, of 35 acres of land at Highfields, presented the solution and in 1928 the College moved to what is now the main campus, University Park.