Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

Historical Description

Nottingham is one of the nineteen places in England and Wales distinguished as being both a town and a county by royal charter-Henry VI. conferring this favour upon Nottingham. It is an ancient market and county town, the head of a union, a county court and bankruptcy court district, a petty sessional division, and, ecclesiastically, a rural deanery, an arch-deaconry, and gives the title to a bishop-suffragan in the diocese of Southwell, of which diocese Derbyshire is a part. Nottingham is also a parliamentary and a municipal borough, and returns three members to Parliament. The town is located in the southern portion of the shire, and is just below the 53rd parallel and 1º 9' W of Greenwich, midway between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Portsmouth and Newcastle-under-Lyne and Boston; in the southern division of Nottinghamshire, at the junction of the wapentakes of Broxtowe, Thurgartou, and Bushcliffe, and distant 125 miles N by W from London, 15 E by N of Derby, and 80 S of York. The county of the town of Nottingham occupies an area of 10,935 acres, or about 17 square miles, is somewhat similar in shape toan isosceles triangle, and lias a circumference approaching 30 miles. Its boundaries were extended on 1 Nov., 1877, bringing in the parishes of Lenton, Basford, Rad-ford, Sneinton, The Park, Bnlwell, Can-ington, Sherwood, Brewhouse Yard, and parts of those of Wilford and Gedling. Old Nottingham had an area of about 2000 acres; New Nottingham (as stated), 10,935 acres. The population in 1891 was 211,984-an increase of 13 per cent. during the last decade. The birth-rate in 1894 was 28-57 per thousand of population, and the death-rate 17 per thousand. Nottingham ranks eighth in population among the towns of England and Wales, excluding London. The parliamentary borough is divided into three divisions-the Southern, Eastern, and Western-with populations (as recorded in 1891) of 60,487, 69,181, and 82,037 respectively; and with electors as follows-11,010, 11,204, and 13,411 respectively. The municipal borough has sixteen wards, with an alderman and three town councillors to each ward, its chief officers being a mayor, deputy-mayor, recorder, sheriff, town-clerk, clerk of the peace, under-sheriff, coroner, chief-constable, borougli engineer, engineers to the gas and water undertakings, treasurer, accountant, medical officer of health, art director, public librarian, principal and professors of the Municipal University College, the headmaster of the Municipal School of Art, and borough analyst. The Nottingham poor-law union has an area of 5692 acres, had a population in 1891 of 176,920, and has forty-nine guardians of the poor. A portion of the Basford union is also in Nottingham. The town is picturesquely situated on " the rocky eminence which rises in broken declivities above the north bank of the rivulet the Leen, which falls into the Trent a little distance below the well-known Trent Bridge." The Trent forms the southern boundary of the borough. The adjacent parts are low-lying and are subject to periodical floods. In striking contrast are other portions of the town, which are built on a series of hills consisting of sandstones and marl, some parts of Nottingham being 400 feet above the mean level of the Trent. The town is well drained, and its sanitary arrangements are excellent, making it one of the healthiest manufacturing towns in the kingdom. The average rainfall in the borough (1867-1894) was 25.7 inches; the highest total rainfall was 35.9 (in 1872), and the lowest 15.6 (in 1877), the rainfall in 1893 and 1894 being 20.2. The water supply is in the hands of the municipal corporation, which provides twenty-one gallons per head per day over a large area, including places 10 miles round Nottingham. The water is soft and palatable.

History.-The history of Nottingham stretches back beyond written records. Green states that pre-historic man dwelt in the easily-excavated caves which abound in the neighbourhood, especially along the southern portion overlooking the Trent valley. In Celtic and Roman times a town is believed to have existed here, Gale considering it to be the site of Causennis. The present place-name is derived from Anglo-Saxon times, when the tribe of the Snottingas made their " ham " or dwelling-place here. Many conjectures as to its etymology have been put forth by local writers and others. The earliest authentic record of historical importance associated with Nottingham is the entrance of the Danes into the town in 868. They were not left undisturbed, for Buthred, the under-king of the Mercians, besieged the town. He was unsuccessful for a time. The co-operation of Etheldred and his brother Alured was given, and, with a large army lying around Nottingham, the Danes concluded a peace, and agreed to return, with Hinguar and Hubba their leaders, to their homes. Until 940 these people harassed various portions of Mercia surrounding Nottingham. Having secured the northern portions of Britain, and with increased forces, the Danes fixed upon Nottingham as their quarters for the winter, being one of their five great northern boroughs. Nottingham remained in their possession till the middle of the century, when King Edmund finally regained it. In 1068 William the Norman visited Nottingham and began the erection of a castle on the site of an old Danish tower. The place was a precipitous rock which rises to a height of nearly 200 feet above Leen level, and on which the Art Museum-still known as " The Castle "-now stands. This stronghold and 103 lordships in Notts and the adjacent counties were granted to his natural son, William Peverell, who had also conferred upon him the title of Earl of Nottingham. These lordships constituted the " Honour of Peverell," the court of which was only abolished in 1849. In Domesdaybook it is stated that there were at the time of the great survey 120 dwelling-houses. The population had decreased from 173 burgesses and 19 villeins in the time of Edward the Confessor to 120-only averaging one person to each house. The Duke of Gloucester having arrived with a large army, the governor of the castle (who was presumably in favour of Stephen), urged the Earl of Gloucester to invest the town in the interests of Henry, the young prince, which he did. Stowe places on record that the whole town was destroyed by fire in 1141. This was caused by robbers who had been imprisoned in the cellars of a citizen by guile. The castle remained in the possession of Henry's followers until entrance was effected, under cover of night, by the subterranean passage which was at a later period the means of the capture of " Gentle Mortimer." Peverell maintained his position and lived here in comparative peace during the remainder of Stephen's troubled reign. In 1153 Henry, son of Maud, regained the castle from Peverell, and of him it is said, " All men loved him, for he did great justice and made peace," and made some compensation to the town for what it had suffered by confirming all the free customs enjoyed by them beforetime. The town again suffered by fire. During the conflict between the royal brothers Richard and John, several times did Nottingham change hands. When the king returned from his crusade, John held possession and would not surrender it without a struggle with the lion-hearted monarch. The castle garrison withstood the siege, which was conducted by Richard in person, for several days, but ultimately surrendered the stronghold. Parliament assembled at the castle and pronounced against John. Richard granted a charter to the town. John was restored to favour and resided here. While hunting in Sherwood Forest he heard of the revolt in the Principality, and forthwith ordered the immediate execution of the twenty-eight youthful Welsh hostages who were in Nottingham. This was in 1212. Mortimer, Earl of March, and the mother-queen lived at the castle. With the assistance of Sir William Eland the governor, young King Edward entered the castle by a passage cut in the rock and surprised the wicked couple. Despite the entreaties of the guilty mother, her favourite was carried away and ultimately executed at Smithfield. A parliament of considerable importance to the country assembled in Nottingham in 1337. It enacted that Flemish or other clothworkers might come and settle quietly in this country. The most convenient places for carrying on their avocation would be selected, great privileges would be granted to such settlers, and the king promised to look after their material welfare until they were able to support themselves by their handicraft. With the exception of the royal family, persons were prohibited from wearing any cloth of foreign production, and no English wool was permitted to leave the country in an unwoven state. During the struggle provoked by Edward's treachery towards Scotland after the death of Robert the Bruce, Randolph, Earl of Moray, was a prisoner at the Castle until his exchange for William Montagu, Earl of Salisbury, who had so effectnally aided Edward in the seizure of the Earl of March at Nottingham. It was from this town that Edward advanced to meet the Scottish force, and it was here that the captured David was confined for a period. Camden describes the dungeon where the prince was said to have been incarcerated, but it is very questionable whether he was so imprisoned here, notwithstanding local tradition, as he was always treated with the greatest consideration by the English king. Richard II. in 1386 summoned all the sheriffs and judges and many London citizens to Nottingham. He directed them only to return to Parliament those persons whose names appeared in a list prepared by him. The sheriffs refused to obey the king in this respect, but the judges promised compliance with the royal mandate. Nottingham was constituted a county of itself by Henry VI. in 1429-a privilege which it had enjoyed for seven years previously. Up to 1503 the houses of Nottingham were without exception built of wood and plaster, and thatched with reeds or straw. In that year an inn in the Market Place was tiled. There was a violent tempest in the district in 1558. For twenty-four years Nottingham had been a bishopric, and in 1558 the last of the bishops-suffragan of Nottingham of the 16th century, Richard Barnes, was installed. After the dissolution of the greater monasteries many such bishops were consecrated. Mary abolished the office in 1553. The office was revived by Elizabeth in 1558, but only continued for about half a century. It was again revived in 1869, and Archdeacon Mackenzie was consecrated in 1870. The machine hosiery trade of Nottingham started with the invention of the stocking-frame by the Eev. William Lee of a neighbouring village in 1589. In 1594 a surveyor was appointed to search for coal in " The Coppice." " Great Tom of Lincoln " was cast in Nottingham in 1595; and in 1601 workhouses were established in the town. Every effort which could be suggested were employed to keep " the plague" from Nottingham in 1603-attendance at the neighbouring Lenton Fair, and the purchase of London wares prohibited; alehouses in certain parts closed, and watchmen placed on duty day and night to guard against the admission of infected persons into the town. Probably warned by the near visitation, a scavenger for cleaning the streets was appointed. After nearly six years precautions, the plague made its appearance here, and raged, with varying degrees of severity, from 1603 to 1611. James I. visited Nottingham six times; indeed, the town had been many times honoured by the visits of royalties up to this time and even subsequently. During the Civil War of the 17th century, Nottingham was well in evidence, the history of this troublous period in the town and elsewhere being graphically recorded by the devoted wife of the Cromwellian governor of Nottingham Castle, Lucy Hutchinson, in her " Memoirs of Colonel Hutchinson." By royal proclamation, all men who could bear arms were summoned to meet Charles I. at Nottingham in August, 1642, for the purpose of rallying round the standard which he would set up. To this ceremony "all good subjects were ordered to attend." The standard was erected, but was blown down during the same night-an ill-presage to many people-and was not fixed again for a day or two, owing to the unruly wind which prevailed at the time. The call to arms was not satisfactorily responded to, so the king left the town in low spirits. The place was soon garrisoned by the Parliamentary troops, with Colonel John Hutchinson at the head thereof. There were occasional skirmishes with the Eoyalist troops from the neighbouring town of Newark-upon-Trent. While being conveyed to London, the defeated monarch passed through Nottingham on 13 Feb., 1647, and six months later the Nottingham troops and the forces in the north declared their adherence to the army of General Fairfax. The garrison only consisted of a hundred men in Jan., 1648, and in the following year it was disbanded. Three ministers were ejected under the Act of Uniformity for not reading the Prayer Book in church, and suffered long imprisonments for their non-compliance with the law. The plague again visited Nottingham in 1667, and made great ravages in the town. A new charter having been received, the mayor and his party returned the old one to the ministers of Charles II. This act caused great dissatisfaction in the town. This charter was withdrawn by James II., and the populace was not permitted to have a voice in the election of the town's officers, but in the succeeding reign (1691) all the privileges and rights of beforetime were restored. On 23 Nov., 1688, a declaration for a free parliament and the Prince of Orange was made in Nottingham. During the progress of the revolution. Princess (afterwards Queen) Anne was at the castle. For having drank "success to the Pretender" on his bare knees, in his own house, the mayor was committed to the House of Correction in 1715. Many of the borough records were destroyed by fire in 1724. The cnck-stool was last used here in 1731, the woman dying through the exposure, the mayor being prosecuted, and the " engine of punishment" destroyed. Consequent on the high price of cheese, there was a riot at the " Goose Fair " of 1764. In 1765 the Nottingham Militia were embodied. A remarkable waterspout was witnessed here on 1 Nov., 1785, and was described in The Gentleman's Magazine. A serious meat riot occurred on May-day, 1788. On 2 March, 1792, a severe shock of earthquake was felt. During the century, several Acts of Parliament were passed for the repair and construction of highways and canals. Four troops of yeomanry cavalry were raised locally in 1794. The seven weeks' frost was succeeded by a rapid thaw, in 1795, which occasioned an immense flood, doing damage along the Trent and its tributaries to the extent of a million sterling. In 1795 and in 1800 there were food riots in Nottingham. During the former year the Nottingham Volunteer Infantry of three companies was raised, and in 1802 disbanded through the Peace of Amiens. " Luddism" prevailed between 1811 and 1816, during the sway of which more than a thousand stocking frames and many lace machines were destroyed in Nottingham and the neighbourhood. This reign of terror extended to the shires of Derby, Leicester, York, and Lancaster. The military were requisitioned, and a secret committee formed and well supplied with money, with the object of obtaining private information as to the movements of the Luddites. Notwithstanding these efforts, and in contempt of a royal proclamation, the work of destruction proceeded. In March, 1812, it was made a capital offence to break either a lace or a stocking machine. This did not produce all the effect contemplated, but caused a temporary lull in the disturbances. Occasional instances of machine-smashing occurred until June, 1816. One of the greatest acts of violence locally since that year happened in 1831, when the mob, enraged at the rejection of the Reform Bill by the House of Lords, and primed by drink at the annual carnival, proceeded to the palatial castle of the Duke of Newcastle, and wreaked their vengeance upon the owner for his vote by firing and destroying it. It was restored-after remaining many years a smoked, roofless, and ruined shell-by the corporation, who have converted it into an art gallery and museum. There were nearly 800 cases of cholera here in 1832, of which 296 were fatal. The remaining history is of a peaceful and progressive character. The corporation has published four volumes of its records, which contain much that is valuable, not only locally but generally. Histories of the county, including Nottingham, or of the town alone, have been written by Thoroton, Throsby, Deering, Blackner, Orange, Bailey, Hine, and Wylie and Briscoe; and contributions thereto by Godfrey, the Stevensons, Stapleton, Briscoe, and others in " Old Nottinghamshire " and elsewhere.

Education:-The educational advantages in Nottingham are very great-there being the University College with all its ramifications, the High School, the numerous and excellent board schools (elementary and secondary), and the evening continuation schools; national and other sectarian schools, a girls' high school, one of the best art museums in the kingdom, a free natural history museum, a municipal school of art and design, an extensive free public library and reading-room system, literary, science, and art societies, institution for the blind, and other charitable institutions of an educational character. The University College buildings occupy a large area in the centre of the business portion of the town, and were erected by the spirited corporation at a cost of about £100,000, for the purpose of providing suitable and central habitations for (1) the carrying out under the most favourable conditions of the University Extension Scheme, (2) the Government science classes, (3) higher general education, (4) a day training college for elementary teachers, (5) a technical school for engineering and allied sciences, (6) local examinations by university and other bodies, (7) popular lectures, (8) the holding of conferences of learned bodies, (9) the central free public lending and reference libraries, (10) the free public natural-history museum, and (11) other elevating purposes. This is managed by a committee composed chiefly of aldermen and councillors, with representatives of universities, and some others. The High School (for boys) is an old foundation, having been established by Dame Agnes Mellors in 1512 as a free school, that is, free from the statutes of Mortmain. Its constitution was last changed in 1882, and it is now a first-grade public school, in which the pupils are educated for professional and business life and for the universities. About 300 are in regular attendance. Among the illustrious who were scholars here were Colonel Hutchinson, Archbishop Sterne, Gilbert Wakefield, John Russell Hind, and Thomas Hawkesley. The High School for Girls, in Arboretum Street, overlooking the Arboretum, and Bear the High School for boys, is one of the schools established by the Girls' Public Day-School Company, was opened in 1875, and more than 300 pupils are receiving " instruction in all subjects belonging to a comprehensive education." The Blue-coat Endowed School was founded in 1706, and is on the Mansfield Road. The income is £600 a year, for which seventy boys and thirty girls, who wear uniforms of antique cut, receive a substantial education. The boys are apprenticed at fourteen, and the girls generally go into domestic service and receive two guineas for their outfit. The elementary school system is extensive-there being about seventy sets of schools established in the borough. Of these thirty-seven are board schools, twenty-five national schools, and five Roman Catholic. Upon the rolls of the former are 30,000 children, and on those of voluntary schools 15,000. The Midland Institution for the Blind, an Elizabethan building in Clarendon and Chaucer Streets, erected in 1853, educates fifty inmates and an unlimited number of non-resident blind, and instructs them in basket-making and other trades and callings. Extensive workshops were erected in 1889, and there is a depot for the sale of goods produced here by the blind. The Congregational Institute and the Midland Baptist College are located on Forest Road, West. The former was erected in 1863, and the latter established elsewhere in 1797. They have efficient staffs of teachers, but the University College is attended by the students for instruction in several subjects. The Municipal School of Art and Design, in Waverley Street, was established in 1843 in another part of the town. It is a very successful school, and has branches. The Art Museum at Nottingham Castle is one of the best situated art galleries and museums in the empire, and takes high rank for its ever-varying exhibitions of pictures. Sixteen large rooms are devoted to the display of pictures and art objects. There are several valuable collections which belong to the town. The Free Public Natural-History Museum, in Bilbie Street, occupies a portion of the west wing of the University College buildings, and adjoins the Technical School. It consists of two large rooms. The lower apartment is a Vertebrate Museum, and the upper room the Invertebrate Museum. In both rooms are valuable and tolerably complete collections in certain departments of natural history. The museum is open on week days, except Fridays, from 11 to 9. The free public library system is well developed in Nottingham. The Central Lending and Reference Library occupies the E wing of the University College buildings in South Sherwood Street, and the thirteen branch libraries and newsrooms are well distributed over the borough. Together they comprise nearly 80,000 volumes, of which number about 57,000 are at the Central Library, being evenly divided between the two departments. Among the special collections are those of Nottinghamshire books, music, and books for the blind. A large newsroom is here, and there is a ladies' reading-room. Close by is a Children's Library, the first of its class in the kingdom, where boys and girls from seven to fourteen years of age borrow healthy literature, and this supplies the long missing link between the school and the library. In connection with twelve branches, winter courses of lt half-hour talks about books and book-writers" are given, the idea of the public librarian here, which has spread to other towns. The Mechanics' Institution, established in 1837, consists of a lending and reference library of 28,000 volumes, newsrooms, billiard and smoking rooms, and a few classes meet here, the Government science classes having long been removed to the University College. It is only a mechanics' institution in name now, and has a membership exceeding 4300. Large public halls are attached, and produce a substantial income. The Bromley House Library, Angel Row, Market Place, was founded in 1816, and contains about 26,000 volumes. This library is proprietary, there being 260 shareholders, who also pay an annual subscription of two guineas. It is rich in county histories, and contains some local MSS. The People's Hall, Heathcoat Street, was founded by Mr G. Gill as a pleasant retreat for the masses after their daily work; comprises a lending library of more than 10,000 volumes and reading-rooms; but is not largely used by the classes for whom it was originally intended.

Newspapers.-The town and district are well supplied with newspapers, there being two morning, two evening, and several weeklies published in Nottingham alone.

Industries, &c.-The staple manufactures are machine-wrought lace and hosiery, for which the town has long been famous the world over, and there are also many iron-foundries, engineering and cycle works, tanneries, and breweries. The regular market days are Saturday and Wednesday-the first named being the principal. The Market Place-there is no covered liall-is the largest in the kingdom, and comprises an area of about 5½ acres, is triangular in form, and occupies a central position in the older part of the town. There is also a Monday market in Sneinton Market, and a Saturday market at Bulwell. The Cattle Market is near the Midland and Great Northern stations on the London Road.

Railways and other Communications.-The Midland and Great Northern Railway Companies have each a central station, with several district stations; the London and North-Western have running powers on the Great Northern line; and the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln Railway Company are constructing a line through Nottingham, and propose to erect a central station a short distance from the Market Place besides district stations. Nottingham possesses extensive and complete communication with the inland navigation of the country. The Trent forms the southern boundary, and opens out a navigable intercourse with the North Sea and The canals of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. The town is also connected with the midland, northern, and southern portions of England by canals. There is an extensive tramway system from three termini in and near the Market Place, running to and from, or in connection with, the railway stations, Trent Bridge, Hyson Green and Old Basford, Forest Road and Carrington; numerous buses and brakes to other parts of the borough, and a good cab service.

Streets and Architecture.-The modern streets are broad and well laid out, and the streets generally are well maintained- Victoria, Market, King, and Queen Streets have subways for drains, gas and water mains, telegraph, telephone, and other cables, &c., as in Paris and some parts of London. The street architecture of the town has considerably improved during the last quarter of a century, and will bear favourable comparison with towns of equal or greater size and importance. The lighting of the streets is by gas and electricity, both of which concerns are in the hands of the corporation. The sewage system is on modern principles, the sewers having good falls, except in the low-lying portions, where they are systematically flushed. The sewage is conveyed a distance of about 6 miles, to the sewage farm at Stoke Fields. The system is that of broad irrigation on the land and downward filtration.

Public Buildings.-Nottingham is well provided with public buildings. Among the principal may be named the University College, The New Guildhall, the Castle Museum, the School of Art, the Poor Law Office, Law Court, County Court, Post Office, Mechanics' Hall, Albert Hall, the Royal and Grand Theatres, General Hospital, Bagthorpe Prison, and several banks, besides numerous places of worship. The University College buildings comprise the University College, the Central Free Public Library and Reading Rooms, the Free Public Natural-History Museum, and the Technical Schools. The major portion was opened in 1881, and the latter portion in 1892. They occupy a quadrilateral site, and were erected by the municipality-the only instance in the United Kingdom of a university college being erected and governed by a municipal corporation. The main front is the college, and is in Shakespeare Street. This comprises class rooms, lecture theatres, and laboratories. The east wing contains the Free Public Library and Reading Rooms- formerly in Thurland Street-and is in South Sherwood Street; and the west wing, in Bilbie Street, is devoted to the Natural-History Museum and Technical Schools. The college, library, and museum blocks are in the Early French Gothic style, built of dressed Ancaster stone, and well set back from the three streets which they face. The Technical Schools were opened in 1892, having been specially erected for their present purposes. They generally harmonize with the other college buildings. The New Guildhall is between the Market Place and the Central Free Public Library. This is a handsome pile of stone buildings in the French Renaissance style of architecture. Here are two police courts, grand jury room, police and fire stations, and the offices of the town-clerk, borough engineer, and some other public officials. The building was erected at a cost of about £70,000 in 1887-88, and superseded the old Guildhall, an old building with an interesting history, recently demolished for railway improvements. The Castle Museum is about ten minutes' walk from the Great Market Place, was restored, after its demolition by Reform rioters, at a cost of £30,000, and was opened in 1878 by T.R.H. The Prince and Princess of Wales. Its history and treasures have been alluded to elsewhere. The Municipal School of Art and Design, Waverley Street, is in the Italian Renaissance style, built of white dressed stone with red panels, and opened in 1864. It was extended in 1893. The Poor Law Office, opposite the main entrance of the University College, in Shakespeare Street, is a handsome brick and stone building, which was finished in. 1887 at a cost of £14,000. The style is Florentine Gothic, and the offices are handsomely furnished. The Law Courts are in the County Hall, on the High Pavement. The hall was built in 1770, and from time to time has been enlarged and modernized. It is a heavy and substantial structure of worked stone. The County Court is in Peter Gate, and resembles similar buildings of modern erection. The General Post Office, a neat structure of polished stone, in Victoria Street, was opened in 1868, and has been altered to suit the Increased necessities of the postal telegraph departments. A new building is now being erected in Queen Street for all the government departments. The Mechanics' Hall is a stuccoed brick building in Burton and Milton Streets, near the Guildhall, erected in 1844, and restored in 1867-68 and used as a public hall. The style is classical. The Albert Hall is a dressed stone Decorated Gothic structure with an imposing appearance, near the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Derby Road, and is the best appointed public hall in the town, with sitting accommodation for 3000 persons. The Theatre Royal occupies a commanding position facing the north end of Market Street. The front comprises a portico of Corinthian stone columns, with a massive panelled parapet. The theatre was erected in 1865, but has been considerably enlarged and otherwise improved since. It is well planned and tastefully decorated. The Grand Theatre, in Radford Road, Hyson Green, about a mile from the Market Place, maybe reached by tram. It was erected in 1884. The other public buildings mentioned are of good design, and well planned for the purposes for which they were originally intended. The principal features of ecclesiastical architecture are St Mary's Church, High Pavement, and the Roman Catholic church, Derby Road; those of commercial character, the Nottingham and North Bank in Thurland Street, and the lace warehouse of Thomas Adams & Co. in Stoney Street.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Nottingham from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Nottingham)

Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Nottinghamshire is available to browse.

Maps

Online maps of Nottingham are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)

Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Nottinghamshire newspapers online:

• Nottingham Evening Post
• Nottinghamshire Guardian
• Nottingham Review and General Advertiser for the Midland Counties
• Nottingham Gazette, and Political, Literary, Agricultural & Commercial Register for the Midland Counties

Visitations Heraldic

The Visitation of Nottinghamshire 1569 & 1614 is available on the Heraldry page.