What's New

Have you ever wondered what Historic Environment Records (HERs) are or what they are used for? Alongside Historic England, HER offices across England have collaborated together to produce two wonderful introductory short films showcasing how HERs work and why they are such a valuable resource.

There are over 80 HER offices across England, each bringing together all sorts of information about archaeology, historic buildings and landscapes within its designated area. Together, they provide national coverage - helping people access trusted local knowledge and supporting the understanding, management and conservation of historic places.

Every single HER record brings together written information and geographic data about the historic environment in a particular area. They help planners, researchers, communities and visitors understand what exists, what matters, and how places have evolved over time.

This first short introductory film explains what exactly the Historic Environment Records are in more detail: What are Historic Environment Records?

Why are Historic Environment Records important?

Most of us walk across layers of history every day without realising it. Not just famous landmarks, but ordinary places. Fields. Streets. Buildings. Coastlines. Places we pass without a second thought. What stories do these places hold? Who or what was here before us? The answer is out there, sometimes all it takes is knowing where to look.

This second short collaboration film aims to show why HERs matter: Why Historic Environment Records Matter

Behind every historic record is a person making sense of it.

HER teams work with information, maps and evidence as well as with judgement, context and care. Their role is to help translate layers of the past into something useful for the present. It’s quiet work, but it shapes real decisions about places and landscapes.

Across England, these teams are dedicated to the ongoing effort of keeping track of change, recording what matters, and helping places evolve without losing what makes them special.

Have you ever really looked at where you live? Everything around you has a story that ties the people who use it today to the people who used it in the past, be it a large site like manor house or a small site like a phone box. Explore where you live on our Nottinghamshire County Council HER website, with map and search functions, or get in touch with us at heritage@nottscc.gov.uk.

For more information on Historic Environment Records across England, visit the Historic England website here

April is bursting to the seams with exciting heritage events. There's something for all ages and interests, check out just a few of them below:

Opening Wednesday 1st April: A new exhibition ‘We The People’ is to open at Lakeside Arts. ‘Drawing on a wide range of manuscripts and printed collections, this exhibition commemorates the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. It explores the issues at stake in the Wars of Independence and considers some of the complex problems which faced the United States as it fought to win, and realise, its new-found freedom’. This exhibition is free and booking is not required. If you don’t have time to visit this April, don’t worry as this exhibition is open until September. For more information, visit the event page here.

Thursday 2nd April: Join buildings archaeologist James Wright for the online talk ‘The Folklore of Ancient Buildings’. ‘This talk will attempt to decipher the complex relationships between archaeology, folklore, and architecture’. Tickets are acquired through donation and booking is required. Book your place here.

Sunday 5th and Monday 6th April: Papplewick Pumping Station’s ‘ever popular Easter steaming returns’ this April. The event features something for everyone including live music, trade stalls, live entertainment by The Grand Cavalcade, a multitude of historic displays and demonstrations, and lots of refreshments. Tickets cost up to £14.50 per person (under 12’s go free) and booking is not required – booking on the door is available but tickets are 50p more expensive. Book your place here.

Wednesday 15th April: Join Nottinghamshire County Council’s wonderful planning archaeology Emily Gillott at Worksop Library to explore recent archaeological discoveries form Nottinghamshire. She will ‘present stories of recent discoveries on subjects ranging from cremation and burials to Roman villas and pottery, ritual landscapes in Skegby, charcoal burning in Sherwood Forest, and more’! Tickets cost £3.50 each and booking is required. Emily’s last presentation sold out quickly so don’t hesitate to book your place here.

Friday 17th April: In association with the National Civil War Centre, ‘Dr Samantha Tipper, Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin will share her fascinating analysis of human skeletons from the Battle of Stoke Field and the stories hidden in their bones’ at the Palace Theatre, Newark. Tickets for ‘Evening Talk: Silent Witnesses: What human remains tell us about the Battle of Stoke Field’ cost up to £10 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Saturday 18th April: Head to Bassetlaw Museum for a presentation on the story of cinema in Worksop by projectionist Derek Taylor. Derek, the last projectionist at The Regal Cinema and Theatre before its closure in 2005, reflects on his years behind the projector and backstage. Derek not only made up and shown the films, but also worked with a whole variety of acts from school and amateur productions to world famous stars. In this engaging and nostalgic talk, he explores Worksop’s picture houses from their 19th-century beginnings through the Regal’s long history to the modern revival with the Savoy’. Tickets are free (suggested donation of £3) and booking is required. Limited tickets remain so book your place here.

Tuesday 21st April: At Mansfield Central Library, ‘Joy Wood will be talking about the history of Harlow Wood orthopaedic hospital near Mansfield, and her time there during her nurse training from 1977 – 1979’. Tickets to ‘Heritage Talk: From Bedpan to Pen!’ cost £3.50 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Above: May Day flagpole (By Bryan Ledgard - Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

Monday 27th April: In association with Creswell Crags, ‘join folklore expert, Icy Sedgwick, online to discover the fascinating folklore of May Day’. ‘Both one of the pagan fire festivals and a beloved fixture in the folk calendar, May Day is a popular celebration of the start of summer. It offers a host of rituals, fertility practices, good luck charms, and love divination. This talk will explore some of the customs associated with May Day in the UK’. Tickets are free (suggested donation of £4) but booking is required. Book your place here.

Tuesday 28th April: At West Bridgford Library, Sam Millard will be presenting the ‘Heritage Talk: Reason and Rhyme’. ‘The original reason for the rhymes has, by and large, been completely lost and forgotten.  'Reason and Rhyme’… looks at the original meaning of rhymes and how they have been recorded over time’. Tickets cost £3.50 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Thursday 30th April: At Retford Library, ‘historian Robert Mee examines the origin of almshouses in the Byzantine era, their development during the Medieval period and their continuation into modern times. He will look at the 30 or 40 almshouses closest to Retford, some of which are still in use today’. Tickets cost £3.50 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Thursday 30th April: ‘Located at Yew Tree Farm in Bonsall, Derbyshire, is a Grade II listed framework knitters’ workshop built in 1737 and left largely untouched since one of the last local knitters passed away in 1911. Behind the characteristic wide knitters’ windows, traces of the trade are still preserved including spare frame parts and written notes on the walls. This free lunchtime talk, delivered by the current owners, Adam Hill and Samantha Deakin Hill, outlines the history of the workshop as well as the current conservation project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Historic Houses Foundation’. This talk at the Framework Knitters Museum is free but booking is required. Book your place here.

The Battle of Bosworth in Leicestershire in 1485 altered the course of English history and ushered in the reign of the Tudor dynasty. It was regarded as a significant win for the House of Lancaster during the War of the Roses, a war that had seen the House of York and the House of Lancaster fighting for the English throne since 1455. In this battle, Henry Tudor’s (subsequently known as Henry VII) army managed to kill the current king Richard III on the battlefield, allowing Henry and the House of Lancaster to take the throne.

Today, this battle is largely considered to have ended to the War of the Roses as the Tudor dynasty managed to consolidate and maintain power until Elizabeth I’s death in 1603. But at the time, the Yorkists weren’t ready to give up and were making moves to secure the English throne once again.

The Yorkist side found hope in Lambert Simnel, a 10-year-old boy pretending to be the Earl of Warwick, supposedly the son of Edward IV’s brother. The leaders of the Yorkist side used Simnel to re-group support after the devasting Battle of Bosworth.

To gather an army, the Yorkist leaders travelled to Dublin in May 1487 and managed to recruit over 4000 men. Simnel was even crowned ‘King Edward VI’ in Dublin by the Yorkist leaders and Irish nobility.

Above: 19th century illustration depicting Irish supporters carrying Simnel (By Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Ed. Vol XXV. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1910. 124. - Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Ed. Vol XXV. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1910. 124., Public Domain)

Returning to England at the start of June 1487, the army numbers increased to around 8,000 soldiers and the men began travelling south from Lancaster. Along the way, the rebel Yorkist army encountered Lancastrian cavalry which started three days of skirmishes at Sherwood Forest. The Lancastrian cavalry was forced back to Nottingham by the rebel Yorkists, and there the cavalry waited for Henry’s main army to come and assist.

King Henry’s army of some 15,000 men arrived in Nottingham on 14th June, including reinforcements from Wales. The poorly-equipped Yorkist army were dangerously outnumbered.

Both sides clashed in battle on 16th June 1487 in East Stoke, a battle to be known as the Battle of Stoke Field. It remains Nottinghamshire’s only registered battlefield.

Only parts of Henry’s army had formed up properly when the battle started but even so, the Yorkist army, with their fewer numbers, poorly-equipped soldiers and weaker leadership, suffered a devasting loss with heavy casualties. By the end, almost all of the Yorkist leaders had been killed and many of the soldiers tried to ‘flee towards the River Trent but were captured or killed. The River Trent is said to have “run red with blood”’.

The number of men killed in the battle is estimated to be between 4000-7000 men and unfortunately the hope of putting a Yorkist on the throne died with them.

Burial pits containing some of the fallen have been recorded near East Stoke (M1680 and M17856). A small number of 8-11 individuals recovered from this pit were analysed as recently as the mid 2010’s. The results suggested all the remains belonged to robust males aged between 17 and 46. Sharp force trauma was encountered on many bones including skulls and tibia. Some of the skulls recovered from one of the burial pits, illustrating battlefield trauma, are on display currently at the National Civil War Centre in Newark.

Dr Samantha Tipper at Anglia Ruskin University is also currently undertaking osteoarchaeological analysis on a set of skeletons recovered from the battlefield and it is hoped that from this project we can find out more about a bit about who these soldiers were, what they experienced during their lives, and where they spent most of their lives.

The Battle of Stoke Field is not only important for Nottinghamshire’s heritage but also in English history as the true end of the War of the Roses.

For fantastic videos, including some wonderful interviews with some of the main characters of the battle, and a self-guided trail on public footpaths to visit the site, visit the Nottinghamshire County Council’s web page here.

As a registered battlefield, Historic England manages the record and research of this site, you can view their list entry here.

Above: Battle of Stoke Field at ground level (By Andrew Tatlow, CC BY-SA 2.0)

With the warm weather and slightly longer days brings a new selection of heritage events happening across Nottinghamshire. Here are just a few for you:

Monday 2nd March: Head to Hucknall Library ‘for a free small group session to explore Inspire’s Heritage photograph collections. Discover more about the Inspire Picture Archive which holds over 40,000 images of Nottinghamshire life from the 19th century up to the present day’. You will also learn how to upload your own photographs to add to Inspire’s catalogue and how Inspire manage their physical photograph collection. Book your place for free here.

Monday 2nd March: ‘Join Professor Tom Higham online to discover the latest scientific methods and breakthroughs in Neanderthal extinction and human dispersals’. ‘In this lecture [he] will talk about the latest data, both from the field and the laboratory, and explore the disappearance of the Neanderthals and the dispersal of ‘modern humans’ into Eurasia. [He] will outline some of the new biomolecular tools we are now using to find fragmentary human bones, which can then be genetically sequenced and dated, and what these have told us about this period of human prehistory’. Book your free place here.

Saturday 14th March: Also at Hucknall library is a new event to celebrate the project: ‘Hucknall, Skegby, and Selston: Then and Now’. ‘Come along and discover how Hucknall, Skegby and Selston have changed over time’ and ‘and explore Hucknall Library’s heritage resources including the new Nottinghamshire Digital Archive platform’. The ‘project artist, Edwina Kung will also be running a fun, interactive artist workshop for families, during the celebration event’. This event is free and no booking is required, just drop in! For more information, visit the event page here.

Sunday 15th March: ‘Treat your mum to a Mothers Day experience like no other – a walk in Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood’. ‘This walk is around 90 minutes and will be packed with some of Robin’s favourite tales of the outlaws and motherly figures from history’. Tickets cost up to £11 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Tuesday 17th March: At Mansfield Central Library, ‘join historian David Templeman for an in-depth talk on the interaction between the three most colourful and charismatic women in Elizabethan History’ (Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick). ‘David’s talk will offer a new perspective on these women and a unique insight into a predominantly man’s world entered into and conquered by these three powerful icons’. Tickets cost £3 and booking is required. Book your place here.

Above: Votes For Women Poster, 1909. (By Hilda Dallas - Private collection, Public Domain)

Wednesday 18th March: Head to Beeston Library for the ‘Heritage Talk: Deeds Not Words’. ‘The Suffragette movement revolutionised how women were viewed, and what they could achieve. The Nottingham area certainly had it’s share of these courageous women. Come and find out about who these remarkable women were, as local historian Sandra Berrington uncovers the efforts and sacrifices they made to give women equality’. Tickets cost £3 and booking is required. Book your place here.

Wednesday 18th March: ‘Step back in time and join Reverend John T. Becher, founder of The Workhouse, on a tour of Southwell. Follow Becher on an historical 2.5 mile walking tour of Southwell as he highlights his connections with the town as a churchman, magistrate and social reformer during a period of great change’. This event is free but booking is recommended. Book your place here.

Friday 27th March: In association with the National Civil War Centre, join archaeologist Richard Parker to find out more about the Norton Disney Dodecahedron. ‘This fine example of a Gallo Roman dodecahedron was found in the summer of 2023 when archaeologists excavated a Roman site at Norton Disney, close to a Roman villa and the Fosse Way Roman road. Its purpose remains a mystery’. This evening event, at the Palace Theatre, costs up to £10 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Friday 27th and Saturday 28th March: ‘As part of its new events programme, the Framework Knitters Museum is presenting the world premiere of ‘Riot Act’, a play originally commissioned by Nottingham Playhouse, by renowned Nottingham writer Andy Barrett. ‘Riot Act’ explores the lives of the Nottinghamshire framework knitters and the rise and fall of the Luddite movement at the start of the nineteenth century’. Tickets cost £5 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

One invention that is thought to have originated out of Nottinghamshire is the Stocking Frame. The stocking frame, invented in 1589, was a revolutionary knitting machine used within the textile industry. The use of this machine helped bring about the Industrial Revolution and the principles of machine knitting laid out by this machine are still used in the textile industry today.

Its invention is attributed to an Englishman named William Lee. Sadly, nothing much concrete is known about William. Most reports theorise he was a clergyman from Calverton, Nottinghamshire. There has been some argument that he lived in Sussex instead, but scholars predominantly believe he was a Nottinghamshire man. We are inclined to agree!

The stocking frame worked by imitating hand-knitting movements. It was unlike anything available at the time. Lee sought out a patent for the machine from Queen Elizabeth I. Upon demonstration of the machine, Elizabeth declined his patent request on the fear that his machine would be highly detrimental to those working in the hand-knitting industry. Elizabeth promised William that if he could improve his machine to be able to make silk stockings then his patent would be approved (Rowlett 1886).

His machine wasn’t a perfect invention from conception. The frame originally could only produce coarse fabrics as it contained eight needles in an inch. So, William worked on improving the machine, by increasing the needles per inch, until, in 1598, it was capable of knitting silk stockings.

Above: Stocking Frame at Framework Knitters Museum, Ruddington, Nottinghamshire. By John Beniston (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0).

Unfortunately for William, despite his improvements, his patent was declined again by Elizabeth’s successor James I. Upon this rejection, he decided to take the stocking frame and his workers to France under the protection of King Henry IV.

In 1610, however, Henry IV was assassinated. At a time where religion was a very divisive aspect of society, the death of the Protestant King Henry and the succession of the Catholic Louis XIII had consequences for the Protestants in France. As one of those Protestants, William’s stocking frame business badly suffered. William died in Paris a few years later (many report that he died in 1614) with his business that he had worked at for decades in disrepair.

Some of his stocking frames made their way back to England with his workers. Many workers sold their frames in London while his brother James is reported to have helped to establish the use of the stocking frame into the textile industry in England.

In the seventeenth and eighteen centuries, the stocking frame ‘was probably the most sophisticated textile machine in common use in western civilisation’ (Lewis, 1986). The frame could hold around 38 needles per inch by 1750 (Lewis, 1986), a stark difference from the number of needles on the initial conceptions of the machine. By the mid-seventeenth century , attempts were made by framework knitters to ‘regulate the exportation of machinery and skilled labour…as a reflection of the workers’ new-found estimation of his machinery and skills’ (Lewis, 1986).

Further adaptions of Lee’s machine continued even up to the 19th century as the stocking frame was adapted for different textiles and knitting styles. By the start of the 19th century, the machine had notably been adapted as a lace making machine, which also has special connections to Nottingham in the form of the lace market.

Lee most likely had no idea how much of an importance his machine would have on the textile industry centuries down the line. His influence ‘laid the foundation for an industry that now gives employment to millions. There can be but few people in the world who do not make daily use of its products’ (Pasold, 1975).

If it weren’t for the dedication and determination of Lee and his loyal workers to continually improve the stocking frame, the history of textile production would look wildly different.

If you would like to learn more about the stocking frame or about the textile industry, we suggest you visit the Framework Knitters’ Museum in Ruddington.

Bibliography:

Lewis, P. 1986. ‘William Lee’s Stocking Frame: Technical Evolution and Economic Viability 1589-1750’, Textile History, Volume 17. Pp. 129-147

Pasold, E.W. 1975. ‘In Search of William Lee’, Textile History, Volume 6. Pp.7-17

Rowlett, W.T. 1887. ‘Framework Knitting’, Journal of the Society of Arts, Volume 36. Page 445