Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/104

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. 92 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. tance beyond West Stockwith, it divides tlio county from Lincolnshire. It is navigable' for vessels of 200 tons as far as Gainsborough, and for river vessels throughout Nottinghamshire. The following rivers are tributaries to it. The Soar divides Nottingham from Leicestershire from the southern point of the former county, flowing N.W. through Norman ton to its junc- tion with the Trent, a distance of about 8 miles. The GrewaSh. unites with the Trent at a point about 3 miles below the entrance of the Soar. It rises in the Forest, and is the boundary on the Derbyshire side from Pinxton to its mouth. The Lene rises near Newstead, and passes through Nottingham on its way to the Trent. The Dover Beck rises near Robin Hood's Pot, and, after a south-easterly course of about 10 miles, falls into the Trent a little below East Bridgeford. The Deven, with its tributaries, the Smite and the Cardykc, water the south-eastern corner of the county, between the Fosse Way and the border. The Idle is formed by the junction of the Maun and the Poulters, which unite near West Drayton. It passes East Retford, to which town it is navigable, and after a winding course through Mat- tersey and Bawtry, turns towards the E., and falls into the Trent at East Stockwith. The Ryton rises near Shireoaks chapel, and joins the Idle just above Bawtry. Two small streams join it near Blyth. The Pouller rises on the Leicestershire border, and forms lakes in Wclbeck and Clumber pai'ks. The Maun rises near Mansfield, and flows through the Clipstone Water meadows ; after which it is joined by the Rainsworth water, which rises near Robin Hood's hills, and near Perlett by the Meden, which flows in a north-eastern direction from Skegby. The climate is dry and healthy. The E. is the rainy quarter for wind, the W. winds being intercepted by the Derbyshire hills. The western side of the county, to a line through Worksop, Mansfield, and Arnold, is formed of magnesian limestone and Old Red sandstone, overlying coal, which occurs in beds of from 2 to 5 feet thickness, and dipping to the E. It is worked at East- wood, Bilborough, Radford, and one or two places of less importance. Thence to a line through Harby and Newark marl and New Red sandstone are the prevailing formations, and E. of this lias, which runs S. to the Wold hills. The Forest is principally quartz or gravel. Gypsum is worked at Sncinton, Great Markham, Beacon and Red hills ; red and yellow stone at Mansfield ; blue- stone at Staunton, Maplebeck, and Beacon Hill ; paving stone at Linby ; and hard limestone at Mansfield Wood- house. The soil in the N. and E. is a sandy clay, but in the W. is mostly barren light sand. Turnips are the principal crops cultivated, but wheat, barley, oats, beans, &c., are grown to a less extent. Hops are grown at Tuxford, Ollerton, and East Ketford, and apples on the heavy soils, but no cider is made. The neighbour- hoods of Nottingham and Newark abound in market gardens. Large numbers of oxen and sheep are pas- tured in the meadows along the Trent and Soar, and in the vicinity of the latter river there are a few dairies, where good cheese is made, but not in any great quan- tity. Of cattle, the Hereford and shorthorn are preferred for the best pastures, and the Scots for inferior land. The Leicester sheep are mostly found throughout the county, but on many farms cross-breeds are preferred. The farms vary from 70 acres to 300, and are mostly held at will. The forest land belonging to the dukes of Newcastle and Portland are planted with oak, pine, and other trees, for the navy and other purposes. The staple manufacture of Nottinghamshire is cotton and silk hose and bobbinet lace. Framework knitting is carried on in nearly every village of the southern part of the county. There are cotton mills at Nottingham, Mansfield, New- ark, Worksop, and Retford, where there is also a sail manufactory. Coarse pottery is made at Sutton, silk and indiarubber gloves at Nottingham. Nottingham- shire is divided into six wapcntakes : Bassetlaw, in the N. of the county ; Newark, in the E. ; Bingham, in the S.K. ; Rushcliffe, in the S. ; Broxton, in the W. ; and Thurgarton, in the centre. Each of these are formed into *wo divisions, N. and S. with the exception of Bas- setlaw, which, is divided into Hatfield and North and South Clay, and Thurgarton, which is divided into North and South Thurgarton and Southwell, which lies between them. The county of the town of Nottingham also forms a separate division ; and in addition to these there were formerly two liberties, Southwell and Scrooby, composed of detached parishes in Bassetlaw and Thurgarton, but the liberties have now been abolished, and the parishes assigned to the wapentakes in which they lie. The number of parishes in the county is about 180, besides 50 chapelries and 14 districts; the townships (which are the civil divisions) and hamlets are about 500. The market towns are, Nottingham (the county town), New- ark, East Retford, Bingham, Mansfield, Southwell, Worksop, Ollerton, Tuxford, Blyth, Bawtry, and Sutton- in-Ashfield. Four members are returned by the county, two for each division, N. and S., and two by each of the boroughs of Nottingham, Newark, and East Retford, and in the election for the last the wapentake of Basset- law also joins. For the N. division Mansfield is the election town, with Nottingham, Nuthall, and Retford, for polling-places for the S. division. Newark is the election town, and Bingham, Southwell, East Leake, Loundam, and Suttou - on - Trent, the polling-places. Nottingham, Newark, East Retford, Bingham, Mans- field, Worksop, Southwell, Basford, and Radford, are Poor-law Unions and superior registries, and except Southwell, the heads of new County Court districts. The population of the county was 270,427 in 1851, and 293,807 in 18C1, showing an increase of 14,4C6. The local government is vested in a lord-lieutenant, custos, high sheriff, about 30 deputy lieutenants, and between 50 and CO magistrates. Nottinghamshire is m the Mid- land circuit and the N.E. military division. Assizes are held at Nottingham, and quarter sessions at that town, Newark, and East Retford. The county prison and house of correction are at Nottingham and South- well respectively. Nottingham constitutes an arch- deaconry in the diocese of Lincoln, province of Canter- bury, and is divided into the deaneries of Bingham, Retford, Southwell, Nottingham, and Newark, com- prising about 200 benefices. The eurldom is hold by the family of Finch Hatton. The county is full of the seats of noblemen and gentlemen, of which the following are the most worthy of note : Clumber and Worksop, the Duke of Newcastle ; Clipstou and Welbeck, the Duke of Portland ; Thoresby, Earl Manvers ; Rufibrd, Earl Scarborough ; Serlby, Viscount Galway ; Wiseton, Earl Spencer ; Bunny Park, Lord Rancliffe ; Wollaton, Lord Middleton ; Clifton, Clifton, Bart. ; Norwood, Sutton, Bart. ; Owthorpe, Bromley, Bart. ; Shirland, Clarke, Bart. ; Wallingwells, White, Bart. ; Anneslcy, Musters ; Arnold Grove, Turbutt ; Bishop Field, Dun- combe ; Bleasby Hall, Kelham ; Blythe, Walker ; Brook- hill, D'Ewes Coke ; the Chauntrey, Sykes ; Elton, Norton ; Elston, Darwin ; Firbeck, Knight ; I'lintham, Hildyard ; Grove Hall, Eyre ; Kelham, Sutton; Kirk- lington, Sotheron ; Lenton, Wright ; Mansfield Wood- house, Need ; Mapperley, Wright ; Muakhani, Handlcy; Newstead Abbey, Wildman; Osberton.Foljambe; Ossing- ton, Denison ; Papplewick, Nixon; Ruddington, Mooru ; Ranby, Blaydcs ; Sherwood, Houldsworth ; Staunton Hall, Staunton ; Syerston, Filling-ham ; Thorney, Ne- ville; Thrumpton, Wescombe ; Thurgarton, Martin; Tollerton, Barry ; Watnall, Rolleston ; Winkbourne, Burnell ; &c. The county is hunted by the Rufibrd and Mr. Lumley's foxhounds, and the Sherwood harriers. The Great Northern railway runs N. from Granlham through Newark, East Retford, and Bawtry. A branch from Grantham joins the branch lino from Derby to Lincoln, which runs through Nottingham and Newark, near Carlton, about 4 miles from Nottingham. The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire passes through Worksop and East Retford, after leaving which town, it divides into branches, one to Gainsborough, the other to Lincoln. The Derby and Lincoln line already men- tioned has a branch at Nottingham to Mansfield, and another short one to Southwell. The Ercwash Valley line runs from Attenborough along the Erewash, turning