A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



The success of the Norman brought a fresh era of life for Nottingham. 

 William, like Edward the Elder, secured his possession by making up a new 

 castle, 1 not with Edward's idea of protecting the borough on either bank of 

 the river, but on the highest point of the rock overhanging the town, where 

 it would serve both to protect the town and keep the burghers submissive.' 

 The importance with which Nottingham was regarded is perhaps nowhere 

 better shown than in the Domesday entry reciting the duty of the 

 burghers : ' In Snotingeham the water of Trent and the Fosse (Way) and the 

 road towards York were so guarded that if any one should hinder the 

 passage of boats, or if any one should plough or make a ditch within 

 two perches of the king's road he should be compelled to amend it with 

 8 pounds.' s Although the existence of this castle must have added much to 

 the political status of Nottingham, its existence is ignored by the Domesday 

 Survey, and there is little or nothing known about its history during the 

 reign of William except that it was committed to the custody of William 

 Peverel, to whom nine manors in the county belonged. 4 



The reign of William Rufus, though it could hardly have been a time 

 of prosperity, 6 seems to have brought little history for the county. Indirectly 

 there comes almost the first mention 6 of the local levy, since Nottinghamshire 

 evidently furnished its quota of men and money, when in 1094, by Ralph 

 Flambard's connivance, 20,000 men were summoned from the English coun- 

 ties for service in Normandy, and dismissed at Hastings after their service 

 money had been taken from them. 7 Again, the reign of Henry I brings very 

 little history. The years of plague and famine, the heavy taxes caused by the 

 constant petty warfare between the king and his vassals, must have fallen 

 heavily on Nottinghamshire, as on all England. Doubtless, too, a time of 

 prosperity seemed to be again beginning under the reforms which Henry 

 inaugurated, only to be again ended, as the county was plunged into the dis- 

 orders of Stephen's reign. Into these disorders Nottingham was of necessity 

 drawn. Thus, when David of Scotland advanced into England against 

 Stephen in 1138, the militia of Nottinghamshire, under William Peverel, 

 fought for Stephen at the Battle of the Standard. 8 And now for the first 

 time the castle of Newark comes definitely into history. Theories are rife 

 that Newark was a Roman city, and that the site of the castle was occupied 

 by a large granary like Colchester or London Tower. 9 Egbert, king of 

 Wessex, is moreover said to have raised the first fortification, which fell into 



1 ' He went to Nottingham and there wrought a castle.' Angl.-Sax. Ckron. (Rolls Ser.), i, 342. 



Thus Camden states that the castle was built ' to bridle the English, and was so strong by nature 

 and art (according to William of Newburgh) that if properly defended it seemed as if nothing but famine 

 could force it.' Camden, Brit. (ed. Gough), ii, 283. 



3 See section on Dom. Surv. * Ibid. 



6 See Chron. Angl. Petrib. (Caxton Soc.), 65. Flor. Wigorn (Engl. Hist. Soc.), iv, 35. 



6 The first mention would be that implied in 1053, when Earl Morkere went south 'with Nottingham- 

 shire.' See supra. 



1 Sax. Chron. (ed. Earle), 230. 'Da sende cyng hider to lande et het abeodan at xx }>usenda Engliscra 

 manna him to fultume to Normandig. ac )?a hi to sae coman. pa het hi man cyrran and f feoh syllan to Saes 

 cynges behofe \z hi genumen hacfdon. pet wass asle man healf punda, and hi swa dydon.' 



Flor. Wigprn (Engl. Hist. Soc.), ii, 3 5. ' Quibus ut mare transirent Heastingae congregatis pecuniam quae 

 data fuerat eis ad victum Rannulphus Passeflambardus praecepto regis abstulit, scilicet, unicuitjue decem solidos 

 et cos domum repedare mandavit ; pecuniam vero regi transmisit.' 



8 Symeonis mmacki opera ornma (Rolls Ser.), ii, 294. ' Affluit etiam cum suis copiis de Nottingham scira 

 Willelmus Peverel.' 



' Cornelius Brown, Ann. ofNctcark-on-Trent; Mackenzie, Castles of England, i, 449, quoting Stukeley. 



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