Normanton-on-the-Wolds
Encyclopedia
Normanton-on-the-Wolds is a village in Nottinghamshire
.
Population 245. Acreage 1053.
Normanton on the Wolds is a small village six miles (10 km) south east of Nottingham
very close to the village of Plumtree
with which it has been associated, ecclesiastically and civilly, throughout its history. Its main street was once the main road route from Nottingham to Melton Mowbray
but was bypassed in 1930 with the turnpike of the A606 which now passes just to the south of the village. The housing off Clipston Road and The Leys to the north of the village is only accessible, by vehicle, by driving onto, and shortly thereafter off the busy A606. This seclusion within a very short distance of a major road, along with the presence of many houses set in their own grounds, protected by red brick walls and mature trees and hedgerows, along the length of the village makes the south end of the village a particularly attractive place. Although the village is essentially constructed along the old Melton Road it has a Back Lane. The village consists of more exclusive homes including substantial manor houses, converted cottages and farm houses with many a large garden and long driveway. Normanton on the Wolds was designated one of ten local conservation areas by Rushcliffe Borough Council
in 1990 and extended in 2009. This small village contains many historic buildings, no less than four are listed.
Normanton on the Wolds presently has 7 Parish Councillors.
, Keyworth
, Cotgrave
or other sources for their supplies. There are, however, businesses such as the working Avenue Farm providing stabling. Also the Ives family’s Rushcliffe Breeders farm to the north of the village keeps a small, but conspicuous, Llama
herd.
One of the better known buildings in the village is the Plough Inn; a substantial ivy clad country road inn with extensive gardens. This deservedly popular pub offers good cuisine and is very hospitable. Regular bus services between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray detour off the A606 to pass along Old Melton Road through the village
To the east of the village a pretty stream, straggled by timber footbridges, flows from the south and east off the Wolds toward the Trent. The land here is mainly agricultural and Green Belt designated. To the north and east towards nearby Tollerton, Clipston
and Cotgrave is farmland which includes crop land as well as grazing for sheep and horses. The large woods less than a mile directly east are a plantation. There are extensive and well marked public footpaths in the area affording, especially on the well used path over the Wold edge to Clipston and Cotgrave, impressive views over a large area of the city of Nottingham to the North West.
North of the village is the distinctive, partially wooded, Hoe Hill, which is visible for miles around and forms one of the most westerly outcrops of the Wold’s northernmost Trent Valley edge.
originally the Fosse Way
Roman Road.
1066 The Norman baron Roger de Busli
(c.1038 – c.1099) accompanied William the Conqueror in his successful conquest of England in 1066 and was rewarded with the granting of land. This included what became Normantone on the Wolds and also the nearby Normanton on Soar
and Normanton on Trent
. De Busli, (whose surname may be the derivation for the term “bully”, was in possession of the manor at the time of the writing of the Domesday Book
(1085) but he died without an heir, his son having died in infancy.
1099 De Busli’s lands were given to Robert de Belleme, who lost them in 1102 after leading a rebellion against Henry I
.
1154 - Seventeen acres of arable land given by Simon of Keyworth to Haveholme Priory of Lincolnshire. Thereafter this land passed into the hands of the Crusading Hospitaliers (Knoights of Malta).
1201 – “a royal charter decreed that land was confirmed by King John
to Geoffrey Luteral (Loteral) ‘the gift to him by Gerbode de Escaud of fifteen burates of land in Gamston and Normanton-on-the-Wolds’.”
1530 Dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VII
led to the lands becoming crown property.
1548 Lands bought by Thomas Brende. The area farmed by tenants.
1553 Lands bought by John, Earl of Bedford and Edmund Downing. The ownership of the land then changes often over the next two centuries.
1790 Enclosure of the village. “to the great loss of the church of Plumtree, to which it is parish.” (Thoroton, 1790). At this time there are 20 recorded dwellings in the village and around 1000 acres (4 km²) of land.
By the 1830s the village had grown to 33 dwellings.
1848 recorded as a township, in the parish of Plumtree, union of Bingham, N. division of the wapentake of Rushcliffe, S. division of the county of Nottingham, 6 miles (S. E. by S.) from Nottingham; containing 230 inhabitants. The tithes have been commuted for £225. 15. 6.” (A Topographical Dictionary of England - Editor Samuel Lewis, 1848.)
The population of the village varies greatly according to censuses records:
The 1891 census cites a population at that time of 206. The occupations of the heads of families vary from “own means” to “servant” and “domestic”. There are many farm related occupations such as “agi labourer” maybe serving Wolds Littlewood Farm. Many road and place names such as Normanton Lane, Chapel Yard and Hawker’s Yard have disappeared. Interestingly there are three railway related professions included; Signalman, Railway Porter and Station Master. The latter, the family Harvey, numbered eight and lived in the Railway Station. The station, closed to passengers as early as 1949 served the Nottingham Melton line (closed in 1968). The station house is slightly nearer to the centre of Plumtree than it is to Normanton.
In 1910, nine trains each way stopped at Plumtree Station. Earliest train to Nottingham was 7.02, to Melton Mowbray 6.55. A passenger catching this latter could expect to be in London St Pancras by 10.55 a.m. Sunday services were virtually non –existent, with only the morning milk train (7.49) to Nottingham (and no way getting back that day!). [Keyworth and Plumtree on old picture postcards Brian Lund]
The 1901 census shows little change, still a very agriculturally orientated but includes a “cottager milksitter” in the listed occupations as well as a dentist.
The village had always been centred on the farming in the area of both crops and livestock. Surrounding land shows much evidence of ridge and furrow
farming prevalent throughout the Middle Ages and the reoccurring use of the term “platt” (plot) in the area in early records points to tenanted division of the land. There are also signs of a water mill complex by the stream.
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
.
Population 245. Acreage 1053.
Overview
The name “Normanton” (Norwegian's village - Place Names of Nottinghamshire, Gover, Mawer and Stenton (intro pxx)) is attributed to several settlements in Midlands of England. The "on the Wolds" distinguishes it and places it firmly in the Nottinghamshire Wolds Character Area.Normanton on the Wolds is a small village six miles (10 km) south east of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
very close to the village of Plumtree
Plumtree, Nottinghamshire
Plumtree is a village and civil parish in the borough of Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 221.It is situated to the south east of Nottingham, between the villages of Tollerton and Keyworth....
with which it has been associated, ecclesiastically and civilly, throughout its history. Its main street was once the main road route from Nottingham to Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
but was bypassed in 1930 with the turnpike of the A606 which now passes just to the south of the village. The housing off Clipston Road and The Leys to the north of the village is only accessible, by vehicle, by driving onto, and shortly thereafter off the busy A606. This seclusion within a very short distance of a major road, along with the presence of many houses set in their own grounds, protected by red brick walls and mature trees and hedgerows, along the length of the village makes the south end of the village a particularly attractive place. Although the village is essentially constructed along the old Melton Road it has a Back Lane. The village consists of more exclusive homes including substantial manor houses, converted cottages and farm houses with many a large garden and long driveway. Normanton on the Wolds was designated one of ten local conservation areas by Rushcliffe Borough Council
Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in West Bridgford. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by merging the West Bridgford Urban District, the Bingham Rural District and part of Basford Rural District.-Political representation:The...
in 1990 and extended in 2009. This small village contains many historic buildings, no less than four are listed.
Normanton on the Wolds presently has 7 Parish Councillors.
Facilities
There is no school or church in this small village but the Parish church of Plumtree, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, is very close in the nearby village of Plumtree. This ancient church, the parish church also serving Normanton and Clipston, is believed to be one of the oldest churches in Nottinghamshire. Plumtree Methodists built a chapel in the village in 1797 (which was enlarged in 1827) but is now a private dwelling. There are no shops, nor any other modern facility in Normanton, the inhabitants relying on mobility to reach nearby TollertonTollerton, Nottinghamshire
Tollerton is a village situated in Rushcliffe just to the south of Nottingham, United Kingdom.The village is located in the Borough of Rushcliffe. The Parish Council of nine members runs local affairs and the population of the parish is registered as 1,776 residents.There is an annual village...
, Keyworth
Keyworth
Keyworth is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located about 6 miles southeast of the centre of Nottingham...
, Cotgrave
Cotgrave
-History:Cotgrave is a town in the borough of Rushcliffe, in Nottinghamshire, England, lying south east of Nottingham. With a relatively small population and an ancient heart that has largely escaped development Cotgrave has a village atmosphere...
or other sources for their supplies. There are, however, businesses such as the working Avenue Farm providing stabling. Also the Ives family’s Rushcliffe Breeders farm to the north of the village keeps a small, but conspicuous, Llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
herd.
One of the better known buildings in the village is the Plough Inn; a substantial ivy clad country road inn with extensive gardens. This deservedly popular pub offers good cuisine and is very hospitable. Regular bus services between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray detour off the A606 to pass along Old Melton Road through the village
To the east of the village a pretty stream, straggled by timber footbridges, flows from the south and east off the Wolds toward the Trent. The land here is mainly agricultural and Green Belt designated. To the north and east towards nearby Tollerton, Clipston
Clipston, Nottinghamshire
Clipston is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Nottinghamshire....
and Cotgrave is farmland which includes crop land as well as grazing for sheep and horses. The large woods less than a mile directly east are a plantation. There are extensive and well marked public footpaths in the area affording, especially on the well used path over the Wold edge to Clipston and Cotgrave, impressive views over a large area of the city of Nottingham to the North West.
North of the village is the distinctive, partially wooded, Hoe Hill, which is visible for miles around and forms one of the most westerly outcrops of the Wold’s northernmost Trent Valley edge.
History
- c1066 The village has a Saxon origin having, before the conquest, a Saxon Manor owned by Unfac. Saxon burials have been found off the nearby A46A46 road
The A46 is an A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway development...
originally the Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
Roman Road.
1066 The Norman baron Roger de Busli
Roger de Busli
Roger de Busli was a Norman baron who accompanied William the Conqueror on his successful conquest of England in 1066....
(c.1038 – c.1099) accompanied William the Conqueror in his successful conquest of England in 1066 and was rewarded with the granting of land. This included what became Normantone on the Wolds and also the nearby Normanton on Soar
Normanton on Soar
Normanton on Soar is a village and civil parish in the south of Nottinghamshire in England near the River Soar.Nearby villages include Zouch, Sutton Bonington and Stanford on Soar....
and Normanton on Trent
Normanton on Trent
Normanton on Trent is a village in Nottinghamshire, England. It is nine miles south-east of Retford. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 299....
. De Busli, (whose surname may be the derivation for the term “bully”, was in possession of the manor at the time of the writing of the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
(1085) but he died without an heir, his son having died in infancy.
1099 De Busli’s lands were given to Robert de Belleme, who lost them in 1102 after leading a rebellion against Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
.
1154 - Seventeen acres of arable land given by Simon of Keyworth to Haveholme Priory of Lincolnshire. Thereafter this land passed into the hands of the Crusading Hospitaliers (Knoights of Malta).
1201 – “a royal charter decreed that land was confirmed by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
to Geoffrey Luteral (Loteral) ‘the gift to him by Gerbode de Escaud of fifteen burates of land in Gamston and Normanton-on-the-Wolds’.”
1530 Dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
led to the lands becoming crown property.
1548 Lands bought by Thomas Brende. The area farmed by tenants.
1553 Lands bought by John, Earl of Bedford and Edmund Downing. The ownership of the land then changes often over the next two centuries.
1790 Enclosure of the village. “to the great loss of the church of Plumtree, to which it is parish.” (Thoroton, 1790). At this time there are 20 recorded dwellings in the village and around 1000 acres (4 km²) of land.
By the 1830s the village had grown to 33 dwellings.
1848 recorded as a township, in the parish of Plumtree, union of Bingham, N. division of the wapentake of Rushcliffe, S. division of the county of Nottingham, 6 miles (S. E. by S.) from Nottingham; containing 230 inhabitants. The tithes have been commuted for £225. 15. 6.” (A Topographical Dictionary of England - Editor Samuel Lewis, 1848.)
The population of the village varies greatly according to censuses records:
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1801 | 102 |
| 1811 | 142 |
| 1821 | 194 |
| 1831 | 185 |
| 1841 | 210 |
| 1851 | 230 |
| 1861 | 193 |
| 1871 | 151 |
| 1881 | 99 |
| 1891 | 1201 |
| 1901 | 209 |
The 1891 census cites a population at that time of 206. The occupations of the heads of families vary from “own means” to “servant” and “domestic”. There are many farm related occupations such as “agi labourer” maybe serving Wolds Littlewood Farm. Many road and place names such as Normanton Lane, Chapel Yard and Hawker’s Yard have disappeared. Interestingly there are three railway related professions included; Signalman, Railway Porter and Station Master. The latter, the family Harvey, numbered eight and lived in the Railway Station. The station, closed to passengers as early as 1949 served the Nottingham Melton line (closed in 1968). The station house is slightly nearer to the centre of Plumtree than it is to Normanton.
In 1910, nine trains each way stopped at Plumtree Station. Earliest train to Nottingham was 7.02, to Melton Mowbray 6.55. A passenger catching this latter could expect to be in London St Pancras by 10.55 a.m. Sunday services were virtually non –existent, with only the morning milk train (7.49) to Nottingham (and no way getting back that day!). [Keyworth and Plumtree on old picture postcards Brian Lund]
The 1901 census shows little change, still a very agriculturally orientated but includes a “cottager milksitter” in the listed occupations as well as a dentist.
The village had always been centred on the farming in the area of both crops and livestock. Surrounding land shows much evidence of ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
farming prevalent throughout the Middle Ages and the reoccurring use of the term “platt” (plot) in the area in early records points to tenanted division of the land. There are also signs of a water mill complex by the stream.