The Dukeries
Encyclopedia
The Dukeries was a district in the county of Nottinghamshire which was so called because it used to contain four ducal seats close to one another. It is south of the town of Worksop
which has been called The Gateway to the Dukeries. The ducal seats were:
There was a fifth large country house in the Dukeries, Rufford Abbey
, but it was never the seat of a duke. Bestwood Lodge. a seat of the dukes of St Albans, was also in Nottinghamshire, but over 15 miles (24.1 km) to the south of the core Dukeries area. The Dukeries was remarkable not only for the number of ducal families in proximity to each other, there being at most times fewer than one English ducal family for each two English counties, but also because the parks of the various houses were largely contiguous, rather than being separated from one another by miles of farmland, as is usually the case with the parks of major country houses in England, whether ducal or not.
Welbeck Abbey is the only house that remains in traditional ownership. Until 2005 the abbey was leased to the Ministry of Defence and occupied by the Army Sixth Form College, while the descendants of the last Duke of Portland occupied a secondary house in the park called Welbeck Woodhouse, which was built for the 7th duke
in the early 1930s when he was Marquis of Titchfield. It is three quarters of a mile to the north east of the main house, and while much smaller than the abbey, is some 200 feet (61 m) long.
The incumbent Duke of Norfolk sold Worksop Manor to the Duke of Newcastle in 1839. The Norfolks preferred to spend more time at Arundel Castle
and the Duke of Newcastle only wanted the land to enlarge his estate, so he had the main part of the house demolished. However the service wing was adapted into a smaller (but still substantial) country house later in the 19th century, which survives. Clumber Park was demolished by the Dukes of Newcastle in the 1930s because they could no longer afford to live there, but the large Victorian chapel survived, and the 3800 acres (15.4 km²) park now belongs to the National Trust
. Thoresby Hall opened as a country house hotel early in the 21st century after a long period of neglect.
coal industry. The main source for these changes is Robert Waller
’s Oxford Historical Monograph The Dukeries Transformed (OUP 1983).
Five new mines were opened in the Dukeries, sinking having been commenced in 1920. These were at Clipstone
(coal won 1922), Ollerton
(1925), Blidworth
(1926), Bilsthorpe
(1927) and Thoresby near Edwinstowe
(1928). The Dukeries aristocratic landowners auctioned or leased mineral rights, such as Earl Manvers
’ Thoresby estate in May 1919 and Lord Savile of Rufford Abbey
’s lease for Ollerton
in 1921. In each case a single colliery company was responsible, such as the Butterley Company
at Ollerton
and the Stanton Company at Thoresby. All the companies financed the construction of new pit villages to house the miners and their families, who largely migrated from older coalfields throughout Britain
.
These villages offered more advanced facilities, such as a distinctive water system heated by the mine running in pipes between houses in New Ollerton
, but as well as displaying characteristics of paternalism
the new villages were also restrictive, with the employment of company police
men and the discouragement of trade unionism, with the exception of the breakaway Nottinghamshire Miners' Industrial Union (NMIU) of George Spencer in the 1930s; work at the Dukeries collieries had not ceased even during the coal and general strike of 1926. The Labour party
was not electorally successful in the Dukeries mining villages until 1946, after the Second World War
had weakened the power of the employers.
Worksop
Worksop is the largest town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. It is about east-south-east of the City of Sheffield and its population is estimated to be 39,800...
which has been called The Gateway to the Dukeries. The ducal seats were:
- Clumber House: principal seat of the dukes of Newcastle
- Thoresby HallThoresby HallThoresby Hall is one of the Dukeries, four country houses and estates in north Nottinghamshire all occupied by dukes at one time in their history.-History:...
: principal seat of the dukes of Kingston and later of the Earls Manvers of the same family. - Welbeck AbbeyWelbeck AbbeyWelbeck Abbey near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire was the principal abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England and later the principal residence of the Dukes of Portland.-Monastic period:...
: principal seat of the dukes of Portland - Worksop ManorWorksop ManorWorksop Manor is a stately home in the Dukeries area of Nottinghamshire. Traditionally, the Lord of the Manor of Worksop may assist a British monarch at his or her coronation by providing a glove and putting it on the monarch's right hand and supporting his or her right arm.Worksop Manor was the...
: a seat of the dukes of Norfolk
There was a fifth large country house in the Dukeries, Rufford Abbey
Rufford Abbey
Rufford Abbey is an estate in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England. It was originally a Cistercian abbey. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century it became a country house...
, but it was never the seat of a duke. Bestwood Lodge. a seat of the dukes of St Albans, was also in Nottinghamshire, but over 15 miles (24.1 km) to the south of the core Dukeries area. The Dukeries was remarkable not only for the number of ducal families in proximity to each other, there being at most times fewer than one English ducal family for each two English counties, but also because the parks of the various houses were largely contiguous, rather than being separated from one another by miles of farmland, as is usually the case with the parks of major country houses in England, whether ducal or not.
Welbeck Abbey is the only house that remains in traditional ownership. Until 2005 the abbey was leased to the Ministry of Defence and occupied by the Army Sixth Form College, while the descendants of the last Duke of Portland occupied a secondary house in the park called Welbeck Woodhouse, which was built for the 7th duke
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland
William Arthur Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland KG , known as Marquess of Titchfield until 1943, was a British Conservative Party politician....
in the early 1930s when he was Marquis of Titchfield. It is three quarters of a mile to the north east of the main house, and while much smaller than the abbey, is some 200 feet (61 m) long.
The incumbent Duke of Norfolk sold Worksop Manor to the Duke of Newcastle in 1839. The Norfolks preferred to spend more time at Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England is a restored medieval castle. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror...
and the Duke of Newcastle only wanted the land to enlarge his estate, so he had the main part of the house demolished. However the service wing was adapted into a smaller (but still substantial) country house later in the 19th century, which survives. Clumber Park was demolished by the Dukes of Newcastle in the 1930s because they could no longer afford to live there, but the large Victorian chapel survived, and the 3800 acres (15.4 km²) park now belongs to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. Thoresby Hall opened as a country house hotel early in the 21st century after a long period of neglect.
The Dukeries coal field
In the early twentieth century the economic and social base of the Dukeries was dramatically influenced by the development of a new coalfield there, the eastern extension of the existing MidlandsEnglish Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
coal industry. The main source for these changes is Robert Waller
Robert Waller (pundit)
Robert Waller is a British election expert, author, teacher, and former opinion pollster. His best known published work is The Almanac of British Politics , a guide to the voting patterns of all United Kingdom parliamentary constituencies.Education and CareerEducated at Buxton College secondary...
’s Oxford Historical Monograph The Dukeries Transformed (OUP 1983).
Five new mines were opened in the Dukeries, sinking having been commenced in 1920. These were at Clipstone
Clipstone
Clipstone in north Nottinghamshire is a small working class ex-coal mining village built on an old army base.-History:George Sitwell, Ironmaster mined iron locally and built a furnace here in the seventeenth century.- General description :...
(coal won 1922), Ollerton
Ollerton
Ollerton is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, on the edge of Sherwood Forest in the area known as the Dukeries. It forms part of the civil parish of Ollerton and Boughton....
(1925), Blidworth
Blidworth
Blidworth is a small village approximately five miles east of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. Its history can be traced back to the 14th century, although many of the current houses were built in the first half of the 20th century to provide housing for workers at Blidworth Colliery .-Robin...
(1926), Bilsthorpe
Bilsthorpe
Bilsthorpe is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 3,076. It is about five miles south of Ollerton, and near the junction of the A614 and A617....
(1927) and Thoresby near Edwinstowe
Edwinstowe
Edwinstowe is a village in the heart of Sherwood Forest, north Nottinghamshire, England.Its name means Edwin's resting place because King Edwin of Northumbria's body was hidden in the church after he was killed in the Battle of Hatfield Chase, near Doncaster, probably in 633. References to...
(1928). The Dukeries aristocratic landowners auctioned or leased mineral rights, such as Earl Manvers
Earl Manvers
Earl Manvers was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for Charles Pierrepont, 1st Viscount Newark. He had already been created Baron Pierrepont, of Holme Pierrepont in the County of Nottingham, and Viscount Newark, of Newark-on-Trent in the County of Nottingham, in...
’ Thoresby estate in May 1919 and Lord Savile of Rufford Abbey
Rufford Abbey
Rufford Abbey is an estate in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England. It was originally a Cistercian abbey. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century it became a country house...
’s lease for Ollerton
Ollerton
Ollerton is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, on the edge of Sherwood Forest in the area known as the Dukeries. It forms part of the civil parish of Ollerton and Boughton....
in 1921. In each case a single colliery company was responsible, such as the Butterley Company
Butterley Company
Butterley Engineering was an engineering company based in Ripley, Derbyshire. The company was formed from the Butterley Company which began as Benjamin Outram and Company in 1790 and existed until 2009.-Origins:...
at Ollerton
Ollerton
Ollerton is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, on the edge of Sherwood Forest in the area known as the Dukeries. It forms part of the civil parish of Ollerton and Boughton....
and the Stanton Company at Thoresby. All the companies financed the construction of new pit villages to house the miners and their families, who largely migrated from older coalfields throughout Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
These villages offered more advanced facilities, such as a distinctive water system heated by the mine running in pipes between houses in New Ollerton
Ollerton and Boughton
Ollerton and Boughton is a civil parish and town in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England.-Ollerton village:Ollerton, originally known as Alreton or Allerton, meaning 'farm among the alders', is situated at the crossroads of the York to London, Worksop to Newark, and Lincoln...
, but as well as displaying characteristics of paternalism
Paternalism
Paternalism refers to attitudes or states of affairs that exemplify a traditional relationship between father and child. Two conditions of paternalism are usually identified: interference with liberty and a beneficent intention towards those whose liberty is interfered with...
the new villages were also restrictive, with the employment of company police
Company police
Company police, also called private police, are police officers who work for a private company rather than a government agency.-United Kingdom:...
men and the discouragement of trade unionism, with the exception of the breakaway Nottinghamshire Miners' Industrial Union (NMIU) of George Spencer in the 1930s; work at the Dukeries collieries had not ceased even during the coal and general strike of 1926. The Labour party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
was not electorally successful in the Dukeries mining villages until 1946, after the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
had weakened the power of the employers.
External links
- The Dukeries at Worksop Heritage Trail
- Welbeck Colliery History website
- Aerial photo/map from multimap.com - Welbeck Abbey is in the bottom left quadrant near the largest lake; Worksop Manor was between it and the town of Worksop; Clumber Park is on the bank of the second largest lake and may be seen by zooming in; Thoresby is labelled bottom right.