Archival/written
On town archives in general see
- John West, Town Records (1983)
British Library
Use the BLs online catalogue for further details at
Nottinghamshire Archives
Extract from the borough court roll for 1303-4.
We know a good deal about life in Nottingham during the middle ages thanks to the extraordinarily rich material in the unique series of borough court rolls covering much of the period 1303-1455. From legal proceedings recorded in the court rolls we can learn of the wealthy merchants, the town’s markets and fairs (particularly Goose and Lenton Fairs), and its craftsmen, including weavers, fullers, dyers, tanners, potters, tilers, alabaster carvers, textile makers and metalworkers.
The archive office has the official borough records (CA) together with numerous other collections relating to the city. Other particularly interesting sources for Nottingham are
- M.383 Diary of Samuel Collinson
- M.23,788, Journal of George Hodgkinson Harwood
- DD 808/1 Diary of John Rainbow, governor of House of Correction, 1813-36
See www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/
Nottingham University Manuscripts Department
Material relating to Nottingham can be found in many of the collections, including:
- Newcastle – owners of the castle, and the Park estate, as well as considerable other land in and around the town. Gave part of the site for the General Hospital building in 1782.
- Middleton – owners of Wollaton Hall
- Clifton – of Clifton Hall
- William Parsons’ Diaries
See www.nottingham.ac.uk/mss/collections/online-mss-catalogues/
National Archives
- Exchequer records (lay subsidies, poll taxes, hearth tax returns etc)
- Census Enumerators’ Books 1841-1901, also available on microfiche in Nottinghamshire Archives and Nottingham Local Studies Library, while various census resources are not available online at …
- Patent Rolls, Close Rolls, Pipe Rolls, Assize Rolls, Coroners’ Rolls
- Chancery and Star Chamber proceedings
- Court of Augmentations records
- Inquisitions
- Home Office papers
For more detail search under Nottingham on www.catalogue.nationalarchives.gov.uk/search.asp