Heading: Historical themes

Link to the Agriculture pagesAGRICULTURE
Farming is the basis of human existence. The land of Notts has been farmed for as long as man has colonised the countryside...

Link to the Folklore and Customs pagesTHE COAL INDUSTRY
Coal has been mined in Nottinghamshire for many centuries, but for a long time this was simply surface mining.

Link to the Folklore and Customs pagesFOLKLORE
Originally coined in 1846 by W.J. Thoms, the term ‘folklore’ has come to encompass seasonal customs, beliefs, legends, traditional arts...

Link to food pagesFOOD
The revision of Jack Drummond’s The Englishman’s Food in 1957 began a gradual process of opening up the study of the history of food.

INDUSTRY
Nottinghamshire has passed through various phases in terms of industry and manufacturing. In the medieval period manufacturing was...

Link to Riot and Rebellion pagesPOLICE AND POLICING
Common Law, the law applicable to all people in England and still applicable today, was created in the reign of Henry II (1154-1189).

Link to Riot and Rebellion pagesPOVERTY, THE POOR AND THE WORKHOUSE
The problem of the poor, and of relieving the poor, goes back many centuries...

Link to public health pagesPUBLIC HEALTH
After 1815 the rapid growth in the size of the major towns led to over-crowding, badly-built houses and shortages of pure water...

Link to Railways pagesRAILWAYS
The earliest reference to a railway in the county is contained in a lease dated 1604 between Sir Percival Willoughby and Huntingdon Beaumont ...

Link to Riot and Rebellion pagesRIOT AND REBELLION
Nottingham gained a reputation as a centre for riotous behaviour associated with political radicalism. The town authorities were...