88-448: White Houses may refer to: White Houses, Nottinghamshire , England "White Houses" (Eric Burdon and The Animals song) , recorded by Eric Burdon and the Animals "White Houses" (Vanessa Carlton song) , by Vanessa Carlton See also [ edit ] White House (disambiguation) Whitehouse (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
176-514: A non-metropolitan county , with seven districts, and the Nottingham unitary authority area. The East Midlands Combined County Authority includes Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council. The geography of Nottinghamshire is largely defined by the River Trent , which forms a wide valley which crosses the county from the south-west to the north-east. North of this, in the centre of
264-450: A 3D laser scanner to produce a three dimensional record of more than 450 sandstone caves around Nottingham". Nottinghamshire was mapped first by Christopher Saxton in 1576; the first fully surveyed map of the county was by John Chapman, who produced Chapman's Map of Nottinghamshire in 1774. The map was the earliest printed map at a sufficiently useful scale (one statute mile to one inch) to provide basic information on village layout, and
352-406: A fortress at Tamworth which became the seat of Mercia's kings. His son Pybba succeeded him in 593. Cearl , a kinsman of Creoda, followed Pybba in 606; in 615, Cearl gave his daughter Cwenburga in marriage to Edwin , king of Deira , whom he had sheltered while he was an exiled prince. The Mercian kings were the only Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy ruling house known to claim a direct family link with
440-522: A general agreement persists that the territory that was called "the first of the Mercians" in the Tribal Hidage covered much of south Derbyshire , Leicestershire , Nottinghamshire , Northamptonshire , Staffordshire and northern Warwickshire . The earliest person named in any records as a king of Mercia is Creoda , said to have been the great-grandson of Icel . Coming to power around 584, he built
528-525: A golden three-pronged Saxon crown has been used by several units of the British Army as a heraldic device for Mercia since 1958, including the Mercian Regiment . It is derived from the attributed arms of Leofric, Earl of Mercia in the 11th century. Leofric is sometimes attributed a black, single-headed eagle instead. The wyvern , a type of dragon , came to have a strong association with Mercia in
616-659: A heraldic visitation of the town in 1619. In Bram Stoker 's 1911 novel The Lair of the White Worm , explicitly set in Mercia (see above), the Mercian white wyvern sans legs of the Midland Railway was transformed into a monstrous beast, the eponymous worm of the title. The word "worm" is derived from Old English wyrm and originally referred to a dragon or serpent. "Wyvern" derives from Old Saxon wivere , also meaning serpent, and
704-522: A majority of councillors. The party gained full control after previously governing in coalition with the Mansfield Independent Forum since the 2017 election . The council was formerly Labour-controlled after the 2013 election . The County Council is currently made up of 34 Conservative councillors, 15 Labour, 10 Ashfield Independents and 7 independents . Local government is devolved to seven local borough and district councils. Ashfield
792-802: A monk in Rome, Æthelbald was free to establish Mercia's hegemony over the rest of the Anglo-Saxons south of the Humber . Æthelbald suffered a setback in 752, when the West Saxons under Cuthred defeated him, but he seems to have restored his supremacy over Wessex by 757. In July 2009, the Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold was discovered by Terry Herbert in a field at Hammerwich, near Brownhills and close to Lichfield in Staffordshire. Lichfield functioned as
880-551: A new football league was formed called the Mercian Regional Football League . Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire , a commercial radio station, was originally launched in 1980 as Mercia Sound , later becoming Mercia FM , and then Mercia . There is no authentic indigenous Mercian heraldic device, as heraldry did not develop in any recognizable form until the High Middle Ages . The saltire as
968-534: A pre-migration Continental Germanic monarchy. The next Mercian king, Penda , ruled from about 626 or 633 until 655. Some of what is known about Penda comes from the hostile account of Bede , who disliked him – both as an enemy to Bede's own Northumbria and as a pagan . However, Bede admits that Penda freely allowed Christian missionaries from Lindisfarne into Mercia and did not restrain them from preaching. In 633 Penda and his ally Cadwallon of Gwynedd defeated and killed Edwin, who had become not only ruler of
SECTION 10
#17328588626141056-613: A role in the administration of the Catholic Church in England (sponsoring the short-lived archbishopric of Lichfield , 787 to 799), and even negotiated with Charlemagne as an equal. Offa is credited with the construction of Offa's Dyke , which marked the border between Wales and Mercia. Offa exerted himself to ensure that his son Ecgfrith of Mercia would succeed him, but after Offa's death in July 796 Ecgfrith survived for only five months, and
1144-564: A silver badge by all uniformed employees. However, in 1897 the Railway Magazine noted that there appeared "to be no foundation that the wyvern was associated with the Kingdom of Mercia". It has been associated with Leicester since the time of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester (c. 1278–1322), the most powerful lord in the Midlands, who used it as his personal crest, and was recorded in
1232-512: A symbol of Mercia may have been in use since the time of King Offa . By the 13th century, the saltire had become the attributed arms of the Kingdom of Mercia. The arms are blazoned Azure, a saltire Or , meaning a gold (or yellow) saltire on a blue field. The arms were subsequently used by the Abbey of St Albans , founded by King Offa of Mercia. With the dissolution of the Abbey and the incorporation of
1320-641: Is Nottingham Forest , a Premier League club that won the 1978 English championship , and followed it up with winning the 1979 and 1980 European Cup titles. Mansfield Town and Notts County are the other professional teams in the country, both in League Two . Other notable sporting teams are the Nottingham Rugby Football Club , and the Nottingham Panthers Ice Hockey Club . An unofficial flag for Nottinghamshire
1408-651: Is Mercia...". The British Army has made use of several regional identities in naming larger, amalgamated formations. After the Second World War, the infantry regiments of Cheshire , Staffordshire and Worcestershire were organised in the Mercian Brigade (1948–1968). Today, "Mercia" appears in the titles of two regiments, the Mercian Regiment , founded in 2007, which recruits in Cheshire, Derbyshire , Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire, and parts of Greater Manchester and
1496-584: Is Peat Carr, east of Blaxton, at sea level ; the Trent is tidal below Cromwell Lock . Nottinghamshire is sheltered by the Pennines to the west, so receives relatively low rainfall at 641 to 740 millimetres (25 to 29 inches ) annually. The average temperature of the county is 8.8–10.1 degrees Celsius (48–50 degrees Fahrenheit ). The county receives between 1321 and 1470 hours of sunshine per year. Nottinghamshire contains one green belt area, first drawn up from
1584-405: Is a non-metropolitan county, governed by Nottinghamshire County Council and seven non-metropolitan district councils. Elections to the county council take place every four years, with the first election taking place in 1973. Following each election, the county council has been controlled by the following parties: The regional economy was traditionally based on industries such as coal mining in
1672-498: Is controlled by the Ashfield Independents. Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, and Mansfield are Labour-controlled. Newark and Sherwood is controlled by a coalition of Labour, Liberal Democrat and independent councillors. Rushcliffe is Conservative-controlled. Nottingham City Council , which governs the Nottingham unitary authority and is independent of Nottinghamshire County Council, is majority Labour-controlled. Nottinghamshire
1760-471: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire ( / ˈ n ɒ t ɪ ŋ ə m ʃ ər , - ʃ ɪər / ; abbreviated Notts. ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county borders South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to
1848-507: Is etymologically related to viper . The ultimate source for the symbolism of white dragons in England would appear to be Geoffrey of Monmouth 's fictional work, The History of the Kings of Britain (c. 1136), which recounts an incident in the life of Merlin where a red dragon is seen fighting a white dragon and prevailing. The red dragon was taken to represent the Welsh and their eventual victory over
SECTION 20
#17328588626141936-540: Is evidence of Saxon settlement at the Broxtowe Estate, Oxton , near Nottingham, and Tuxford , east of Sherwood Forest . The name first occurs in 1016, but until 1568, the county was administratively united with Derbyshire, under a single Sheriff . In Norman times, the county developed malting and woollen industries. King William I the Conqueror in 1066 made Sherwood Forest a Royal Forest for hunting which
2024-709: Is famous for its involvement with the legend of Robin Hood . This is also the reason for the numbers of tourists who visit places like Sherwood Forest , City of Nottingham , and the surrounding villages in Sherwood Forest. To reinforce the Robin Hood connection, the University of Nottingham in 2010 has begun the Nottingham Caves Survey , with the goal "to increase the tourist potential of these sites". The project "will use
2112-446: Is first recorded (as mydlonde-shiris ) in 1475. John Bateman, writing in 1876 or 1883, referred to contemporary Cheshire and Staffordshire landholdings as being in Mercia. The most credible source for the idea of a contemporary Mercia is Thomas Hardy 's Wessex novels. The first of these appeared in 1874 and Hardy himself considered it the origin of the conceit of a contemporary Wessex. Bram Stoker set his 1911 novel The Lair of
2200-646: Is home to a campus of the University of Law . All three of these institutions combine to make Nottingham one of England 's largest student cities. Nottingham Trent University also has an agricultural college near Southwell , while the University of Nottingham has one at Sutton Bonington . While the overall county is officially in the East Midlands, northern parts of Nottinghamshire are considered to be geographically and culturally southern. Locals may personally refer to places such as Worksop and Bolsover as being in
2288-515: Is where the county council are based. There are several market towns in the county. Newark-on-Trent is a bridging point of the Fosse Way and River Trent , but is actually an Anglo-Saxon market town with a now ruined castle . Mansfield , the second-largest settlement in the county after Nottingham, sits on the site of a Roman settlement, but grew after the Norman Conquest . Worksop , in
2376-578: The 1984–85 miners' strike . Until 1610, Nottinghamshire was divided into eight Wapentakes . Sometime between 1610 and 1719, they were reduced to six – Newark , Bassetlaw , Thurgarton , Rushcliffe , Broxtowe , and Bingham , some of these names still being used for the modern districts. Oswaldbeck was absorbed in Bassetlaw, of which it forms the North Clay division, and Lythe in Thurgarton. Nottinghamshire
2464-509: The Battle of Winwaed , in which Penda in turn lost the battle and his life. The battle led to a temporary collapse of Mercian power. Penda's son Peada , who had converted to Christianity at Repton in 653, succeeded his father as king of Mercia; Oswiu set up Peada as an under-king; but in the spring of 656 he was murdered and Oswiu assumed direct control of the whole of Mercia. A Mercian revolt in 658 threw off Northumbrian domination and resulted in
2552-631: The Heptarchy . It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlands of England . The royal court moved around the kingdom without a fixed capital city. Early in its existence Repton seems to have been the location of an important royal estate. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , it was from Repton in 873–874 that the Great Heathen Army deposed
2640-508: The Humber estuary. During King Offa 's reign, a dyke was created as the boundary between Mercia and the Welsh kingdoms. Nicholas Brooks noted that "the Mercians stand out as by far the most successful of the various early Anglo-Saxon peoples until the later ninth century", and some historians, such as Sir Frank Stenton , believe the unification of England south of the Humber estuary was achieved during Offa's reign. King Peada converted to Christianity around 656. The Diocese of Mercia
2728-562: The Kingdom of England . The kingdom became an earldom until 1071. Mercia's exact evolution at the start of the Anglo-Saxon era remains more obscure than that of Northumbria , Kent , or even Wessex . Mercia developed an effective political structure and was Christianised later than the other kingdoms. Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by
White Houses - Misplaced Pages Continue
2816-550: The Kingdom of Rohan , otherwise known as the Mark (a name cognate with Mercia ). The Mercian dialect is the basis of Tolkien's language of Rohan, and a number of its kings are given the same names as monarchs who appear in the Mercian royal genealogy, e.g., Fréawine, Fréaláf and Éomer (see List of kings of the Angles ). The first kings of Mercia were pagans, and they resisted the encroachment of Christianity longer than other kingdoms in
2904-481: The Leen Valley , and manufacturing. Since the invention of the knitting frame by local William Lee , the county, in particular Nottingham , became synonymous with the lace industry. In 1998, Nottinghamshire had a gross domestic product (GDP) per-capita of £ 12,000, and a total GDP of £12,023 million. This is compared to a per-capita GDP of £11,848 for the East Midlands , £12,845 for England, and £12,548 for
2992-479: The Norman Conquest in 1066. The name 'Mercia' is a Latinisation of an Old English word derived from the Mercian Old English , Merce , meaning "borderland". The dialect thrived between the 8th and 13th centuries and was referred to by John Trevisa , writing in 1387: For men of the est with men of the west, as it were undir the same partie of hevene, acordeth more in sownynge of speche than men of
3080-578: The Nottingham Urban Area while Bassetlaw is a non-constituent part of the Sheffield City Region. Mercia Mercia ( / ˈ m ɜːr s i ə , - ʃ ə , - s i ə / , Old English : Miercna rīċe , "kingdom of the border people"; Latin : Merciorum regnum ) was one of the three main Anglic kingdoms founded after Sub-Roman Britain was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called
3168-516: The "north". Nottinghamshire is home to the Sherwood Forest , known for its association with the legend of Robin Hood . Nottinghamshire contains the ancestral home of the poet Lord Byron , Newstead Abbey , which he sold in 1818. It is now owned by Nottingham City Council, and is open to the public. The acclaimed author D. H. Lawrence was from Eastwood in Nottinghamshire. Toton was
3256-611: The 14th century. It lists a number of peoples, such as the Hwicce , who have now vanished, except for reminders in various placenames. The major subdivisions of Mercia were as follows: After Mercia was annexed by Wessex in the early 10th century, the West Saxon rulers divided it into shires modelled after their own system, cutting across traditional Mercian divisions. These shires survived mostly intact until 1974, and even today still largely follow their original boundaries. The term "midlands"
3344-521: The 1950s. Completely encircling the Nottingham conurbation, it stretches for several miles into the surrounding districts, and extends into Derbyshire. Nottinghamshire, including the city of Nottingham, is represented by eleven members of parliament ; nine for the Labour Party , one Conservative and one Reform UK MP. Following the 2021 County Council election , the Conservative Party make up
3432-461: The 19th century. The Midland Railway , which used a white (silver) wyvern sans legs (legless) as its crest, having inherited it from the Leicester and Swannington Railway , asserted that the "wyvern was the standard of the Kingdom of Mercia", and that it was "a quartering in the town arms of Leicester". The symbol appeared on numerous stations and other company buildings in the region, and was worn as
3520-573: The 6th century. The name "Mercia" is Mercian Old English for "boundary folk" (see Welsh Marches ), and the traditional interpretation is that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the native Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders. However, Peter Hunter Blair argued an alternative interpretation: that they emerged along the frontier between Northumbria and the inhabitants of the Trent river valley . Although its earliest boundaries remain obscure,
3608-559: The Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Mercian rulers remained resolutely pagan until the reign of Peada in 656, although this did not prevent them joining coalitions with Christian Welsh rulers to resist Northumbria. The first appearance of Christianity in Mercia, however, had come at least thirty years earlier, following the Battle of Cirencester of 628, when Penda incorporated the formerly West Saxon territories of Hwicce into his kingdom. The conversion of Mercia to Christianity occurred in
White Houses - Misplaced Pages Continue
3696-611: The Anglo-Saxon invaders, symbolised by the white dragon. The philologist and Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey has suggested that the Middle Kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's Farmer Giles of Ham , a story dominated by a dragon, is based on Mercia, the part of England where Tolkien grew up. This dragon, Chrysophylax , though mostly hostile, eventually helps Giles found a realm of his own, the Little Kingdom. Shippey states further that "the Mark",
3784-475: The King of Mercia. Slightly earlier, King Offa seems to have favoured Tamworth . It was there where he was crowned and spent many a Christmas. For 300 years (between 600 and 900), known as Mercian Supremacy or the "Golden Age of Mercia", having annexed or gained submissions from five of the other six kingdoms of the Heptarchy ( East Anglia , Essex , Kent , Sussex and Wessex ), Mercia dominated England south of
3872-648: The Mercian king Beornwulf (who had overthrown Ceolwulf in 823) at Ellendun . The Battle of Ellendun proved decisive. At this point, Mercia lost control of Kent , Sussex , Surrey , and possibly also Essex . Beornwulf was slain while suppressing a revolt amongst the East Angles, and his successor, a former ealdorman named Ludeca (reigned 826–827), met the same fate. Another ealdorman, Wiglaf , subsequently ruled for less than two years before Egbert of Wessex drove him out of Mercia. In 830 Wiglaf regained independence for Mercia, but by this time Wessex had clearly become
3960-974: The Nottinghamshire LEA in 2007. The best results were from the West Bridgford School , closely followed by Rushcliffe Spencer Academy and the Minster School in Southwell . In Nottingham, the best results came from the Trinity Catholic School and the Fernwood School in Wollaton . At A-level , the highest performing institution was The Becket School , followed by the West Bridgford School. Some of Nottingham city best results tend to come from Nottingham High School , closely followed by
4048-484: The Soar, Erewash, and Idle, composed of many streams from Sherwood Forest, run through wide and flat valleys, merging at Misterton . A point just north of Newtonwood Lane, on the boundary with Derbyshire is the highest point in Nottinghamshire; at 205 metres (673 feet), while Silverhill , a spoil heap left by the former Silverhill colliery, a human-made point often cited as the highest, reaches 204 metres (669 feet). The lowest
4136-621: The United Kingdom. Nottingham had a GDP per-capita of £17,373, North Nottinghamshire £10,176, and South Nottinghamshire £8,448. In October 2005, the United Kingdom had 4.7% unemployment, the East Midlands 4.4%, and the Nottingham commuter belt area 2.4%. The county has comprehensive secondary education with 47 state secondary schools , as well as 10 private schools . The City of Nottingham local education authority (LEA) has 18 state schools and six independent schools, not including sixth form colleges . A total of 9,700 pupils took GCSEs in
4224-689: The West Midlands, and the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry , founded in 1992 as part of the Territorial Army . In 1967, the police forces of Herefordshire , Shropshire and Worcestershire were combined into the West Mercia Constabulary , which changed its name to West Mercia Police in 2009. Telephone directories across the Midlands include a large number of commercial and voluntary organisations using "Mercia" in their names, and in 2012
4312-574: The White Worm in a contemporary Mercia that may have been influenced by Hardy, whose secretary was a friend of Stoker's brother. Although 'Edwardian Mercia' never had the success of 'Victorian Wessex', it was an idea that appealed to the higher echelons of society. In 1908 Sir Oliver Lodge, Principal of Birmingham University , wrote to his counterpart at Bristol , welcoming a new university worthy of "...the great Province of Wessex whose higher educational needs it will supply. It will be no rival, but colleague and co-worker with this university, whose province
4400-498: The accession of Æthelbald in 716 the Mercians conquered the region around Wroxeter , known to the Welsh as Pengwern or as "The Paradise of Powys". Elegies written in the persona of its dispossessed rulers record the sorrow at this loss. The next important king of Mercia, Æthelbald, reigned from 716 to 757. For the first few years of his reign he had to face two strong rival kings, Wihtred of Kent and Ine of Wessex . But when Wihtred died in 725, and Ine abdicated in 726 to become
4488-448: The all-female Nottingham High School for Girls , both of which are privately run. Worksop College is another private school near to Worksop . The University of Nottingham is a Russell Group university and well-renowned, offering one of the broadest selections of courses in the UK. Nottingham Trent University is one of the most successful post-1992 universities in the UK. Nottingham
SECTION 50
#17328588626144576-432: The appearance of another son of Penda, Wulfhere , who ruled Mercia as an independent kingdom (though he apparently continued to render tribute to Northumbria for a while) until his death in 675. Wulfhere initially succeeded in restoring the power of Mercia, but the end of his reign saw a serious defeat by Northumbria. The next king, Æthelred , defeated Northumbria in the Battle of the Trent in 679, settling once and for all
4664-465: The birthplace and home of English folk singer-songwriter Anne Briggs , well known for her song Black Waterside . The north of the county is also noteworthy for its connections with the Pilgrim Fathers . William Brewster , for example, came from the village of Scrooby, and was influenced by Richard Clyfton , who preached at Babworth . Nottinghamshire has international twinning arrangements with
4752-431: The borough of St Albans the device was used on the town's corporate seal and was officially recorded as the arms of the town at an heraldic visitation in 1634. The saltire is used as both a flag and a coat of arms. As a flag, it is flown from Tamworth Castle , the ancient seat of the Mercian Kings, to this day. The flag also appears on street signs welcoming people to Tamworth , the "ancient capital of Mercia". It
4840-438: The county are: The Nottingham Post is the county's local newspaper. (post 1974) (post 1974) The traditional county town, and the largest settlement in the historic and ceremonial county boundaries, is the City of Nottingham . The city is now administratively independent, but towns including Arnold , Carlton , West Bridgford , Beeston , and Stapleford are still within the administrative county, and West Bridgford
4928-400: The county, is Sherwood Forest , the remnant of a large ancient woodland . Nottinghamshire lies on the Roman Fosse Way , and there are Roman settlements in the county; for example at Mansfield , and forts such as at the Broxtowe Estate in Bilborough . The county was settled by Angles around the 5th century, and became part of the Kingdom, and later Earldom, of Mercia . However, there
5016-405: The county. The East Coast Main Line from London to Doncaster , Leeds , York , Newcastle upon Tyne , and Scotland serves the eastern Nottinghamshire towns of Newark and Retford. The M1 motorway runs through the county, connecting Nottingham to London, Leeds, and Leicester by road. The A1 road follows for the most part the path of the Great North Road, although in places it diverges from
5104-481: The county; ITV Central also covers regional news in the county. Northern parts of the county such as Worksop and Retford in the Bassetlaw and Mansfield receive a better signals from the Emley Moor TV transmission so the area is covered by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire (West). Ashfield and parts of Newark get better signals from the Belmont TV tranmsitter that broadcast BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and ITV Yorkshire (East). Radio stations for
5192-434: The diocese was an archbishopric . The current bishop, Michael Ipgrave , is the 99th since the diocese was established. At the end of the 9th century, following the invasions of the Vikings and their Great Heathen Army , Danelaw absorbed much of the former Mercian territory. Danelaw at its height included London, all of East Anglia and most of the North of England. The final Mercian king, Ceolwulf II , died in 879 with
5280-433: The dominant power in England. Circa 840 Beorhtwulf succeeded Wiglaf. In 852, Burgred came to the throne, and with Ethelwulf of Wessex subjugated North Wales . In 868 Danish invaders occupied Nottingham . The Danes drove Burgred from his kingdom in 874 and Ceolwulf II took his place. In 877 the Danes seized the eastern part of Mercia, which became part of the Danelaw . Ceolwulf, the last king of Mercia, left with
5368-500: The existence of landscape features such as roads, milestones , tollbars , parkland, and mills. Nottinghamshire saw a slight change to its overall boundary in the extreme northern part of the county in 1974, when the villages of Blaxton , Finningley and Auckley (part) were merged into the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire . Nottinghamshire, like Derbyshire , and South Yorkshire, sits on extensive coal measures, up to 900 metres (3,000 feet ) thick, and occurring largely in
SECTION 60
#17328588626145456-444: The fifth bishop to operate in Mercia. This controversial figure was given land by King Wulfhere to build a monastery at Lichfield . Evidence suggests that the Lichfield Gospels were made in Lichfield around 730. As in other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the many small monasteries established by the Mercian kings allowed the political/military and ecclesiastical leadership to consolidate their unity through bonds of kinship. For knowledge of
5544-453: The first experimental waggonways in the world; an example of this is the Wollaton wagonway of 1603–1616, which transported minerals from bell pitt mining areas at Strelley and Bilborough , this led to canals and railways being constructed in the county, and the lace and cotton industries grew. In the 18th and 19th centuries, mechanised deeper collieries opened, and mining became an important economic sector, though these declined after
5632-402: The hegemony which his predecessor had exercised over the southern English, and he did this so successfully that he became the greatest king Mercia had ever known. Not only did he win battles and dominate Southern England , but also he took an active hand in administering the affairs of his kingdom, founding market towns and overseeing the first major issues of gold coins in Britain; he assumed
5720-453: The historic boundaries of Nottinghamshire. These airports serve the county and several of its neighbours. Together, the airports have services to most major European destinations, and East Midlands Airport now also has services to North America and the Caribbean . As well as local bus services throughout the county, Nottingham and its suburbs have a tram system, Nottingham Express Transit . Nottingham and its surrounding areas form part of
5808-402: The historic route where towns have been bypassed. Retford was by-passed in 1961, and Newark-on-Trent was by-passed in 1964, and the A1 now runs between Retford and Worksop past the village of Ranby . Many historic coaching inns can still be seen along the traditional route. East Midlands Airport is just outside the county in Leicestershire , while Doncaster Sheffield Airport lies within
5896-433: The internal composition of the Kingdom of Mercia, we must rely on a document of uncertain age (possibly late 7th century), known as the Tribal Hidage – an assessment of the extent (but not the location) of land owned (reckoned in hides ), and therefore the military obligations and perhaps taxes due, by each of the Mercian tribes and subject kingdoms by name. This hidage exists in several manuscript versions, some as late as
5984-411: The kingdom appearing to have lost its political independence. Initially, it was ruled by a lord or ealdorman under the overlordship of Alfred the Great , who styled himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons". The kingdom had a brief period of independence in the mid-10th century and in 1016, by which time it was viewed as a province with temporary independence. Wessex conquered and united all the kingdoms into
6072-399: The kingdom passed to a distant relative named Coenwulf in December 796. In 821 Coenwulf's brother Ceolwulf succeeded to the Mercian kingship; he demonstrated his military prowess by his attack on and destruction of the fortress of Deganwy in Gwynedd . The power of the West Saxons under Egbert (King of Wessex from 802 to 839) grew during this period, however, and in 825 Egbert defeated
6160-541: The latter part of the 7th century, and by the time of Penda's defeat and death, Mercia was largely surrounded by Christian states. Diuma , an Irish monk and one of Oswiu's missionaries, was subsequently ordained a bishop – the first to operate in Mercia. Christianity finally gained a foothold in Mercia when Oswiu supported Peada as sub-king of the Middle Angles, requiring him to marry Oswiu's daughter, Alchflaed, and to accept her religion. Decisive steps to Christianise Mercia were taken by Chad (Latinised by Bede as Ceadda ),
6248-419: The long-disputed control of the former kingdom of Lindsey . Æthelred was succeeded by Cœnred , son of Wulfhere; both these kings became better known for their religious activities than anything else, but the king who succeeded them in 709, Ceolred , is said in a letter of Saint Boniface to have been a dissolute youth who died insane. So ended the rule of the direct descendants of Penda. At some point before
6336-728: The name of the West Saxon king. Æthelred had married Æthelflæd ( c. 870 – 12 June 918), daughter of Alfred the Great of Wessex ( r. 871–899 ), and she assumed power when her husband became ill at some time in the last ten years of his life. After Æthelred's death in 911 Æthelflæd ruled as "Lady of the Mercians", but Alfred's successor as King of the Anglo-Saxons, Edward the Elder ( r. 899–924 ), took control of London and Oxford , which Alfred had placed under Æthelred's control. Æthelflæd and her brother continued Alfred's policy of building fortified burhs , and by 918 they had conquered
6424-472: The newly unified Northumbria, but bretwalda , or high king, over the southern kingdoms. When another Northumbrian king, Oswald , arose and again claimed overlordship of the south, he also suffered defeat and death at the hands of Penda and his allies – in 642 at the Battle of Maserfield . In 655, after a period of confusion in Northumbria, Penda brought 30 sub-kings to fight the new Northumbrian king Oswiu at
6512-673: The north of the county, is also an Anglo-Saxon market town which grew rapidly in the Industrial Revolution , with the arrival of canals and railways and the discovery of coal. Other market towns include Arnold, Bingham , Hucknall , Kirkby-in-Ashfield , Tuxford , Retford and Sutton-in-Ashfield . The main railway in the county is the Midland Main Line , which links London to Sheffield via Nottingham. The Robin Hood Line between Nottingham and Worksop serves several villages in
6600-494: The north of the county. There is an oilfield near Eakring . These are overlaid by sandstones and limestones in the west, and clay in the east. The north of the county is part of the Humberhead Levels lacustrine plain . The centre and south west of the county, around Sherwood Forest, features undulating hills with ancient oak woodland. Principal rivers are the Trent , Idle , Erewash , and Soar . The Trent, fed by
6688-453: The north with men of the south, therfore it is that Mercii, that beeth men of myddel Engelond, as it were parteners of the endes, understondeth better the side langages, northerne and southerne, than northerne and southerne understondeth either other... J. R. R. Tolkien is one of many scholars who have studied and promoted the Mercian dialect of Old English and introduced various Mercian terms into his legendarium – especially in relation to
6776-592: The province of Wielkopolska ( Greater Poland ) in western Poland , and with the province's capital city, Poznań . In 2002, Crocus nudiflorus (Autumn crocus) was voted by the public as the county flower of Nottinghamshire. Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club (NCCC) are a first class county cricket club who play at Trent Bridge in West Bridgford . They won the County Championship in 2010. The most successful football team within Nottinghamshire
6864-452: The religious centre of Mercia. The artefacts have tentatively been dated by Svante Fischer and Jean Soulat to around AD 600–800. Whether the hoard was deposited by Anglo-Saxon pagans or Christians remains unclear, as does the purpose of the deposit. After the murder of Æthelbald by one of his bodyguards in 757, a civil war broke out which concluded with the victory of Offa , a descendant of Pybba. Offa (reigned 757 to 796) had to build anew
6952-420: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title White Houses . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_Houses&oldid=718145443 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
7040-463: The southern Danelaw in East Anglia and Danish Mercia. When Æthelflæd died in 918, Ælfwynn, her daughter by Æthelred, succeeded as "Second Lady of the Mercians", but within six months Edward had deprived her of all authority in Mercia and taken her to Wessex. Edward was succeeded as king of the Anglo-Saxons by his eldest son Æthelstan ( r. 924–939 ), who had been brought up in Mercia, and he
7128-572: The west. The largest settlement is the city of Nottingham (323,632), which is also the county town. The county has an area of 2,160 km (830 sq mi) and a population of 1,154,195. The latter is concentrated in the Nottingham built-up area in the south-west, which extends into Derbyshire and has a population of 729,997. The north-east of the county is more rural, and contains the towns of Worksop (44,733) and Newark-on-Trent (27,700). For local government purposes Nottinghamshire comprises
7216-428: The western half, reigned until 879. From about 883 until his death in 911 Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians , ruled Mercia under the overlordship of Wessex. Alfred changed his title from 'king of the West Saxons' to 'king of the Anglo-Saxons' to reflect the acceptance of his overlordship of all southern England not under Danish rule. All coins struck in Mercia after the disappearance of Ceolwulf in c. 879 were in
7304-464: Was a royal residence for King John , the area being near to Sherwood Forest . King John's Palace was a place where King William the Lion of Scotland met King Richard I of England to congratulate him on his return from the crusades. King John died at Newark Castle in 1216. During the Industrial Revolution , the county held much needed minerals such as coal and iron ore , and had constructed some of
7392-579: Was also flown outside Birmingham Council House during 2009 while the Staffordshire Hoard was on display in the city before being taken to the British Museum in London. The cross has been incorporated into a number of coats of arms of Mercian towns, including Tamworth , Leek and Blaby . It was recognised as the Mercian flag by the Flag Institute in 2014. The silver double-headed eagle surmounted by
7480-403: Was created through a design competition organised by BBC Radio Nottingham , and registered with the vexillological charity the Flag Institute in 2011. It consists of a green field, on which is a red cross fimbriated (bordered) with white, on which a white shield containing the green figure of an archer is superimposed. BBC East Midlands is based in Nottingham and broadcasts news around
7568-526: Was founded in this year, with the first bishop ( Diuma ) based at Repton . The religion was firmly established in the kingdom by the late 7th century. After 13 years at Repton, 669 AD, Saint Chad (the fifth bishop) moved the bishopric to Lichfield and, in 691 AD, the Diocese of Mercia became the Diocese of Lichfield . There has been a diocese based in the city ever since. For a brief period between 787 and 799 or 803
7656-596: Was frequently visited by the Mercian and later Kings. William's 1086 Domesday Book identified certain areas in Nottinghamshire being under the land of King Edward the Confessor these included Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield , amongst other places including Skegby , Dunham-on-Trent , East Drayton , East Markham , Farnsfield , Warsop , Carburton , Edwinstowe , Carlton-on-Trent , Budby , Perlethorpe and Walesby . King John's Palace ruin near Kings Clipstone
7744-556: Was immediately accepted as king, but not in Wessex until the following year. In 927 he conquered Northumbria and thus became the first king of all England. Mercia briefly regained a political existence separate from Wessex in 955–959, when Edgar became king of Mercia, and again in 1016, when Cnut and Edmund Ironside divided the English kingdom between themselves, with Cnut taking Mercia. Mercia maintained its separate identity as an earldom until
#613386