Nottingham Castle Research Articles

Lucy Hutchinson in her fifth century

ABSTRACT This essay introduces papers delivered at a conference on Lucy Hutchinson, Nottingham, June 2022. While Hutchinson’s ‘Elegies’ and Order and Disorder are discussed, the majority focus on Memoirs of the Life of Colonel Hutchinson, of which the manuscript was freshly on display in a special gallery in Nottingham Castle. I discuss the interdisciplinary range of the papers, from local and military history to European intellectual history, from gender theory to the study of manuscript collations, which together throw much light on Hutchinson’s writings, and will open the way to further study.

‘The Governor’s wife’: women and garrisons in the English civil war

ABSTRACT This article considers Lucy Hutchinson’s role as the ‘Governor’s wife’ in the garrison of Nottingham Castle during the English Civil War. Her own account in the ‘Life of Colonel Hutchinson’ is contextualised through general analysis of women’s presence in garrisons, and more specific treatment of other Governor’s wives. Nottingham is contrasted with Warwick Castle where pre-civil war hierarchies and relationships overshadowed new military arrangements. Garrisons were a site of militarised domesticity where governors wielded a type of patriarchal household authority, and capable wives played an important part. Archival evidence suggests that Lucy Hutchinson was recognised as a key member of the garrison’s administration.

The Glass Ceiling: Hutchinson and elusive promotion1

ABSTRACT John Hutchinson, as governor of Nottingham and its castle, was crucial to parliament’s cause in the north and east Midlands during the first civil war. Alongside Sir John Gell, Hutchinson’s counterpart in Derbyshire he was largely responsible for the initial establishment of the parliamentarian presence in the region. Throughout the war, despite its sporadic isolation, Nottingham castle provided an anchor and rendezvous for parliament in the region. However, there are questions about Hutchinson’s leadership and his failure to secure promotion and greater responsibilities, which, it might be argued, he merited. The answer seems to lie in his relationship with the civil government in Nottingham itself, despite his strong relationship with Sir Thomas Fairfax. Despite his success in the first civil war, Hutchinson did not achieve further promotion, partly, it seems, due to his problematic relationship with Fairfax’s second in command, Oliver Cromwell. This article explores Hutchinson’s inability to develop a role outside the confines of Nottingham and its county or to rise above the rank of colonel.

Implications on Characterizing the Extremely Weak Sherwood Sandstone: Case of Slope Stability Analysis Using SRF at Two Oak Quarry in the UK

In the past, engineering geology mainly focused on soil and hard rocks, with little attention paid specifically to weak/soft rocks, defined by a UCS below 25 MPa (ISRM in Int J Rock Mech Min 18:85–110, 1981). Weak rock is an intermediate, which is difficult to analyze, and requires application of both soil and rock mechanics principles. The Sherwood Sandstone Group (SSG) in Nottinghamshire (UK) is often characterized as weak rock, containing extremely weak members, which display a UCS between 0.6 and 1 MPa according to the definition from BS 5930:2015 (British Standards Institution 2015). Little research has been conducted on the locally extremely weak members of the Sherwood Sandstone Group, in particular the Nottingham Castle Sandstone Formation, and engineering projects within this unit can face major design challenges. This study aims at investigating the intact material, characterizing the SSG and analysing the stability of a slope in a quarry between two water-filled silt lagoons at the Two Oak Quarry, close to Mansfield. Laboratory testing, including UCS tests, triaxial tests, tensile tests and Slake Durability tests, is conducted on the two geological units present on site, the Nottingham Castle Sandstone Formation and the Lenton Formation. From the analysis presented herein it is observed that the strength decreases as the degree of saturation increases, which can lead to a complete disintegration of the rock. In addition, the durability of the rock is determined, ranging from very low to moderately high, which has major implications on the longterm stability of the slope. The impact of the weathering on the long-term stability is difficult to establish and an estimation of the disintegration is conducted by comparing block sizes. A structural assessment confirms that failure along discontinuities is possible and requires further investigation. The Finite Element Analysis and the Limit Equilibrium Method are used for the assessment of the stability. Since similar factor of safety (FoS) are determined, both methods are considered applicable to the project, with limitations being detected when modelling discontinuities, impacting the design and the FoS. A suitable slope geometry is proposed, based on the intact material properties, the weathering characteristics, the heterogeneity of the material and structural features.

No Good Deed by Kara Connolly

Reviewed by: No Good Deed by Kara Connolly Sarah Sahn Connolly, Kara No Good Deed. Delacorte, 2017 [352p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-375-99140-0 $20.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-385-74393-8 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-385-37323-4 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 8-12 Olympic hopeful Ellie Hudson is in Nottingham for an archery tournament when she follows her curiosity down a cordoned-off tunnel in the catacombs under Nottingham Castle and emerges in twelfth-century England. There she quickly runs afoul of the Sheriff of Nottingham, escaping him with the help of Sir James Hathaway, a Knight Templar recently returned from the Crusades who’s laying low in Nottingham disguised as a friar while he tries to find out if things are really as bad as he’d heard (they are). Outraged at the Sheriff’s abuses and too impulsive to leave well enough alone, Ellie and James—whom she affectionately calls Friar Tuck—soon find themselves hiding out in Sherwood Forest with a familiar band of merry men, and Ellie realizes she may have traveled back in time for a reason. The relentless focus that makes her a favorite for Olympic gold serves her well in medieval England, where she gets down to business and doesn’t waste too much time in disbelief about her situation, but she’s also struggling with her brother’s disappearance during a tour in the Peace Corps and she desperately wants to get home, making her an appealing mix of tough and vulnerable. Her contemporary college-student idiom and awareness of the legend she inhabits add humor and complexity to her narration and bring some familiarity to the medieval setting. The sparks that fly between Ellie and James never completely ignite and they part with a bittersweet what-if, which may disappoint some readers, but Ellie’s and the novel’s restraint on that point make this absorbing time travel tale a refreshing change of pace. [End Page 10] Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Towards a Semiotics-Based Typology of Authenticities in Heritage Tourism: Authenticities at Nottingham Castle, UK, and Nuuk Colonial Harbour, Greenland

It is often argued that “authenticity” has become one of the most overused terms in tourism marketing and tourism studies. Yet, most scholars readily agree that some form of authenticity is essential to the level of satisfaction experienced by tourists. Through its focus on representations and perceptions of “authenticity” at heritage tourism sites, this article argues that it makes sense to speak of authenticities (in the plural), rather than authenticity (in the singular), and proposes a semiotics-based typology for the purpose – including a new definition of “symbolic authenticity”. Finally, through practical application to two sites: Nottingham Castle and the Hans Egede monument in Nuuk's Colonial Harbour, the article illustrates how such a typology of authenticities might be a valuable tool to destination developers and marketers, city planners, site managers and interpreters as they seek to address different heritage tourist segments.

Building a Family: William Cavendish, First Duke of Newcastle, and the Construction of Bolsover and Nottingham Castles

IntroductionBolsover Castle, overlooking the Doe Lea valley in Derbyshire, and Nottingham Castle, overlooking its city, are among the most dramatic of seventeenth-century great houses. This article proposes an explanation for the re-building of these two medieval castles that is based upon the social circumstances of the family and household responsible for the work. Separated by sixty years, the two buildings appear to be very different yet share the same remarkable patron. William Cavendish (1593-1676) became Viscount Mansfield, then Earl, Marquis and finally Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.1 He is celebrated for his extravagant entertainments for Charles I in 1633 and 1634 and his governorship of Prince Charles, the future Charles II. In 1618, he married a local heiress, Elizabeth Bassett, who became the mother of his children before dying in 1643. William was commander of the king's army in the north during the Civil War and went into exile for fifteen years after losing the battle of Marston Moor in 1644. His second marriage took place in Paris in 1645, to Margaret Lucas, lady in waiting to Henrietta Maria and also a prolific writer.2 He lived in Antwerp, where he wrote his famous book on horsemanship, until 1660. At the Restoration, he returned to live mainly at his family home at Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire until his death in 1676. The Little Castle at Bolsover was begun by William's father Charles Cavendish (1553-1617) and William himself added interior decoration and further buildings on the site. He commissioned Nottingham Castle at the very end of his life: work began when he was over eighty.3 William's passion for building, as this article will suggest, was shared by his whole family.Bolsover Castle is well known to architectural historians, but a comparison with the less familiar work at Nottingham Castle provides a new explanation for the earlier project. Like many great houses, Bolsover and Nottingham Castles have been seen as bids to win courtly status. They illustrate a familiar story of the gradual arrival of classical ideas in English architecture. This suggests William Cavendish's growing erudition and signals his wish to move in the advanced circles of the court. Yet there is an alternative version of politics that exists alongside the expected story of magnificence and the struggle for court advancement. It will be argued here that the fruits of William's architectural patronage were consumed by his family and household, as well as by the great of the realm. His houses can be read as examples of court culture, but they also provide an archaeological record of the micro-politics of his household.Architectural historians have often made connections between building and political power. As long ago as 1899, Thorstein Veblen identified the phenomenon of 'conspicuous consumption' - the expenditure of money to win respect - and the links between a prince's magnificence and his policy are well known.4 In 1978, Mark Girouard memorably described the courtier houses of this period as 'power houses'.5William Cavendish's buildings can certainly be seen as fitting into this pattern: he was offered the Garter partly because of having 'Lived in his Contrey [county] in as great honour and splendour as any of the Nobility'.6 Yet his ambitions for winning power at court remained partly unfulfilled. Friends, enemies and historians have all occasionally treated him with derision and scorn, and his architecture does not seem to have 'worked' as straightforward conspicuous consumption. Cedric Brown has pointed out similar ambiguities in relation to William's famous royal entertainment at Bolsover in 1634.7 In architecture, William's intention may have been to produce courtly buildings. But he did not possess the control over the building process necessary to eliminate the local references introduced by the household members and craftsmen who were also involved. Although the decoration of Bolsover Castle can be linked to William's acquisition of a rich wife and a peerage, he built Nottingham Castle at a time when these things were less important to him. …

The Last Days of Lenton Priory

Two miles west of Nottingham, where the road to Derby crossed the river Leen, stood Lenton Priory, its lofty spires easily viewed from the ramparts of Nottingham Castle. Indeed, the first constable of the royal castle, William Peveril, was also the founder of the priory, a fact which would not have escaped any visitor to the town in the twelfth century. Peveril, the archetypal Anglo-Norman grandee, was entrusted with the extensive Honour of Peveril as a reward for his services. Lenton was its liturgical showpiece. Founded between 1103 and 1114, it was a Benedictine house placed under the supervision of Cluny and dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It had the specific duty to pray for the souls of the first three Norman kings, along with those of Peveril and his family, an obligation still being carried out by five ‘needy men’ in the associated Hospital of St Anthony in 1535.

:Grantham during the Interregnum: The Hallbook of Grantham, 1641-1649

Grantham had considerable local importance as a garrison town for both sides during the first Civil War. Its situation on the Great North Road gave it additional military and strategic significance. The Hallbook contains the recorded minutes of Grantham Corporation; it reflects the fates of successive aldermen who joined the Royal forces, went as hostage to Lincoln, and suffered imprisonment in Nottingham castle, and it provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the townspeople during this time of crisis. Householders were forced to pay taxes to both sides in the war, as well as shouldering their normal burden of taxation. Besides contributing to poor relief, their time and talents were also in demand for many tasks, including paving the streets, reinforcing the banks of the Witham, maintaining the town wells, doing watch and ward, paying quarteridge, and removing refuse from the streets. This latest volume of the Lincoln Record Society provides much evidence about the local impact of hostilities on the social and economic life of the town.

Nottingham Castle,a place full royal. By C. Drage

(1991). Nottingham Castle, a place full royal. By C. Drage. Archaeological Journal: Vol. 148, No. 1, pp. 319-320.

Carthusian Monks and Lollard Knights: Religious Attitude at the Court of Richard II

Carthusian Monks and Lollard Knights: Religious Attitude at the Court of Richard II J. Anthony Tuck University ofDurham 0m knowledge of th, existence of a group of Lollatd sym­ pathizers at the court of Richard II comes from two contemporary chron­ iclers, Henry Knighton and Thomas Walsingham. Walsingham main­ tained that Sir William Neville, Sir Lewis Clifford, SirJohn Clanvowe, Sir Richard Sturry, Sir Thomas Latimer, and "the most foolish ofall," SirJohn Montague, followed the teachings ofWycliffe and the Lollard preachers. 1 Montague, Walsingham adds, removed the images which his forebears had placed in the chapel of his manor of Shenley and harbored Lollard preachers, including Nicholas Hereford,2 while Sturry was supposedly interviewed about his Lollard beliefs by the king in 1395 and ordered to take an oath to abjure them. 3 Henry Knighton named Latimer, Clifford, and Sturry as Lollard sympathizers, together with Sir John Peachey, Sir John Trussell, and Sir Reginald Hilton. He adds, significantly, that these men were pious but credulous and believed the "false teachers" they listened to.4 In modern times both W. T. Waugh and K. B. Mcfarlane have investi­ gated the allegations of these chroniclers. Waugh was inclined to acquit the knights of the charges made against them. "Except perhaps for Lati­ mer," he said, the chroniclers "were mistaken in ascribing to the knights 1 Thomas Walsingham, HistoriaAng/icana, ed. H. T. Riley, Rolls Series, vol. 2 (London, 1864), pp. 159-60; Ypodigma Neustriae a Thoma Walsingham, ed. H. T. Riley, Rolls Series (London, 1876), p. 348. 2 Walsingham, Historia Ang/icana pp. 159-60. 3 Thomas Walsingham, Anna/es Ricardi Secundi, ed. H. T. Riley, Rolls Series (London, 1866), p. 183. 4 Henry Knighton, Chronicon Henn'ci Knighton, ed. J. R. Lumby, Rolls Series, vol. 2 (London, 1895), p. 181. 149 RECONSTRUCTING CHAUCER any persistent desire for a reform of the church in practice, organisation and doctrine on the lines advocated by the Lollards."5 Mcfarlane, however, came to a different conclusion.6 His investigations convinced him that the chroniclers were right and that "the apostles of heresy really did enjoy for something likethirtyyearsthe support and protection of agroupof devout and influential laymen," several of whom enjoyed long and successful careers in the service of Richard II. Mcfarlane also suggested that these knights formed a cohesive group at Richard's court, united not just by an interest in a particular, and perhaps unorthodox, approach to religion but also by an interest in secular literature. More recently Michael Wilks has argued that Lollardy was actually a court-centered movement and was as much aristocratic as popular in character. Wycliffe's preaching, he sug­ gests, was addressed to the "lords of England, whocould make sure that the clergy was being reformed."7 Thus powerful arguments have been deployed in favor of the view that Lollardy enjoyed the support of an influential group of laymen at Richard's court, but despite this it is still necessary to approach the problem of the religious beliefs of the "Lollard knights" with great caution. Latimer is the only one of the knights accused of Lollard sympathies by the chroniclers against whom the evidence is at all explicit. In 1388 he was summoned before the council to answer a charge of possessing heretical books, and his manorBraybrooke, inNorthamptonshire,remained a center ofheresy well into the fifteenth century. Indeed, in 1407 two Czechs, Mikulac Faulfis and Jiri of Knehice, visited Braybrooke looking for Wycliffite writings.8 There is some evidence that Sir William Neville protected Nicholas Hereford and sought to mitigate the rigors of his imprisonment in Nottingham Castle in 1387 .9 But none of the "Lollard knights" appear to have shared the pacifist views of some of the early Lollard preachers or their belief that crusades and pilgrimages were valueless. If the attribution of the Opus arduum to Nicholas Hereford is correct, he condemned the bishop of Norwich's crusade in 1383 with the same vehemence as his fellow Lollard preachers 'W. T. Waugh, "The Lollard Knights," Scottish Historical Review 9 (1913-14):55-92. 6 K. B. Mcfarlane, Lancastrian Kings and Lo/lard Knights (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972), especially p. 143. 7 MichaelWilks, "Royal Priesthood: the Origins...

Four 14th-Century Building Contracts

The history of English medieval architecture is so well explored a subject that it is easy to forget how much we do not know about the buildings of medieval England. What survives is only a part of what once existed, and the accepted story might be materially different if (to give only three examples) Winchcombe Abbey had been preserved instead of Gloucester, Oseney instead of St. Frideswide's, Oxford, Nottingham Castle instead of Windsor. We shall never know whether the surviving sample is truly representative, and there are many problems in the history of English Gothic whose solutions lie buried in the ruins of our dissolved abbeys and demolished palaces. Chief among the latter was the palace of Westminster, for five centuries the principal residence of cur medieval kings and the centre of their government. All that now remains of its many and often magnificent buildings are the great hall, the crypt of St. Stephen's Chapel, and the Jewel Tower, the last now admirably restored and displayed by the Ancient Monuments Department of the Ministry of Works.

The Hutchinsons of Nottingham Castle

The Hutchinsons of Nottingham Castle Get access Sydney Race Sydney Race Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Notes and Queries, Volume CXCV, Issue sep02, 2 September 1950, Pages 391–392, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/CXCV.sep02.391c Published: 02 September 1950

Local temperature variations in the nottingham district

AbstractThe unusual temperature readings at Garforth and Wokingham, and later those of Mr. E. L. Hawke at Rickmansworth, suggested an examination of local records near Nottingham. The author has found that considerable variations occur in the Nottingham district, though the topography offers no unusual features. An area of relatively high land, with irregular spurs, stretches north‐north‐east from Nottingham Castle. The monthly values of three stations for the nine years 1928‐1936, and those of five other stations for other periods, are analysed. It is found that local differences of 10°F. in the minima may occur, and the mean monthly minima may differ by over 4°F. Average differences are tabulated. A detailed daily analysis of four stations is made for the two years April, 1935, to March, 1937. It shows that variations tend to be greatest with winds from north‐west through north to east, and least with south to west winds. Although fine weather, a rising barometer and a low humidity favour large variations, it appears that conditions producing low minima do not always give appreciable differences. Rainy, windy conditions bring the differences to a minimum. Differences of 6°F. in the maxima may occur on certain warm sunny days in summer, and variations of 8°F. in foggy conditions. Topographical features give Attenborough the most “continental” temperatures. The importance of uniformity in the hours of setting the thermometers is demonstrated, and positions are indicated where additional screens might give useful data.

Colonel Hutchinson, Governor of Nottingham Castle, and regicide

Colonel Hutchinson, Governor of Nottingham Castle, and regicide

Nottingham Castle

Nottingham Castle

The unknown architect of Nottingham castle and Wollaton Hali, near Nottingham

The unknown architect of Nottingham castle and Wollaton Hali, near Nottingham Get access S. M. D. S. M. D. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Notes and Queries, Volume s2-I, Issue 17, 26 April 1856, Page 333, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/s2-I.17.333a Published: 26 April 1856