A discussion on social media about the name of the ford at Meden Vale prompted me to make these notes about the past of this part of the parish of Warsop. I am not a historian. This is simply a collection of stories I have been told, oddments I have read, deductions I have made from old maps and things I have noticed whilst walking with my dog. SRH 2018
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The Viking Age Following the invasion by the Great Heathen Army in 865 members of the Viking army were granted land in the Danelaw, the eastern part of the country that came under Viking control. Most of the settlers in Sherwood came from Denmark. Although no archaeological evidence has been found in our local area their influence can be deduced from placenames. Settlements with names ending in 'by' or 'thorpe' are of Scandinavian origin so Gleadthorpe, Budby, Perlethorpe and Thoresby could have Viking origins. Welbeck is also derived from the Norse word beck, meaning a stream. The naming of roads as 'gates' is also an indication of Scandinavian connections so the routes named Nether Warsop Gate and Gleadthorpe Gate through the forest suggest the influence of the Danish settlers. These names do not necessarily indicate that they were named by Scandinavians but they show that the folk around here adopted these words into their everyday language.
Thynghowe The Viking Age assembly site of Thynghowe is located to the south of Gleadthorpe at the point where the parishes of Warsop, Budby and Edwinstowe meet. We know about it as the name Thynghowe appears in documents and on maps from between the 13 th and 18th centuries. According to Viking customs, a Thing was a meeting of the local freemen where important matters would be discussed, laws debated and disputes settled. There was a hierarchy of Things ranging from local meetings to major regional assemblies. A Thing site would often include three features: a hill or a 'law rock', a court circle and a field for an audience. Representations would be made to the Law Council consisting of influential thegns drawn from the area. They would sit in the court circle to debate matters relating to their farms and villages, or wider issues. Their decisions would be announced to the assembled crowd from a high point or from the law rock by the Law Speaker. On Thynghowe the law circle could have been on the north-east slope with pronouncements made from the top of the hill. There is a possibility that Thynghowe reused a much older site. Investigations are underway to date the mound, ditch and banks on the hill. 3
Placenames along the Meden Valley 4
The River and the Fords For many centuries the River Meden was the northern boundary of Sherwood Forest. The crown forests were claimed by William the Conqueror following the Norman invasion of 1066. Harsh penalties would have be applied to anybody breaking Forest Law on land to the south of the river. During the reigns of Henry II (1154-1189), Richard the Lionheart (1189-1199) and John (1199-1216) more land was seized to expand the royal forests but in 1216 Magna Carta was reissued along with the Charter of the Forest, restoring the Sherwood Forest boundary to following the River Meden once more. In 1505 the forest was extended by adding a northern section. The revised boundary started at a ford somewhere between Gleadthorpe and Budby before heading to Hazel Gap. Regular perambulations of Sherwood Forest took place from this time and the accounts of these walks provide a record of some local landmarks. The 1505 account mentions the 'vadium de Mingley' (Mingley Ford) and in 1538 this name was given as Myngley. Two fords were recorded in 1589, Elzeleye Forde on the Warsop side of Gleadthorpe and Magley Ford on the Budby side. In 1662 these fords were named Ellsley and Maggley. The fords are also named on old maps. The 1615 Gleadthorpe estate map shows Muggle Ford where the ford at Meden Vale is now found. An early 17 th century map of Sherwood Forest in the British Library shows Mugley Ford downstream from Gleadthorpe Grange. A map from the late 14 th or early 15 th centuries that is held at Belvoir Castle includes Mugle Ford, possibly downstream from Gleadthorpe. In addition to the fords, the 1615 map shows a bridge across the Meden near the parish boundary with Budby. There are three interesting finds mentioned on the Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record along that stretch of the river. There are the remains of what may have been a packhorse bridge, wooden beams that may have been part of a bridge and limestone blocks that could have been part of a jetty. 5
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Gleadthorpe Grange Gleadthorpe Grange was a farm attached to Welbeck Abbey. This abbey was a community of Premonstratensian canons, known as the 'White Canons' The abbey was established in 1140 and survived until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1538. A map from 1615 shows a mill at Gleadthorpe. The channels that can be seen near the bridge over the river could be associated with the mill or they may be part of the later water meadows scheme. A deserted village is thought to be to the north of the river. No location has been identified but it was probably a small forest settlement without a hall or a church. In the Domesday Book of 1086 Gleadthorpe is recorded as having four households headed by four freemen.
The Water Meadows Between Assarts Farm and Budby Pumping Station there are remains of a series of channels and sluices. A culvert with high quality stonework runs beneath the northern end of Hanger Hill Drive. These are remnants of the 4th Duke of Portland’s water meadows scheme that was constructed around 1806. The land along this stretch of the River Meden was levelled into smooth slopes and channels dug to divert water onto the fields to improve the quality of the pasture. Sluices controlled the flow of water from the river along feeders that enabled it to trickle down the slope to be collected in drains. The Duke later improved these methods for his water meadows along the River Maun and the River Poulter. He gained a considerable increase in productivity from his land by allowing livestock onto the pasture earlier in the year and by these animals providing manure which increased the fertility of the arable land away from the river.
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Old Roads and Tracks Netherfield Lane appears to be an old route, appearing on maps from 1615 onwards. The lane that starts as Burns Lane in Market Warsop, becoming Broomhill Lane past the sewage works before heading eastwards past Jerusalem's Well is also shown on all the maps. On the 1825 Warsop Enclosure map Burns Lane becomes Tuxford Road suggesting that it connected to the Great North Road. It has been suggested that another important route passed near Gleadthorpe. The early 17th century map of Sherwood Forest includes very few roads through the forest. However, it shows a road from Mansfield that passed to the east of Market Warsop and crossed the River Meden at Mugley Ford to the east of Gleadthorpe Grange. The account of the 1816 perambulation of the Manor of Warsop mentions the 'Public Road leading from Gleadthorpe to Cuckney' that followed the parish boundary for a short distance. Unfortunately most of this route is no longer a public right of way. A 1791 map of the Crown Forest of Birklands shows two tracks running from Edwinstowe. Gleadthorpe Gate runs through the forest towards Gleadthorpe Grange. The 1816 perambulation account also mentions Gleadthorpe Gate on the north side of the river, possibly heading to Norton. The 1791 map also shows Nether Warsop Gate running between Edwinstowe and Hanger Hill. Cropmarks and the 1615 Gleadthorpe map suggest that it continued across open fields to join the lane between the sewage works and Jerusalem's Well at the top of the slope between the oaks and the ash that stand beside the lane. The Budby to Cuckney road was one of the last to be turnpiked in the county. This allowed the collection of tolls to pay for the maintenance of the road. It was administered by the Clowne and Budby Turnpike Trust. An early Ordnance Survey map shows a toll gate at Hazel Gap.
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Cropmarks
The red lines are the cropmarks and the yellow lines show trackways through the forest revealed by LiDAR 10
Hanger Hill Drive This mile long ride was once lined with 91 lime trees and formed the approach from Welbeck Abbey into Birklands. It was created in the 18 th century as a scenic entrance to the forest for the dukes and was designed to impress their guests. In addition to the lime trees the surrounding woodland was planted to enhance its appearance, including an area of unusual conifers to the east of the ride. Some people refer to this ride as Lady Anne’s Ride rather than Hanger Hill Drive, possibly reflecting the generousity (or disinterest) of Queen Anne in allowing the transfer of the Crown lands in Sherwood to the Dukes. In more recent times this name could be associated with the formidable Lady Anne Cavendish-Bentinck who would be appalled if she could see the deterioration in the condition of the ride since her death in 2008.
Jerusalem's Well This stone-lined well is sited in the woodlands alongside the coach road between Warsop and the Great North Road at Tuxford. It was filled in during the 1970s for safety reasons. In 2011 its site was marked with an oak post by Warsop Footpaths & Countryside Group. Nobody seems to know where the name came from!
Cropmarks During a dry summer cropmarks may appear on arable fields. These lines are changes in crop growth due to by changes in the moisture levels caused by underground features. A filled in ditch may increase moisture levels and a buried wall or bank may cause a drier area. Aerial photography has revealed several features beneath the fields between Meden Vale and the forest. A square feature in the field to the east of the former poultry houses at Gleadthorpe has been interpreted as a Roman temporary marching camp. Other cropmarks suggest an extensive Romano-British 'brickwork' field system, the line of the trackway of Nether Warsop Gate and earthworks marking the boundary of Gleadthorpe.
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Finds Several finds give hints of early activity around Gleadthorpe. Roman coins and Bronze Age tools and weapons have been found. Much earlier Mesolithic and Palaeolithic flint blades have been found near the river. There may have been more finds by metal detectorists but some have not been officially recorded so they cannot contribute to understanding the extent of activity in the area.
The Warren There is a debate as to whether the Romans or the Normans introduced rabbits to this country. They were kept in warrens for their fur and meat. The 17th century map of Gleadthorpe shows a warren to the south of the current location of Assarts Farm. A document from 1734 describes an agreement for Gleadthorpe Warren House, dovecote and coney warren, mentioning a requirement to “ leave 400 couple rabbits and a reasonable number of pigeons on quitting ”. However, another agreement dated 1771 stipulated that that the tenant should “ destroy all rabbits to utmost of his power”. Once rabbits escaped into the countryside they flourished until the arrival of myxomatosis in 1953.
Eastland House In his book Warsop Parish Registers published in 1884 Richard J King, the curate of Warsop, wrote “Eastland House was built, and the open common which once formed the east side of the parish was enclosed and made into a farm for Samuel Jackson ... Samuel Jackson married the sister of Mr. Bolton the agent of the Warsop estate, and he himself afterwards acted as agent for a short time. He is said to have been a man of most exemplary character and very fond of the public worship of Almighty God.”. Richard King also described the background to the enclosure of this land. “ In 1775 the Warsop forest land was partially enclosed by Act of Parliament - some two-thirds of the area of the parish being after that event enclosed lands, and the remaining one- third still forest; and in 1818 another Act was passed to enclose the remainder. By this latter Act some seven hundred acres were allotted to the Rectors of Warsop in lieu of tithes.” The 1825 enclosure map shows that the fields around Eastlands House were 12
allocated to “The Revd Sam. Martin, as Rector of the Parish of Warsop for Tithes, received in exchange from Henry Gally Knight Esq”. Henry Gally Knight was the Lord of the Manor of Warsop. The status of Samuel Jackson still can be seen on a tomb in Warsop churchyard. The inscription includes “Erected to the memory of Samuel Jackson who died Jan 27th 1826 aged 73 years. The memory of the just is blessed”.
The Enclosure Act remodelled the countryside of Warsop. Areas of common land were allocated to individual owners who had the right to enclose the land with hedges, fences or walls. Some landowners exchanged fields to consolidate their holdings in one part of the parish rather than scattered around the parish . Many of the farms grouped along the main streets in Market Warsop and Church Warsop were replaced by farms in the countryside. Enclosure reduced the wastage of land and allowed machinery like seed drills to be used on larger plots. However, some tenants lost the land that their families had farmed for generations and other folk lost access to shared grazing land. Many of the smaller plots proved uneconomic and the holders eventually sold up.
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The Bottoms Old maps show that there were no trees on the riverbanks of the River Meden opposite the buildings of Meden Vale until poplars and willows were planted in an attempt to dry out the area during the 20 th century. The Bottoms are at the eastern end of a wildlife corridor along the river extending to the Hills & Holes in Warsop. The land to the north of the river is owned by Mansfield District Council and is designated as a Local Wildlife Site. Paths link the three car parks with access to the riverbanks at Muggle Ford and near the railway bridge. Other parts of the site are not easily accessed, providing a valuable habitat for wildlife.
The original meaning of the word Muggle is not clear. There are several alternative definitions including 'a tail resembling that of a fish’, ‘a young woman’, ‘a sweetheart’, ‘marijuana’ or 'a person who does not share a particular skill' (as in the Harry Potter stories). The fish connection seems the most likely origin of the local name. 14
Yellow lines are public paths. Other paths may not be rights-of-way. The path between Netherfield Lane and Assarts Farm has one stile to cross, sections tend to be overgrown at some times of the year and there may be cattle grazing. The other paths are usually clear and provide easy walking.
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Final Thoughts I hope these notes may make a small contribution towards keeping alive these stories from the past of the area where we live. The next part of the story begins with the sinking of Welbeck Colliery at the start of the 20 th century. There must be many folk who can describe the changes that took place over the past hundred years, either from their own experience or from the tales they have heard about the early days of the pit and everyday life in Welbeck Colliery Village. The story of the World War II ammunition stores located beneath the trees of the local woodlands could also be told before all memories of their use and the (possibly illegal!) activities of local youngsters are forgotten. Any volunteers?
The view from the edge of the woods towards Gleadthorpe Grange
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References and further information Thynghowe and Thing Sites Things in the Viking World by Olwyn Owen (Shetland Amenity Trust 2013 ISBN: 978-0956569882) Thynghowe and Birklands (The Friends of Thynghowe, 2013) Viking Placenames Viking Nottinghamshire by Rebecca Gregory (Five Leaves Publications 2017 ISBN: 978-1910170472) Sherwood Forest perambulations of 1505, 1538 and 1589 The Northward Expansion of the Boundary of Sherwood Forest in the Sixteenth Century by Davis Crook (Transactions of the Thoroton Society Volume 120, 2016) The Map of north-east Warsop in the early 1800s was compiled using the following maps: Warsop Enclosure map (Nottinghamshire Archives, Document ref: EA/6/1) Old Series Ordnance Survey One-Inch map , Mansfield & Worksop (Cassini Publishing 2006 ISBN: 9781905568635) Sanderson's Map: Twenty Miles around Mansfield (1835): (Nottinghamshire County Council 2005 ISBN: 9780902751422) 1615 Gleadthorpe map Plan of Edwinstowe and 'Tyngo' (Hanger Hill), Nottinghamshire, showing assart lands of Sir Charles Cavendish 1615 (The National Archives, Kew Ref: MPF 1/295) Gleadthorpe Water Meadows The 1918 25inch Ordnance Survey map may be viewed online at the National Library of Scotland site (maps.nls.uk) British Library Sherwood Forest map A Newly-discovered Perambulation Map of Sherwood Forest in the Early Seventeenth Century by Steph Mastoris (Transactions of the Thoroton Society Volume 102, 1998) 1791 Birklands map A Plan of the Hays of Birkland and Bilhagh within the Forest of Sherwood in the County of Nottingham belonging to the Crown. Surveyed in the year 1791 . (The National Archives, Kew Ref: MPE 1/340)
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1816 Warsop Perambulation Warsop 1816 to 2016, Walking Through Two Centuries of Change (Warsop Footpaths & Countryside Group, 2016) The original perambulation account is held by the University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections, awaiting cataloging (nottingham.ac.uk/ManuscriptsandSpecialCollections) Cropmarks Early Landscapes from the Air by D N Riley (University of Sheffield 1980) Nottinghamshire Historic Environment record www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/culture-leisure/heritage/historic-environment-record Gleadthorpe Warren documents Attested copy articles of agreement, lease. (Nottinghamshire Archives Ref: DD/4P/76/35) Eastland House Warsop Parish Registers by Richard J King (William Gouk, Mansfield 1884) Reprinted by the Old Warsop Society 1984 Warsop Enclosure map (Nottinghamshire Archives, Document ref: EA/6/1) Samuel Jackson's tomb (southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/warsop/hchyard.php) Thanks to the Old Warsop Society for permission to use the photograph of Eastlands House on the front cover Local walks and trail guides The Thynghowe Trail (thynghowe.org.uk/ThTrail.html) The Dukeries Trail (cms.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/dukeriestrail.pdf) Warsop Footpaths & Countryside Group (warsopcountryside.wordpress.com)
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