Ravenshead
| Ravenshead | |
| Nottinghamshire | |
|---|---|
 Chestnut Avenue, Ravenshead | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK556544 |
| Location: | 53°5’4"N, 1°10’12"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,629 (2011) |
| Post town: | Nottingham |
| Postcode: | NG15 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Gedling |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Sherwood |
Ravenshead is a village in Nottinghamshire, in Sherwood Forest close by Papplewick, Newstead Abbey and Blidworth, and latterly has been maketed as part of Nottinghamshire's 'Hidden Valleys' area.
The 2011 census recorded a population of 5,629.
History
Nearby is Newstead Abbey, a grand country house and ancestral home of Lord Byron: it is accessed from the village. In the twelfth century, after the death of Thomas Becket, King Henry II supposedly to make up for this terrible deed gave the Canons of the Order of St Augustine the land at Ravenshead where they established a priory, the walls of which can still be seen today. It is it the charter that the name Ravenshead is first encountered:
Ravenshede begins at the aforesaidway which lies from Papilwyke [Papplewick] to Blydeworthe, along the hollowroad eastward which is called Thefestyghe: and this leads to the King's highway which is called Nottinghamgate.
In the Middle Ages the priory was a place of pilgrimage.
In 1349 the prior died of plague.
The soil in the area is too sandy for growing crops and there is no evidence of a settlement in the area until the 15th century when there was a hunting lodge called Langton Arbor, near present-day Blidworth Dale.
The legend of Robin Hood is traced all around Sherwood Forest, and although a later addition to the legend it is possible that one of Robin Hood's followers, Friar Tuck, was inspired by the priory. Will Scarlet is also supposed to be buried at nearby Blidworth Church.
In 1966 a hoard of gold coins and jewellery was discovered by workmen on a building site near present-day Cambourne Gardens. The coins were probably buried by someone fleeing south after the Battle of Hexham in May 1464. The "Fishpool Hoard", as it is known, is on display in the British Museum.
On 17 July 1817, a young girl from Papplewick named Elizabeth Sheppard travelled to Mansfield in search of work, but early next morning her body was found in a ditch. The "Sheppard Stone" stands next to the A60 marking the spot on the roadside below Portland College and is still regularly maintained. Her killer was identified as Charles Rotherham, from Sheffield, who had tried to sell her newly bought shoes and an umbrella.
In nearby Thieves Wood, on 23 June 1883, gamekeeper Albert Spinks shot the first example of an Egyptian nightjar in Britain. He mentioned it to Joseph Whitaker, a naturalist, who recognised it as a rare bird species in Britain. He had the bird stuffed and it is now kept in a museum in nearby Mansfield. No further examples were seen in Britain until 1984.
100 years ago, Ravenshead was centred on an area called Fishpool, a name which appeared on a 15th-century map.
About the village
In the centre of the village there are also several shops including a newsagent, chemist, a fish and chip shop and a Chinese takeaway.
The village has a range of local shops and a large leisure centre with tennis courts and football pitches. There are four pubs: The Hutt Inn, Little John, Sherwood Ranger and Larch Farm. It also has an Italian Restaurant and Bar Santini.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ravenshead) |