Clipstone

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Not to be confused with Clipston, Nottinghamshire
Clipstone
Nottinghamshire

Clipstone Colliery disused headstocks
Location
Grid reference: SK585635
Location: 53°10’12"N, 1°6’26"W
Data
Population: 3,469  (2001)
Post town: Mansfield
Postcode: NG21
Dialling code: 01623
Local Government
Council: Newark and Sherwood
Parliamentary
constituency: 		Sherwood

Clipstone is a village in the north-west of Nottinghamshire, a small ex-coal mining village built on the site of an old army base and close to the site of a mediæval royal palace.

The population of the civil parish was 4,665 at the 2011.

History

The earliest historical reference to the settlement is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the village is mentioned as "Clipestune".[1] Subsequent written sources use the forms "Clipestone", "Clippeston", "Clipiston". The place-name Clipstone seems to contain an Old Norse personal name, Klyppr, with tun (Old English), a farmstead or village.[2][3]

Pre-historic period

Some prehistoric traces have been found in the parish, including pieces of a Bronze Age spearhead[4] and an arrowhead.[5] There is also a suspected ring ditch in the vicinity of New Clipstone which is assumed to be a ploughed out round barrow.[6]

The National Mapping Project data as provided by English Heritage shows a number of cropmarks recorded from aerial photography in the northern quarter of Clipstone parish, representing rectilinear field systems associated with smaller stock enclosures and perhaps domestic sites. Typologically, and from their orientation, it is assumed that these are part of the brickwork plan field system from the late Iron Age, which stretches across the Sherwood Sandstones.[7]

Roman period

Pottery of the period is known from Clipstone due to Philip Rahtz's excavation in 1956 and Trent and Peak Archaeology's watching brief and fieldwalking in 1991,[8] however the context of the finds has never been understood. There have also been metal detector finds within the parish of two Roman brooches and a small coin hoard[4] and arrowhead.[9] The adjacent parish of Mansield Woodhouse contains a suspected Roman road (Leeming Lane), with an associated marching camp at Roman Bank. Further to the north-west a small villa site was exposed in 1780 by the antiquarian Major Hayman Rooke.[10]

Middle Ages

Four pieces of late Saxon shelly ware pottery were recorded in 1991[8] during fieldwalking of Castlefield, although it is unlikely that these represent anything more than a background scatter associated with the manuring of the open fields. These four pieces of pottery are actually Potterhanworth Ware, dating to the 13th–15th century[11] Prior to Domesday, the two manors of Clipstone were held by Osbern and Ulsi and the value was set at 60 shillings (£3).[1] Ulsi in particular was a reasonably wealthy landowner and held manors at Greasley, Strelley, Sutton and Hodsock.

The Domesday Book of 1086 records that the mano of Clipstone was held by Roger de Busli,[1] one of the great Norman landowners who held 163 estates in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and southern Yorkshire.[12]

Local legend has it that King John had a hall here, though there is no proof. It is known that there were 1,400 acres of forested deer park (and 70 acres of rabbit warrens) next to the village, which were used by royal hunting parties. Moreover, it is said that King John held a parliament at the nearby Parliament Oak in 1212, and also Edward I in 1290.[13]

Industrialisation

George Sitwell, the ironmaster, mined iron locally and built a furnace here in the 17th century.[14]

In 1767 much of the local forest was managed by the Duke of Portland for the production of timber. In the 1760s there were a number of prosecutions of local people for entering the forest park and causing disorders. In 1767 labourers from Warsop and Worksop were involved in the Clipstone Riot. As the Duke of Portland was at the time involved in making the place more profitable for himself, and so impacting on the timber rights of the commoners, this may have been the cause of the riots.[15]

About the village

Clipstone is split into two areas – 'New Clipstone', approximately four miles from Mansfield town, and 'Kings Clipstone' slightly further away, formerly known as 'Old Clipstone' until 2003 when the ancient name of Kings Clipstone was resurrected. Both villages stand alongside the B6030 road.

New Clipstone (commonly known as just 'Clipstone') is the most diverse area with both old and new homes, a library, primary school and village hall as well as a few shops and pubs, including Clipstone Welfare (which was used for scenes in the 2007 film Control). The old Clipstone Colliery site lies within the New Clipstone area, still having the tall prominent headstocks.

On the southern edge of the village is Vicar Water Country Park, developed from Vicar Water and the former spoil tips from the colliery, forming a landscape of hills and ponds with a controversial 'Golden Hand' sculpture, said to represent the village's mining heritage.

The village is close to Sherwood Forest. Nearby is the medium-wave transmitter for BBC Radio Nottingham. There is also a slaughterhouse.

Kings Clipstone (previously known as Old Clipstone) is the oldest part in a rural setting with some old stone buildings, noted for its relatively 'undeveloped' character. The local Dog and Duck pub is the only social place to meet.

Clipstone Camp

Located on what was to become Clipstone Colliery, Clipstone Camp was established when work on developing the mine, started in 1912, was abandoned following the outbreak of the First World War. The Duke of Portland offered the land for use as a military training camp, which was eventually opened in 1915.[16] The first troops stationed there were the Royal Fusiliers. At its height the camp could accommodate 30,000 soldiers.[16]

Following the armistice, troops from the Queens Royal West Surrey 4th/5th Reserve Battalion and the York and Lancaster Regiment were involved in a mutinous riot at the camp, following disquiet at the slow rate of being demobilised.

Plans were started in 2013 to provide a memorial to those who trained in Clipstone.[17]

Clipstone Colliery

The Colliery headstocks

Clipstone Colliery once provided the main source of employment in the village. After 1993, it was owned by RJB Mining, but the pit closed in April 2003.

The present headstocks were at the time of completion in 1953 the tallest in Europe, and they can be seen from miles around. They are Grade II listed structures.[18]

Sport

  • Football: Clipstone Welfare F.C.

Outside links

 ("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Clipstone)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Morris, J., ed (1977). Domesday Book: Nottinghamshire. p. 285. 
  2. ↑ Gover, J. E. B.; Mawer, A. & Stenton, F.M.: 'Place-Names of Nottinghamshire , Part' (English Place-Names Society, 1940), page 232
  3. ↑ Mills, Anthony David: 'A Dictionary of British Place-Names' (Oxford University Press, 2003) ISBN 978-0-19-852758-9
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record, 5965
  5. ↑ Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record, 5909
  6. ↑ Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record, 6819
  7. ↑ Linear features, Clipstone: Heritage Gateway
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sheppard, R., (1991) Unpublished archive of archaeological watching brief prior to monument underpinning (Held by Nottinghamshire County Council)
  9. ↑ Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record, 5966 & 5977
  10. ↑ Thoroton (1972), pp. 308–320.
  11. ↑ Budge, David (2014). Challis, Keith. ed. "Clipstone, King John's Palace". Transactions of the Thoroton Society 118: 18. SSN 0309-9210. 
  12. ↑ Wright, James (2008). Castles of Nottinghamshire. Nottingham: Nottinghamshire County Council. ISBN 978-0-90275-158-3. 
  13. ↑ (in en) Country Life. (at Google books). 1913. p. 53. https://books.google.com/books?id=3DROAAAAYAAJ. 
  14. ↑ {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=encyclopaedia }}
  15. ↑ Agnoletti, Mauro; Anderson, S. (2000). Forest History: International Studies on Socioeconomic and Forest Ecosystem Change (IUFRO Research. CABI Publishing. ISBN 0851994199. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Clipstone Camp at Mansfield Museum". http://www.ourmansfieldandarea.org.uk/page/clipstone_camp?path=0p2p31p. Retrieved 13 January 2016. 
  17. ↑ Thirkill, Stephen (26 July 2013). "Clipstone Camp war memorial plans move a step nearer". Mansfield & Ashfield Chad. http://www.chad.co.uk/news/local/clipstone-camp-war-memorial-plans-move-a-step-nearer-1-5894485. Retrieved 4 January 2014. 
  18. ↑ National Heritage List 1380235: Headstocks and Powerhouse at the site of the former Clipstone Colliery (Grade II listing)
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