Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts.) is a largely low-lying county in eastern-central England.

Nottinghamshire borders with Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. Sherwood Forest lies entirely within this county and is famous for its links with Robin Hood, a 13th-14th century legendary outlaw; Nottinghamshire is sometimes nicknamed "Robin Hood County" as a result. The River Trent flows through the county from south to north.

Principal towns and cities include Nottingham, Newark, Mansfield, Worksop, Retford, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Eastwood and Hucknall.

The geology of the county is bunter sandstone lying over coal deposits. Many of the older villages in the county have characteristic walls and cottages constructed out of this reddish local stone with pan-tile rooves.

The East of the County around Newark and Southwell is characterised by largely flat agricultural land around the Trent floodplain, where as towards the west, around Hucknall and Mansfield, there are hills and sandstone outcrops, notably at Nottingham Castle. The county lies immediately to the east of the Pennine Hills in Derbyshire, and as such receives relatively low rainfall compared to much of England.

Principal industries are agriculture and commerce. The west of the county was once a prolific coal mining area but this industry has been in steady decline since the 1980s.

Geography

Wapentakes

The county divides into six wapentakes; Bassetlaw in the north, Newark in the east, Bingham in the south-east, Rushcliffe in the south-west, Broxtow in the west and Thurgarton in the centre. None of the wapentakes have any administrative function as of 2024, although some local government districts and parliamentary constituencies have names based on them.

Prior to the 18th century, Nottinghamshire was divided into eight wapentakes; Oswaldbeck and Lythe were absorbed into Bassetlaw and Thurgarton respectively.

Administration

Local government

The county Nottinghamshire lends its name to Nottinghamshire County Council which covers a similar, but not identical, area to the county proper, and around 70% of its population. A part of the county including the city of Nottingham and its surrounds is administered by Nottingham City Council. Some parts of the far north of the county, including Finningley, close to which Doncaster Sheffield Airport is located, are served by City of Doncaster Council. Broadholme, in the east of the county, has been administered by Lincolnshire County Council (with some local functions being the responsibility of West Lindsey District Council) since the 1980s.

Lieutenancy

The there is a county for the purposes of lieutenancy that is named after (but is legally and geographically distinct from) the county proper Nottinghamshire. The county for the purposes of lieutenancy Nottinghamshire consists of the combined area of the council areas of Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council. The parts of Nottinghamshire under Doncaster City Council and Lincolnshire County Council form part of the lieutenancy counties South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire respectively.

Statistical

For statistical purposes, the county lies almost entirely within the East Midlands statistical region, although the area under Doncaster City Council forms part of Yorkshire and the Humber.