Nottinghamshire

Country: England
Region: East Midlands
Established: Ancient
Area: 2,160 km2 (830 sq mi)
Population: 1,154,195
Largest Settlement: Nottingham

Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. The county borders South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west.

History:
There are lots evidence of human occupation and settlements within Nottinghamshire.

The earliest being the ice age. Nearly 100,000 objects, many are bones of small mammals found during excavations at Pin Hole Cave in the 1980s. Other objects include flint stone tools and bones of large mammals found during excavations in caves at Creswell Crags. Creswell Crags also have ice age wall paintings from around 12.000 years ago.

There are forts, settlements and roads, such as the Fosse Way throughout the county from Roman times (43 to 500)

The Angles (410 to 1066)settled in the county around the 5th century when it became part of the Kingdom of Mercia.

King William I the Conqueror in 1066 made Sherwood Forest a Royal Forest for hunting which was frequently visited by the Mercian and later Kings.

King John's Palace (1164 to 1180) was a royal residence for King John (1199 to 1216), the area being near to Sherwood Forest. King John's Palace was a place where King William the Lion of Scotland (1165 to 1214) met King Richard I of England (1189 to 1199) to congratulate him on his return from the crusades in 1194.

Industry:
In Norman times, the county developed malting (malt for beers etc.) and woollen industries.

The regional economy was traditionally based on coal mining and manufacturing. Since the invention of the knitting frame in 1589 by local William Lee(1563–1614), the county became well known for lace industry.

The county had much needed minerals such as coal and iron ore. They also constructed some of the first experimental waggonways. An example is the Wollaton wagonway (1603 to 1616)which transported minerals from mining areas which led to canals and railways being constructed in the county. The lace and cotton industries also grew. During the 16th century several dukes acquired much of northern Sherwood Forest and established the estates now known as the Dukeries.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, mechanised deeper collieries opened, and mining became an important economic sector.

Mining declined after the 1984– 1985 miners' strike.

Modern times:
Nottinghamshire is heavily industrialised with mining, steelmaking, engineering, chemical, and textile (lace and hosiery) industries. Agriculture includes dairy (including Stilton cheese), cereal grains and sugar beets, which are refined at Newark.

Nottinghamshire’s largest tourist attraction is probably Sherwood forest (1,049.6 acres) and the folklore of Robin hood.