Resources for Researchers

This page contains items that may be of use to anyone wishing to research the history of churches, especially those in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, and links to sites of related interest. Here are listed:

  Files that can be downloaded
  Websites
    On-line documents, etc
    Collections of historical documents with on-line catalogues
    More specialised resources and areas of interest
      Stained glass
      Organs
      Bells
      Monuments and memorials
      Stonework
      Buildings
      Pictures
      Plans
      Maps
      Clergy
      Genealogy and registers
      Local History
    Organizations connected to the Project or with related concerns

Files that can be Downloaded

Index to Sir Stephen Glynne’s Notebooks (PDF) – Sir Stephen Glynne, Bart, made notes about over 5000 churches as he travelled round the country in the fifty years between 1824 and 1874. This file is an index of the Nottinghamshire churches in his notebooks.

Archbishop Herring Vistation Reports (PDF) – Thomas Herring, Archbishop of York, conducted a visitation of the whole of his diocese in 1743, and reports were made of the state of each church. This file is the reports for the churches of Nottinghamshire.

Report of Bishop Ridding's visitation 1892 (PDF)

List of Diocese of Lincoln Faculties (PDF) – Nottinghamshire formed part of the Diocese of Lincoln from 1837 until the creation of the Diocese of Southwell in 1884. This is a record of the faculties relating to Nottinghamshire churches filed at Lincoln between those dates.

Southwell Diocesan Magazine Index (MS Word Document) – The Diocesan Magazine was published from 1889 to 1940. This file is a list of the contents. Copies of the magazine itself are kept at the Nottinghamshire Archives Office.

The Religious Census of 1851 (PDF) – This is the results for churches in Nottinghamshire of the nation-wide census taken in this year.

1428 subsidy (tax) of Henry VI (PDF) - This file has been extracted from Inquisitions and Assessments Relating to Feudal Aids, 1284-1431, Vol IV (London: HMSO 1906)

Nonarum Inquisitiones (PDF) - A taxation valuation for the year 1341. The text (in Latin) reveals the true valuation of a church in marks and explains why it may vary from the Pope Nicholas taxation of 1291. Sample translations by Michael Jones are available here.

List of errata in the books Church Bells of Nottinghamshire by George Dawson (RTF file, readable with MS Word)

Nottinghamshire Alabaster Monuments (MS Word document) - A list of all of these by Ray State, extracted from The Carved Alabaster of the East Midlands

Project briefing paper for researchers (June 2023 version) (PDF)

You will need Adobe Reader to read the PDF files. If it is not already installed on your computer, then download it from here:  

Websites

On-line Documents, etc

British History Online – A collection of many historical documents now in a digital form

Connected Histories - Searchable database of British sitory source documents from 1500 to 1900

Medieval Source Material - A list of many medieval sources now available on-line

The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) – Includes Listing Descriptions of all listed buildings.

Historic England Photographic Archive

Historical Directories – digital library of local and trade directories (compiled as a project by the University of Leicester)

The Antiquities of Nottinghamshire – John Throsby’s 1790s edition of Robert Thoroton’s great work, now available on-line:

Volume I – covers Rushcliffe, Bingham and Newark Hundreds

Volume II – covers the city of Nottingham, Sherwood Forest and Broxtowe Hundred

Volume III – covers Bassetlaw, Thurgaton and Lythe Hundreds

Volume I (graphical) – Volume I is available separately in a different form

A History of Nottinghamshire (Cornelius Brown, 1896) – The full text of this work now on-line

The Churches of Nottinghamshire (J C Cox, 1912) – Available on-line

The Nottinghamshire Bibliography Online - a single web-based means of access to all bibliographic sources for the history of the city of Nottingham and county of Nottinghamshire, including published books, journal articles and unpublished theses and ‘grey literature’

Old churches of the Mansfield Deanery (H Walkerdine and A S Buxton, 1907) – Full text now on-line

Arms, Armour and Alabaster around Nottingham - survey by George Fellows (1909) now on-line

Military Effigies in Nottinghamshire before the Black Death (Henry Lawrence, M.A. and T E Routh, 1924) - transcribed from Transactions of the Thoroton Society, 28

Nottinghamshire Monumental Brasses (Joseph Bramley, 1913) - transcribed from Transactions of the Thoroton Society, 17

Corpus Of Romanesque Sculpture - A digital archive of British and Irish Romanesque stone sculpture

Domesday Book - Now available online, but a charge is made

The Taxatio (ecclesiastical taxation assessment of 1291-2) online database

Calendar of Patent Rolls - Searchable database of the Patent Rolls 1216-1452 (ie Grants of official positions, land, or commissions made by the Crown and open to public view), compiled by Prof G R Boyton, University of Iowa

Fine Rolls of Henry III - These detail offers of money to the king in return for concessions or favours.

Cause Papers 1300-1858 - A searchable catalogue of more than 14,000 cause papers relating to cases heard between 1300 and 1858 in the Church Courts of the diocese of York.

Collections of Historical Documents with On-line Catalogues

The sites in this section allow searching through the collection indices, but the documents themselves may not yet be available on-line

The National Archives Discovery online catalogue - holds more than 32 million descriptions of records held by The National Archives and more than 2,500 archives across the country.

Archives Hub – Searchable database of archives held at many UK institutions

Lambeth Palace Library – Important centre for Church of England resource documents

University of Nottingham Manuscripts Department, and particularly the Archdeaconry Resources page

Nottinghamshire Archives Office

The Borthwick Institute of Historical Research - a part of the University of York

Lincolnshire Archives

More Specialised Resources and Areas of Interest

Stained Glass

Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi – A research project including the archiving of all English medieval stained glass.

The British Society of Master Glass Painters

The Stained Glass Museum, based at Ely Cathedral

Organs

The National Pipe Organ Register

The Nottingham & District Society of Organists

The Institute of British Organ Building

Bells

Dove’s Guide – An on-line version of the classic guide to bells in the English-speaking world

The Central Council of Church Bellringers (CCCB)- information about many bells and towers

The Southwell and Nottingham Diocesan Guild of Bellringers, which is affiliated to CCCB

Monuments and Memorials

Nottinghamshire Family History Society

The Church Monuments Society

The Monumental Brass Society

Nottinghamshire Alabaster Monuments - Downloadable document by Ray State

Stonework

The British Geological Survey, Keyworth

Buildings

Researching Historic Buildings in the British Isles - A guide on how to set about the task

Looking at Buildings – Site helping the understanding of historic buildings, including religious buildings

Building Conservation - Site with many items about conservation of old building, and including a substantial directory of conservators

Churchcare - Churchcare is about giving practical advice on looking after and using church buildings, especially historic ones

West Gallery Churches - A survey of those churches which have had, or indeed still retain, a west gallery

Pictures

Topographical Drawings from the British Library - includes Samuel Hieronymus Grimm’s drawings of Nottinghamshire churches from the late 18th century

Picture the Past - A large collection of historic photographs from around the East Midlands

335665 Photographs - A display containing over one-third of a million photographs from English parish churches

Plans

Incorporated Church Building Society records - Includes digitized versions of all church plans in Lambeth Palace Library

Maps

Old Ordnance Survey maps of Nottinghamshire

Old Maps - Searchable database of historic maps

Clergy

The Clergy Database - on-line database of all clergy in the Church of England from 1540 to 1835

Crockford’s Clerical Directory - The current edition is available on-line, though for a subscription

Genealogy and Registers

GEN-UKI - UK and Ireland Genealogy. A page which includes much information of local historical interest. The Nottinghamshire page has other links relevant to Nottinghamshire history. Includes a gazetteer of the towns and villages of Nottinghamshire, with the entry for each from White’s Directory of Nottinghamshire (1853)

Local History

Nottinghamshire History - Site with a range of information about the county’s history. The site includes transcriptions of a number of significant historical works

Lincs to the Past – Includes items held at Lincolnshire Archives Office and various museums in Lincolnshire

Organizations connected to the Project or with related concerns

The Heritage Lottery Fund, principal supporter of this project

The Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham - Nottinghamshire (with a small portion of South Yorkshire) - the area covered by the project

The University of Nottingham

The Church of England, of which the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham forms a part

English Heritage - The government department with the responsibility of caring for ancient buildings, etc

The Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire - Local history society. The Transactions of the Thoroton Society contain much important material

The British Archaeological Association - Its journal can now be read online

The Nottinghamshire Local History Association. The Society’s regular publication The Nottinghamshire Historian is a further resource

The lists of Nottingham City libraries and Nottinghamshire County libraries

The National Churches Trust (formerly the Historic Churches Preservation Trust) - National charity supporting historic churches

Nottinghamshire Historic Churches Trust - Locally-based charity to support historic churches

The Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association (EASA)

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB)

The Georgian Group - society concerned with the preservation of Georgian architecture, including churches from the period

The Victorian Society - concerned with both Victorian and Edwardian buildings, including churches

The Ecclesiological Society - An organisation for those who love church buildings

The Churches Conservation Trust - looking after historic church buildings, especially those no longer used for regular worship

The Institute of Conservation (ICON) - for the conservation of cultural heritage

The Arts Society (NADFAS) - One important part of NADFAS’ work is the recording of artworks (of all categories) located in churches