 Ratcliffe on SoarHoly TrinityNottingham Archdeaconry West Bingham Deanery Introduction
There has long been a settlement at Ratcliffe. Iron Age and Bronze Age remains
are to be found in the area and Roman remains have been found at Redhill, near
the confluence of the rivers Soar and Trent. It seems likely that a temple
to Jupiter once stood there.
A Christian church existed in Ratcliffe at Domesday in 1086. This was probably
a wooden structure built by the Saxons before the Norman Conquest. Together
with a water mill and six acres of meadow, the village was valued at ten shillings
in the early 12th century. Some possible traces of both the mill and an early
church have recently been discovered and await further investigation.
Ratciffe church at one time was the mother church of the area, which indicates
its importance astride the main crossing of the River Soar.
In time the transport arteries found more convenient crossing places and the
church’s status declined. However, in its heyday it was the subject of
much dispute over the advowson and patronage.
Particular thanks to Ray State and John Allen for research
on this entry
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