The Story Of Old Nottingham

Nottingham, or as it was most likely called Snots encampment, started life in about 900AD and was a small collection of insubstantial hovels about where the old Ice Stadium car park was. Due to the yearly flooding of the Leen it is believed they soon moved to higher, but more rockier, ground.

The first eye witness account of Nottingham's existence is in 950AD; when the monk Asser, chronicler for King Alfred, passed by on his way to Lincoln. Although he would have been some way off, the wide flood plains would have put little in his line of sight.

Asser wrote in his diary "...this day passed by Tigguocabauc..." 'Tigguocabauc' of course is Welsh/Latin for 'Cavy house', and describes his view of the south facing rock face with its myriad of rock hewn chambers.

While we are an the subject of Nottingham's names, Asser obviously wrote down a description of what he had seen not the places name. The name 'Nottingham' comes mostly from Anglo Saxon and would have been 'Snotengaham':

What about the 'S' where did that go, well after the Norman conquest came the Doomsday Book, collated and written by Normans (who were French) they had great difficulty pronouncing 'Sn' so seeing as they were in charge decided not to bother therefore Snottingham became Nottingham.

I am inclined to think they had little to do with Sneinton.....

To be continued.........