British Boroughs originated as Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman towns from the ninth century. The Anglo-Saxon invaders who arrived in Britain in the fifth to seventh centuries were farmers, not interested in repairing the roads or maintaining the Roman towns which fell into partial disuse. The Angle-Saxons at first regarded towns as 'the defences of slavery and the graves of freedom... the work of giants seen from afar'. However, when the Vikings from Scandinavia overran the east and north of the country in the ninth century, they turned to town life in the area which they conquered, the Danelaw. The commercial life of York, their headquarters from 876, was revived by Vikingenterprise, the Roman walls of Chester were rebuilt by a Viking chief, and the East Midlands came under the jurisdiction of the five newly-created Scandinavian boroughs of Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Stamford and Lincoln.
The Angle-Saxons, under their kings Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder, not to be outdone, also created boroughs similar to those of the Scandinavian invaders, at places such as Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford and Tamworth, and despite many setbacks, re-conquered all the territory which the Scandinavians had acquired. In 1066, the Normans in their turn came to Britain as conquering invaders, and also built new boroughs and enlarged old ones.
The Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian and Norman borough had varied functions. It was foremost a defended place or strong point surrounded by an earthen bank of oval or square shape, or by the patched-up wall of an older Roman town. In each new borough, the King settled a permanent garrison with ample reserves, sustained by landowners on whom was laid the obligation of defending the borough in time of need. In return for this, the borough and its burgesses were protected by the King's special peace. The borough was also a trading centre, with a market place and often a mint for coins. When King Edward the Elder ordained that all buying and selling should take place in a market town in the presence of a town-reeve, he ensured the concentration of trading in the growing boroughs. The borough was also an administrative centre. Indeed, many British modern counties came into being as the territories allocated by the King to the support of the defences and trading facilities of a borough, e.g. Nottinghamshire was the support for the county town of Nottingham, as its name shows. Research Boroughs
Sir Garfield St Auburn Sobers (popularly known as Gary Sobers) is a West Indian cricketer. He was born in 1936 at Bridgetown, Barbados. He played for Nottinghamshire - captaining them from 1968 to 1974, South Australia and the West Indies, captaining the West Indies from 1965 to 1974. He retired from cricket in 1975 and was knighted the same year. An outstanding left-handed batsman in 1958 at the Test match against Pakistan he set the world record for the highest Test innings score, scoring 365 not out, a record which stood until Brian Lara made 375 against England in 1994. He was the first player to score the maximum 36, from six sixes in one over, which he achieved in county cricket against Glamorgan at Swansea in 1968. Research Gary Sobers
John Jackson was an English cricketer. He was born in 1834 and died in 1901. He was a bowler for Nottinghamshire renowned for injuring batsmen, developing the notion of bodyline bowling. He was given the nickname 'Foghorn' on account of his habit of blowing his nose after taking a wicket. In 1860, playing against Surrey, he took nine wickets and caused a tenth batsman to retire injured - effectively taking all wickets in the match. Research John Jackson
Robert Dodsley was an English author and publisher. he was born in 1703 near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire and died in 1764. In 1735 he set up a publishing firm in Pall Mall, London with the help of a loan of money from his friends, including Alexander Pope, and went on to publish most of Dr Johnson's works as well as collections of old plays and poems. Among other things he wrote a tragedy, entitled Cleone, which had some success on the stage. A selection of Fables in prose, with an Essay on Fables prefixed, was one of his latest productions. He planned the Annual Register (commenced in 1758). Research Robert Dodsley
The Separatists were a religious sect which arose, chiefly in the North of England, about 1567, inspired by the exhortations of ministers who believed the gospel should be preached freely and 'the sacraments administered without idolatrous gear', and who, like Robert Brown, called upon the people 'to separate' from the Church of England. A number of them emigrated to Holland in 1608. Their chief strength was about Scrooby, in Nottinghamshire. A number of the Pilgrim Fathers belonged to this sect. Research Separatists
Thomas Cranmer was archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII. He was born in 1489 at Aslacton, Nottinghamshire and died in 1556 when he was burnt at the stake for refusing to revert his religion under Mary. He was famous for the part he played in the English reformation during the reign of Henry VIII. He entered as a student of Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1503, took the degree of MA, obtained a fellowship, and in 1523 was chosen reader of theological lectures in his college, and examiner of candidates for degrees in divinity.
An opinion which he gave on the question of Henry VIII's proposed divorce from Catharine brought him under the favourable notice of the king. Thomas Cranmer was sent for to court, made a king's chaplain, and commanded to write a treatise on the subject of the divorce. In 1530 he was sent abroad with others to collect the opinions of the divines and canonists of France, Italy, and Germany, on the validity of the king's marriage. At Rome he presented his treatise to the pope, but his mission was fruitless.
In January, 1533, he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. Soon after he set the Papal authority at defiance by pronouncing sentence of divorce between Henry VIII and Catharine, and confirming the king's marriage with Anne Boleyn. The pope threatened excommunication, and an act of parliament was immediately passed for abolishing the pope's supremacy, and declaring the king chief head of the Church of England. The archbishop zealously promoted the cause of the Reformation; and through his means the Bible was translated and read in churches, and monastic institutions were vigorously suppressed.
In 1536 he pandered to Henry VIII's passions by promoting tlie divorce of Anne Boleyn. This and other services secured him in the king's favour, who appointed him by will one of the council of regency to Edward VI. By his instrumentality the liturgy was drawn up and established by act of parliament, and articles of religion were compiled, the validity of which was enforced by royal authority, and for which infallibility was claimed.
The exclusion of the Princess Mary from the crown, by the will of her brother, was a measure in which Thomas Cranmer joined the partisans of Lady Jane Grey, apparently in opposition to his own judgment. With others who had been most active in Lady Jane Grey's favour he was sent to the Tower on the accession of Mary. He was tried on charges of blasphemy, perjury, incontinence, and heresy, and was sentenced to be degraded and deprived of office. After this flattering promises were made, which induced him to sign a recantation of his alleged errors, and become, in fact, a Catholic convert. But when he was brought into St Mary'sChurch, Oxford, to read his recantation in public, instead of confessing the justness of his sentence, and submitting to it in silence or imploring mercy, he calmly acknowledged that the fear of death had made him belie his conscience; and declared that nothing could afford him consolation but the prospect of extenuating his guilt by encountering, as a Protestant penitent, with firmness and resignation, the fiery torments which awaited him. He was immediately hurried to the stake, where he behaved with the resolution of a martyr. Research Thomas Cranmer
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