Clarborough is a village in the civil parish of
Clarborough and Welham
Clarborough and Welham is a civil parish in the Bassetlaw district, in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish includes the village of Clarborough and the hamlet of Welham. In 2011 the parish had a population of 1088. It is 130 mile ...
, in the district of
Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, England. Clarborough is located north-east from the centre of
Retford
Retford (), also known as East Retford, is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England, and one of the oldest English market towns having been granted its first charter in 1105. It lies on the River Idle and the Chesterfie ...
. In 2019 it had an estimated population of 1305.
History
Clarborough is listed in the 1086 ''
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
'' as "Claueburch" or "Claureburg."
The chief value of the village was its land. Because of the village's geographical position, being at the foot of Clarborough Hill, land was useful for agriculture, including grazing. Being close to the increasingly important centre of Retford and with its parish boundary actually towards the centre of the town, Clarborough became an important local source of products.
Since the 1960s, with development of power stations in the area and improved communication links, Clarborough (along with Retford) had significant population increases with associated housing developments.
A post windmill was located on Clarborough Hill. It was standing in 1753, but burnt down in 1896.
Community
![St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/St.John_the_Baptist%27s_church%2C_Clarborough_-_geograph.org.uk_-_78974.jpg)
The
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
is dedicated to
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
.
Education
An elementary school was extant by 1 May 1871 and extracts from its Log Books
suggest that the school might have been in existence before that date.
The school's capacity proved inadequate by the late 1950s. Initially this was addressed by an expansion of the Victorian buildings adjacent to the church of St. John the Baptist on Church Lane. However, as the village continued to expand through the 1960s, this too proved inadequate such that Nottinghamshire Councty Council initiated a proposed 2-phase development. The first phase, on newly created Hillview Crescent just off Main Street (the A620), was opened in 1970 and accommodated the junior classes – the Victorian building continuing to house older pupils. Phase 2 of this development was never carried forward as economic conditions of the early 1970s made it unaffordable.
By the 2000 conditions in both the Hillview Crescent building and the expanded Church Lane site made redevelopment a priority such that Nottinghamshire County Council announced plans to create a new building adjacent to the Hillview Crescent site as a single centre for primary education in Clarborough. The plans would see the demolition of the 1960s building and sale of the Church Lane site (still not accomplished in late 2013). The plans for the new building needed significant modification following serious flooding of that part of the village in July 2005, but the building was opened in September 2008 to accommodate all pupils of the school.
Plans were approved in 2018 for a two-classroom extension to the school.
Transport
Transport links to and from Clarborough have always been few, because of the insignificant need to invest in major links, with such a small number of inhabitants moving regularly through the village.
The main changes in transport for Clarborough occurred in 1777, when the
Chesterfield Canal
The Chesterfield Canal is a narrow canal in the East Midlands of England and it is known locally as 'Cuckoo Dyke'. It was one of the last of the canals designed by James Brindley, who died while it was being constructed. It was opened in 1777 a ...
was opened, providing navigation to the
River Trent
The Trent is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midland ...
. This was the beginning of a period where Clarborough was being brought into the wider communication network, with and upgraded national road network, and the introduction of turnpike highways which allowed transport from Clarborough to larger towns such as Retford. One highway (1824–76), ran from Spital Hill at Retford to Clarborough, providing better links to nearby villages and towns.
The new highways, and the canal, might have moved the centre of gravity of the village, today away from the church and towards the main roads.
A
railway line
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...
was by 1849 running at the southern side of the village through the neighbouring hamlet of
Welham. The railway allowed links to
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
and cities such as
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
and
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
.
[
With the increase in motor transport in the 20th century, the main road through Clarborough and Welham (A620) was improved although low bridges on the already established railway line gave problems for traffic.][ The alternative route around the village (Tiln Lane/Smeath Lane) is not suited to heavy vehicles which use it.
]
References
External links
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{{authority control
Villages in Nottinghamshire
Bassetlaw District