Knapthorpe is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in the

Newark and Sherwood Newark and Sherwood is a local government district and is the largest district in Nottinghamshire, England. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the municipal borough of Newark with Newark Rural District and Southwell Rural ...

district of eastern

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, England. It is north of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, north east of the county town and city of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, and north east of the nearest town Southwell. It is within the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Caunton Caunton is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire on the A616 road, A616, north-west of Newark-on-Trent, in the NG23 postcode. The population (including Maplebeck and Winkburn) of the civil parish at t ...

Toponymy

Knapthorpe was ''Chenapetorp'' or ''Chenatorp'' in the

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 ...

of 1086. The first portion is Old English ''cnapa'', meaning 'boy,' and possibly used as a personal name, with ''torp/

thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...

'' p''thorpe'' being

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

n in origin for small place, so "The hamlet of Knapp, or Knappi". It also could be based on the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

noun ''cnap(p)'', for "top, mountain top", with the surrounding land being part of a local shallow peak.

Geography

Knapthorpe is surrounded by the following local areas: * Caunton to the north *

Hockerton Hockerton is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire. It is 2 miles from the town of Southwell on the A617 between Newark and Mansfield. Fewer than 60 houses are situated around the church, the ''Spread Eagle'' pub and village hall. The po ...

and

Upton Upton may refer to: Places United Kingdom England * Upton, Slough, Berkshire (in Buckinghamshire until 1974) * Upton, Buckinghamshire, a hamlet near Aylesbury * Upton, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough * Upton, Huntingdonshire, a location in Cambridge ...

to the south *

Bathley Bathley is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England, north-west of Newark-on-Trent. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 246. Bathley is recorded in the Domesday Book as Badeleie. ...

and

Little Carlton Little Carlton is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately east from the town of Louth. An Anglo-Saxon settlement dating from the 7th-century was discovered in the villa ...

to the east *

Winkburn Winkburn is a small village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district, in Nottinghamshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Caunton. It is located north-west of Southwell and north-west of Newark Newark most commonly refers to: ...

to the west. This area lies to the south west of the parish, and its core is located where Caunton Road, sited between Hockerton and Caunton villages. It is predominantly a farming community, interspersed with some minor industry, and is surrounded by farms, the occasional residential dwelling and greenfield land. There are four sites within the heart of the hamlet: * Knapthorpe Grange, a farm * Knapthorpe Lodge, hosting a home decor business * Knapthorpe Manor * Little Manor Farm Within this central core, the land elevation is approximately . There are two small

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

which rise in the area and flow into the

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

at Caunton. There is a private landing strip, Caunton Airfield with grass runways for

microlight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...

aircraft, east of the location.

Governance

Knapthorpe along with Caunton village form Caunton parish. The parish contained 483 residents at the 2011 census. It is managed at the first level of public administration by Caunton Parish Council. At district level, the wider area is managed by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Nottinghamshire County Council Nottinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England. It consists of 66 county councillors, elected from 56 electoral divisions every four years. The most recent election ...

provides the highest level strategic services locally.

History

Knapthorpe was before the conquest held along with other land by Thori, son of Roal..It was reported upon in the Domesday survey of 1086, then containing four manors. The area was associated with a number of other nearby places suffixed ''thorpe'', namely Beesthorpe and Middlethorpe, these having in common arable soils. The principal manor in the 11th century was held by Walter de Aincourt, who was a large Nottinghamshire land owner. Later owners were descendants of the Deycourt family, the Nevilles, as well as members of the Bussy, Sutton, and Thorold families, alongside the Duke of Rutland.

Economy

While much of the area surrounding the residential settlement is agricultural with nearby farms working the land, there are also medium-sized retail premises offering household furnishings and pet supplies processing.

References

{{Nottinghamshire Hamlets in Nottinghamshire Newark and Sherwood