Rainworth
| Rainworth | |
|---|---|
 Main road through Rainworth |
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 Rainworth
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| Rainworth shown within Nottinghamshire | |
| Population | 7,821 |
| OS grid reference | SK586584 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MANSFIELD |
| Postcode district | NG21 |
| Dialling code | 01623 |
| Police | Nottinghamshire |
| Fire | Nottinghamshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Rainworth is a village which is split between the Newark and Sherwood and the Mansfield districts of Nottinghamshire, England.
To the north of Rainworth is the village of Clipstone and to the east are the villages of Bilsthorpe and Farnsfield. Mansfield lies two miles to the west. The village of Blidworth is a mile to the south. The A617 dual-carriageway bypasses the village. The roundabout at the western terminus was the starting point for the Mansfield and Ashfield Regeneration Route. The former route through the village is the B6020.
Rainworth started as a settlement close to a Roman road that went through Mansfield and Newark, and provided access to the coalfields of Derbyshire for the Roman settlements in the area to the east of Nottinghamshire. The sheltered location and access to clean water from the River Idle (now called Rainworth Water), meant that the area was often used by travelling Romans as a camp site. In the year 617 AD, a mighty Roman warrior, Readwald, stayed at the site prior to a battle with Ethelfrith, King of Mercia. In the battle, Readwald's son, Regehere, was killed, and from that day, the area was known as Regehere's Wath (Wath being a ford or crossing point over a river). Over the years, many changes in the spelling of the name have been recorded, from the original Regehere's Wath to Reynwath by 1268, then Raynwath, and then to the present day name of Rainworth. Rainworth Lodge was first built in 1190 as a hunting lodge. Rufus Clarke lived there in 1212 and was with King John's hunting parties in the forest. Little more is known about the village until the 16th century, when it is recorded that it was a peaceful hamlet with 13 dwellings: • Three Thorn Hollow Farm, • Six houses in the Old Square known as Ramsden Croft, • The original "Robin Hood Inn" named the "Sherwood Inn", • The toll house nicknamed "The Inkpot" • and a handful of houses on the road leading to Mansfield. That was all! The people who lived in Rainworth were farmers or nurserymen.
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Wikipedia