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NOtinghamshire is advantagiously Situate, and stored with plenty of Cattle, Corn, Wooll, Fruits, Plants, &c. It is partly Hilly, and partly Champaine, and pleasant In∣closures: It produces Cheese, Butter, Leather and Tallow good store; and Good Fellows praise it much for the Ex∣cellent
strong Ale Brewed in it. It is Bounded on the South with Leicestershire, on the West with Derbyshire and part of Yorkshire, on the North with part of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and on the East with another part of Lincolnshire.
It contains 8 Hundreds, divided into 168 Parishes, as also 8 Market Towns; and is Watered with 21 great and small Rivers. It sends Members to Parliament 8, viz. East Retford 2, Newark 2, Notingham 2, and 2 Knights of the Shire.
Newark, in this County, is pleasantly seated on the River Trent, thence called Newark upon Trent, to distinguish it: At Swinstead Abby in this place, King John was Poisoned by a Monk, and over the River there is a very fine Bridge.
Notingham is pleasantly seated on a branch of the same River, incompassed with pleasant Fields and Groves. Its Castle was kept by the Danes against Burthred King of Mercia, also against Ethelred and Alfred, two other Saxon Kings.
At Stoke near Newark, Lambert Symnel in the Reign of Henry the Seventh was utterly Defeated, and his up∣holders, John D' La Pool Earl of Lincoln, Thomas Ga∣radine Chancelour of Ireland, Francis Lord Lovel, and others, were Slain, with 4000 Common Soldiers, and Sym∣nel taken Prisoner, June 16, Anno Dom. 1487.
At Mansfield was Born the first Earl Mansfield in Germany, now a famous Family in the Empire, said to be one of King Arthurs Round Table Knights: Blythe is a pleasant Town situate on the River Idle. Besides these of Note and Antiquity are Hoverham, Retford, Worksop, and Southwell. In this County is the much noted Forrest of Shirwood, where Robin Hood held his chief Residence, and in it are bred a great many of those Hares called the Laner. In this County they digg a soft Stone, which Burnt
makes a Plaister for Flooring their upper-Rooms, which dry'd is harder than Plaister of Paris. About Worksop grows store of Liquorice. The County contains many Parks full of Deer; The Rivers, Meers, and Ponds are stored with Fish, and at the Season there is plenty of Wild-Fowl.
The Seats of the Nobility are Worksop, belonging to the Duke of Norfolk; Welbeck Abby and Notingham Castle, to the late Earl of Newcastle; Holm Pierepont, to the Duke of Northumberland; Rufford, to the Mar∣ques of Hallifax; Houghton and Chare-House, to the Earl of Clare; Shelford, to the Earl of Chesterfield; Bestwood, to the Earl of Burford; Newsted Abby, Bulvel Park, and Linby, to the Lord Rochdale; Aver∣ham and Killham, to the Lord Lexington, besides divers pleasant Seats of the Gentry, &c.