The Battle of Hatfield and Cuckney church

The Battle of Hatfield Investigation Society are putting together a project to determine the location of the Battle of Heathfield (AD632) which led to the death of King Edwin of Northumbria. Traditionally, the battle is assumed to have taken place near Doncaster but the Society think that it was fought near the village of Cuckney in west Nottinghamshire.

Over 200 adult male skeletons were discovered at Cuckney church in 1951 when work was done to protect the building against subsidence from coal mining. Although it has been assumed the burials related to a 12th century battle the Society are arguing that they may be the fallen from the Battle of Heathfield and want to excavate at the church to find and analyse the skeletons.

• The Battle of Hatfield Investigation Society website
• Article on The Chad website
• BBC Nottingham article

Nottinghamshire Open Churches Weekends, July 2013

For the fourth year, churches across Nottinghamshire will be unlocked and welcoming visitors on the 13th - 14th July (northern half of the county) and the 20th - 21st July (southern half of the county).

This year over half of all churches across the county are taking part; either by simply opening their doors
and welcoming visitors, or by offering refreshments and staging additional activities and events.

• Nottinghamshire Open Churches website
• Interactive map
• Advanced search

Open Churches Weekends, 9-10 and 16-17 July 2012

Just reminder that churches across Nottinghamshire and the city of Nottingham will be open to visitors over two weekends this month. The special weekends, on the 9th-10th and 16th-17th July, are intended to give people "the chance to discover or rediscover the rich variety of churches we have across the county. For information on which churches are participating please visit the Southwell and Nottingham Open Churches Project website.

News from Nottinghamshire Archives

Nottinghamshire Archives (along with the County Council, Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham University and  Nottinghamshire Local History Association) is running a conference called 'Make History Happen!' on Wednesday 18 July 2012, 10am - 4.30pm. The event is intended for 16-21 year-olds interested in heritage:

• 'Make History Happen!' conference flier

A new online exhibition is now available on the history of Southwell Chapter. Of particular interest are the documents relating to cases before the Chapter Court; for example, in 1683 John and Jane Beckit were summoned before the court for fornication (prior to their marriage) and excommunicated. However, they declared penance in 1684 in order that their second son could be baptised in church.

• The Southwell Chapter online exhibition

A talk on Nottinghamshire’s Sporting Heritage will take place on 10 July at 2.30pm. See the Events page for further information:

• Nottinghamshire Archives Events page

Open Churches Weekends, July 2012

Churches across Nottinghamshire and the city of Nottingham will be open to visitors over two weekends in July. The special weekends, on the 9th-10th and 16th-17th July, are intended to give people "the chance to discover or rediscover the rich variety of churches we have across the county".

For information on which churches are participating please visit the Southwell & Nottingham Open Churches Project website.