Fledborough is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
in
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, England.
Although now redundant, the Anglican parish church of
St Gregory's, earned the hamlet the nickname of "the
Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a parish in the southern Subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, close to the town of Gretna, Scotland, Gretna, on the Scottish side of the English-Scottish border.
It is accessed from the A74( ...
of the Midlands" in the 18th century, due to the ease in which couples could obtain a marriage licence from the Reverend W. Sweetapple.
The Bassett family effectively owned Fledborough from the fourteenth century to the seventeenth.
In the
UK census of 2021
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, the population was reported at 38 residents.
Archeology
The church consists of a nave, chancel, tower, north and south aisles, and a porch. According to historical records, a church is mentioned in the Domesday Book, although no remaining structure is known from the late Saxon period. The majority of the current church dates back to the time when the Lisures family held the manor and advowson.
The oldest section of the church is the tower, which dates back to the late 12th century. It features lower Norman architecture and displays stonework at the foundation level that suggests an earlier construction. The tower is adorned with angled buttresses and a pointed chamfered-arched west doorway, including a wooden door. Above the doorway, there is a single chamfered and deep inner-splayed lancet window. The tower arch, also from the late 12th century, is pointed and chamfered, with chamfered imposts. A string course separates the upper stage of the tower, which dates from the 13th century. Within the belfry, there are four pointed-arch openings, each containing two arched lights separated by a shaft. Notably, the window heads on the east and west sides have a lozenge cut, while the ones on the north and south sides feature a circle. Interestingly, the east wall of the tower shows signs of an earlier and higher roofline, suggesting that the east-facing belfry window once opened into the nave. The tower is crowned with a pyramidal roof, likely replicating the shape of the original late Saxon structure. Additionally, there is a chimney opening on the southern side, which was used for a former heating boiler.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Fledborough
*
Fledborough railway station
*
Fledborough Viaduct
Fledborough Viaduct is a former railway viaduct near Fledborough, Nottinghamshire which is now part of the national cycle network.
History
The viaduct is a substantial structure which carried the double-track LD&ECR's Chesterfield Market ...
Notes
Hamlets in Nottinghamshire
Bassetlaw District
External sites
YouTube video - parish visit journal{{Nottinghamshire
Civil parishes in Nottinghamshire