Balderton, Nottinghamshire
| Balderton | |
|---|---|
 Main Street, Balderton |
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 Balderton
Balderton shown within Nottinghamshire
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| Population | 9,757 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SK815515 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWARK |
| Postcode district | NG24 |
| Dialling code | 01636 |
| Police | Nottinghamshire |
| Fire | Nottinghamshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Balderton is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England, which had a population of 9,757 at the 2011 Census.
Balderton is one of the largest villages in Nottinghamshire, although it may be more properly considered a suburb of Newark on Trent. Balderton is split into Old Balderton, the southern part of the village, and New Balderton.
The busy A1 trunk road once ran through the village – recent improvements have created a bypass for the A1, improving the environment. The old A1 near the site of the hospital/hall was called the Ramper. The east coast main railway line between London and Edinburgh also skirts the village, the nearest station is Newark. Balderton was also once on the Great North Road.
The soil is mostly alluvial clays. Large deposits of gravel and sand were excavated in New Balderton – the resulting pits have now turned into a park. Gypsum was once mined nearby. The surrounding area is mostly agricultural, mixed arable and livestock.
The name Balderton has obscure roots but may have been derived from Balder or Baldur – the Norse god of innocence, beauty, joy, purity, and peace and Odin's second son eventually killed by his blind brother in an accident involving Loki the god of mischief and fire. The village itself is probably of Anglo-Saxon origin and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The ton suffix suggests a Late Anglo-Saxon origin. The Saxon countess Godiva, the wife of Earl Leofric, had property in the Manor of Newark nearby.
In the Domesday Book (1086) the place is called Baldretune and is described as a berewick (a dependent hamlet) of Newark. In the Pope Nicholas IV taxation of 1291 it is spelt Baldirton.
Balderton's Lords, the Busseys, lived in the area in William the Conqueror's era and held it until the reign of Elizabeth I. It subsequently descended to the Meers and Lascels. In the 1840s, when its population was a little over 1,000, large parts of the village were owned principally by the Duke of Newcastle, who was lord of the manor.
Two petitions of the fourteenth century show disputes with the nearby village of Claypole. In 1305 the bishop of Lincoln and the Busseys were hindering passage along the road to Newark market (National Archives S8/161/8038) and in 1324 the people of Claypole petitioned about Balderton people attacking jurors in relation to the Oldebrigg between Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire (National Archives S8/39/1930). The will of John de Boston, a mercer of Newark, in 1443 left twenty shillings for the maintenance of the bridge between Balderton and Bennington; the bridge was called "fennebrige" (Brown (1907) 1.172).
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