Bassetlaw

East Retford: Church of St. Swithun

Bassetlaw, district, administrative and historic county of Nottinghamshire, England. The district occupies the northern quarter of the county.

The name Bassetlaw previously applied to the parliamentary constituency that covers much the same area and earlier still was the name of one of the English wapentakes, or territorial divisions, through which law was administered and defense organized. The court of this wapentake met on a hill called Bassetlaw.

The two main towns within the district are the ancient market towns of Retford and Worksop; the smaller towns of Harworth and Tuxford are also important. In the south-central part of the district is Clumber Park, a National Trust property that was once the country estate of the dukes of Newcastle, which features 3,800 acres (1,535 hectares) of picturesque parkland and gardens. The Chesterfield Canal meanders through the district and provides walking, cycling, and bridle paths. Scrooby, in northern Bassetlaw, was the birthplace of William Brewster, one of the principal Pilgrim Fathers, who led Separatists first to Holland and then on the Mayflower to North America to found Plymouth colony (now in Massachusetts) in 1620. The district’s rich history is highlighted in Bassetlaw Museum in Retford. Area 246 square miles (637 square km). Pop. (2001) 107,713; (2011) 112,863.