Rainworth

Rainworth is a village in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England. It is split between the local government districts of Newark and Sherwood and Mansfield. To the north of Rainworth is the village of Clipstone and to the east are the villages of Bilsthorpe and Farnsfield. Mansfield lies two miles to the west. The village of Blidworth is a mile to the south. The A617 dual-carriageway bypasses the village. The roundabout at the western terminus was the starting point for the Mansfield and Ashfield Regeneration Route. The former route through the village is the B6020. The old Norse word for 'clean' was hreinn with 'wath' meaning ford. Another theory is that in the year c. 616 AD, the Saxon king of East Anglia, Rædwald, stayed at the site prior to Battle of the River Idle against Ethelfrith, King of Mercia. During the battle, Rædwald's son, Regehere, was slain, and from that day, the area was known as Regehere's Wath (Wath being a ford or crossing point over a river). Over the years, many changes in the spelling of the name have been recorded, becoming Reynwath by 1268, then Raynwath, and further adapted to the present day name of Rainworth. Locally, some pronounce the modern day spelling as 'Renneth'. Rainworth started as a settlement close to a Roman road that went through Mansfield and Newark, and provided access to the coalfields of Derbyshire for the Roman settlements in the area to the east of Nottinghamshire. The sheltered location and access to clean water from Rainworth Water, meant that the area was often used by travelling Romans as a camp site. In the year c. 616 AD, a mighty Saxon warrior, Rædwald, stayed at the site prior to a battle with Ethelfrith, King of Mercia. During the battle, Rædwald's son, Regehere, was killed, and from that day, the area was known as Regehere's Wath, and has been further adapted to the present day spelling of Rainworth. Rainworth Lodge was first built in 1190 as a hunting lodge. Rufus Clarke lived there in 1212 and was with King John's hunting parties in the forest.