The malting and woollen industries flourished in Norman times. The latter declined in the i6th century, and was superseded by the hosiery manufacture which sprang up after the invention of the stocking-loom in 1589. The smiths of Nottingham were also famous in the middle ages, smelting the ore with charcoal from Sherwood. The earliest evidence of the working of the Nottinghamshire coalfield is in 1259, when Queen Eleanor was unable to remain on account of the smoke of the sea-coal. In 1881, 39 collieries were at work in the county. Hops were formerly grown, and Worksop was famous for its liquorice. Numerous coLton-mills were erected in Nottinghamshire in the 18th century, and there were silk-mills at Nottingham. The man ufacture of tambour lace existed in the 18th century, and was facilitated in the 19th century by the manufacture of machine made net. Now-a-days coal is mined chiefly around Nottingham, Mansfield and Worksop. Clay, sandstone and limestone are also extensively raised. Nottingham is the principal centre of the lace and hosiery industries. There are silk, worsted and cotton mills. A large number of hands are employed in machinery works, and cycle and motor manufactures are important. The manufacture of tobacco is considerable at Nottingham and Hucknall Torkard.
In 1926, 426,966 ac. were under crops and grass, the most fer tile land lying on the alluvium along the Trent. The chief grain crops are wheat and oats, with barley covering about half as great an acreage. Root crops and potatoes also take up a large acreage, while there were 18,602 ac. of clover and rotation grasses
for hay. Beans occupied 6,658 and sugar beets 3,231 acres. Apples and pears are grown but there are no large orchards. The shire raises cattle, chiefly shorthorn, and dairying is extensively prac tised. Sheep are not numerous, the chief breed being Leicesters and various crosses. The old local forest breed is almost extinct.
The L.M.S.R. and L.N.E.R. serve the county. The Trent is navigable throughout the county and the Idle between Bawtry and the Trent. A few canals centre upon Nottingham. Area of administrative county and associated county borough 540,015 acres; pop. (1931) 712,681. The county contains the city and county and municipal borough of Nottingham and the municipal boroughs of Retford or East Retford, Mansfield and Newark. For parliamentary purposes the county is divided into five divisions (Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Newark, Rushcliffe and Mansfield), each returning one member; and the parliamentary borough of Nottingham returns one member for each of its four divisions. There is one court of quarter sessions.
Victoria County History, Nottinghamshire; R. Thoroton, The Antiquities of Nottinghamshire (Lond., 1677 ; republished with addi tions by J. Thoresby, 3 vols., London, 1797) ; Thomas Bailey, Annals of Nottinghamshire (4 vols., 5852-56) ; J. P. Briscoe, Old Nottingham shire 0880 ; J. Ward, Descriptive Catalogue of Books relating to Not tinghamshire (Nottingham, 1892).