January 2010
Nottingham Chamberlains' Accounts, 1464
Reference: CA 1601
During the Middle Ages one of the main ways in which Nottingham raised money was through letting and renting property. The rents from these properties could then be used for work in the town. The town owned a number of properties which together formed the Chamber Estate. These properties included:
- All common or open fields
- Parts of Eastcroft, a name still used today in Eastcroft Depot
- Parts of Westcroft, between the rivers Trent and Leen
- The Shambles, a large series of stalls set out around the Old Exchange - now the Council House site
- Other properties, such as parts of Fletcher Gate.
By 1410 two officers are known to have existed in Nottingham who were responsible for the upkeep of the properties and for collecting the revenue. These officers were called chamberlains. Their accounts show how much money has been acquired and what it had been spent on.
One of the earliest account books dates to 1464. It shows how money from the Chamber Estate was being used:
- Repairs to Plumptre Bridge
- Repairs to the pillory, a form of punishment. The pillory was a wooden frame in which a felon's head and hands would be trapped, so that the felon could be subjected to public ridicule and abuse
- Paving the streets. A number of streets are described as being paved here, including around Broad Marsh and High Pavement
- Building a wall.
The account books can tell us a lot about life in Nottingham including names of streets and bridges, trades and commerce and law and order.
See the chamberlains' accounts in more detail here [PDF 2643KB] 
Read a transcript of the accounts here [PDF 52KB]
Find out more about the records of the city of Nottingham here.
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