Toponymy Clowne, originally
Clun, a Celtic name for a river, has been spelt in various ways over the last thousand years, including Clune, Clowen and Clown, before adopting its current form in the 1920s. It was mentioned in the
Domesday Book of 1086 as
Clune under the lordship of ‘Robert of
Barlborough’ with a population consisting of 27.3 households, putting it in the largest 40% of recorded settlements. The names of the two railway stations in the village were spelled differently at different times: they both started as ’Clown’; one was renamed twice, firstly as ’Clown and Barlborough’ (no ’e’), then as
Clowne and Barlborough; the other was renamed
Clowne South. It has frequently been noted on lists of
unusual place names.
Markland Grips Between Clowne and
Creswell, on the southern end of the band of
magnesian limestone which runs south from
Durham to the
Derbyshire-
Nottinghamshire border, are Hollinhill and Markland Grips, a series of valleys often with vertical cliff-like sides formed by meltwater action of receding
glaciers at the end of the last
Ice age. 'Grips' is the local term for this feature. In the cliff sides are several small caves, rock shelters and fissures where human bones, which have been
carbon dated to the early
Neolithic period, have been discovered. During the
Roman period, a fort guarding an important ridgeway which ran north to south was close to Clowne. It was close to an even older
Bronze Age fortification on a promontory north of Hollinhill Grips. The Grips are a
Site of Special Scientific Interest, managed by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.
Early history The first recorded mention of Clowne manor was in 1002 when the owner was
Wulfric Spot. The
Domesday Book of 1086 refers to Ernui, but thereafter there was no mention of the manor until 1485, when Clowne was associated with the
Bolsover manor. The manor eventually passed to the Cavendish family and through marriage to the Bentinck family, the
Dukes of Portland. The church,
St John the Baptist, Clowne dedicated to
St John the Baptist, was built during the 12th century. The medieval cross and the church of St. John the Baptist are the oldest surviving structures in the village. In the 17th century Clowne was a rural farming community. Some buildings still stand from this date, notably the Anchor Inn and Sheridon's Yard (now private residences). The
plague struck Clowne in 1586 and 1606, and victims were buried away from the village at
Monument Field or
Plague Field.
Industrial Revolution At the beginning of the 19th century the inhabitants of Clowne worked in agriculture, or mined the shallow coal seams. Others were employed at the mill, which made candle-wick, sacking and sail-cloth. ==Governance==