Stapleford is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England, west of Nottingham. The population at the 2011 census was 15,241. Geography Stapleford lies on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. To the north of Stapleford is Ilkeston and to the east is Beeston. To the west across the River Erewash is Sandiacre, and in the south is Toton. Politics Stapleford is part of Broxtowe borough and the Broxtowe Parliamentary Constituency. From 1935 until 1974 Stapleford was paired with the town of Beeston in the Beeston and Stapleford Urban District, having previously been part of the Stapleford Rural District. The town was parished in 1987 and now has a town council. The local MP is Darren Henry of the Conservative Party from December 2019, and the town is represented on Nottinghamshire County Council by the Conservative Party and also on Broxtowe Borough Council by two Labour Party, one Conservative Party and one Independent Councillor and two Liberal Democrats. The town council is a mixture of Labour Party, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and 4 Independent Councillors since the election in May 2019. Brief history The place-name is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears, unusually, spelt as now, and in the Pipe Rolls of 1197 . The name means "ford marked by a post or posts". Stapleford's origins can be traced to before the Norman Conquest. In the churchyard of St Helen's church is the Stone Cross which is Saxon and believed to be the oldest Christian monument in the Midlands. Stapleford owed its development in part to its closeness to the River Trent and the River Erewash as the town became a point of trade. The antiquary John Weever defined an staple town "to be a place, to which by the prince's authority and privilege wool, hides of beasts, wine, corn or grain, and other exotic or foreign merchandize are transferred, carried or conveyed to be sold." The area also expanded in the late 18th century when the stocking hose trade thrived in the Midlands. Evidence of this history can be found today with the original Stocking Knitters' Houses still standing alongside more modern properties and shops such as on Nottingham Road. The main crossroads in Stapleford at the junction of Nottingham Road, Derby Road, Toton Lane and Church Street is called The Roach. The name is from the time when