Cotgrave is a town and civil parish in the borough of Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, England, some 5 miles (8 km) south-east of central Nottingham. It perches on the South Nottinghamshire Wolds about 131 feet (40 metres) above sea level. Cotgrave's 2001 population of 7,373 people fell to 7,203 at the 2011 Census, though Owthorpe was included. It was estimated at 8,113 in 2019. Position With an ancient heart that has largely escaped development, Cotgrave still has a village atmosphere despite its population. This is accented by its amenities and infrastructure, which have remained comparatively underdeveloped, even though large housing estates were built round the village in the 1960s for people working for the coalmine. It is edged between the A52, A606 and A46. To the west are Tollerton and Nottingham Airport, which has facilities for private planes and flight instruction. History Cotgrave's origins may be in the Iron Age. A 6th-century Anglo-Saxon burial ground has been excavated at Mill Hill to the north of the old village. There was certainly a Saxon church a century before the Norman Conquest. The Roman Fosse Way passes a mile to the east, where it changes direction slightly. The A46 follows its course, and during improvements in 2012–13, excavations uncovered Ice Age flint tools. Evidence of an Iron Age settlement was also found at Owthorpe Junction, just to the east, and a 4,000-year-old Neolithic circular monument with eight Bronze Age burials emerged slightly further north at Stragglethorpe junction. The place-name Cotgrave seems to contain an Old English personal name, Cotta, + grāf (Old English), grove or copse, to make 'Cotta's grove'. The present substantial church, All Saints', dates from the 12th century, with several subsequent alterations and additions. An arson attack in 1996 caused considerable damage, but the church has since been restored at great expense. The church has a ring of eight bells, most made by Taylor's. A team of ringers practises regularly on Fridays and Sundays. An outbreak of plague in 1637 killed 93 of a population of 500, including 46 children. All Saints' was used as a food store for the village during the outbreak. Money to pay for goods was disinfected as it was passed through a hollowed stone filled with vinegar to the men who had locked themselves away in the church. This stone is still in the church. On Scrimshire Lane, near the church, can be found an