THE history of Nottingham, from Henry II's charter to honours bestowed on Brian Clough and Torvill and Dean, is on display in the city this week.

Over the past two decades, a project led by city aldermen Frank Dennett and his wife, Frances, has researched and collated the history of officialdom in Nottingham.

Ald Dennett discovered and stored the name of every mayor and Lord Mayor of Nottingham going back to the first one in the year 1284.

He died in 2007 at the age of 86, having all but completed his mammoth task.

He had also searched for information on every Sheriff since the office was instituted in 1149.

Norman Packer, co-ordinator of Council House tours, said: "We used to have two Sheriffs up to 1835, when the office was reduced to a single representative.

"Frank was able to list everyone, apart from about six years, those records apparently being lost in a fire."

Nottingham became a city in 1897 and the first citizen was then able to adopt the title of Lord Mayor.

The exhibition will feature a photograph of every person to hold that office, the last three pictures having been located in the past 12 months. Mr Packer and his team are still searching for three missing Sheriffs: William Henry Carey (1907), Wallis Smith (1934) and Wilfred Bland (1944).

On show will be the charter of 1157 recognising Nottingham's customary laws and rights, complete with a translation of the text.

It was granted by Henry II, who, after besieging Nottingham, rode into town – and by way of compensation for the damage his troops had caused, slashed taxes to allow rebuilding, gave the right for river and road tolls to be levied and allowed markets to be held on Fridays and Saturdays.

Also on show will be the charter of 1284, issued by Edward I, which, among other things, gave Nottingham the right to hold a fair on the feast of St Edmund...now known universally as Goose Fair.

Queen Victoria's charter of 1897, which granted Nottingham city status, will also be on show, along with the original Freeman of the City scroll which shows the signature of every person honoured.

They range from the first, Charles Seely, to Forest legend Brian Clough, author Alan Sillitoe and ice stars Torvill and Dean.

Ald Dennett's widow, Ald Mrs Frances Dennett, said her husband wanted the people in Nottingham to know they had this wonderful history.

"He was the first sheriff to go on walkabouts in the city, dressed in his formal robes. He surprised many people who didn't know Nottingham had a sheriff."

In 1980, the Dennetts also introduced the idea of guided tours around the Council House, in the face of stern opposition from council leaders at the time. "He used to tell them 'the Council House belongs to the people of Nottingham, not to you'," she said.

The exhibition, which will be in the grand Council House ballroom, will also display the priceless charters granted to Nottingham in the past 900 years.

Kept in special glass frames at the Nottinghamshire Archives, they are being brought to the Council House under the guidance of a humidifying expert to maintain strict climate conditions.

Alongside the exhibition, there will be a display about the Picture the Past website, a local authorities archive containing thousands of Notts and Derbyshire photographs, and a presentation by Nottingham Central Library.

Visitors will be able to find out how to trace their family tree, research those who died in the First and Second World Wars, trace the history of their community and much more..

The exhibition opens to the public today and tomorrow , from 10am until 8pm. Admission is free.

If anyone can help with photographs of the missing officials, they should contact Norman Packer on 0115 979 7635.

andy.smart@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk