Gotham (Nottinghamshire)

Gotham is a place in Nottinghamshire in England, 7 km south of Nottingham. The Church of St. Lawrence dates from the 12th century.

The place is in the stories of the Wise Men of Gotham the English equivalent to Schilda. It is supposedly mentioned in a manuscript of the 13th century as Gotyam. The settlement is known mainly by the nursery rhyme: Three wise men of Gotham They went to sea in a bowl And if the bowl had been stronger My song would have been longer.

The people of Gotham buildings including a fence to hold the cuckoo and so to get an eternal summer.

Washington Irving rendered in 1807 in the book Salmagundi the name Gotham from the fairy tales of New York City. This rarely used nickname used Bob Kane for his Batman comics as Gotham City.

Source

• Look and Learn. Christmas 2006, 15