Abbotsley
Encyclopedia
Abbotsley is a village and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire
district of Cambridgeshire
, England
. It is three miles from St Neots
and 14 miles from the county town of Cambridge
. At the time of the 2001 census, the resident population was 425 people living in 164 households.
but appears to have formed during the 12th century.
by one councillor for the Buckden, Gransden and the Offords electoral division. It is in the constituency of Huntingdon
, represented at the House of Commons by Jonathan Djanogly
.
and 47 miles from London
. It is on the B1046 road between Great Gransden
and St Neots
. The elevation of the parish is between 22 and 60 metres (72-197 feet) above sea level. The subsoil is Oxford and Ampthill clay.
.
19 buildings in Abbotsley are listed (including the church). Among them are four houses along Blacksmiths Lane, nine houses along the High Street, a red telephone box
and a table tomb in the churchyard.
has stood in Abbotsley since around 1300, though there was a church in the village as early as 1138. The current building was restored in 1854 and 1861 and the tower in 1884; it is a Grade II* listed building. Abbotsley is part of the deanery of St Neots
and diocese of Ely
.
Festival is held to raise money for maintenance of the village hall. Residents construct themed scarecrows and place them outside their houses for a week while there are various fundraising events held.
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
district of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is three miles from St Neots
St Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
and 14 miles from the county town of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. At the time of the 2001 census, the resident population was 425 people living in 164 households.
History
The village's name is derived from 'woodland clearing of a man called Ealdbeald.' It was not mentioned in the Domesday bookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
but appears to have formed during the 12th century.
Governance
Abbotsley parish council comprises seven councillors, a chairman and clerk. The parish is represented by two councillors for the Gransden and the Offords ward on the district council and on Cambridgeshire County CouncilCambridgeshire County Council
Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council of Cambridgeshire, England. The council currently consists of 69 councillors, representing 60 electoral divisions. The Conservative Party has a majority on the council, having gained control in the 1997 local elections...
by one councillor for the Buckden, Gransden and the Offords electoral division. It is in the constituency of Huntingdon
Huntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)
Huntingdon is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, represented at the House of Commons by Jonathan Djanogly
Jonathan Djanogly
Jonathan Simon Djanogly is a British politician, former practicing solicitor and Conservative Member of Parliament for Huntingdon...
.
Geography
Abbotsley village is 14 miles from the county town of CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and 47 miles from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It is on the B1046 road between Great Gransden
Great Gransden
Great Gransden parish is west of the county town of Cambridge, south-east of Huntingdon and north of London. It covers an area of . The village stands on the B1046 road between Abbotsley, to the west, and Longstowe, to the east...
and St Neots
St Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
. The elevation of the parish is between 22 and 60 metres (72-197 feet) above sea level. The subsoil is Oxford and Ampthill clay.
Demography
At the time of the 2001 census, the resident population was 425 people. The ethnic group of all residents was white; 78% described themselves as ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
.
Landmarks
A war memorial which stands in the churchyard commemorates Abbotsley men who died in the First and Second World Wars.19 buildings in Abbotsley are listed (including the church). Among them are four houses along Blacksmiths Lane, nine houses along the High Street, a red telephone box
Red telephone box
The red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar, and despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, red boxes can still be seen in many places and in current or former...
and a table tomb in the churchyard.
Religious sites
St Margaret's ChurchSt Margaret's Church, Abbotsley
St Margaret's Church, Abbotsley, is a partly redundant Anglican church in the village of Abbotsley, Cambridgeshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
has stood in Abbotsley since around 1300, though there was a church in the village as early as 1138. The current building was restored in 1854 and 1861 and the tower in 1884; it is a Grade II* listed building. Abbotsley is part of the deanery of St Neots
St Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
and diocese of Ely
Diocese of Ely
The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now covers Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk...
.
Culture and community
A village hall is used for meetings, events and private functions. An annual Feast Week and ScarecrowScarecrow
A scarecrow is, essentially, a decoy, though traditionally, a human figure dressed in old clothes and placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan...
Festival is held to raise money for maintenance of the village hall. Residents construct themed scarecrows and place them outside their houses for a week while there are various fundraising events held.