Abington Pigotts
Encyclopedia
Abington Pigotts is a small village
in Cambridgeshire
, England
about 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Royston, Hertfordshire
.
, Wendy
, Bassingbourn
, Litlington
, and Steeple Morden
with its boundaries largely following minor waterways and streams.
A settlement from the early Iron Age
has been found in the parish, covering around 20 acres a half mile north-west of the church, and was occupied through the Belgic and Roman periods. Pottery from the Anglo-Saxon era has also been found near the site.
In early medieval times Abington was sometimes listed as a hamlet of its southern neighbour, Litlington, despite possessing its own church from at least 1200.
Listed as Abintone in the Domesday Book
of 1086, the name Abington means "estate associated with a man called Abba". In medieval times the village was variously known as Abington by Shingay, after its neighbouring village, and Abington in the Clay, from the heaviness of its soil, to distinguish it from The Abingtons
in the south east of Cambridgeshire. The village became Abington Pigots by the 17th century after the Pykot or Pigott family that owned the manor from the 15th to the 19th century.
, The Pig and Abbot, an early-18th century inn which was known as the Darby and Joan
from the early 19th century until the 1980s. A village hall was opened in 1926.
A schoolroom was built on the road to the church in around 1850 with the children taught by the wives of the local craftsmen. The number of pupils remained around 40 for the rest of the 19th century but had dropped to 15 in the 1920s. In 1926 older children were sent instead to Bassingbourn
with junior children following in 1933. The school reopened on a different site in 1939 but closed again in 1954. Primary children now attend the school in Litlington
before moving to Bassingbourn Village College.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in 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...
about 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the towns western boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the county on the same latitude of towns such as Milton Keynes and...
.
History
The parish of Abington Pigotts covers an area of 1237 acres (500.6 ha). Roughly circular in shape it is surrounded by the parishes of ShingayShingay
Shingay is a hamlet in the civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy in South Cambridgeshire, England around 5 miles north west of Royston.-History:...
, Wendy
Wendy, Cambridgeshire
Wendy is a hamlet in the civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy in South Cambridgeshire, England around 5 miles north west of Royston.-History:Wendy was a separate parish until 1957 when it was merged with neighbouring Shingay to form the present civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy. The historical parish...
, Bassingbourn
Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth
Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth is a civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles south-west of Cambridge. Since the 1960s the parish contains the villages of Bassingbourn and Kneesworth and is situated just north of Royston in Hertfordshire...
, Litlington
Litlington, Cambridgeshire
Litlington is a village and civil parish in the East of England region and the county Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. The village lies around south west of Cambridge and north west of Royston.-History:...
, and Steeple Morden
Steeple Morden
Steeple Morden is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about south west of Cambridge and west of Royston. It is part of the South Cambridgeshire local government district....
with its boundaries largely following minor waterways and streams.
A settlement from the early Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
has been found in the parish, covering around 20 acres a half mile north-west of the church, and was occupied through the Belgic and Roman periods. Pottery from the Anglo-Saxon era has also been found near the site.
In early medieval times Abington was sometimes listed as a hamlet of its southern neighbour, Litlington, despite possessing its own church from at least 1200.
Listed as Abintone in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
of 1086, the name Abington means "estate associated with a man called Abba". In medieval times the village was variously known as Abington by Shingay, after its neighbouring village, and Abington in the Clay, from the heaviness of its soil, to distinguish it from The Abingtons
The Abingtons, Cambridgeshire
The Abingtons are a community in South Cambridgeshire consisting of two villages: Little Abington and Great Abington, south east of Cambridge.-History:...
in the south east of Cambridgeshire. The village became Abington Pigots by the 17th century after the Pykot or Pigott family that owned the manor from the 15th to the 19th century.
Church
The parish church has been dedicated to St Michael (now St Michael and All Angels) since at least the 13th century and consists of a chancel, nave with south porch and north vestry, and west tower. The present building dates from the 14th century, though the chancel was reconstructed in 1875. The three-stage tower is 15th century, but traces of Romanesque carving from an earlier building can still be seen.Village life
The high street consists of a number of small 18th and 19th century timber-framed cottages. The largest building on the high street is the village's one pubPublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, The Pig and Abbot, an early-18th century inn which was known as the Darby and Joan
Darby and Joan
Darby and Joan is a proverbial phrase for a married couple content to live a quiet shared life.-Usage:The Nuttall Encyclopædia defined the phrase as "a married couple celebrated for their mutual attachment", the Random House Dictionary as "a happily married couple who lead a placid, uneventful...
from the early 19th century until the 1980s. A village hall was opened in 1926.
A schoolroom was built on the road to the church in around 1850 with the children taught by the wives of the local craftsmen. The number of pupils remained around 40 for the rest of the 19th century but had dropped to 15 in the 1920s. In 1926 older children were sent instead to Bassingbourn
Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth
Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth is a civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles south-west of Cambridge. Since the 1960s the parish contains the villages of Bassingbourn and Kneesworth and is situated just north of Royston in Hertfordshire...
with junior children following in 1933. The school reopened on a different site in 1939 but closed again in 1954. Primary children now attend the school in Litlington
Litlington, Cambridgeshire
Litlington is a village and civil parish in the East of England region and the county Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. The village lies around south west of Cambridge and north west of Royston.-History:...
before moving to Bassingbourn Village College.
Further reading
- History of Abington Pigotts with Litlington: churches & parishes, with the manors; by Magens De Courcy-Ireland. Royston: [the author], 1944.