Barnwell, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Barnwell is a suburb of Cambridge
in England
.
It lies northeast of the city, with Cambridge Airport
located immediately to the east. It forms part of the ecclesiastical parish of St Andrew the Less and was the site of Barnwell Priory
.
Barnwell is also home to the Leper Chapel
near the Newmarket Road
bridge over the railway at Barnwell Junction. Built in 1125 the chapel is one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge.
and sheriff of Cambridgeshire
at the time of the Domesday Book
. The house was originally near Cambridge Castle
but moved to Barnwell in around 1119 and became Barnwell Priory
.
By the 14th century the city of Cambridge was divided into seven wards, of which the smallest was Barnwell Ward, believed to cover the few houses along the Newmarket Road
that fell outside the city's Barnwell Gate. In 1835 the city comprised five wards: East Barnwell, West Barnwell, Market, Trinity, and St. Andrew's, demonstrating the development in the area. Of the city's current fourteen wards, the Barnwell area is covered by the Abbey Ward, which itself takes its name from Barnwell Priory.
By the mid-19th century, Barnwell was a rough area inhabited predominantly by railway workers and manual labourers such as those mining fossil beds. Ion Keith-Falconer opened a mission in a local theatre in 1875 in an attempt to reduce poverty in the area. The astronomer William Scott
also worked in the slums in the 1850s as a curate.
Barnwell Junction railway station opened in 1884 as the first station on the Cambridge to Mildenhall railway
. It closed in 1962.
Known as Bernewell in the 13th century, and before that Beornewelle, the name Barnwell means "well of Beorna", where Beorna is a name meaning "warrior". The common belief that it derives from bearn, an old word for a child, is incorrect.
maps of Cambridge.
The name lives on as the name of streets (Barnwell Road, Barnwell Drive), geographical features (Barnwell Lake), public services (East Barnwell Health Centre, East Barnwell Community Centre, Barnwell Baptist Church) and organisations (Barnwell Business Park, Barnwell Florists).
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...
in 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 lies northeast of the city, with Cambridge Airport
Cambridge Airport
Cambridge Airport is a small regional airport in South Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the eastern outskirts of Cambridge, south of Newmarket Road and west of the village of Teversham, from the centre of Cambridge and approximately from London.Opened in 1938, when it replaced the old...
located immediately to the east. It forms part of the ecclesiastical parish of St Andrew the Less and was the site of Barnwell Priory
Barnwell Priory
Barnwell Priory was an Augustinian priory at Barnwell in Cambridgeshire, founded as a house of Canons Regular.The priory was home to the Barnwell chronicler, an anonymous chronicler who wrote about the reign of King John.-References:...
.
Barnwell is also home to the Leper Chapel
Leper Chapel, Cambridge
The Leper Chapel in Cambridge, also currently known as the Leper Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, lies on the east side of Cambridge, England, off Newmarket Road just after crossing over the railway line at Barnwell Junction...
near the Newmarket Road
Newmarket Road, Cambridge
Newmarket Road is an arterial road in the east of Cambridge, England. It is designated the A1134 at the western end, linked by a roundabout forming a junction with Barnwell Road to the south. The eastern end links with the city's inner ring road at another roundabout, with Elizabeth Way to the...
bridge over the railway at Barnwell Junction. Built in 1125 the chapel is one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge.
History
The history of Barnwell effectively began with the creation of the house of Canons Regular in 1092 by Picot, Lord of Bourn and MadingleyMadingley
Madingley is a village near Coton and Dry Drayton on the western outskirts of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Known as Madingelei in the Domesday Book, the village's name means "Woodland clearing of the family or followers of a man called Mada"....
and sheriff 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...
at the time of 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...
. The house was originally near Cambridge Castle
Cambridge Castle
Cambridge Castle, locally also known as Castle Mound, is located in the town of the same name in Cambridgeshire, England. Originally built after the Norman conquest to control the strategically important route to the north of England, it played a role in the conflicts of the Anarchy, the First and...
but moved to Barnwell in around 1119 and became Barnwell Priory
Barnwell Priory
Barnwell Priory was an Augustinian priory at Barnwell in Cambridgeshire, founded as a house of Canons Regular.The priory was home to the Barnwell chronicler, an anonymous chronicler who wrote about the reign of King John.-References:...
.
By the 14th century the city of Cambridge was divided into seven wards, of which the smallest was Barnwell Ward, believed to cover the few houses along the Newmarket Road
Newmarket Road, Cambridge
Newmarket Road is an arterial road in the east of Cambridge, England. It is designated the A1134 at the western end, linked by a roundabout forming a junction with Barnwell Road to the south. The eastern end links with the city's inner ring road at another roundabout, with Elizabeth Way to the...
that fell outside the city's Barnwell Gate. In 1835 the city comprised five wards: East Barnwell, West Barnwell, Market, Trinity, and St. Andrew's, demonstrating the development in the area. Of the city's current fourteen wards, the Barnwell area is covered by the Abbey Ward, which itself takes its name from Barnwell Priory.
By the mid-19th century, Barnwell was a rough area inhabited predominantly by railway workers and manual labourers such as those mining fossil beds. Ion Keith-Falconer opened a mission in a local theatre in 1875 in an attempt to reduce poverty in the area. The astronomer William Scott
William Scott (astronomer and clergyman)
William Scott , was a Church of England clergyman and became the colonial astronomer for New South Wales.-Background:...
also worked in the slums in the 1850s as a curate.
Barnwell Junction railway station opened in 1884 as the first station on the Cambridge to Mildenhall railway
Cambridge to Mildenhall railway
The Cambridge to Mildenhall railway is a closed railway between Cambridge and Mildenhall in England. The line was built by the Great Eastern Railway and opened from Cambridge to Fordham on 2 June 1884 and then to Mildenhall on 1 April 1885 with a length of ....
. It closed in 1962.
Known as Bernewell in the 13th century, and before that Beornewelle, the name Barnwell means "well of Beorna", where Beorna is a name meaning "warrior". The common belief that it derives from bearn, an old word for a child, is incorrect.
Barnwell today
Barnwell has long since ceased to exist as a separate entity, having been absorbed into the city of Cambridge. Now part of Abbey Ward, there is no official geographical entity bearing the name and it no longer appears on Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps of Cambridge.
The name lives on as the name of streets (Barnwell Road, Barnwell Drive), geographical features (Barnwell Lake), public services (East Barnwell Health Centre, East Barnwell Community Centre, Barnwell Baptist Church) and organisations (Barnwell Business Park, Barnwell Florists).
See also
- Barnwell PrioryBarnwell PrioryBarnwell Priory was an Augustinian priory at Barnwell in Cambridgeshire, founded as a house of Canons Regular.The priory was home to the Barnwell chronicler, an anonymous chronicler who wrote about the reign of King John.-References:...
- Barnwell chroniclerBarnwell chroniclerThe Barnwell Chronicle is a thirteenth-century Latin chronicle named after the priory at Barnwell near Cambridge, where the manuscript was kept.The historian J.C...
- Leper Chapel, CambridgeLeper Chapel, CambridgeThe Leper Chapel in Cambridge, also currently known as the Leper Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, lies on the east side of Cambridge, England, off Newmarket Road just after crossing over the railway line at Barnwell Junction...
- University Ground, BarnwellUniversity Ground, BarnwellThe University Ground was a cricket ground in Barnwell, a suburb in northeast Cambridge, England. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1821, when Cambridge University played the Cambridge Town Club in a first-class fixture. From 1821 to 1830, the ground held eight first-class matches,...