Molesworth, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Molesworth is a village in Cambridgeshire
, England
about 10 miles (16 km) west of Huntingdon
. The village has been designated a conservation area by Huntingdon District Council largely due to its typically rural English character that includes several listed buildings.
Saint Peters Church stands on the west of the village and consists of a chancel
, nave
and tower. The chancel was built around 1275 but the presence of several 12th century stones suggests that an earlier stone church may have existed on the site.
In 1646, during the European Witch-hunt
, two people from Molesworth, John Winnick and Ellen Shepheard (along with others from the nearby village of Catworth
) were examined as witches.
The village gives its name to RAF Molesworth
, a Royal Air Force
base with a history dating back to 1917. RAF Molesworth
no longer has an active runway. It is the home to the Joint Analysis Centre, the intelligence fusion centre supporting the United States European Command and NATO.
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 10 miles (16 km) west of Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
. The village has been designated a conservation area by Huntingdon District Council largely due to its typically rural English character that includes several listed buildings.
Saint Peters Church stands on the west of the village and consists of a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and tower. The chancel was built around 1275 but the presence of several 12th century stones suggests that an earlier stone church may have existed on the site.
In 1646, during the European Witch-hunt
Witch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
, two people from Molesworth, John Winnick and Ellen Shepheard (along with others from the nearby village of Catworth
Catworth
Catworth – in Huntingdonshire , England – is a village near Molesworth west of Huntingdon.Catworth village has two parts, Catworth, at the top of the hill, and Little Catworth, at the bottom....
) were examined as witches.
The village gives its name to RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
, a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base with a history dating back to 1917. RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
no longer has an active runway. It is the home to the Joint Analysis Centre, the intelligence fusion centre supporting the United States European Command and NATO.