Stetchworth
Encyclopedia
Stetchworth is a small village
and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire
, England
, 3 miles (5 km) to the south of the horse-racing centre of Newmarket and around 12 miles (19 km) east of Cambridge
.
. Its relatively straight north-east border with Burwell
and Woodditton
follows the Devil's Dyke
to its southern end just west of Ditton Green, from where the border follows field boundaries. Its long western border with Dullingham
also follows field boundaries, most of which also follow the course of the Stour Valley
Path, a long-distance footpath. It also has a short border with Kirtling
at the south eastern end and another with Swaffham Prior
at its north west edge.
Devil's Dyke
(or Ditch), an Anglo-Saxon earthwork
built between the Cambridgeshire villages of Reach
and Wood Ditton, runs through Stetchworth. It consists of a ditch and a mound of earth which continues for over seven miles, and is a popular place for local walks. The Devils Dyke Morris Men dance along its length to end up at the 800 year old Reach Fair on May Day. The relatively rare pasque flower
grows along the dyke in the chalky soil.
The village had 25 inhabitants at the time of the Domesday Book
in 1086 when the parish was owned by Hardwin of Scales, the Abbot of Ely
, and Count Alan. The Domesday Book also mentions that Stetchworth was "once a town".
The railway reached the parish when the Cambridge to Newmarket line was opened in 1848, though there is no station in Stetchworth, though Dullingham railway station
is just over a mile to the west of the village.
The National Stud partially falls within the parish boundaries, and the July Racecourse at Newmarket Racecourse
finishes in the parish, running parallel to the Devil's Dyke.
Listed as Steuicheswrthe in around 1050 and Stiuicesuuorde in the Domesday Book
of 1086, the name "Stetchworth" either means "enclosure amongst the tree-stumps" or "enclosure of a man called Styfic".
There are bells in the tower dating from 1450 onwards, but they have not been used in recent years. The church boasts examples of early English graffiti (apparently carved into a pillar during a visit to Stetchworth by Queen Philippa) depicting a woman in an elaborate head-dress, and several animals.
The village also has a United Reformed Church
that opened in 1963 on the site of the former Congregationalist Church.
in 1905. It closed in the 1930s. The Live and Let Live opened opposite the school in 1890, but closed at some point between 1961 and 1973.
A school was opened in the village in the 1860s and attendance grew to a peak of 168 in 1905-6, falling to 33 by 1938. Older children were transferred to Bottisham Village College
in 1947, and the primary school closed in 1990.
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...
and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in Ely....
, 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...
, 3 miles (5 km) to the south of the horse-racing centre of Newmarket and around 12 miles (19 km) east 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...
.
History
The parish of Stetchworth is long and thin in shape, around six miles long and one mile wide and covering an area of 2891 acres (1,169.9 ha). It stretches south east from Newmarket Heath to the border with SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. Its relatively straight north-east border with Burwell
Burwell, Cambridgeshire
Burwell is a large fen-edge village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about 10 miles north east of Cambridge. It is situated on the south-eastern edge of The Fens, a large area of relatively flat former marshland which lies close to sea level and covers the majority of Cambridgeshire...
and Woodditton
Woodditton
Woodditton is a village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England. The other settlements in the parish are Ditton Green, Little Ditton and Saxon Street. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 1,789 people....
follows the Devil's Dyke
Devil's Dyke, Cambridgeshire
The Devil's Dyke is an earthwork in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It consists of a long bank and ditch that runs in a south-east direction from the small village of Reach to nearby Woodditton...
to its southern end just west of Ditton Green, from where the border follows field boundaries. Its long western border with Dullingham
Dullingham
Dullingham is a village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England. It is situated south of Newmarket and east of Cambridge.-History:...
also follows field boundaries, most of which also follow the course of the Stour Valley
River Stour, Suffolk
The River Stour is a river in East Anglia, England. It is 76 km long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Sudbury and the Dedham Vale, and joins the...
Path, a long-distance footpath. It also has a short border with Kirtling
Kirtling
Kirtling together with Kirtling Green and Kirtling Towers is a scattered settlement in the east of the English county of Cambridgeshire.It is a civil parish with the nearby village of Upend which lies to its north....
at the south eastern end and another with Swaffham Prior
Swaffham Prior
Swaffham Prior is a village in East Cambridgeshire, England.Lying 5 miles west of Newmarket, and two miles south west of Burwell, the village is often paired with its neighbour Swaffham Bulbeck, and are collectively referred to as 'The Swaffhams'. Swaffham Prior was often known as Great Swaffham in...
at its north west edge.
Devil's Dyke
Devil's Dyke, Cambridgeshire
The Devil's Dyke is an earthwork in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It consists of a long bank and ditch that runs in a south-east direction from the small village of Reach to nearby Woodditton...
(or Ditch), an Anglo-Saxon earthwork
Earthworks (engineering)
Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
built between the Cambridgeshire villages of Reach
Reach, Cambridgeshire
Reach is a small village and civil parish on the edge of the fenland in East Cambridgeshire, England.Reach is located at the north end of Devil's Dyke, about west of Burwell. The dyke split the settlement in two until part of it was refilled to create the current Fair Green in the 18th century...
and Wood Ditton, runs through Stetchworth. It consists of a ditch and a mound of earth which continues for over seven miles, and is a popular place for local walks. The Devils Dyke Morris Men dance along its length to end up at the 800 year old Reach Fair on May Day. The relatively rare pasque flower
Pasque flower
The genus Pulsatilla contains about 33 species of herbaceous perennials native to meadows and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. Common names include pasque flower , wind flower, prairie crocus, Easter Flower, and meadow anemone...
grows along the dyke in the chalky soil.
The village had 25 inhabitants 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...
in 1086 when the parish was owned by Hardwin of Scales, the Abbot of Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
, and Count Alan. The Domesday Book also mentions that Stetchworth was "once a town".
The railway reached the parish when the Cambridge to Newmarket line was opened in 1848, though there is no station in Stetchworth, though Dullingham railway station
Dullingham railway station
Dullingham is a railway station that serves the village of Dullingham in Cambridgeshire, England. It is about north-west of the centre of the village. It is also the nearest railway station to the town of Haverhill in Suffolk, which is about 9 miles away. The station, and all trains serving it,...
is just over a mile to the west of the village.
The National Stud partially falls within the parish boundaries, and the July Racecourse at Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
finishes in the parish, running parallel to the Devil's Dyke.
Listed as Steuicheswrthe in around 1050 and Stiuicesuuorde 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 "Stetchworth" either means "enclosure amongst the tree-stumps" or "enclosure of a man called Styfic".
Church
The parish church has been dedicated to St Peter since at least the 13th century, and is the oldest building in the village. There are records of a church in the village in the 12th century, but the earliest part of the present building is the chancel which dates from the 13th century. The nave dates from the 14th century and the west tower was extensively rebuilt in the 15th century.There are bells in the tower dating from 1450 onwards, but they have not been used in recent years. The church boasts examples of early English graffiti (apparently carved into a pillar during a visit to Stetchworth by Queen Philippa) depicting a woman in an elaborate head-dress, and several animals.
The village also has a United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
that opened in 1963 on the site of the former Congregationalist Church.
Village life
Stetchworth has one public house, The Marquis of Granby, which opened in 1937. Former pubs include The White Horse which opened opposite Church Lane in the first half of the 19th century, and rebuilt for the Earl of EllesmereEarl of Ellesmere
Earl of Ellesmere, of Ellesmere in the County of Shropshire , is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1846 for the Conservative politician Lord Francis Egerton. He was granted the courtesy title of Viscount Brackley, of Brackley in the County of Northampton, at the same...
in 1905. It closed in the 1930s. The Live and Let Live opened opposite the school in 1890, but closed at some point between 1961 and 1973.
A school was opened in the village in the 1860s and attendance grew to a peak of 168 in 1905-6, falling to 33 by 1938. Older children were transferred to Bottisham Village College
Bottisham Village College
Bottisham Village College is a comprehensive secondary school located in Cambridgeshire, England. The school opened in 1937 as the second village college in part of the Local Director of Education Henry Morris' vision for providing a good quality education for local people in the countryside around...
in 1947, and the primary school closed in 1990.