The Offords
Encyclopedia
The Offords is the name given to the two villages of Offord Cluny
and Offord D'Arcy
, situated on the east bank of the River Great Ouse
between Saint Neots and Huntingdon
in west Cambridgeshire
. The Offords were both recorded in the Domesday Book
as 'Upeforde' under two different landowners, which suggests they were one village at that time. By the 13th Century they had evolved into two distinct settlements, and remained so until the proximity and resulting close co-operation of the two villages lead to their merger in 2010 . In 2008 the Parish Councils merged, and in 2010 the Huntingdon (Parishes) Order 2009 officially created the new Parish of 'Offord Cluny and Offord D'Arcy'.
The community is served by two garages (an MOT test
and servicing centre and a TVR
/Noble Automotive garage), a village store and two pubs (the Swan Inn and the Horseshoe Inn & Restaurant). Local children can attend the Offord Primary school, ranked in the top five in Cambridgeshire. There are a number of events held throughout the year including the Offord Film Festival, the Offord Dog Show and the Offord Music Festival, the last two of which are held at Millenium Green, the local village green. There is an equestrian center
providing riding instruction and livery service, and a local angling
club which fishes the river Great Ouse
in and around the villages.
Offord Cluny
Offord Cluny is a small village in Cambridgeshire, England. It is approximately equidistant from the neighbouring towns of Huntingdon and St Neots, and 2 miles from the larger village of Buckden. It is the twin village of Offord D'Arcy, and although they historically both had their own parish...
and Offord D'Arcy
Offord D'Arcy
Offord D'Arcy is a village and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 747 people. It is the twin village of Offord Cluny and together they are known as The Offords....
, situated on the east bank of the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
between Saint Neots and 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...
in west 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...
. The Offords were both recorded 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...
as 'Upeforde' under two different landowners, which suggests they were one village at that time. By the 13th Century they had evolved into two distinct settlements, and remained so until the proximity and resulting close co-operation of the two villages lead to their merger in 2010 . In 2008 the Parish Councils merged, and in 2010 the Huntingdon (Parishes) Order 2009 officially created the new Parish of 'Offord Cluny and Offord D'Arcy'.
Origins
The name 'Offord' originates from the name found in the Domesday Book 'Upeforde', which in turn is believed to derived from the Old English pre 7th Century "uppe", up (stream), and "ford", ford . The name 'Cluny' comes from Cluny Abbey in the Bourgogne region of France, which were granted a manor in Offord by Arnulf de Hesding some time before 1086 . The name 'D'Arcy' is first mentioned in records when, in 1279 "William de Broughton was holding a manor, with a common fishery, in Offord Darcy of the Abbot of Ramsey" .Today
Today the Offords have an estimated population of 1,240; in the 2001 census Offord Cluny had a population of 502 and Offord D'Arcy a population of 747. The parish church shared by the Offords is All Saints in Offord Cluny, a Grade II* listed building dating back to the 13th Century. Baptism, weddings and funerals are held there along with a monthly family service. Offord Village Hall provides a meeting place for (amongst others) the Offord Players (the local amateur dramatics group), the Offord Gardeners Association, the Mums and Tots group and on occasion the 'Cotton Farm Action Group'.The community is served by two garages (an MOT test
Mot
In Ugaritic Mot 'Death' is personified as a god of death. The word is cognate with forms meaning 'death' in other Semitic and Afro-Asiatic languages: with Arabic موت mawt; with Hebrew מות ; with Maltese mewt; with Syriac mautā; with Ge'ez mot; with Canaanite, Egyptian Aramaic, Nabataean, and...
and servicing centre and a TVR
TVR
thumb|right|240px|TVR No.2, the oldest surviving TVR, located at [[Lakeland Motor Museum, Newby Bridge, Cumbria]]TVR was an independent British manufacturer of sports cars. Until 2006 it was based in the English seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, but has since split up into several smaller...
/Noble Automotive garage), a village store and two pubs (the Swan Inn and the Horseshoe Inn & Restaurant). Local children can attend the Offord Primary school, ranked in the top five in Cambridgeshire. There are a number of events held throughout the year including the Offord Film Festival, the Offord Dog Show and the Offord Music Festival, the last two of which are held at Millenium Green, the local village green. There is an equestrian center
Equestrian center
Equestrian facilties are created and maintained for the purpose of accommodating, training or competing equids, especially horses. Based on their use may be known as a barn or stables, with commercial operations described by terms such as a boarding stable, livery yard, or livery stable...
providing riding instruction and livery service, and a local angling
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
club which fishes the river Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
in and around the villages.