Toft, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Toft is a village situated in Cambridgeshire
, England
. It is approximately six miles to the west of Cambridge
, and is situated within four miles of the M11 motorway
. It has approximately 600 residents and 200 homes. Comberton Village College falls within the Toft Parish boundary. The village has 2 churches, St Andrews Parish Church and the Toft Methodist Church.
Just to the east of the village is Cambridge Meridian Golf Club which has the Prime Meridian
running through the 14th fairway.
The name "Toft" is derived from an old Viking word meaning "curtilage" or "homestead".
to the east and Caldecote
to the west. At the time of the Domesday Book
the parish extended up to the Cambridge to St Neot's road, and thus included modern-day Hardwick
until it became a separate parish.
The village probably sprang up during Saxon times, when the wooded area began to be cleared for farming. By the time of the Norman Conquest the lands were owned by the king, the Abbot of Ely
, and a woman named Eddeva. The Normans gave Eddeva's lands to Alan, Count of Brittany, who passed them to the manor of Swavesey
. By 1109, the lands were all granted to the newly formed Bishopric of Ely
.
Toft has 23 listed buildings of special architectural or historic interest. Among these is Toft Manor, formerly the Rectory, which was built in 1844 with several cottages.
In the 17th century, Toft became a centre of Puritanism and when the Archdeacon of Ely visited in 1685 he found that the church had been greatly neglected with cracks in the walls, and the building being used as a store for bricks and stones. The church was restored over the next few decades.
The church is in the patronage of Christ's College, Cambridge
.
John Wesley
is believed to have preached in a barn in the village, and in 1862 a Primitive Methodist chapel was built in the High Street.
At the end of the 19th century there were two pubs in the village, the Black Bull and the Red Lion (now housing the Chinese restaurant). Both are now closed.
Toft has an active historical society, the Toft Historical Society, which holds regular exhibitions and is building a web based archive about the history of the village.
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...
. It is approximately six miles to the west 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...
, and is situated within four miles of the M11 motorway
M11 motorway
The M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
. It has approximately 600 residents and 200 homes. Comberton Village College falls within the Toft Parish boundary. The village has 2 churches, St Andrews Parish Church and the Toft Methodist Church.
Just to the east of the village is Cambridge Meridian Golf Club which has the Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
running through the 14th fairway.
The name "Toft" is derived from an old Viking word meaning "curtilage" or "homestead".
History
The ancient parish of Toft consisted of 1285 acres between the villages of CombertonComberton
Comberton is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, just east of the Prime Meridian.-History:Archaeological finds, including a Neolithic polished stone axe and a Bronze Age barrow , suggest there has been a settlement here for thousands of years. A Roman villa was discovered...
to the east and Caldecote
Caldecote, Cambridgeshire
Caldecote is a village in Cambridgeshire, in the district of South Cambridgeshire. It is located south of the A428, approximately six miles west of Cambridge and three miles east of Cambourne....
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 parish extended up to the Cambridge to St Neot's road, and thus included modern-day Hardwick
Hardwick, Cambridgeshire
Hardwick is a village in the county of Cambridgeshire, England with a large housing estate located about west of the city of Cambridge and immediately south of the A428 Cambridge-St Neots road. It is about east of the newly developed village of Cambourne. The Village is nearly on the Greenwich...
until it became a separate parish.
The village probably sprang up during Saxon times, when the wooded area began to be cleared for farming. By the time of the Norman Conquest the lands were owned by the king, 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 a woman named Eddeva. The Normans gave Eddeva's lands to Alan, Count of Brittany, who passed them to the manor of Swavesey
Swavesey
Swavesey is a village lying on the Greenwich Meridian in Cambridgeshire, England, with an approximate population of 2,480. The village is situated 9 miles to the north west of Cambridge and 3 miles south east of St...
. By 1109, the lands were all granted to the newly formed Bishopric of Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
.
Toft has 23 listed buildings of special architectural or historic interest. Among these is Toft Manor, formerly the Rectory, which was built in 1844 with several cottages.
Church
The parish church has been dedicated to Saint Andrew since at least the 13th century and stands on the site of an earlier church. The present building contains some structure from the late 14th century but was largely rebuilt in 1863, apparently repeating the layout of the medieval church. The medieval tower was rebuilt in 1894.In the 17th century, Toft became a centre of Puritanism and when the Archdeacon of Ely visited in 1685 he found that the church had been greatly neglected with cracks in the walls, and the building being used as a store for bricks and stones. The church was restored over the next few decades.
The church is in the patronage of Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
.
John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
is believed to have preached in a barn in the village, and in 1862 a Primitive Methodist chapel was built in the High Street.
Village life
In Toft there is a village shop, hair dresser's, a Chinese take away and a fish and chip shop. There is also a thriving social club. A post office first opened in the village in the 1870s as part of the village shop. A library was opened in 1913, but is no longer open.At the end of the 19th century there were two pubs in the village, the Black Bull and the Red Lion (now housing the Chinese restaurant). Both are now closed.
Toft has an active historical society, the Toft Historical Society, which holds regular exhibitions and is building a web based archive about the history of the village.