Wendy, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Wendy
is a hamlet in the civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy
in South
Cambridgeshire
, England
around 5 miles north west of Royston
.
to form the present civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy
. The historical parish covered an area of 1023 acres (414 ha). Its northern border with Croydon
(formerly Croydon-cum-Clapton) and Arrington
followed the River Cam
, and its western border with Wendy was marked by the North Ditch. The parish's straight eastern boundary with Whaddon
follows the Roman Ermine Street
(now the A1198), and its southern border with Bassingbourn
and Abington Pigotts
largely follow field boundaries.
The hamlet itself is around a mile west of the Roman Road, just south of the river. There were 17 residents recorded in the Domesday Book
of 1086, and there were probably around 80 in 1377, though numbers fell in later centuries. By 1801 there were 109 in the parish, rising to a peak of 154 in 1851 before dropping to 66 by 1931.
There are six listed buildings in the village and another three on the Roman Road.
RAF Bassingbourn
covers a sizeable portion of the southern part of the parish, and was built just prior to the Second World War.
The village's name means "river-bend island", named after the sharp bend in the North Ditch where it joins the River Cam
.
By the 17th and 18th century was in a ruinous state and in 1734 was demolished and a new church, only 45 feet in length with a western bell turret, was completed by 1737. By the 1860s the church was deemed unsafe for use and a nearby barn was dedicated for services. The church was again demolished and a new church opened on the same site in 1866.
The 19th century church was built in the Early English style with a chancel and south vestry, a three-bay nave with a western bell turret, and a west porch. The double hammer-beam roof over the name was taken from the recently dismantled church of All Saints in the Jewry that stood opposite Trinity College
in Cambridge
.
Once again the church's foundations proved insufficient and extensive cracks after the Second World War led to its demolition in around 1950.
Until 1972 services were held in the mission church at Shingay, after which the old school in Wendy was consecrated as a church, and still serves as All Saints Church.
A school was built in Wendy in 1828 by Thomas Windsor, and was rebuilt in 1875 with an attendance of around 38. By 1902 there were only 19 children and the school was closed in 1904. The Wendy and Shingay District Church of England School opened in Wendy in 1906, closing again in 1931 with the children transferred to Bassingbourn
. The building is
Wendy
Wendy is a given name generally given to females in English-speaking countries.The name is found in United States records from the 19th century; Wendy Gram, a female resident of Ohio, was born in 1828, and the name Wendy appeared over twenty times in the U.S. Census of 1880...
is a hamlet in the civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy
Shingay cum Wendy
Shingay cum Wendy is a civil parish in the English county of Cambridgeshire, around 5 miles north west of Royston.Forming part of the district of South Cambridgeshire's Bassingbourn Ward the parish's main settlements are Shingay and Wendy....
in South
South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is a mostly rural local government district of Cambridgeshire, England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambridgeshire Rural District. It surrounds the city of Cambridge, which is administered separately from the district by...
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...
, 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...
around 5 miles north west of Royston
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the towns western boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the county on the same latitude of towns such as Milton Keynes and...
.
History
Wendy was a separate parish until 1957 when it was merged with neighbouring ShingayShingay
Shingay is a hamlet in the civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy in South Cambridgeshire, England around 5 miles north west of Royston.-History:...
to form the present civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy
Shingay cum Wendy
Shingay cum Wendy is a civil parish in the English county of Cambridgeshire, around 5 miles north west of Royston.Forming part of the district of South Cambridgeshire's Bassingbourn Ward the parish's main settlements are Shingay and Wendy....
. The historical parish covered an area of 1023 acres (414 ha). Its northern border with Croydon
Croydon, Cambridgeshire
Croydon is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. It is south-west of Cambridge and immediately west of the A1198 road . The population in 2001 was 221 people...
(formerly Croydon-cum-Clapton) and Arrington
Arrington
Arrington is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, with a population of 389 at the time of 2001 census. The village is north of Royston, Hertfordshire, and south-west of the county town of Cambridge....
followed the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
, and its western border with Wendy was marked by the North Ditch. The parish's straight eastern boundary with Whaddon
Whaddon
Whaddon is the name of more than one place.*Whaddon, Buckinghamshire*Whaddon, Cambridgeshire*Whaddon, Cheltenham*Brookthorpe-with-Whaddon, Gloucestershire*Whaddon, Wiltshire...
follows the Roman Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
(now the A1198), and its southern border with Bassingbourn
Bassingbourn
Bassingbourn can refer to:* Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth, a civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England* RAF Bassingbourn or Bassingbourn Barracks, a former military airbase located in Cambridgeshire...
and Abington Pigotts
Abington Pigotts
Abington Pigotts is a small village in Cambridgeshire, England about 4 miles northwest of Royston, Hertfordshire.-History:The parish of Abington Pigotts covers an area of...
largely follow field boundaries.
The hamlet itself is around a mile west of the Roman Road, just south of the river. There were 17 residents 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...
of 1086, and there were probably around 80 in 1377, though numbers fell in later centuries. By 1801 there were 109 in the parish, rising to a peak of 154 in 1851 before dropping to 66 by 1931.
There are six listed buildings in the village and another three on the Roman Road.
RAF Bassingbourn
RAF Bassingbourn
RAF Bassingbourn is a former military airbase located in Cambridgeshire approximately north of Royston, Hertfordshire and south west of Cambridge. During World War II it served first as an RAF station and then as a bomber base of the U.S. Eighth Air Force...
covers a sizeable portion of the southern part of the parish, and was built just prior to the Second World War.
The village's name means "river-bend island", named after the sharp bend in the North Ditch where it joins the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
.
Church
The former medieval parish church was probably built in the 12th century, extensively rebuilt in the 16th century by the preceptory of Shingay, and dedicated to St Mary and later All Saints. It is listed as having a steeple.By the 17th and 18th century was in a ruinous state and in 1734 was demolished and a new church, only 45 feet in length with a western bell turret, was completed by 1737. By the 1860s the church was deemed unsafe for use and a nearby barn was dedicated for services. The church was again demolished and a new church opened on the same site in 1866.
The 19th century church was built in the Early English style with a chancel and south vestry, a three-bay nave with a western bell turret, and a west porch. The double hammer-beam roof over the name was taken from the recently dismantled church of All Saints in the Jewry that stood opposite Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in 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...
.
Once again the church's foundations proved insufficient and extensive cracks after the Second World War led to its demolition in around 1950.
Until 1972 services were held in the mission church at Shingay, after which the old school in Wendy was consecrated as a church, and still serves as All Saints Church.
Village life
Wendy is too small to sustain any pubs or amenities. From at least 1809 to 1851 the Cox family ran the Windsor Arms next to the church and there was a shop for a period during the 19th century, but no pubs have been recorded since then.A school was built in Wendy in 1828 by Thomas Windsor, and was rebuilt in 1875 with an attendance of around 38. By 1902 there were only 19 children and the school was closed in 1904. The Wendy and Shingay District Church of England School opened in Wendy in 1906, closing again in 1931 with the children transferred to Bassingbourn
Bassingbourn
Bassingbourn can refer to:* Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth, a civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England* RAF Bassingbourn or Bassingbourn Barracks, a former military airbase located in Cambridgeshire...
. The building is