Weston Colville
Encyclopedia
Weston Colville is a village in South Cambridgeshire
, 10 miles southeast of Cambridge
and 6 miles south of Newmarket, close to the border with Suffolk
.
to the south, and has a short border with both Great Wilbraham
and Little Wilbraham
to the north west.
The site has been occupied since at least the 10th century, and there were 40 residents registered at the time of the Domesday Book
. By 1150 the manor was owned by the Stutville family. After the death of Anselm de Stutville in around 1198, the land passed to his sister Beatrice, who married William de Colville, lord of Castle Bytham
in around 1200. From then until 1708 the manor remained in the hands of the Colville family, who added their name to the village which was hitherto known only as Weston (meaning "west town").
Between 1943 and 1947 the flat area south-east of the village was used as a bomber airfield during the Second World War known as Wratting Common. The buildings there also housed 2000 foreign refugees at one time. The area returned to agricultural use after 1952.
J. R. Withers (1812–92), "the Cambridgeshire poet", was born at Weston Colville, son of the village shoemaker, though he lived at Fordham
as an adult.
and has its own cricket
club.
There are no pubs remaining in the village. Former pubs include The Coopers Arms which opened in the late 18th century, The Three Horseshoes, north of Weston Green, which ran from 1800 until closing in 1957, and The Fox and Hounds south of the green, open in the mid-19th century, rebuilt in around 1940, but closed in the late 20th century.
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...
, 10 miles southeast 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 6 miles south of Newmarket, close to the border with Suffolk
Suffolk
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...
.
History
The parish of Weston Colville forms a long thin area of 3235 acres stretching from just south of the A11 to the Suffolk border. It is wedged between the parishes of Carlton-cum-Willingham to the north and West WrattingWest Wratting
West Wratting is a village and civil parish 10 miles southeast of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire. At above sea level, it can claim to be the highest village in Cambridgeshire, although the Gog Magog Hills are a little higher....
to the south, and has a short border with both Great Wilbraham
Great Wilbraham
Great Wilbraham is a small village situated in a rural area some seven miles to the east of Cambridge, between the edge of an area of low-lying drained fens to the west and north, and higher ground beyond the A11 to the east....
and Little Wilbraham
Little Wilbraham
Little Wilbraham is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, southeast of Cambridge between the A1303 and the A11. It is in the district of South Cambridgeshire. It is a small village with a population of only 394 and there is little employment within the village...
to the north west.
The site has been occupied since at least the 10th century, and there were 40 residents registered 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...
. By 1150 the manor was owned by the Stutville family. After the death of Anselm de Stutville in around 1198, the land passed to his sister Beatrice, who married William de Colville, lord of Castle Bytham
Castle Bytham
Castle Bytham is a picturesque village and Civil Parish of around 300 houses in South Kesteven in south Lincolnshire.At one time the village was an important commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural communities, but it is now largely a dormitory, although a number of farming families...
in around 1200. From then until 1708 the manor remained in the hands of the Colville family, who added their name to the village which was hitherto known only as Weston (meaning "west town").
Between 1943 and 1947 the flat area south-east of the village was used as a bomber airfield during the Second World War known as Wratting Common. The buildings there also housed 2000 foreign refugees at one time. The area returned to agricultural use after 1952.
J. R. Withers (1812–92), "the Cambridgeshire poet", was born at Weston Colville, son of the village shoemaker, though he lived at Fordham
Fordham, Cambridgeshire
Fordham is a village in rural Cambridgeshire, England. Fordham is part of the East Cambridgeshire district. It is four miles north of Newmarket, as well as being close to the settlements of Soham, Burwell, Isleham, Mildenhall and Chippenham.-History:...
as an adult.
Church
The parish church of St Mary consists of a chancel with north vestry, nave with south porch, and west tower. The nave dates from the 14th century, with the tower added in the 15th century. The external stone dressings were mainly replaced by grey brick in the 1820s.Village life
The village retains a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and has its own cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club.
There are no pubs remaining in the village. Former pubs include The Coopers Arms which opened in the late 18th century, The Three Horseshoes, north of Weston Green, which ran from 1800 until closing in 1957, and The Fox and Hounds south of the green, open in the mid-19th century, rebuilt in around 1940, but closed in the late 20th century.