Whittlesford
Encyclopedia
Whittlesford is a village in Cambridgeshire
, England
, and also the name of an old hundred
. The village is situated on the Granta branch of the River Cam
, seven miles south of Cambridge
. Whittlesford Parkway railway station serves the village.
Listed as Witelesforde in the Domesday Book
, the name Whittlesford means "ford of a man called Wittel", indicating the importance of a local ford across the river in the village.
, an ancient thoroughfare, and the historical parish boundary is bounded by the route to the south. The area was occupied in Roman times.
A hospital was founded in the village, by Sir William Colville, before the time of Edward I
and there are some remains of the original building. Whittlesford was at one stage a market town.
Roger Ascham
, the tutor of Elizabeth I, lived in Whittlesford, and a road in the village is named after him.
since medieval times, and from the 16th century the dedication to Saint Mary was added.
The present building consists of a chancel and nave with south chapel, south aisle and a central tower. It is built of field stones with ashlar
dressings. The north wall of the nave dates from the 11th century Norman church as well as the base of the tower and several south windows. The chancel dates from the 13th century and the south chapel from the 15th century.
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, the church had strong links with Jesus College, Cambridge
and vicars were frequently fellows of the college.
The church contains a square 13th century font. A late 12th or early 13th-century Sheela na Gig
can be observed on a high window arch of the church, accompanied by an ithyphallic
male figure.
A Primitive Methodist chapel was built in the village in the early 19th century, but was closed before the end of the century. A Congregational chapel was built in 1903.
The village is served by the William Westley Church of England Primary School, named after the 18th century businessman who endowed the village's first school in his 1723 will.
Whittlesford has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V
, known locally as 'The Lawns'.
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...
, and also the name of an old hundred
Hundreds of Cambridgeshire
Between Anglo-Saxon times and the 19th century Cambridgeshire was divided for administrative purposes into 17 hundreds, plus the borough of Cambridge...
. The village is situated on the Granta branch of 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...
, seven miles south 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...
. Whittlesford Parkway railway station serves the village.
Listed as Witelesforde 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...
, the name Whittlesford means "ford of a man called Wittel", indicating the importance of a local ford across the river in the village.
History
The 1976-acre parish built up to the west of the River Cam just to the north of the Icknield WayIcknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern England. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.-Background:...
, an ancient thoroughfare, and the historical parish boundary is bounded by the route to the south. The area was occupied in Roman times.
A hospital was founded in the village, by Sir William Colville, before the time of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
and there are some remains of the original building. Whittlesford was at one stage a market town.
Roger Ascham
Roger Ascham
Roger Ascham was an English scholar and didactic writer, famous for his prose style, his promotion of the vernacular, and his theories of education...
, the tutor of Elizabeth I, lived in Whittlesford, and a road in the village is named after him.
Church
The first record of the church in Whittlesford dates from 1217, but there has certainly been a church on the present site since at least Norman times. The church has been dedicated to Saint AndrewSaint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
since medieval times, and from the 16th century the dedication to Saint Mary was added.
The present building consists of a chancel and nave with south chapel, south aisle and a central tower. It is built of field stones with ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
dressings. The north wall of the nave dates from the 11th century Norman church as well as the base of the tower and several south windows. The chancel dates from the 13th century and the south chapel from the 15th century.
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, the church had strong links with Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
and vicars were frequently fellows of the college.
The church contains a square 13th century font. A late 12th or early 13th-century Sheela na Gig
Sheela Na Gig
Sheela na gigs are figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva. They are found on churches, castles and other buildings, particularly in Ireland and Britain, sometimes together with male figures. One of the best examples may be found in the Round Tower at Rattoo, in County...
can be observed on a high window arch of the church, accompanied by an ithyphallic
Phallus
A phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic...
male figure.
A Primitive Methodist chapel was built in the village in the early 19th century, but was closed before the end of the century. A Congregational chapel was built in 1903.
Village life
The village now has two public houses, the Tickell Arms (named after the Tickell family, former lords of the manor), and the Bees in the Wall, but it formerly had many more; in 1851 there were six pubs, and by 1904 there were eight. Most notable among these was the Waggon and Horses that closed in 1937.The village is served by the William Westley Church of England Primary School, named after the 18th century businessman who endowed the village's first school in his 1723 will.
Whittlesford has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, known locally as 'The Lawns'.