Wicken, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Wicken is a small village on the edge of the fens
near Soham
in East Cambridgeshire
, 10 miles north east of Cambridge
and 5 miles south of Ely
. It is the site of Wicken Fen
National Nature Reserve
.
covering 1604 hectares (3,964 acre) in eastern Cambridgeshire. Its western border largely follows the course of the River Cam
, and its southern border separating it from Burwell
follows the winding Wicken Lode, which flows into Reach Lode just before the latter meets the Cam. A fenland waterway forms its eastern border with Soham
parish. Since at least the 10th century the parish has also contained the hamlet of Upware
in its isolated south-west corner on the Cam.
East Cambridgeshire
is known for its great quantity of archaeological
findings from the Stone Age
, the Bronze Age
and the Iron Age
. Of Wicken some Bronze Age
activity is known as there are a few subsided barrows
. Stone Age
flint tools, Bronze Age weapons and Roman coinage have also been found in the parish as well as a few spears and other weapons from the Anglo-Saxon era.
Wicken's relative isolation and poverty has meant that several of the late medieval and early modern timber-framed houses survive. The medieval limestone cross which formerly stood on Cross Green was unburied and reinstated there in 1973.
Wicken was listed as Wicha in the Domesday Book
and Wiken in around 1200. The name comes from an Old-English dative plural wícum meaning "the dwellings" or "the trading settlement".
and is situated at the eastern end of the village. The newer centre of the village is now some distance away. The church has a nave
with three bays, a north and south aisle
, a tower that contains five bells
, a chancel
, a south porch and a large vestry
on the north side of the tower. The present building is largely 14th century, with some 13th century stonework.
Interred under the altar are Henry Cromwell
, fourth son of Oliver Cromwell
along with his wife and some of their children.
retains The Five Miles from Anywhere Inn by the river.
The village faces the larger settlement of Soham
across a flat expanse of agricultural land, once flooded, and still called Soham Mere
.
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
near Soham
Soham
Soham is a small town in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It lies just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket . Its population is 9,102 , and it is within the district of East Cambridgeshire.-Archaeology:...
in East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in Ely....
, 10 miles north east 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 5 miles south 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...
. It is the site of Wicken Fen
Wicken Fen
Wicken Fen is a wetland nature reserve situated near the village of Wicken, Cambridgeshire, England.It is one of Britain's oldest nature reserves, and was the first reserve acquired by the National Trust, in 1899. The reserve includes fenland, farmland, marsh, and reedbeds...
National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
.
History
Wicken parish consists principally of fenlandThe Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
covering 1604 hectares (3,964 acre) in eastern Cambridgeshire. Its western border largely follows the course 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...
, and its southern border separating it from Burwell
Burwell, Cambridgeshire
Burwell is a large fen-edge village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about 10 miles north east of Cambridge. It is situated on the south-eastern edge of The Fens, a large area of relatively flat former marshland which lies close to sea level and covers the majority of Cambridgeshire...
follows the winding Wicken Lode, which flows into Reach Lode just before the latter meets the Cam. A fenland waterway forms its eastern border with Soham
Soham
Soham is a small town in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It lies just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket . Its population is 9,102 , and it is within the district of East Cambridgeshire.-Archaeology:...
parish. Since at least the 10th century the parish has also contained the hamlet of Upware
Upware
Upware is a hamlet in Wicken civil parish, part of East Cambridgeshire, England, lying on the east bank of the River Cam.-History:Situated in the isolated south-west corner of the parish of Wicken, the hamlet of Upware is believed to have existed, and indeed been known by its present name, since at...
in its isolated south-west corner on the Cam.
East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire
East Cambridgeshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in Ely....
is known for its great quantity of archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
findings from the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
. Of Wicken some Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
activity is known as there are a few subsided barrows
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
. Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
flint tools, Bronze Age weapons and Roman coinage have also been found in the parish as well as a few spears and other weapons from the Anglo-Saxon era.
Wicken's relative isolation and poverty has meant that several of the late medieval and early modern timber-framed houses survive. The medieval limestone cross which formerly stood on Cross Green was unburied and reinstated there in 1973.
Wicken was listed as Wicha 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...
and Wiken in around 1200. The name comes from an Old-English dative plural wícum meaning "the dwellings" or "the trading settlement".
The War Memorial
Near the village green there is a War Memorial to the men of the area who died in the two World Wars. The name of Bailey is sadly prominent, with three in the First World War and one in the Second World War. There is also a mention of the 50th anniversary of the Women's Institute (1959).The church
The church is dedicated to Saint LawrenceSaint Lawrence
Lawrence of Rome was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258.- Holy Chalice :...
and is situated at the eastern end of the village. The newer centre of the village is now some distance away. The church has a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with three bays, a north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
, a tower that contains five bells
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, a south porch and a large vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
on the north side of the tower. The present building is largely 14th century, with some 13th century stonework.
Interred under the altar are Henry Cromwell
Henry Cromwell
Henry Cromwell was the fourth son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier, and an important figure in the Parliamentarian regime in Ireland.-Life:...
, fourth son of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
along with his wife and some of their children.
Village life
The village's only pub The Maid's Head, so named since the mid-18th century occupied a 15th-century thatched hall house, extended to the west in 1852, until it was hit by a fire in 1983. The building was rebuilt immediately to its original design. Former pubs include The Red Lion, recorded from the late 18th century until it closed in the 1930s, and The Black Horse off Lode Land which closed by the 1950s. UpwareUpware
Upware is a hamlet in Wicken civil parish, part of East Cambridgeshire, England, lying on the east bank of the River Cam.-History:Situated in the isolated south-west corner of the parish of Wicken, the hamlet of Upware is believed to have existed, and indeed been known by its present name, since at...
retains The Five Miles from Anywhere Inn by the river.
The village faces the larger settlement of Soham
Soham
Soham is a small town in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It lies just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket . Its population is 9,102 , and it is within the district of East Cambridgeshire.-Archaeology:...
across a flat expanse of agricultural land, once flooded, and still called Soham Mere
Mere (lake)
Mere in English refers to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline.- Etymology :...
.
See also
- List of places in Cambridgeshire
- Spinney AbbeySpinney AbbeySpinney Abbey, once known as Spinney Priory, is a house and farm on the site of a former monastic foundation close to the village of Wicken, on the edge of the fens in Cambridgeshire, England.- Monastic origins :...
- East CambridgeshireEast CambridgeshireEast Cambridgeshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in Ely....
- Wicken FenWicken FenWicken Fen is a wetland nature reserve situated near the village of Wicken, Cambridgeshire, England.It is one of Britain's oldest nature reserves, and was the first reserve acquired by the National Trust, in 1899. The reserve includes fenland, farmland, marsh, and reedbeds...