Croxton, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Croxton is a village and civil parish about 13 miles (21 km) west of Cambridge
in South
Cambridgeshire
, England
. In 2001, the resident population was 163 people. Croxton Park is to the south of the current village and contains a large house and parkland.
. 'Croxton' is derived from 'farmstead in a nook, or of a man called Krókr', or the Old English
'croh-tun' meaning saffron
farm, and may have been part of a late Scandinavian settlement, along with Caxton
and Toft
.
It is likely that the settlement grew up on two sites: around the old manor house
of Westbury, at the south end of the village, and around the old manor house of Croxton. It seems that a street to the east of the church formed the main village . By 1811 it had already reduced in size, and after inclosure in 1818, the rectory was demolished and an ornamental lake created on its site. By 1826, all the houses had gone and only Croxton Park mansion remained.
At Westbury, the green
at the north end of the village street was inclosed and a large house, The Downs, and a farm were built on it. At the south end of the street is a late medieval timber-framed house called Croxton Manor but it was probably the original Westbury manor house. Westbury Farm was probably an earlier site for the manor house - the farmhouse has several medieval parts and remains of a moat.
In 1801, 171 people lived in Croxton parish; in 1821, 225 people. The population grew, though it declined between 1841–1851, when the mansion was unoccupied and there was emigration overseas from the area. Croxton's population peaked at 308 in 1871; in 1961 it was 155.
by one councillor for the Papworth and Swavesey electoral division. It is in the parliamentary constituency of South Cambridgeshire, represented at the House of Commons by Andrew Lansley
.
between Bedford
and Cambridge
, the main village street being at right-angles to the major road. It is 13 miles (21 km) west of the county town of Cambridge and 49 miles (79 km) north of London
. The nearest town is St Neots
, 3.5 miles (5.5 km) west; minor roads run north to Toseland
and south towards Abbotsley
.
The soil in the parish is clay with a gault subsoil. The parish ranges from 29 to 64 metres above sea level.
In Croxton Park is a large mansion
with wooded parkland and a lake, the historic seat of the Leeds family
. The current red brick, three-storey house was constructed around 1760-1 by Edward Leeds and probably incorporated part of the previous Tudor
building. Sir (George) Douglas Cochrane Newton
, Member of Parliament for Cambridge
(and later 1st Baron Eltisley) was lord of the manor and principal landowner in 1929.
, three followed another religion and 21.8% either had no religion or did not state one. In 1921, the population was 234.
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...
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...
. In 2001, the resident population was 163 people. Croxton Park is to the south of the current village and contains a large house and parkland.
History
The name of the village was spelled Crochestone in the 1086 Domesday bookDomesday 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...
. 'Croxton' is derived from 'farmstead in a nook, or of a man called Krókr', or the Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
'croh-tun' meaning saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
farm, and may have been part of a late Scandinavian settlement, along with Caxton
Caxton, Cambridgeshire
Caxton is a small rural village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. It is 9 miles west of the county town of Cambridge. In 2001, the population of Caxton parish was 480 people. Caxton is most famous for the Caxton Gibbet.-History:...
and Toft
Toft, Cambridgeshire
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...
.
It is likely that the settlement grew up on two sites: around the old manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of Westbury, at the south end of the village, and around the old manor house of Croxton. It seems that a street to the east of the church formed the main village . By 1811 it had already reduced in size, and after inclosure in 1818, the rectory was demolished and an ornamental lake created on its site. By 1826, all the houses had gone and only Croxton Park mansion remained.
At Westbury, the green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
at the north end of the village street was inclosed and a large house, The Downs, and a farm were built on it. At the south end of the street is a late medieval timber-framed house called Croxton Manor but it was probably the original Westbury manor house. Westbury Farm was probably an earlier site for the manor house - the farmhouse has several medieval parts and remains of a moat.
In 1801, 171 people lived in Croxton parish; in 1821, 225 people. The population grew, though it declined between 1841–1851, when the mansion was unoccupied and there was emigration overseas from the area. Croxton's population peaked at 308 in 1871; in 1961 it was 155.
Governance
The parish is represented on the South Cambridgeshire District Council by three councillors for the Bourn ward and on Cambridgeshire County CouncilCambridgeshire County Council
Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council of Cambridgeshire, England. The council currently consists of 69 councillors, representing 60 electoral divisions. The Conservative Party has a majority on the council, having gained control in the 1997 local elections...
by one councillor for the Papworth and Swavesey electoral division. It is in the parliamentary constituency of South Cambridgeshire, represented at the House of Commons by Andrew Lansley
Andrew Lansley
Andrew David Lansley, CBE, MP is the UK Secretary of State for Health, who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for South Cambridgeshire since the 1997 general election, and was Shadow Secretary of State for Health from June 2004 until becoming Secretary of State for Health in May 2010...
.
Geography
Croxton parish covers an area of 7.72 km² and lies alongside the A428 roadA428 road
The A428 road is a major road in central and eastern England. It connects the cities of Coventry and Cambridge by way of the county towns of Northampton and Bedford.-Coventry - Northampton:...
between Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
and 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...
, the main village street being at right-angles to the major road. It is 13 miles (21 km) west of the county town of Cambridge and 49 miles (79 km) north of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The nearest town is St Neots
St Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
, 3.5 miles (5.5 km) west; minor roads run north to Toseland
Toseland
Toseland is a village in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It is located quite near to Hemingford Grey, the former home of Lucy M. Boston, who used the name extensively in her Green Knowe books, inventing the imaginary placenames "Fen Toseland", "Toseland St Agnes" and "Toseland Gunning", and...
and south towards Abbotsley
Abbotsley
Abbotsley is a village and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is three miles from St Neots and 14 miles from the county town of Cambridge...
.
The soil in the parish is clay with a gault subsoil. The parish ranges from 29 to 64 metres above sea level.
In Croxton Park is a large mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
with wooded parkland and a lake, the historic seat of the Leeds family
Leeds Baronets
The Leeds Baronetcy, of Croxton Park in the County of Cambridge, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 31 December 1812 for George Leeds. He was an Equerry to Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex. The Croxton Park estate in Cambridgeshire had been in the Leeds...
. The current red brick, three-storey house was constructed around 1760-1 by Edward Leeds and probably incorporated part of the previous Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
building. Sir (George) Douglas Cochrane Newton
George Newton, 1st Baron Eltisley
George Douglas Cochrane Newton, 1st Baron Eltisley was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was appointed High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire for 1909...
, Member of Parliament for Cambridge
Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Cambridge is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
(and later 1st Baron Eltisley) was lord of the manor and principal landowner in 1929.
Demography
At the time of the 2001 census, the population of Croxton parish was 163 people. All residents were white, 76.4% described themselves as ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, three followed another religion and 21.8% either had no religion or did not state one. In 1921, the population was 234.