Elsworth
Encyclopedia
Elsworth is a village and civil parish in South
Cambridgeshire
, England
, 9 miles west of Cambridge
. At the time of the 2001 census
, the parish's population was 657.
road. Its north-west border formed the border between Cambridgeshire
and Huntingdonshire
from the start of the 11th century until the two were merged in 1974. Its eastern border joins to the parish of Knapwell
, formerly a dependent vill
. At the end of the 13th century the parish also contained a hamlet called Grave, but was not recorded as inhabited after 1349.
Elsworth was, during medieval times, one of the most populous villages in the neighbourhood. In 1086 it reported 44 peasant households and 209 were listed at the time of the poll tax in 1377. Numbers declined over the next two centuries, rising to around 500 people in the 17th century. Numbers grew more rapidly from the 1760s and fluctuated in the 19th century, reaching an all-time peak of 878 in 1841. Around 50 people emigrated to Australia
and the United States
in the 1850s.
Listed as Eleswurth in 974, and Elesuuorde in the Domesday Book
, the name Elsworth means "Enclosure of a man called Eli".
. The present parish church of the Holy Trinity was built on the site in the 13th or 14th century, and the chancel and west tower date from this period. The tower contains four bells, three of which date from the 17th century.
The chancel contains some noted Perpendicular wooden stalls. Above the porch door is a sundial
bearing the inscription "MOX NOX", and on the east gable is an attractive decorated cross.
There are two remaining pubs in the village. The George and Dragon at Cowdell End opened in the first half of the 19th century and was rebuilt after an 1880 fire. A restaurant was added in 1975. The Poacher – known as The Fox and Hounds until the late 20th century – has been open since the 18th century.
Elsworth has had recorded alehouses since at least the 14th century. By the late 18th century five were recorded, including the Fox and Hounds, the Plough, which closed in 1961, and the Three Horseshoes which closed in around 1915.
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...
, 9 miles west 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...
. At the time of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the parish's population was 657.
History
The parish of Elsworth covers an area of 1554 hectares to the north of the Cambridge to St NeotsSt 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...
road. Its north-west border formed the border between 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...
and Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
from the start of the 11th century until the two were merged in 1974. Its eastern border joins to the parish of Knapwell
Knapwell
Knapwell is a small village in Cambridgeshire situated about west of Cambridge. It is within the diocese of Ely. Its population was estimated at 110 in 2001....
, formerly a dependent vill
Vill
Vill is a term used in English history to describe a land unit which might otherwise be described as a parish, manor or tithing.The term is used in the period immediately after the Norman conquest and into the late medieval. Land units in Domesday are frequently referred to as vills, although the...
. At the end of the 13th century the parish also contained a hamlet called Grave, but was not recorded as inhabited after 1349.
Elsworth was, during medieval times, one of the most populous villages in the neighbourhood. In 1086 it reported 44 peasant households and 209 were listed at the time of the poll tax in 1377. Numbers declined over the next two centuries, rising to around 500 people in the 17th century. Numbers grew more rapidly from the 1760s and fluctuated in the 19th century, reaching an all-time peak of 878 in 1841. Around 50 people emigrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1850s.
Listed as Eleswurth in 974, and Elesuuorde 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 Elsworth means "Enclosure of a man called Eli".
Church
Elsworth has had a church since at least the start of the 11th century that fell under the patronage of Ramsey AbbeyRamsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey located in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, England, southeast of Peterborough and north of Huntingdon, UK.-History:...
. The present parish church of the Holy Trinity was built on the site in the 13th or 14th century, and the chancel and west tower date from this period. The tower contains four bells, three of which date from the 17th century.
The chancel contains some noted Perpendicular wooden stalls. Above the porch door is a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
bearing the inscription "MOX NOX", and on the east gable is an attractive decorated cross.
Village life
Elsworth has a primary school and pre-school, as well as a recreation ground, a business park and a Post Office/shop.There are two remaining pubs in the village. The George and Dragon at Cowdell End opened in the first half of the 19th century and was rebuilt after an 1880 fire. A restaurant was added in 1975. The Poacher – known as The Fox and Hounds until the late 20th century – has been open since the 18th century.
Elsworth has had recorded alehouses since at least the 14th century. By the late 18th century five were recorded, including the Fox and Hounds, the Plough, which closed in 1961, and the Three Horseshoes which closed in around 1915.