Guilden Morden
Encyclopedia
Guilden Morden , England
, is a village and parish located in Cambridgeshire
about 16 miles (26 km) south west of Cambridge
and 5 miles (8 km) west of Royston
in Hertfordshire
. It is served by the main line Ashwell and Morden railway station
3 miles (5 km) to the south in the neighbouring parish of Steeple Morden
.
The parish is combined with the parishes of Abington Pigotts
, Guilden Morden
and Tadlow
to form "The Mordens" ward
, which is represented on South Cambridgeshire District Council by one councillor.
Guilden Morden is twinned with the German municipality of Urbach, Thuringia
in the district of Nordhausen
, in Thuringia
, Germany
.
from the point where it rises at Ruddery Spring, and which separates it from Hertfordshire
and Bedfordshire
. At its southern tip the parish meets the ancient Icknield Way
(now the A505
). Most of its long eastern border follows a stream that divides it from neighbouring Steeple Morden
, and reaches its short northern border with Tadlow
at Tadlow Bridge.
The area has been occupied for at least 2000 years and probably much longer; an axehead dating from 6000BC has been found in the parish. A significant cemetery dating from Roman times has also been found in the south of the parish, containing at least 180 burials and indicating an important nearby settlement. The Saxon village was probably built after that of its neighbour Steeple Morden from which it has been separate since at least the Norman Conquest.
The hamlet of Odsey on the Baldock
to Royston road was formerly home to a Cistercian grange. A hamlet named Redreth was listed until the 14th century, probably south of the village and perhaps deserted as a result of the Black Death
.
The name is derived from the Old English Gylden More Dun, meaning "Golden" (rich or productive) "Moor Hill".
There is a primary school, named Guilden Morden Primary School. Originally founded in 1847 and opening on its current site in 1974, the school has around 120 children going from reception to year 6. The children then go on to Bassingbourn Village College in most cases. In addition the village has a pre-school.
A fete is held each September on the recreation ground in aid of the village hall.
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...
, is a village and parish located in 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...
about 16 miles (26 km) south 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...
and 5 miles (8 km) west of Royston
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the towns western boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the county on the same latitude of towns such as Milton Keynes and...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. It is served by the main line Ashwell and Morden railway station
Ashwell and Morden railway station
Ashwell and Morden railway station is a wayside railway station in Cambridgeshire, England.Close to the border with Hertfordshire, it is located in the hamlet of Odsey, slightly north of the Icknield Way, a Roman Road that is now the A505. The station is served by trains between Cambridge and...
3 miles (5 km) to the south in the neighbouring parish of Steeple Morden
Steeple Morden
Steeple Morden is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about south west of Cambridge and west of Royston. It is part of the South Cambridgeshire local government district....
.
The parish is combined with the parishes of Abington Pigotts
Abington Pigotts
Abington Pigotts is a small village in Cambridgeshire, England about 4 miles northwest of Royston, Hertfordshire.-History:The parish of Abington Pigotts covers an area of...
, Guilden Morden
Guilden Morden
Guilden Morden , England, is a village and parish located in Cambridgeshire about south west of Cambridge and west of Royston in Hertfordshire...
and Tadlow
Tadlow
Tadlow is south-west of Cambridge, north-east of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, and north of London. The B1042 road bisects the parish, with Wrestlingworth to the west and Croydon to the east....
to form "The Mordens" ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
, which is represented on South Cambridgeshire District Council by one councillor.
Guilden Morden is twinned with the German municipality of Urbach, Thuringia
Urbach, Thuringia
Urbach is a municipality in the district of Nordhausen, in Thuringia, Germany.Urbach is twinned with the village of Guilden Morden in Cambridgeshire, England....
in the district of Nordhausen
Nordhausen (district)
Nordhausen is a Kreis in the north of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz in Saxony-Anhalt, the district Kyffhäuserkreis, Eichsfeld in Thuringia and the districts Osterode and Goslar in Lower Saxony.-History:The district was created in 1815, when the Prussian...
, in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
The parish of Guilden Morden is long and thin in shape covering an area of 1052 hectares (2,600 acre) in the very south-western corner of Cambridgeshire. The parish's long western border largely follows the course of the River CamRiver 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...
from the point where it rises at Ruddery Spring, and which separates it from Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. At its southern tip the parish meets the ancient Icknield Way
Icknield 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:...
(now the A505
A505 road
The A505 is an A-class road in the United Kingdom. It follows part of the route of the Icknield Way and the corresponding Icknield Way Path.-Bedfordshire:...
). Most of its long eastern border follows a stream that divides it from neighbouring Steeple Morden
Steeple Morden
Steeple Morden is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about south west of Cambridge and west of Royston. It is part of the South Cambridgeshire local government district....
, and reaches its short northern border with Tadlow
Tadlow
Tadlow is south-west of Cambridge, north-east of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, and north of London. The B1042 road bisects the parish, with Wrestlingworth to the west and Croydon to the east....
at Tadlow Bridge.
The area has been occupied for at least 2000 years and probably much longer; an axehead dating from 6000BC has been found in the parish. A significant cemetery dating from Roman times has also been found in the south of the parish, containing at least 180 burials and indicating an important nearby settlement. The Saxon village was probably built after that of its neighbour Steeple Morden from which it has been separate since at least the Norman Conquest.
The hamlet of Odsey on the Baldock
Baldock
Baldock is a historic market town in the local government district of North Hertfordshire in the ceremonial county of Hertfordshire, England where the River Ivel rises. It lies north of London, southeast of Bedford, and north northwest of the county town of Hertford...
to Royston road was formerly home to a Cistercian grange. A hamlet named Redreth was listed until the 14th century, probably south of the village and perhaps deserted as a result of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
.
The name is derived from the Old English Gylden More Dun, meaning "Golden" (rich or productive) "Moor Hill".
Church
The parish church of Guilden Morden has been dedicated to St Mary since at least the 15th century. The present building consists of a chancel, aisled and clerestoried nave with south porch, and a west tower with a short spire. The oldest parts of the nave date back to the 13th century, with the majority of the building added in the 14th century. The present tower dates from the 15th century, and the present spire replaced an older one in 1972. The basin of the font is 12th century.Village life
In the village there are two pubs named the Three Tuns, which was open by 1851, and the King Edward VII. Next to the King Edward is a small village shop. The Six Bells pub, which opened next to the church before 1801, closed some time in the 1960s or 70s, and The Black Swan opened on Swan Lane in the late 19th century and closed in the 20th century. The village's other former pubs are The Pear Tree (47 New Road), The Chestnuts, The Pig and Whistle (63 High Street), The Fox, and The Black Horse (Potton Road).There is a primary school, named Guilden Morden Primary School. Originally founded in 1847 and opening on its current site in 1974, the school has around 120 children going from reception to year 6. The children then go on to Bassingbourn Village College in most cases. In addition the village has a pre-school.
A fete is held each September on the recreation ground in aid of the village hall.