Hemingford Abbots
Encyclopedia
Hemingford Abbots is a village in Huntingdonshire
(now part of Cambridgeshire
), England
. The village, almost continuous with neighbouring Hemingford Grey
, is situated two miles south west of St Ives
.
times with both flints and a Roman sarcophagus
found in the area. In Anglo-Saxon
times the neighbouring villages of Hemingford Grey and Hemingford Abbots were a single estate. In the 9th century they split, and in 974 the manor fell under the ownership of Ramsey Abbey
, where it remained until the dissolution in 1539.
In 1250 the village was listed as having 96 holdings, but numbers fell following the Black Death
. The population grew from 306 in 1801 to 564 in 1841, but dropped as many moved to towns and cities. It grew rapidly after the Second World War, reaching a peak of 628 in 1961. Its 2001 population was 584.
The name Hemingford means "the ford of the people of Hemma", where Hemma is believed to be the name of a Saxon chief. The name "Abbots" was added in reference to its ownership by Ramsey Abbey. Listed as Emingeforde in the Domesday Book
, the village was also known as Hemmingeford Magna, Emmingeforde Abbatis in the 13th century.
The village is home to a number of medieval buildings; Abbots End, the Manor House, Whiteways, Medlands, Abbots Barn, the White Cottage and Rideaway Cottage were all built prior to 1600.
The church was originally named "St Margaret Church of the Virgin" and is now dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch.
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
(now part of 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...
. The village, almost continuous with neighbouring Hemingford Grey
Hemingford Grey
- Location:It is situated on the southern bank of the River Great Ouse in the county of Cambridgeshire, with the northern bank occupied by the flood meadow. Until 1965 it was in Huntingdonshire and between 1965 and 1974 it was in the short-lived county of Huntingdon and Peterborough...
, is situated two miles south west of St Ives
St Ives, Cambridgeshire
St Ives is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England, around north-west of the city of Cambridge and north of London. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Huntingdonshire.-History:...
.
History
There has been a settlement on the present site since at least RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times with both flints and a Roman sarcophagus
Ancient Roman sarcophagi
Ancient Roman sarcophagi were the often richly-carved sarcophagi used for inhumation of the dead by the ancient Romans. In Rome the use of sarcophagi had only a few precedents in the Republican era and mainly spread from the early 2nd century, when cremation was abandoned in favour of burial as...
found in the area. In Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times the neighbouring villages of Hemingford Grey and Hemingford Abbots were a single estate. In the 9th century they split, and in 974 the manor fell under the ownership of Ramsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey located in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, England, southeast of Peterborough and north of Huntingdon, UK.-History:...
, where it remained until the dissolution in 1539.
In 1250 the village was listed as having 96 holdings, but numbers fell following 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 population grew from 306 in 1801 to 564 in 1841, but dropped as many moved to towns and cities. It grew rapidly after the Second World War, reaching a peak of 628 in 1961. Its 2001 population was 584.
The name Hemingford means "the ford of the people of Hemma", where Hemma is believed to be the name of a Saxon chief. The name "Abbots" was added in reference to its ownership by Ramsey Abbey. Listed as Emingeforde 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 village was also known as Hemmingeford Magna, Emmingeforde Abbatis in the 13th century.
The village is home to a number of medieval buildings; Abbots End, the Manor House, Whiteways, Medlands, Abbots Barn, the White Cottage and Rideaway Cottage were all built prior to 1600.
St Margaret's Church
A church is listed in the Domesday entry of 1086, although nothing remains of the building. The church was completely rebuilt at the end of the 13th century, the tower was added in the late 14th century and the spire in the 15th century. The present church is largely a result of the reconstruction in the 18th and 19th centuries.The church was originally named "St Margaret Church of the Virgin" and is now dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch.