Littlebury
Encyclopedia
Littlebury is a small village in north-west Essex
. It has a population of around 600 which includes the two hamlets of Littlebury Green and Catmere End. It lies around a mile and a half from the market town
of Saffron Walden
and fifteen miles south of Cambridge
, the nearest city.
Situated in the Uttlesford
district, the parish of Littlebury includes the hamlets of Catmere End, Chapel Green, and Littlebury Green which lie to the west and south-west of the church. It also includes parts of the estate of Audley End.
tools having been found at Little Chesterford
and Iron Age
sherds to the east of the village. Ring Hill Fort to the west of Audley End is believed to date from the Iron Age, and there is significant evidence of Roman settlement.
The name Littlebury first appears in a 10th century will as lytlan byrig and in 1008 as Lithanberi.
The village is located on the medieval London
to Newmarket road (now the B1383 and A11) as well as the River Cam
. A Roman road crossed the parish at Littlebury Green, which is referred to as Streetly Green in some historic records.
The parish was owned by Ely Abbey from the ninth century, and was retained by the Crown following Dissolution
. In 1601 it was sold to Thomas Sutton and in 1603 fell to the Earl of Suffolk
. It passed between the Earls of Suffolk, owners of Audley End house, until in 1762 it was bequeathed to Lord Braybrooke.
The Cambridge to Liverpool Street
line passes through the village and it formerly had its own station.
St Peter's church at Littlebury Green was built in 1885. The village formerly supported a chapel, situated on Chapel Green, but no trace of it remains.
(1644-1703) was a resident of Littlebury. He was clerk of the King's works at Newmarket and Audley End under Charles II and built the first Eddystone lighthouse
.
Other residents include Thomas Sutton
, Master of the Ordnance in the North, and Joan Bradbury, widow of Thomas Bradbury who founded a school in the 17th century.
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. It has a population of around 600 which includes the two hamlets of Littlebury Green and Catmere End. It lies around a mile and a half from the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
and fifteen miles south 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...
, the nearest city.
Situated in the Uttlesford
Uttlesford
Uttlesford is a local government district in Essex, England. Its council is based in Saffron Walden.Its name is derived from the ancient Hundred of the same name....
district, the parish of Littlebury includes the hamlets of Catmere End, Chapel Green, and Littlebury Green which lie to the west and south-west of the church. It also includes parts of the estate of Audley End.
History
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with Bronze AgeBronze 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...
tools having been found at Little Chesterford
Little Chesterford
Little Chesterford is a small village and civil parish in Uttlesford Essex, eastern England and close to the Cambridgeshire border. It is built principally along a single sunken lane to the east of a tributary of the River Cam or Granta...
and 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...
sherds to the east of the village. Ring Hill Fort to the west of Audley End is believed to date from the Iron Age, and there is significant evidence of Roman settlement.
The name Littlebury first appears in a 10th century will as lytlan byrig and in 1008 as Lithanberi.
The village is located on the medieval 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...
to Newmarket road (now the B1383 and A11) as well as 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...
. A Roman road crossed the parish at Littlebury Green, which is referred to as Streetly Green in some historic records.
The parish was owned by Ely Abbey from the ninth century, and was retained by the Crown following Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. In 1601 it was sold to Thomas Sutton and in 1603 fell to the Earl of Suffolk
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
Admiral Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG, PC was a son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, the daughter and heiress of the 1st Baron Audley of Walden....
. It passed between the Earls of Suffolk, owners of Audley End house, until in 1762 it was bequeathed to Lord Braybrooke.
The Cambridge to Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
line passes through the village and it formerly had its own station.
Church
The parish church of Holy Trinity was built on the site of a Roman camp. The first record of it dates from 1163 and the church was considerably altered between 1870 and 1874. It houses a beautiful stone font with decorated oak canopy.St Peter's church at Littlebury Green was built in 1885. The village formerly supported a chapel, situated on Chapel Green, but no trace of it remains.
Village life
The village is home to The Queen's Head, a fourteenth century coaching inn. Littlebury is also the hometown of Joe MarleyFamous residents
The architect Henry WinstanleyHenry Winstanley
Henry Winstanley was an English engineer who constructed the first Eddystone lighthouse.-Early life and career:He was born in Saffron Walden, Essex, and baptised there on 31 March 1644...
(1644-1703) was a resident of Littlebury. He was clerk of the King's works at Newmarket and Audley End under Charles II and built the first Eddystone lighthouse
Eddystone Lighthouse
Eddystone Lighthouse is on the treacherous Eddystone Rocks, south west of Rame Head, United Kingdom. While Rame Head is in Cornwall, the rocks are in Devon and composed of Precambrian Gneiss....
.
Other residents include Thomas Sutton
Thomas Sutton
Thomas Sutton was an English civil servant and businessman as well as being the founder of Charterhouse School. He was the son of an official of the city of Lincoln, and was educated at Eton College and probably at Cambridge...
, Master of the Ordnance in the North, and Joan Bradbury, widow of Thomas Bradbury who founded a school in the 17th century.