Stilton
Encyclopedia
Stilton is a village in Cambridgeshire
, England
, and within the historic county boundary
of Huntingdonshire
.
. It lies on the old Great North Road, 70 miles (112.7 km) from London
and was an important coaching stop in the days before motorised transport. It lies just south of Norman Cross
. In 1998, the village was additionally bypassed by the new A1(M), with access limited to the A15 intersection at Norman Cross.
Stilton is twinned with Saint-Christol-lès-Alès, a community in Gard in the south of France.
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There is evidence of Neolithic
occupation of the parish, and a number of Roman finds have been uncovered in the village; as well as a Roman silver ring and a 2nd century jug, archaeologists found a potential Roman settlement in the village as well as Roman cheese press.
, which later became the Great North Road, was integral to the development of the village, and in late medieval times the village was a popular posting station and coaching stop. At one time there were 14 public houses for a population of around 500.
The main inns of the period were The Bell and The Angel, both of which are still in existence. The Bell Inn has been recorded since 1515 and was rebuilt in 1642. The Angel Inn, dating from the early 17th century was rebuilt as an impressive red brick house in the 18th century ceased to be an inn and was badly burned in 1923. Fires also damaged the village as a whole in 1729, 1798 and 1895.
reduced passing trade through the village to almost nil. The bypass was the first from London to Newcastle when the A1 was completely improved in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The Bell Inn closed and fell into disrepair and the village as a whole lost many businesses. To try to revive interest, on Easter Monday 1962 Tom McDonald of The Talbot and Malcolm Moyer of The Bell organised the first Cheese Rolling race along a course near the Post Office. Now held every May Day holiday it has become a popular annual event.
Listed as Stichiltone or Sticiltone at the time of the 1086 Domesday Book
the name Stilton means "village at a stile or steep ascent".
in 1722 described the village as famous for its cheese. Traditionally it is thought that supplies were obtained from the housekeeper at Quenby Hall
, Hungarton
, Leicestershire
, near Melton Mowbray
, and were sold via her brother-in-law to travellers in Stilton's coaching inn
s, namely The Bell or The Angel.
Today Stilton cheese is made in Derbyshire
, Leicestershire
and Nottinghamshire
. The manufacturers of Stilton cheese in these counties applied for and received Protected Geographical Status
(PGS) in 1996 so that production is limited to these three counties and must use pasteurised local milk. Consequently Stilton cheese cannot now be made anywhere else, even in Stilton itself. This is because there had been no evidence at the time of the application for its Protected Designation of Origin
(PDO) that cheese using the same recipe as modern Stilton cheese had ever been made in the village. However recent evidence indicates that it is unlikely that the village would have been a centre for selling of cheese, unless cheese was also made in the area. Furthermore a recipe for a cream cheese made in Stilton in the early 18th century has since been discovered and since more than one type of cheese was usually made, it is possible that a blue cheese was also made in the area.
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...
, and within the historic county boundary
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
.
Geography
Stilton lies south of the city of PeterboroughPeterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
. It lies on the old Great North Road, 70 miles (112.7 km) from 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...
and was an important coaching stop in the days before motorised transport. It lies just south of Norman Cross
Norman Cross
Norman Cross lies near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Traditionally in Huntingdonshire, it gave its name to a hundred and, from 1894 to 1974, Norman Cross Rural District....
. In 1998, the village was additionally bypassed by the new A1(M), with access limited to the A15 intersection at Norman Cross.
Stilton is twinned with Saint-Christol-lès-Alès, a community in Gard in the south of France.
History
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
occupation of the parish, and a number of Roman finds have been uncovered in the village; as well as a Roman silver ring and a 2nd century jug, archaeologists found a potential Roman settlement in the village as well as Roman cheese press.
Coaching inns
The Roman Ermine StreetErmine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
, which later became the Great North Road, was integral to the development of the village, and in late medieval times the village was a popular posting station and coaching stop. At one time there were 14 public houses for a population of around 500.
The main inns of the period were The Bell and The Angel, both of which are still in existence. The Bell Inn has been recorded since 1515 and was rebuilt in 1642. The Angel Inn, dating from the early 17th century was rebuilt as an impressive red brick house in the 18th century ceased to be an inn and was badly burned in 1923. Fires also damaged the village as a whole in 1729, 1798 and 1895.
Modern day
Stilton's reliance on its position on the Great North Road has twice led to problems when use of the road reduced; the arrival of the railway several miles to the east in the 19th century cut goods transportation along the road, and the opening of the 1.25 mile-long A1 bypass on 21 July 1958 by David Renton, Baron RentonDavid Renton, Baron Renton
David Lockhart-Mure Renton, Baron Renton, KBE, QC, TD, DL, PC was a British politician. He served for over 60 years in Parliament, 34 in the House of Commons and then 28 in the House of Lords...
reduced passing trade through the village to almost nil. The bypass was the first from London to Newcastle when the A1 was completely improved in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The Bell Inn closed and fell into disrepair and the village as a whole lost many businesses. To try to revive interest, on Easter Monday 1962 Tom McDonald of The Talbot and Malcolm Moyer of The Bell organised the first Cheese Rolling race along a course near the Post Office. Now held every May Day holiday it has become a popular annual event.
Listed as Stichiltone or Sticiltone at the time of the 1086 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 Stilton means "village at a stile or steep ascent".
Cheese
The village gave its name to the famous Stilton cheese. The most widely accepted explanation is that the cheese came down to be sold at the coaching inns in Stilton. Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
in 1722 described the village as famous for its cheese. Traditionally it is thought that supplies were obtained from the housekeeper at Quenby Hall
Quenby Hall
Quenby Hall is a Jacobean house in parkland near the villages of Cold Newton and Hungarton, Leicestershire, England. It is described by Pevsner as: the most important early-seventeenth century house in the county ...
, Hungarton
Hungarton
Hungarton is a small village in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is about north-east of Leicester and south-west of Melton Mowbray...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, near Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
, and were sold via her brother-in-law to travellers in Stilton's coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
s, namely The Bell or The Angel.
Today Stilton cheese is made in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. The manufacturers of Stilton cheese in these counties applied for and received Protected Geographical Status
Protected Geographical Status
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
(PGS) in 1996 so that production is limited to these three counties and must use pasteurised local milk. Consequently Stilton cheese cannot now be made anywhere else, even in Stilton itself. This is because there had been no evidence at the time of the application for its Protected Designation of Origin
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
(PDO) that cheese using the same recipe as modern Stilton cheese had ever been made in the village. However recent evidence indicates that it is unlikely that the village would have been a centre for selling of cheese, unless cheese was also made in the area. Furthermore a recipe for a cream cheese made in Stilton in the early 18th century has since been discovered and since more than one type of cheese was usually made, it is possible that a blue cheese was also made in the area.