Aldreth

Aldreth
Aldreth
Shire county	Cambridgeshire;
Region	East;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ELY
Postcode district	CB6
Dialling code	01353
Police	Cambridgeshire
Fire	Cambridgeshire
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	South East Cambridgeshire;
Website	ECDC
	List of places UK England Cambridgeshire 52°20′N 0°07′E / 52.34°N 00.12°E

Aldreth is a

Parish council. Aldreth is surrounded by fenland on all sides and is close to the River Great Ouse

.

The name "Aldreth" occurs as Alreheða in the 1170 Pipe rolls, and means "landing-place by the alders", from a combination of the Old English words for "alder" and "hythe".^[1] The name also occurs a number of times in the text of the 12th century Liber Eliensis, as Alreheðe, with one variant as Alhereðe.^[2]

Battles

Aldreth may have been the site of two battles^[3]^[4] between Hereward the Wake (Anglo-Saxons) and William the Conqueror (Normans). Aldreth was one of three routes, or causeways, into the Isle of Ely at that time; Stuntney Causeway 2.25 miles (3.62 km) to the south-east, the Earith Causeway 10 miles (16 km) to the west-south-west and the Aldreth Causeway 7 miles (11 km) south-west of the Isle of Ely.^[5]^[6]

Geography

Geology

The village is on an east–west running

Gault Clay; the whole area is surrounded by even more recent fen deposits. To the west, again running north-east—south-west, is a scarp belt of middle-Jurassic sedimentary rocks including limestone and sandstone.^[7]^[8]

The flat fenland countryside around the village, typical for this part of the region, lies about 16 feet (5 m) above sea-level. The highest point in the village is 23 feet (7 m) above sea-level and the highest point in the area is 85 feet (26 m) at Ely, seven-mile (11 km) north-east.[9] In contrast, the highest point in Cambridgeshire, 479 feet (146 m) above sea-level, is at Great Chishill, 21 miles (34 km) almost due south. Holme at nine feet (2.75 m) below sea-level is East Cambridgeshire's (and the United Kingdom's) lowest point, and is 18 miles (29 km) north-west.^[10]

Community

Aldreth shares an annual village open day, Blossoms & Bygones, with neighbouring village Haddenham. The event, which includes tractor rides, vintage car and tractor displays, and open gardens, held its 40th anniversary in 2011 with a

VE Day theme, with villagers dressed in 1940s costume.^[11]

References

^ Ekwall, E., The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names (4th ed.), OUP, 1960, p. 5 (Aldreth). Cf. Mills, A.D., A dictionary of British place-names, OUP, 1991–2003, p. 5 (Aldreth). Note that Head (1995), p. 86, quotes "Freeman" as follows: "…Aldreth, a corruption of the name of the patron saint Æthelthryth". Head does not give a reference for, or expand on, the statement from "Freeman", but see Head (1995), pp. 7–8, and cf. Freeman, E.A., The History of the Norman Conquest of England (5 vols. & Index), OUP, 1867-9.
^ Blake, E.O. (ed.), Liber Eliensis, Camden 3rd Series XCII, Royal Historical Society, 1962, pp. 178, 185, 194, 314(x2), 315, 322, 328; the variant "Alhereðe" is at p. 314.
^ Miller (1895) chap. XXI
^ Miller (1895) chap. XXV
^ Head (1995) p. 149 plus google earth for distances
^ Darby (1970) p. 106–118 and fig. 16 on p. 107
^ Darby (1970) p. 3 fig. 1
^ Geological Survey of Great Britain (Map) (Based on 1st series 1:50000 map part of sheet 143 – 1974 ed.). Ordnance Survey. 1981. § Cambridge, Sheet 188.
^ Grid reference TL446735
^ "UK's lowest spot is getting lower". England: BBC. 29 November 2002. p. 1. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
^ "Ely People – Blossoms & Bygones story". Archived from the original on 22 March 2012.

Bibliography

Darby, H C (1974). The Medieval Fenland. Cambridge University Press.
ISBN 0-7153-5919-3
.

Fairweather, Janet (2005). Liber Eliensis: a history of the Isle of Ely from the seventh century to the twelfth. The Boydell Press. p. 502.
ISBN 1-84383-015-9
. Retrieved 3 August 2010.*

Head, Vincent (1995). Hereward. Alan Sutton Publishing Inc. pp. 86.
ISBN 0-7509-0807-6
.

Lethbridge, T.C. (1934). "Investigations of the Ancient Causeway in the Fen between Fordy and Little Thetford". Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. XXXV.

Miller, S H; Rev. W D Sweeting (1895). De Gestis herwardi Saxonis. Geo. C. Caster, Market Place, Peterborough. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2010.

External links

[1] Ekwall, E., The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names (4th ed.), OUP, 1960, p. 5 (Aldreth). Cf. Mills, A.D., A dictionary of British place-names, OUP, 1991–2003, p. 5 (Aldreth). Note that Head (1995), p. 86, quotes "Freeman" as follows: "…Aldreth, a corruption of the name of the patron saint Æthelthryth". Head does not give a reference for, or expand on, the statement from "Freeman", but see Head (1995), pp. 7–8, and cf. Freeman, E.A., The History of the Norman Conquest of England (5 vols. & Index), OUP, 1867-9.

[2] Blake, E.O. (ed.), Liber Eliensis, Camden 3rd Series XCII, Royal Historical Society, 1962, pp. 178, 185, 194, 314(x2), 315, 322, 328; the variant "Alhereðe" is at p. 314.

[3] Miller (1895) chap. XXI

[4] Miller (1895) chap. XXV

[5] Head (1995) p. 149 plus google earth for distances

[6] Darby (1970) p. 106–118 and fig. 16 on p. 107

[7] Darby (1970) p. 3 fig. 1

[8] Geological Survey of Great Britain (Map) (Based on 1st series 1:50000 map part of sheet 143 – 1974 ed.). Ordnance Survey. 1981. § Cambridge, Sheet 188.

[boundary-9] Grid reference TL446735

[10] "UK's lowest spot is getting lower". England: BBC. 29 November 2002. p. 1. Retrieved 11 August 2010.

[11] "Ely People – Blossoms & Bygones story". Archived from the original on 22 March 2012.

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v t e Settlements in East Cambridgeshire
Cities	Ely
Towns	Soham
Villages	Aldreth Ashley Barway Bottisham Brinkley Burwell Chettisham Cheveley Chippenham Coveney Dullingham Fordham Haddenham Isleham Little Downham Little Thetford Littleport Lode Longmeadow Mepal Prickwillow Pymoor Queen Adelaide Reach Stetchworth Stretham Stuntney Sutton Swaffham Bulbeck Swaffham Prior Upware Wicken Wilburton Witcham Witchford Woodditton

History

Toponymy