History of Cambridgeshire

The English county of Cambridgeshire has a long history.

Anglo-Saxon times

The area that is now Cambridgeshire was settled at about the 6th century by groups of Angles, who pushed their way up the Ouse and the Cam, and established themselves in the fen-district, where they became known as the Gyrwas, the districts corresponding to the modern counties of Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire being distinguished as the lands of the North Gyrwas and the South Gyrwas respectively. At this period the fen-district stretched southward as far as Cambridge, and the essential unity which it preserved is illustrated later by its inclusion under one sheriff, chosen in successive years from Cambridgeshire proper and the Liberty of the Isle of Ely.^[1]

In 656 numerous lands in the neighbourhood of

Norman conquest of England, but during the Danish occupation of the 9th century the district possessed a certain military and political organization round Cambridge, its chief town, whence probably originated the constitution and demarcation of the later shire.^[1]

Division of Cambridgeshire

At the time of the

Bourn, Barton and Camps.^[1]

Politics

The Isle of Ely formerly constituted an independent franchise in which the

Henry VIII, but the Isle still had separate civil officers, appointed by the bishop, chief among whom were the chief justice, chief bailiff, deputy bailiff and two coroners.^[2]

Cambridgeshire has always been remarkable for its lack of county families, and for the frequent changes in the ownership of estates. No Englishmen retained lands of any importance after the Conquest, and at the time of the

Domesday Survey the chief lay proprietors were Alan, Earl of Brittany, whose descendants the Zouches retained estates in the county until the 15th century; Picot the sheriff, whose estates passed to the families of Peverell and Peche; Aubrey de Vere, whose descendants retained their estates until the 16th century; and Hardwinus de Scalariis, ancestor of the Scales of Whaddon.^[3]

From the time of

Hereward's famous resistance to William the Conqueror

in the fen-district, the Isle of Ely was intimately concerned with the great political struggles of the country.

It was defended against

Geoffrey de Mandeville

.

During the struggles between
John and his barons, Faukes de Breaut was made governor of Cambridge Castle
, which, however, surrendered to the barons in the same year.

The Isle of Ely was seized by the followers of Simon de Montfort in 1266, but in 1267 was taken by Prince Edward.
At the Reformation period the county showed much sympathy with the Reformers, and in 1642 the knights, gentry and commoners of Cambridgeshire petitioned for the removal of all unwarrantable orders and dignities, and the banishment of Popish clergy.
In the Civil War of the 17th century Cambridgeshire was one of the associated counties in which the King had no visible party, although the University assisted him with contributions of plate and money.^[3]

Cambridgeshire returned three members to

Reform Act of 1832 the county returned three members.^[3]

Economy

Cambridgeshire is historically an

agricultural depression.^[3]

Antiquities in ecclesiastical architecture

Cambridgeshire would be rich only in the possession of the

lepers' hospital. To this foundation King John granted a fair, which became, and continued until the 18th century, one of the most important in England. At Swaffham Prior there are remains of two churches in one churchyard, the tower of one being Transitional Norman, while that of the other is Perpendicular, the upper part octagonal. Among many Early English examples St Andrew's Church, Cherry Hinton near Cambridge may be mentioned. The churches of Trumpington and Bottisham are examples of the Decorated style; in the first is a famous brass to Sir Roger de Trumpington (1289). As Perpendicular examples the tower and spire of St Mary's, Whittlesey, and the wooden roof of Outwell church, may be selected. Monastic remains are scanty. Excluding the city of Cambridge there are no domestic buildings, either ancient or modern, of special note, with the exception of Sawston Hall, in the south of the county, a quadrangular mansion dated 1557–1584.^[3]

Archaeology

In Spring 2018, a massive

Huntingdon "Muddy" Hoard, it is considered the largest coin hoard in the county, dating to 274 AD during the last days of the Gallic Empire, during the Crisis of the Third Century.^[4]^[5]

In February 2019, archaeologists from Mola Headland Infrastructure and experts from Highways England found evidence of first Iron Age beer dated back over 2,000 years during road works in Cambridgeshire.^[6]^[7]

"It’s a well-known fact that ancient populations used the beer-making process to purify water and create a safe source of hydration, but this is potentially the earliest physical evidence of that process taking place in the UK", said archaeologist Steve Sherlock.^[8]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Chisholm 1911, p. 98.
^ Chisholm 1911, pp. 98–99.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Chisholm 1911, p. 99.
^ "Detectorist finds 10,000 Roman coins in Huntingdon hoard". BBC News. 19 December 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
^ Museum, The British; Street, Great Russell; T: +4420 73238618, London WC1B 3DG. "Record ID: CAM-A0ECFB - ROMAN hoard". The Portable Antiquities Scheme. Retrieved 22 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Early pint: evidence of 'first British beer' found in Cambridgeshire". The Guardian. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
^ Best, Shivali (4 February 2019). "'First British beer' dating back over 2,000 years discovered in Cambridgeshire". mirror. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
^ "Oldest ever UK brewery discovered in Cambridgeshire roadworks - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 11 September 2020.^{[dead link]}

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cambridgeshire". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 97–99.

External links

"Cambridgeshire". Victoria County History. University of London, Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009.
Cambridge Military History Blog

[FOOTNOTEChisholm191198-1] Chisholm 1911, p. 98.

[FOOTNOTEChisholm191198–99-2] Chisholm 1911, pp. 98–99.

[FOOTNOTEChisholm191199-3] Chisholm 1911, p. 99.

[4] "Detectorist finds 10,000 Roman coins in Huntingdon hoard". BBC News. 19 December 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2023.

[5] Museum, The British; Street, Great Russell; T: +4420 73238618, London WC1B 3DG. "Record ID: CAM-A0ECFB - ROMAN hoard". The Portable Antiquities Scheme. Retrieved 22 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[6] "Early pint: evidence of 'first British beer' found in Cambridgeshire". The Guardian. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2020.

[7] Best, Shivali (4 February 2019). "'First British beer' dating back over 2,000 years discovered in Cambridgeshire". mirror. Retrieved 11 September 2020.

[8] "Oldest ever UK brewery discovered in Cambridgeshire roadworks - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 11 September 2020.^{[dead link]}

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