Trumpington, Cambridgeshire
Coordinates: 52°10′26″N 0°06′32″E / 52.174°N 0.109°E
| Trumpington | |
 War memorial, Trumpington |
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 Trumpington
Trumpington shown within Cambridgeshire |
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| OS grid reference | TL442549 |
|---|---|
| District | Cambridge |
| Shire county | Cambridgeshire |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CAMBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | CB2 |
| Dialling code | 01223 |
| Police | Cambridgeshire |
| Fire | Cambridgeshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Cambridge |
| List of places: UK • England • Cambridgeshire | |
Trumpington is a village within the city of Cambridge, UK, of which it is a suburb. It is located on the south-west side of the city and borders Cherry Hinton to the east, Grantchester to the west and Great Shelford and Little Shelford to the south-east.
The village was a separate parish from Anglo Saxon times until the twentieth century. In 1912 all of the land north of Long Road was transferred to Cambridge, and in 1934 the majority of the remaining land, including all of the village, was also given over to Cambridge. Only 382 acres, almost uninhabited, were transferred to Haslingfield parish.[1]
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[edit] History
There is evidence of Iron Age and Roman settlements in Trumpington who lived near to the ford over the River Cam that now lies near the road to Grantchester, and a Roman cemetery has been found. An Anglo-Saxon cemetery has also been found nearby at Dam Hill.[1]
By 1086 there was a thriving community of 33 peasants at the time of the Domesday Book, and the population had risen to 100 by the late 13th century. The village remained sizeable throughout the Middle Ages and by 1801 there were 494 residents. By the time the parish was dissolved there were around 1200 inhabitants.[1] Until the 20th century Trumpington was an agricultural village with cattle and sheep as well as crops. [2]
Trumpington's association with agriculture was extended further in 1955, when the Plant Breeding Institute (PBI) – founded in 1912 as part of the University of Cambridge's School of Agriculture – moved to a site adjoining Maris Lane in Trumpington. Here the PBI developed new plants, notably potatoes called Maris Piper and Maris Peer, a barley called Maris Otter, and a wheat called Maris Wigeon. These are now in use worldwide. In 1990 the PBI relocated to Colney, near Norwich, but the reference to the Maris Lane site survives in the names of plants.
The war memorial in the village was designed and carved by Eric Gill, who also designed and carved the crocodile [3] on the wall of the Cavendish Laboratory. The memorial was dedicated on Sunday 11 December 1921 to commemorate 36 Trumpington men who died in the First World War. The Second World War claimed eight more local men; their names were added by David Kindersley, a pupil of Gill.
[edit] Trumpington Fair
In 1314, the lord of the manor, Giles of Trumpington, was given permission to hold a three-day fair on the feast of St Peter's Chains (August 1). The feast was still held in the 19th century though was transferred to June 28-30, and became known for the rowdiness and drunkenness of its many visitors. It was reduced to only one day (June 29) in 1882 and was still held in the 1930s.[1]
[edit] Church
There was a church in the village by the start of the 13th century. Parts of the present church, dedicated to St Mary and St Michael, date from the mid-13th century and the nave was rebuilt in the 14th century.[1]
The parish church is the resting place of Henry Fawcett, the blind academic and politician who, as Postmaster General (1880-1884), introduced parcel post, postal orders and other innovations. The primary school is named Fawcett School after him. The church also contains the monumental brass of Sir Roger de Trumpington, a crusader knight bearing the date 1289; it is said to be the second oldest brass in England.[4]
[edit] Cultural references
Chaucer's The Reeve's Tale is set in the village, and a water mill on the Cam is mentioned in it. The location of the mill is believed to be Old Mill Holt on the river to the southwest of the village.[1]
The nineteenth-century novelist G. A. Henty, was born in Trumpington. The BBC journalist Bridget Kendall grew up in Trumpington and attended Perse School for Girls.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f A. P. M. Wright (1982). A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 8. Victoria County History. pp. 248–267. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66760.
- ^ Trumpington Residents’ Association
- ^ Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, 100 Years and more
- ^ Genealogy UK and Ireland: Trumpington
