Little Thetford: Difference between revisions
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Little Thetford resisted the Parliamentary [[Inclosure Acts]] of [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]] for seven years, which may have led to the strong [[Baptist]] following amongst the poor of the village. About half of Little Thetford was eventually enclosed under the Parliamentary Inclosure Thetford Act of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victoria]]. |
Little Thetford resisted the Parliamentary [[Inclosure Acts]] of [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]] for seven years, which may have led to the strong [[Baptist]] following amongst the poor of the village. About half of Little Thetford was eventually enclosed under the Parliamentary Inclosure Thetford Act of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victoria]]. |
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The river flooding, which affected 30 counties in England during March 1947, caused the Great Ouse to break its banks at Little Thetford. Heavy rain following a very [[Winter of 1946–1947|severe winter]] overwhelmed multiple [[List of rivers of England|rivers throughout England]] and eastern Wales. It was the worst flooding in over two hundred years. The dismantled [[Ely and St Ives Railway]] crossed the [[A10 road (England)|A10 road]] at [[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom: T|Thetford corner]]. The [[Cambridge railway station|Cambridge station]] to [[Ely railway station|Ely station]] section of the [[Fen Line]] passes through the east of the village. The rail journey from Little Thetford to London, via Ely, takes about 75 minutes. Occupying an area of {{convert|2|sqmi|km2|0}}, and with a population of 693, Little Thetford is the smallest [[civil parish]] in the [[Wards of the United Kingdom|ward]] of [[Stretham]]; [[Little_Thetford#Notable_buildings|notable buildings]] in the village date from the 14th century. |
The river flooding, which affected 30 counties in England during March 1947, caused the Great Ouse to break its banks at Little Thetford. Heavy rain following a very [[Winter of 1946–1947|severe winter]] overwhelmed multiple [[List of rivers of England|rivers throughout England]] and eastern Wales. It was the worst flooding in over two hundred years. The dismantled [[Ely and St Ives Railway]] crossed the [[A10 road (England)|A10 road]] at [[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom: T|Thetford corner]]. The [[Cambridge railway station|Cambridge station]] to [[Ely railway station|Ely station]] section of the [[Fen Line]] passes through the east of the village. The rail journey from Little Thetford to London, via Ely, takes about 75 minutes. Occupying an area of {{convert|2|sqmi|km2|0}}, and with a population of 693, Little Thetford is the smallest [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[Wards of the United Kingdom|ward]] of [[Stretham]]; [[Little_Thetford#Notable_buildings|notable buildings]] in the village date from the 14th century. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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A Romano-British farm around 200 AD, largely built upon a previous [[Iron Age]] settlement dating from 200–100 BC, was discovered during the Watson's Lane development in 1994. [[Pre-Roman Iron Age]] and Romano-British pottery was found on the site, as well as human skeletal remains. A single-flue-chamber tile [[kiln]] was also uncovered.<ref name=roman>(1994–1996) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB15675&resourceID=1000 Romano-British settlement, Little Thetford]</ref> Roofing tile fragments were found near the kiln, including [[Imbrex and tegula|tegulae, imbrices]], [[lydion]]s, pedales<ref>[[OED]] (2010) pedales "a foot long"</ref> and sequipedales.<ref>[[OED]] (2010) sequipedales "a foot and a half long"</ref> The Roman road Akeman Street is three-quarters of a mile ({{convert|0.75|mi|km|1|disp=output only}}) due west of the village.<ref name=1903map/> |
A Romano-British farm around 200 AD, largely built upon a previous [[Iron Age]] settlement dating from 200–100 BC, was discovered during the Watson's Lane development in 1994. [[Pre-Roman Iron Age]] and Romano-British pottery was found on the site, as well as human skeletal remains. A single-flue-chamber tile [[kiln]] was also uncovered.<ref name=roman>(1994–1996) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB15675&resourceID=1000 Romano-British settlement, Little Thetford]</ref> Roofing tile fragments were found near the kiln, including [[Imbrex and tegula|tegulae, imbrices]], [[lydion]]s, pedales<ref>[[OED]] (2010) pedales "a foot long"</ref> and sequipedales.<ref>[[OED]] (2010) sequipedales "a foot and a half long"</ref> The Roman road Akeman Street is three-quarters of a mile ({{convert|0.75|mi|km|1|disp=output only}}) due west of the village.<ref name=1903map/> |
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A middle Saxon [[pendant]], 601–700 AD, was discovered in a field in Little Thetford in 1952. This {{convert|3|cm|in|2|adj=on}} diameter by {{convert|1|cm|in|2|adj=on}} thick pendant, made from [[Quartz|rock-crystal]], gold, [[garnet]], and [[amethyst]] coloured-glass, has been worked in a lathe. The workmanship is not of a high standard.<ref>Lethbridge (1952) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB3916&resourceID=1000 Saxon pendant, Ely]</ref> [[Æthelbert of Kent]] was said to have built a church at [[Cratendune]] around 600 AD, about a mile from the what is now Ely Cathedral. In 673 AD, [[Æthelthryth]] considered restoring this church, thought to have been destroyed by [[Penda of Mercia]], but instead made what is now Ely Cathedral the site of her [[monastery]].<ref>Sweeting (1910) pp. 8–10</ref> An early Anglo-Saxon cemetery, 410–1065 AD, uncovered around 1945 near Little Thetford (52.376N, 0.2375E), was thought to be this lost village of Cratendune.<ref name="Fowler 1947 pp. 70"/><ref name="Cratendune"/> A deserted Saxon settlement, 410–1065 AD, examined in 1999 in Ely, may also be a candidate for this lost site of worship.<ref>(1999) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB15551&resourceID=1000 Late Saxon and Medieval occupation evidence, 2 West End, Ely]</ref><ref>{{Cite conference | first = Lisa | last = Smith | coauthors = Charlotte Davies | title = 25, Broad Street, Ely, Cambridgeshire: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording. | page = 34 | publisher = Archaeological Solutions Ltd| |
A middle Saxon [[pendant]], 601–700 AD, was discovered in a field in Little Thetford in 1952. This {{convert|3|cm|in|2|adj=on}} diameter by {{convert|1|cm|in|2|adj=on}} thick pendant, made from [[Quartz|rock-crystal]], gold, [[garnet]], and [[amethyst]] coloured-glass, has been worked in a lathe. The workmanship is not of a high standard.<ref>Lethbridge (1952) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB3916&resourceID=1000 Saxon pendant, Ely]</ref> [[Æthelbert of Kent]] was said to have built a church at [[Cratendune]] around 600 AD, about a mile from the what is now Ely Cathedral. In 673 AD, [[Æthelthryth]] considered restoring this church, thought to have been destroyed by [[Penda of Mercia]], but instead made what is now Ely Cathedral the site of her [[monastery]].<ref>Sweeting (1910) pp. 8–10</ref> An early Anglo-Saxon cemetery, 410–1065 AD, uncovered around 1945 near Little Thetford (52.376N, 0.2375E), was thought to be this lost village of Cratendune.<ref name="Fowler 1947 pp. 70"/><ref name="Cratendune"/> A deserted Saxon settlement, 410–1065 AD, examined in 1999 in Ely, may also be a candidate for this lost site of worship.<ref>(1999) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB15551&resourceID=1000 Late Saxon and Medieval occupation evidence, 2 West End, Ely]</ref><ref>{{Cite conference | first = Lisa | last = Smith | coauthors = Charlotte Davies | title = 25, Broad Street, Ely, Cambridgeshire: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording. | page = 34 | publisher = Archaeological Solutions Ltd| year = 2008 | url = http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/oasis_reports/archaeol7/ahds/dissemination/pdf/archaeol7-62442_1.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 26 June 2010}}</ref> |
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[[Image:Little Thetford Ferry c. 1905.jpg|left|thumb|alt=Black and white image of river showing small chain ferry on left bank with shire horse and driver ready to go across to the right bank where we can see a windmill|[[Cable ferry|Chain ferry]] at Little Thetford c. 1905. Harrimere [[Tower mill|windmill]] is seen on the [[Barway]] side of the [[River Great Ouse]]]] |
[[Image:Little Thetford Ferry c. 1905.jpg|left|thumb|alt=Black and white image of river showing small chain ferry on left bank with shire horse and driver ready to go across to the right bank where we can see a windmill|[[Cable ferry|Chain ferry]] at Little Thetford c. 1905. Harrimere [[Tower mill|windmill]] is seen on the [[Barway]] side of the [[River Great Ouse]]]] |
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Little Thetford means ''little public'' or ''people's ford''—Old English ''lȳtel Thiutforda'' (c. 972) and {{sic|''Litelt|edford''}} (1086)—compare with [[Thetford]], [[Norfolk]]—Old English ''Thēodford'' (late 9th century) and ''Tedfort'' (1086).<ref>Mills (1991) Thetford and Little Thetford</ref> The online [[Domesday Book]] records the settlement under the name {{sic|''Litelt|etford''}}.<ref name=liteltedford group="nb">''Liteltedford'' in Mills (1991–1998) Thetford, Little Cambs. Thiutforda c. 972 , Liteltedford 1086 (DB). Affix is OE ltel; ''Liteltedford'' in Briggs, Keith (2010) [http://keithbriggs.info/DB_place-name_forms.html Domesday Book place-name forms]; ''Liteltedford'' in (2010) [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7578282&queryType=1&resultcount=1 National Archives]. ''Liteltetford'' in (1999–2010) [http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/cambridgeshire2.html#littlethetford The Domesday Book Online]; Mills (1991–1998) Tetford ''Lincs''. ''Tedforde'' 1086 (DB) 'People's or public ford'. OE ''Thēod'' + ''ford''</ref><ref name=Domesday>{{Cite web | title = Cambridgeshire, Little Thetford | work = The Domesday Book Online | date = 1999–2010 | url = http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/cambridgeshire2.html#littlethetford | accessdate = 1 June 2010}}</ref> The first written evidence that Ely Abbey had inherited the Little Thetford lands was in the 12th century [[chronicle]], ''[[Liber Eliensis]]''. The will of Ælfwaru (d. 1007), an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, granted estates in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, to the Abbey, which included "... that land at Thetford<ref>Fairweather (2005) p. 159 note 294</ref> and fisheries around those marshes".<ref name=Fairweather>Fairweather (2005) p. 159</ref> In 1110, [[Hervey le Breton]], [[Bishop of Ely]], granted the manor to William Brito, his Archdeacon and also his nephew.<ref>Dorothy (2004) [[ODNB]] [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13107 Hervey (d. 1131)]{{subscription required}}</ref> Chapel Hill in the village, near the river, commemorates the site of Harrimere Chapel, used since 1381.<ref name=1903map>{{Cite map |publisher = Ordnance Survey |title = Cambridgeshire [Cambridge Isle of Ely] |edition = 2nd |section = Sheet XXX. N. W. | |
Little Thetford means ''little public'' or ''people's ford''—Old English ''lȳtel Thiutforda'' (c. 972) and {{sic|''Litelt|edford''}} (1086)—compare with [[Thetford]], [[Norfolk]]—Old English ''Thēodford'' (late 9th century) and ''Tedfort'' (1086).<ref>Mills (1991) Thetford and Little Thetford</ref> The online [[Domesday Book]] records the settlement under the name {{sic|''Litelt|etford''}}.<ref name=liteltedford group="nb">''Liteltedford'' in Mills (1991–1998) Thetford, Little Cambs. Thiutforda c. 972 , Liteltedford 1086 (DB). Affix is OE ltel; ''Liteltedford'' in Briggs, Keith (2010) [http://keithbriggs.info/DB_place-name_forms.html Domesday Book place-name forms]; ''Liteltedford'' in (2010) [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7578282&queryType=1&resultcount=1 National Archives]. ''Liteltetford'' in (1999–2010) [http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/cambridgeshire2.html#littlethetford The Domesday Book Online]; Mills (1991–1998) Tetford ''Lincs''. ''Tedforde'' 1086 (DB) 'People's or public ford'. OE ''Thēod'' + ''ford''</ref><ref name=Domesday>{{Cite web | title = Cambridgeshire, Little Thetford | work = The Domesday Book Online | date = 1999–2010 | url = http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/cambridgeshire2.html#littlethetford | accessdate = 1 June 2010}}</ref> The first written evidence that Ely Abbey had inherited the Little Thetford lands was in the 12th century [[chronicle]], ''[[Liber Eliensis]]''. The will of Ælfwaru (d. 1007), an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, granted estates in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, to the Abbey, which included "... that land at Thetford<ref>Fairweather (2005) p. 159 note 294</ref> and fisheries around those marshes".<ref name=Fairweather>Fairweather (2005) p. 159</ref> In 1110, [[Hervey le Breton]], [[Bishop of Ely]], granted the manor to William Brito, his Archdeacon and also his nephew.<ref>Dorothy (2004) [[ODNB]] [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13107 Hervey (d. 1131)]{{subscription required}}</ref> Chapel Hill in the village, near the river, commemorates the site of Harrimere Chapel, used since 1381.<ref name=1903map>{{Cite map |publisher = Ordnance Survey |title = Cambridgeshire [Cambridge Isle of Ely] |edition = 2nd |section = Sheet XXX. N. W. |year = 1903 |accessdate = 12 June 2010}}</ref> Some of the stone from this chapel, dismantled in 1571, was used in the building of St George's Church. By 1539, the Little Thetford manor and its estates contained arable land, pasture, gardens, and orchards.<ref name=archeology>Reynolds, Leith (1992) pp. 12–13</ref> In the mid-16th century, the [[Antiquarian|antiquary]] William Bowyer owned the farm.<ref>Alsop (2004) [[ODNB]] [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/69724 Bowyer, William (d. 1569/70)]{{subscription required}}</ref> |
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There had been a [[Tower mill|windmill]], 1066–1900 AD, in Thetford Field, west of the main built up area of the village.<ref>Map (1605) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8357&resourceID=1000 Late Medieval windmill]</ref> This may have been the site of the ''look-out tower'' village legend says had been used during the [[Norman Conquest]] by [[Hereward the Wake]]'s defence of the Isle of Ely;<ref name=stgeorge group="nb">Leaflet: St. George's Church, Little Thetford, History</ref> a deserted settlement at this location may once have been the centre of the village.<ref>Spedding (1983) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB11033&resourceID=1000 Medieval settlement remains, Little Thetford]</ref> The stump of a windmill, 1540–1900 AD, in the present centre of the village, was converted into a house. The site of this mill is where the Roundhouse still stands to this day.<ref>Hughes (1931) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8395&resourceID=1000 Late Medieval windmill]</ref> The Harrimere windmill, was on the east bank of the River Great Ouse, at Barway. The [[Cable ferry|chain ferry]] linked Barway with Little Thetford.<ref>{{Cite map |publisher = Ordnance Survey |title = 170 sheets covering England and Wales:Thetford Ferry |url = http://visionofbritain.org.uk/iipmooviewer/iipmooviewer.html?fileName=first_edition%2Flm_51%3DThe+British+Library%3DOrdnance+Survey%3DFirst+Series%3D51&x=28&y=37|edition = First series |section = 51 | |
There had been a [[Tower mill|windmill]], 1066–1900 AD, in Thetford Field, west of the main built up area of the village.<ref>Map (1605) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8357&resourceID=1000 Late Medieval windmill]</ref> This may have been the site of the ''look-out tower'' village legend says had been used during the [[Norman Conquest]] by [[Hereward the Wake]]'s defence of the Isle of Ely;<ref name=stgeorge group="nb">Leaflet: St. George's Church, Little Thetford, History</ref> a deserted settlement at this location may once have been the centre of the village.<ref>Spedding (1983) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB11033&resourceID=1000 Medieval settlement remains, Little Thetford]</ref> The stump of a windmill, 1540–1900 AD, in the present centre of the village, was converted into a house. The site of this mill is where the Roundhouse still stands to this day.<ref>Hughes (1931) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8395&resourceID=1000 Late Medieval windmill]</ref> The Harrimere windmill, was on the east bank of the River Great Ouse, at Barway. The [[Cable ferry|chain ferry]] linked Barway with Little Thetford.<ref>{{Cite map |publisher = Ordnance Survey |title = 170 sheets covering England and Wales:Thetford Ferry |url = http://visionofbritain.org.uk/iipmooviewer/iipmooviewer.html?fileName=first_edition%2Flm_51%3DThe+British+Library%3DOrdnance+Survey%3DFirst+Series%3D51&x=28&y=37|edition = First series |section = 51 |year = 1836 |accessdate = 12 July 2010}}</ref> |
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The [[apothecary]] and [[botanist]], [[William Sole]] (June 1741 February 1802), was born in Little Thetford<ref group="nb">''[[Dictionary of National Biography|ODNB]]'' 2010 says was born Thetford, Norfolk. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 53 and parish records state that Sole was born in Little Thetford, Cambridgeshire</ref> and educated at [[King's School, Ely]]. Sole was apprenticed to Robert Cory of Cambridge for five years; he followed this by setting up a solo apothecary practice in Bath and later a practice in partnership with Thomas West. Sole published ''Menthae Britannicae''; he was one of the first elected associates of the [[Linnean Society of London]] and [[Carl Sprengel|Sprengel]] named a plant species ''Solea''(now ''[[Viola (plant)|Viola]]'') after him.<ref>Bougler G S rev. Anita McConnell (2004) [[Dictionary of National Biography|ODNB]] [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25987 Sole, William (1741-1802)]</ref> |
The [[apothecary]] and [[botanist]], [[William Sole]] (June 1741 February 1802), was born in Little Thetford<ref group="nb">''[[Dictionary of National Biography|ODNB]]'' 2010 says was born Thetford, Norfolk. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 53 and parish records state that Sole was born in Little Thetford, Cambridgeshire</ref> and educated at [[King's School, Ely]]. Sole was apprenticed to Robert Cory of Cambridge for five years; he followed this by setting up a solo apothecary practice in Bath and later a practice in partnership with Thomas West. Sole published ''Menthae Britannicae''; he was one of the first elected associates of the [[Linnean Society of London]] and [[Carl Sprengel|Sprengel]] named a plant species ''Solea''(now ''[[Viola (plant)|Viola]]'') after him.<ref>Bougler G S rev. Anita McConnell (2004) [[Dictionary of National Biography|ODNB]] [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25987 Sole, William (1741-1802)]</ref> |
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[[image:Baptist Church Little Thetford 2010-06-02.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Large oblong brick building with metal railings|19th-century [[Baptist]] chapel]]An Enclosure Act is a parliamentary authority to fence-off common land, thus making that land private property, while awarding commoners land in compensation. ''Inclosure'' is the name given to the parliamentary statute thus created.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary|OED]] (2010) Enclosure</ref> The process began in the 13th century and was supported by Acts of Parliament from 1640.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Turner | first = Michael | title = Parliamentary Enclosures: Gains and Costs | pages = 1–4 | publisher = Ecomonic History Society—ReFRESH | |
[[image:Baptist Church Little Thetford 2010-06-02.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Large oblong brick building with metal railings|19th-century [[Baptist]] chapel]]An Enclosure Act is a parliamentary authority to fence-off common land, thus making that land private property, while awarding commoners land in compensation. ''Inclosure'' is the name given to the parliamentary statute thus created.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary|OED]] (2010) Enclosure</ref> The process began in the 13th century and was supported by Acts of Parliament from 1640.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Turner | first = Michael | title = Parliamentary Enclosures: Gains and Costs | pages = 1–4 | publisher = Ecomonic History Society—ReFRESH | year = 1986 | url = http://www.scottishcommons.org/docs/english_enclosures.pdf | accessdate = 20 June 2010 | format = PDF }}</ref> In November 1833, the [[Isle of Ely]] intended to apply for [[Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom|Acts of Parliament]] to enclose the lands of Little Thetford.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Intention to apply for an Act of Parliament to enclose lands in Little Thetford | newspaper = Cambridge Chronicle and University Journal | location = Cambridgeshire Collection | page = 1 | date = 15 November 1833}}</ref> Officials arrived in the village armed with nothing more than a notice to be pinned on the [[Church of England]]'s St. George's church door, but were prevented from doing so by a dozen villagers. They returned later with ten [[constable]]s, authorised by Ely [[magistrate]]s, and were confronted this time by 150 stick-wielding protesters, who continued to prevent [[due process]]. When the [[clergyman]], [[Henry Hervey Baber]], arrived the following afternoon, he was prevented from carrying out his normal Sunday [[Church service|service]].<ref>{{Cite news | title = Revolt at Little Thetford | newspaper = Cambridge Chronicle and University Journal | location = Cambridgeshire Collection | page = 3 | date = 29 November 1833}}</ref> Villagers may have rebelled against the church at this time, perhaps believing it was acting on behalf of the [[The Establishment|establishment]] in the enclosure acts.<ref name=stgeorge group="nb"/> This event may have been the trigger that, five years later, encouraged a strong Baptist following amongst the poorer villagers. About half the total area of Little Thetford<ref>Pugh (ed) (1953) Enclosure:Thetford Act 7 & 8 Vic. c.xxix</ref> was eventually enclosed in 1844, seven years after that of Stretham.<ref>Pugh (ed) (1953) Enclosure:Stretham Act 5 & 6 Wm. IV, c.13</ref><ref name="Pugh ed 1953 p. 152 col. 2">Pugh (ed) (1953) p. 152 col. 2</ref> |
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The village sent 61 men to fight in the First World War, which represents over 30 percent of the village population of 1911.<ref group="nb">The vicar of Stretham and Little Thetford Rev. S. Stewart Stitt, who lost his son in the war, recorded all those who took part in the war at the Church Annual Vestry Meeting in 1919.</ref><ref>{{Cite web | last = Young | first = Robert| authorlink = | title = The Great War: Those who took part | work = Little Thetford dot org: Local History | publisher = Little Thetford .org | date = April 2009 | url = http://www.littlethetford.org/?page_id=213 | accessdate = 8 July 2010}}</ref> Two villagers won [[Distinguished Conduct Medal]]s.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Supplement to the London Gazette: George Dewsbury (325851) | newspaper = The London Gazette | location = London| page = 38 | publisher = His Majesties Stationery Office| issue = 30512 | date = 5 February 1918 | url = http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30512/supplements/1762 | accessdate = 13 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = Supplement to the London Gazette: Frederick Wright (59786) | newspaper = The London Gazette| location = London| page = 9 | publisher = His Majesties Stationery Office| issue = 30389 | date = 16 November 1917 | url = http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30389/supplements/11957 | accessdate = 13 July 2010}}</ref> Thirteen villagers—over six percent of the village—died at battles including [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|La Cateau]], [[Second Battle of Ypres]], [[Gallipoli Campaign]], [[Battle of the Somme]], and the [[Battle of Arras (1917)|Battle of Arras]].<ref group="nb">St. George's church 1914–1918 memorial inside the church</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title = Little Thetford roll of honour | publisher = Roll-of-Honour | date = 2002–2010 | url =http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cambridgeshire/LittleThetford.html | accessdate = 8 July 2010}}</ref> |
The village sent 61 men to fight in the First World War, which represents over 30 percent of the village population of 1911.<ref group="nb">The vicar of Stretham and Little Thetford Rev. S. Stewart Stitt, who lost his son in the war, recorded all those who took part in the war at the Church Annual Vestry Meeting in 1919.</ref><ref>{{Cite web | last = Young | first = Robert| authorlink = | title = The Great War: Those who took part | work = Little Thetford dot org: Local History | publisher = Little Thetford .org | date = April 2009 | url = http://www.littlethetford.org/?page_id=213 | accessdate = 8 July 2010}}</ref> Two villagers won [[Distinguished Conduct Medal]]s.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Supplement to the London Gazette: George Dewsbury (325851) | newspaper = The London Gazette | location = London| page = 38 | publisher = His Majesties Stationery Office| issue = 30512 | date = 5 February 1918 | url = http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30512/supplements/1762 | accessdate = 13 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = Supplement to the London Gazette: Frederick Wright (59786) | newspaper = The London Gazette| location = London| page = 9 | publisher = His Majesties Stationery Office| issue = 30389 | date = 16 November 1917 | url = http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30389/supplements/11957 | accessdate = 13 July 2010}}</ref> Thirteen villagers—over six percent of the village—died at battles including [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|La Cateau]], [[Second Battle of Ypres]], [[Gallipoli Campaign]], [[Battle of the Somme]], and the [[Battle of Arras (1917)|Battle of Arras]].<ref group="nb">St. George's church 1914–1918 memorial inside the church</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title = Little Thetford roll of honour | publisher = Roll-of-Honour | date = 2002–2010 | url =http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cambridgeshire/LittleThetford.html | accessdate = 8 July 2010}}</ref> |
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Two residents of the village were killed in action during the Second World War.<ref name="nb">St. George's church 1939–1945 memorial inside the church</ref> One villager, serving with the 5th Battalion of the [[Suffolk Regiment]], was captured during the [[Battle of Singapore]], and died in captivity in [[Thailand]]. Another villager, serving on board [[HMS Warspite (03)|HMS Warspite]], was fatally wounded at [[Salerno]] during his ship's support of the [[Allied invasion of Italy]].<ref>{{Cite web | last = Young | first = Robert | title = The Second World War : 1939–1945 | work = Little Thetford dot org: Local History | publisher = Little Thetford .org | date = April 2009 | url = http://www.littlethetford.org/?page_id=41 | accessdate = 8 July 2010}}</ref> |
Two residents of the village were killed in action during the Second World War.<ref name="nb">St. George's church 1939–1945 memorial inside the church</ref> One villager, serving with the 5th Battalion of the [[Suffolk Regiment]], was captured during the [[Battle of Singapore]], and died in captivity in [[Thailand]]. Another villager, serving on board [[HMS Warspite (03)|HMS Warspite]], was fatally wounded at [[Salerno]] during his ship's support of the [[Allied invasion of Italy]].<ref>{{Cite web | last = Young | first = Robert | title = The Second World War : 1939–1945 | work = Little Thetford dot org: Local History | publisher = Little Thetford .org | date = April 2009 | url = http://www.littlethetford.org/?page_id=41 | accessdate = 8 July 2010}}</ref> |
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The river floods that began in mid-March 1947 affected over {{convert|1000|sqmi}} of England. Thirty counties were underwater for nearly two weeks, during the worst flooding for over 200 years.<ref name=rms>{{Cite web | title = U.K. River Floods: 60-Year Retrospective| publisher = Risk Management Solutions | |
The river floods that began in mid-March 1947 affected over {{convert|1000|sqmi}} of England. Thirty counties were underwater for nearly two weeks, during the worst flooding for over 200 years.<ref name=rms>{{Cite web | title = U.K. River Floods: 60-Year Retrospective| publisher = Risk Management Solutions | year = 2007 | url = http://www.rms.com/publications/1947_UKRiverFloods.pdf| format = PDF | accessdate = }}</ref> Before the flooding, snow had been falling continuously since 23 January, with drifts up to {{convert|23|ft}} deep in places. The winter of 1946–1947 had been very severe, with mean average temperatures 4 °C (7 °F) below normal, for that time of year.<ref name=met>{{Cite web | title = Serious snowfall in the winter of 1947 | work = Severe winters | publisher = Met Office | year = 2010 | url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens/casestudy_severe_winters.html#p01 | accessdate = 8 July 2010}}</ref> As the thaw began in mid-March, the warmer weather brought heavy rains. The rain running off the frozen ground, combined with the thaw, overwhelmed multiple rivers in England and eastern Wales, which flooded. The River Great Ouse collapsed at Little Thetford on 17th March,<ref name=rms/> flooding over {{convert|3|sqmi}} of nearby land. The army was drafted in to help repair the river banks, assisted by villagers, including women, and German prisoners.<ref name=lookingback>{{Cite web | last = Petty| first = Mike | title = Looking back stories| work = Cambridgeshire & the fens | date = April 2009 | url = http://www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/MikePetty/ | accessdate = 8 July 2010}}</ref> |
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Built in 1958, the village hall houses the village social club, which started in a small extension to the hall in 1973. The club was extended in 1981, as the membership had grown to over 400. Ely [[Member of Parliament]], Mr. [[Clement Freud]], opened the new room, built mainly by members themselves, on 7 May 1981.<ref>Petty (2001) p. 136</ref> |
Built in 1958, the village hall houses the village social club, which started in a small extension to the hall in 1973. The club was extended in 1981, as the membership had grown to over 400. Ely [[Member of Parliament]], Mr. [[Clement Freud]], opened the new room, built mainly by members themselves, on 7 May 1981.<ref>Petty (2001) p. 136</ref> |
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In 1929, Stretham and Little Thetford were together one of the twelve parishes of the South [[Hundreds of Cambridgeshire|Witchford Hundred]], with a total area of {{convert|58|sqmi|km2|0}}.<ref name=pugh151>Pugh (ed) (1953) p. 151</ref> The village of Little Thetford is coterminous with the civil parish of Thetford. The civil parish today is in the ward of Stretham, which comprises three civil parishes, Stretham, Thetford, and [[Wilburton]], each of which has an elected council. Thetford seems to be the preferred administrative name used for the village, however it is easily confused with Thetford in Norfolk. [[Parish councils in England|Parish council]] services include [[Bus stop|bus shelters]], [[Cemetery|cemeteries]], [[Equity sharing|shared equity]] housing, local planning consultation, play areas, village halls, and war memorials. Parish council meetings are held in the [[village hall]] situated in each civil parish.<ref name=ECDC>{{Cite book|title = Leaflet:Councillors, committees & meeting dates|publisher = East Cambridgeshire District Council|date=February 2010}}</ref> Little Thetford is also an ecclesiastical [[parish]], although the church no longer has the same administrative responsibilities as it had until the early 19th century. A civil parish need not cover the same area as an ecclesiastical parish, but in the case of Little Thetford, they do.<ref>Pugh (ed) (1953) pp. 154–155</ref> |
In 1929, Stretham and Little Thetford were together one of the twelve parishes of the South [[Hundreds of Cambridgeshire|Witchford Hundred]], with a total area of {{convert|58|sqmi|km2|0}}.<ref name=pugh151>Pugh (ed) (1953) p. 151</ref> The village of Little Thetford is coterminous with the civil parish of Thetford. The civil parish today is in the ward of Stretham, which comprises three civil parishes, Stretham, Thetford, and [[Wilburton]], each of which has an elected council. Thetford seems to be the preferred administrative name used for the village, however it is easily confused with Thetford in Norfolk. [[Parish councils in England|Parish council]] services include [[Bus stop|bus shelters]], [[Cemetery|cemeteries]], [[Equity sharing|shared equity]] housing, local planning consultation, play areas, village halls, and war memorials. Parish council meetings are held in the [[village hall]] situated in each civil parish.<ref name=ECDC>{{Cite book|title = Leaflet:Councillors, committees & meeting dates|publisher = East Cambridgeshire District Council|date=February 2010}}</ref> Little Thetford is also an ecclesiastical [[parish]], although the church no longer has the same administrative responsibilities as it had until the early 19th century. A civil parish need not cover the same area as an ecclesiastical parish, but in the case of Little Thetford, they do.<ref>Pugh (ed) (1953) pp. 154–155</ref> |
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The civil parish councils were governed by [[Ely Rural District]] council from 1894 until 1974.<ref>A Vision of Britain [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10061520 Administrative unit:Ely RD:Local Government District]</ref> [[East Cambridgeshire|East Cambridgeshire District Council]] (ECDC) was formed in 1974 with administration buildings in Ely. The district council collects [[council tax]], provides services such as building regulations and local planning, leisure and tourism, handles issues strategic to the district, and many other services. ECDC is in turn governed by [[Cambridgeshire local elections|Cambridgeshire County Council]] which has administration buildings in Cambridge. The county council provides county-wide services such as major road infrastructure, fire and rescue, libraries and heritage, and strategic planning.<ref name=ECDC/> A mobile library visits the village every fortnight.<ref>{{Cite web|authorlink=Cambridgeshire County Council|title = Mobile libraries: Our service for small communities | publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council| |
The civil parish councils were governed by [[Ely Rural District]] council from 1894 until 1974.<ref>A Vision of Britain [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10061520 Administrative unit:Ely RD:Local Government District]</ref> [[East Cambridgeshire|East Cambridgeshire District Council]] (ECDC) was formed in 1974 with administration buildings in Ely. The district council collects [[council tax]], provides services such as building regulations and local planning, leisure and tourism, handles issues strategic to the district, and many other services. ECDC is in turn governed by [[Cambridgeshire local elections|Cambridgeshire County Council]] which has administration buildings in Cambridge. The county council provides county-wide services such as major road infrastructure, fire and rescue, libraries and heritage, and strategic planning.<ref name=ECDC/> A mobile library visits the village every fortnight.<ref>{{Cite web|authorlink=Cambridgeshire County Council|title = Mobile libraries: Our service for small communities | publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council|year = 2010 | url = http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/access/mobile/| accessdate = 22 June 2010}}</ref> |
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The parish is represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] as part of [[South East Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South East Cambridgeshire]]. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the [[first past the post]] system of election. It is also part of the [[East of England (European Parliament constituency)|East of England constituency]] of the [[European Parliament]] which elects seven [[Members of the European Parliament|MEPs]] using the [[d'Hondt method]] of [[party-list proportional representation]].<ref name=ECDC/> |
The parish is represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] as part of [[South East Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South East Cambridgeshire]]. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the [[first past the post]] system of election. It is also part of the [[East of England (European Parliament constituency)|East of England constituency]] of the [[European Parliament]] which elects seven [[Members of the European Parliament|MEPs]] using the [[d'Hondt method]] of [[party-list proportional representation]].<ref name=ECDC/> |
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There are many man-made waterways, or [[Cambridgeshire Lodes|Lodes]] nearby, including [[Cambridgeshire Lodes#Wicken Lode|Wicken Lode]] and [[Cambridgeshire Lodes#Soham Lode|Soham Lode]]. Researchers suggest the Fenland Lodes are Roman in origin—almost certainly Soham Lode.<ref>Astbury (1958) p. 171</ref> Other researchers disagree, presenting a case for such lodes being Anglo-Saxon or later.<ref>Hall (1996) p. 239</ref> The Thetford [[Catchwater drain|catchwater (drain)]], constructed in 1838, runs south-west to north-east around the eastern edge of the built-up part of the village. It drains by gravity, into the River Great Ouse north-east of the village, at the Braham Dock drain.<ref name=boundary/> |
There are many man-made waterways, or [[Cambridgeshire Lodes|Lodes]] nearby, including [[Cambridgeshire Lodes#Wicken Lode|Wicken Lode]] and [[Cambridgeshire Lodes#Soham Lode|Soham Lode]]. Researchers suggest the Fenland Lodes are Roman in origin—almost certainly Soham Lode.<ref>Astbury (1958) p. 171</ref> Other researchers disagree, presenting a case for such lodes being Anglo-Saxon or later.<ref>Hall (1996) p. 239</ref> The Thetford [[Catchwater drain|catchwater (drain)]], constructed in 1838, runs south-west to north-east around the eastern edge of the built-up part of the village. It drains by gravity, into the River Great Ouse north-east of the village, at the Braham Dock drain.<ref name=boundary/> |
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The [[Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford|Earl of Bedford]] carried out extensive venture-capital led Fen draining schemes during the 17th century. The Fens continue to be drained to this day. [[Wicken Fen]], one of Britain's oldest [[nature reserve]]s, is two-mile ({{convert|2|mi|km|0|abbr=on|disp=output only}}) south-east of the village. Little Thetford is in the [[Littleport, Cambridgeshire|Littleport]] and [[Little Downham|Downham]] [[Internal drainage board|Internal Drainage board]], which itself is part of the Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Littleport and Downham Internal Drainage Board|work = elydrainageboards.co.uk|publisher=Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards|url = http://www.elydrainageboards.co.uk/members/littleport_downham/home.html | |
The [[Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford|Earl of Bedford]] carried out extensive venture-capital led Fen draining schemes during the 17th century. The Fens continue to be drained to this day. [[Wicken Fen]], one of Britain's oldest [[nature reserve]]s, is two-mile ({{convert|2|mi|km|0|abbr=on|disp=output only}}) south-east of the village. Little Thetford is in the [[Littleport, Cambridgeshire|Littleport]] and [[Little Downham|Downham]] [[Internal drainage board|Internal Drainage board]], which itself is part of the Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Littleport and Downham Internal Drainage Board|work = elydrainageboards.co.uk|publisher=Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards|url = http://www.elydrainageboards.co.uk/members/littleport_downham/home.html |year=2009|accessdate = 4 June 2010}}</ref> Stretham and [[Prickwillow]] local museums preserve examples of [[Stretham Old Engine|steam-driven]] and [[Prickwillow#Drainage|diesel-driven]] [[pumping station]]s, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web | title = The Stretham old engine | publisher = Stretham old engine | url = http://www.strethamoldengine.org.uk/| accessdate = 15 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = The museum of fenland drainage | publisher = Prickwillow engine trust, registered charity in England (charity number 285139) | year = 2008 |
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| url = http://www.prickwillow-engine-museum.co.uk/|accessdate = 15 June 2010}}</ref> The Little Thetford pumping station is just inside the eastern boundary of the village.<ref>{{Cite map |publisher = Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards|title = Littleport and Downham Internal Drainage Board |url = http://www.elydrainageboards.co.uk/members/littleport_downham/map.html |edition = Landranger 1:50000 |section = 143–154 |accessdate = }}</ref> |
| url = http://www.prickwillow-engine-museum.co.uk/|accessdate = 15 June 2010}}</ref> The Little Thetford pumping station is just inside the eastern boundary of the village.<ref>{{Cite map |publisher = Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards|title = Littleport and Downham Internal Drainage Board |url = http://www.elydrainageboards.co.uk/members/littleport_downham/map.html |edition = Landranger 1:50000 |section = 143–154 |accessdate = }}</ref> |
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===Climate=== |
===Climate=== |
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With an average annual rainfall of {{convert|24|in|mm|-2}}, Cambridgeshire is one of the driest counties in the [[British Isles]]. Protected from the cool onshore coastal breezes east of the region, Cambridgeshire is warm in summer and cold and frosty in winter.<ref>Greig (1998) p. 305</ref> Regional [[weather forecasting]] and historical summaries are available from the UK [[Met Office]].<ref>{{Cite web| title = Forecast:East of England| work = UK Climate Forecasts| url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/ee/ee_forecast_weather.html| accessdate = 5 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Historical Data:Regional:Cambridge NIAB| work = UK Climate Summaries| url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/stationdata/cambridgedata.txt| accessdate = 5 June 2010}}</ref> The nearest Met Office [[weather station]] is Cambridge NIAB. Additional local weather stations report periodic figures to the internet such as [[Weather Underground (weather service)|Weather Underground]], Inc.<ref>{{Cite web| authorlink = Weather_Underground_(weather_service)| title = Ely, United Kingdom| publisher = Weather Underground, Inc| |
With an average annual rainfall of {{convert|24|in|mm|-2}}, Cambridgeshire is one of the driest counties in the [[British Isles]]. Protected from the cool onshore coastal breezes east of the region, Cambridgeshire is warm in summer and cold and frosty in winter.<ref>Greig (1998) p. 305</ref> Regional [[weather forecasting]] and historical summaries are available from the UK [[Met Office]].<ref>{{Cite web| title = Forecast:East of England| work = UK Climate Forecasts| url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/ee/ee_forecast_weather.html| accessdate = 5 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Historical Data:Regional:Cambridge NIAB| work = UK Climate Summaries| url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/stationdata/cambridgedata.txt| accessdate = 5 June 2010}}</ref> The nearest Met Office [[weather station]] is Cambridge NIAB. Additional local weather stations report periodic figures to the internet such as [[Weather Underground (weather service)|Weather Underground]], Inc.<ref>{{Cite web| authorlink = Weather_Underground_(weather_service)| title = Ely, United Kingdom| publisher = Weather Underground, Inc| year = 2010| url = http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=ely,%20uk&wuSelect=WEATHER| accessdate = 5 June 2010}}</ref> |
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== Demography == |
== Demography == |
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Between 1881 and 1961, the village population density remained static at around {{Pop density|242|{{convert|1630|acre|sqmi|0|disp=output number only}}|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref>A Vision of Britain [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_rate_page.jsp?u_id=10120305&c_id=10001043&data_theme=T_POP&id=0 Administrative unit:Thetford CP/Ch:Parish level unit:Population density]</ref> In contrast, the England and Wales figures for the same period almost doubled, rising from around {{convert|{{convert|0.75|/acre|/sqmi|0|disp=output number only}}|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}} to around {{convert|{{convert|1.2|/acre|/sqmi|0|disp=output number only}}|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}. Little Thetford is in output area classification zones (CGM) six and seven. The area is classified as type three-C, accessible countryside.<ref name=Geodmographics>{{Cite map| title = Geodmographic tool| work = Output Area Classification (OAC)| publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council | |
Between 1881 and 1961, the village population density remained static at around {{Pop density|242|{{convert|1630|acre|sqmi|0|disp=output number only}}|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref>A Vision of Britain [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_rate_page.jsp?u_id=10120305&c_id=10001043&data_theme=T_POP&id=0 Administrative unit:Thetford CP/Ch:Parish level unit:Population density]</ref> In contrast, the England and Wales figures for the same period almost doubled, rising from around {{convert|{{convert|0.75|/acre|/sqmi|0|disp=output number only}}|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}} to around {{convert|{{convert|1.2|/acre|/sqmi|0|disp=output number only}}|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}. Little Thetford is in output area classification zones (CGM) six and seven. The area is classified as type three-C, accessible countryside.<ref name=Geodmographics>{{Cite map| title = Geodmographic tool| work = Output Area Classification (OAC)| publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council | year = 2008 | url = http://map1.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/observe/Flash/OAC/atlas.html | format = Flash| accessdate = 14 June 2010}}</ref> In this classification, most residents work from home employed in agriculture of fishing. The areas in this classification are less densely populated than other areas of the country. The usually detached households generally have two or more cars. Varied ethnic backgrounds are less likely in such areas.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Supergroup 3: Countryside| work = Cambridgeshire Atlas: Output Area Classification (OAC): Notes | publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council | year = 2008 | url = http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/area_classification/Cluster_Profiles/PDF/supergroup3.pdf | format = PDF | doi = | accessdate = 14 June 2010}}</ref> |
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Census: 1801–2001<ref>{{Cite web|title = Historic Census Population Figures|publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council| |
Census: 1801–2001<ref>{{Cite web|title = Historic Census Population Figures|publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council|year = 2010 | url = http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C36C6418-DEFD-4ED1-B050-9984100DF110/0/HistCensusEastCambs0106.xls| format = XLS|accessdate = 4 June 2010}}</ref> |
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== Economy == |
== Economy == |
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[[image:Fish and Duck 2003-01-18-1.jpg|thumb|left|alt=River scene of two-storey wooden building with chimney with Fish and Duck written on the front wall some canal long-boats in the foreground|Fish and Duck public house on the [[River Great Ouse]] in Little Thetford]] |
[[image:Fish and Duck 2003-01-18-1.jpg|thumb|left|alt=River scene of two-storey wooden building with chimney with Fish and Duck written on the front wall some canal long-boats in the foreground|Fish and Duck public house on the [[River Great Ouse]] in Little Thetford]] |
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The marshes<ref name=Fairweather/> and meres surrounding the village supported fishing since Saxon times, at least until significant draining during the 17th century.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Learning, Drains | publisher = Prickwillow Engine Trust | |
The marshes<ref name=Fairweather/> and meres surrounding the village supported fishing since Saxon times, at least until significant draining during the 17th century.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Learning, Drains | publisher = Prickwillow Engine Trust | year = 2005 | url = http://www.prickwillow-engine-museum.co.uk/learning/drains.html| accessdate = }}</ref> [[Eel]]s were plentiful in the waters in and around the Isle of Ely (Eel–ey).<ref name=C4/> In 1086, Little Thetford was worth 3,250 eels to the nearby abbots.<ref name=Domesday/> In one year, 1087, it was written that 52,000 eels were caught in and around the city.<ref name=C4>{{Cite web | title = The Islands of the Eels – Digging deep into the old Ely | work = Time Team | publisher = Channel 4 | date = 17 May 2001 | url = http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/timeteam/archive/2001ely.html| accessdate = 11 July 2010}}</ref> The islands in this landscape supported pastures; whilst reeds, peat, and rushes were harvested from the wetlands.<ref>{{Cite web | last = Ross | first = David | title = Cambridgeshire Fens | work = Travel guides | publisher = Britain Express | date = 1996–2010 | url = http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cambridgeshire/fens.htm | accessdate = 16 June 2010}}</ref> As the land was drained, arable farming became the dominant activity, as it is today.<ref name=Geodmographics/> |
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Little Thetford played a part in the coprolite mining rush of c. 1858–1900.<ref name="rush">{{cite web | last = Edwards | first = Martin | url = http://www.rootsweb.com/~engcam/coprolite.htm| title = Cambridgeshire{{ndash}}The Coprolite Mining Industry date = 1999| publisher = England GenWeb and World GenWeb | accessdate = 5 July 2010}}</ref> Coprolites are [[phosphate]]-rich [[fossil]]s found {{convert|2|and|10|ft}} below the surface in {{convert|33|ft}} deep by rarely more than {{convert|5|mi}} wide [[Gault clay]] beds. When mixed with sulphuric acid, the coprolite forms a [[fertiliser]].<ref>O'Connor (2001) pp. 46–57</ref> One author attributes the Stretham coprolite pit, in Little Thetford, as being owned by [[John Bailey Denton]], 1814–1893, the surveyor and civil engineer. The site was worked from 1866. Mainly local labour was used in shovelling the coprolite from the pit, for washing and sorting. In 1871, six percent of the population of Little Thetford worked at the pit. The coprolite was transported to the James Fison (now [[Fisons]] Ltd) factory in [[Thetford]], [[Norfolk]], by river and then onwards by railway.<ref>{{Cite web | last = O'Connor | first = Bernard | title = Cambridgeshire Coprolite publications:Stretham coprolites | |
Little Thetford played a part in the coprolite mining rush of c. 1858–1900.<ref name="rush">{{cite web | last = Edwards | first = Martin | url = http://www.rootsweb.com/~engcam/coprolite.htm| title = Cambridgeshire{{ndash}}The Coprolite Mining Industry date = 1999| publisher = England GenWeb and World GenWeb | accessdate = 5 July 2010}}</ref> Coprolites are [[phosphate]]-rich [[fossil]]s found {{convert|2|and|10|ft}} below the surface in {{convert|33|ft}} deep by rarely more than {{convert|5|mi}} wide [[Gault clay]] beds. When mixed with sulphuric acid, the coprolite forms a [[fertiliser]].<ref>O'Connor (2001) pp. 46–57</ref> One author attributes the Stretham coprolite pit, in Little Thetford, as being owned by [[John Bailey Denton]], 1814–1893, the surveyor and civil engineer. The site was worked from 1866. Mainly local labour was used in shovelling the coprolite from the pit, for washing and sorting. In 1871, six percent of the population of Little Thetford worked at the pit. The coprolite was transported to the James Fison (now [[Fisons]] Ltd) factory in [[Thetford]], [[Norfolk]], by river and then onwards by railway.<ref>{{Cite web | last = O'Connor | first = Bernard | title = Cambridgeshire Coprolite publications:Stretham coprolites | year = 2009 | url = http://bernardoconnor.org.uk/Coprolites/Cambcops/coprolitepublicationscambs.htm | accessdate = 5 July 2010}}</ref><ref name="coprolite">Grove (1976) pp. 36–43</ref> |
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The Three Horseshoes, now a residential property,<ref>{{Cite web |title = Horseshoes, 2 Green Hill (north side) Thetford, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire |work = British Listed Buildings|publisher = English Heritage|url = http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=49483|accessdate = 21 June 2010}}</ref> was one of seven [[public house]]s, known to be within the village boundaries since the mid-19th century. The British Beer and Pub Association estimated in 2001 that "six rural pubs close each week".<ref>{{Cite news | last = Brown | first = Amanda | title = Six rural pubs close each week, study finds | newspaper = The Independent | date = 17 November 2001 | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/six-rural-pubs-close-each-week-study-finds-620449.html | accessdate = 21 June 2010}}</ref> There was a public house at Little Thetford, the Fish and Duck, situated along the river nearer Stretham;<ref>Petty (2003) p. 138</ref> it closed sometime during 2006,<ref>Geograph (2007) [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/470985 Former Fish and Duck public house and adjacent marina]</ref><ref>1pumplane (2009) [http://1pumplane.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/21-feb-2009-fen-run-2-fish-and-duck-pub/ 21 February 2009, Fen run 2:Fish and Duck]</ref> and the owning company [[Dissolution (law)|dissolved]] on 11 May 2010.<ref>[[Companies House]] (2010) [http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/4fdabfbc74339278aa67ded8eb38ef76/compdetails Popes Corner Marina Limited (04843157)]</ref> There is a combined [[newsagent]], [[post office]], and [[grocery store]] in Stretham, {{convert|2|mi|km}} south of the village.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Post Office Services, Ely | publisher = Zettai | |
The Three Horseshoes, now a residential property,<ref>{{Cite web |title = Horseshoes, 2 Green Hill (north side) Thetford, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire |work = British Listed Buildings|publisher = English Heritage|url = http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=49483|accessdate = 21 June 2010}}</ref> was one of seven [[public house]]s, known to be within the village boundaries since the mid-19th century. The British Beer and Pub Association estimated in 2001 that "six rural pubs close each week".<ref>{{Cite news | last = Brown | first = Amanda | title = Six rural pubs close each week, study finds | newspaper = The Independent | date = 17 November 2001 | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/six-rural-pubs-close-each-week-study-finds-620449.html | accessdate = 21 June 2010}}</ref> There was a public house at Little Thetford, the Fish and Duck, situated along the river nearer Stretham;<ref>Petty (2003) p. 138</ref> it closed sometime during 2006,<ref>Geograph (2007) [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/470985 Former Fish and Duck public house and adjacent marina]</ref><ref>1pumplane (2009) [http://1pumplane.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/21-feb-2009-fen-run-2-fish-and-duck-pub/ 21 February 2009, Fen run 2:Fish and Duck]</ref> and the owning company [[Dissolution (law)|dissolved]] on 11 May 2010.<ref>[[Companies House]] (2010) [http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/4fdabfbc74339278aa67ded8eb38ef76/compdetails Popes Corner Marina Limited (04843157)]</ref> There is a combined [[newsagent]], [[post office]], and [[grocery store]] in Stretham, {{convert|2|mi|km}} south of the village.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Post Office Services, Ely | publisher = Zettai | year = 2010 | url = http://www.zettai.net/find/ely/post-office-services/ | accessdate = 15 July 2010}}</ref> The one remaining local store is the [[recumbent bicycle]] shop, D.Tek, on the main street.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Newsletter 42:Carrying small babies | publisher = Cambridge Cycling Campaign| date = 4 July 2002| url = http://www.camcycle.org.uk/newsletters/42/article19.html | accessdate = 12 July 2010}}</ref> |
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The average distance the village population travels to work, by any means, is {{convert|13.6|mi|km}}.<ref name=2001census>{{Cite web | title = Area: Thetford CP (parish) | work = 2001 Census | publisher = Office for National Statistics | |
The average distance the village population travels to work, by any means, is {{convert|13.6|mi|km}}.<ref name=2001census>{{Cite web | title = Area: Thetford CP (parish) | work = 2001 Census | publisher = Office for National Statistics | year = 2001 | url = http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=792199&c=CB6+3YE&d=16&e=15&g=426092&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1275485866481&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 | accessdate = 1 June 2010}}</ref> Most residents commute to Cambridge, although some villagers use the 75-minute Fen Line commuter service to London from Ely railway station, {{convert|2|mi}} away. There is a train every 30 minutes during peak time.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Train Times | publisher = First Capital Connect | date = 23 May to 11 December 2010 | url = http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/content/doc/cms/FC100319_GN_All%20Routes.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 16 June 2010}}</ref>{{Clear}} |
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== Community facilities == |
== Community facilities == |
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[[image:April Cottage Little Thetford 13-10-2006.jpg|right|thumb|alt=White thatched cottage single storey 3 windows 1 front door 1 attic window chimney No front garden|April Thatch cottage, 18th century]] |
[[image:April Cottage Little Thetford 13-10-2006.jpg|right|thumb|alt=White thatched cottage single storey 3 windows 1 front door 1 attic window chimney No front garden|April Thatch cottage, 18th century]] |
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Sports and social activities including regular [[Pub quiz|quiz-nights]], netball, and cricket, are held in and around the village hall.<REF group="nb">Lt. Thetford Village Hall & Social Club notice board</ref> The hall is a brick building erected in 1958.<ref group="nb">[[Commemorative plaque|Plaque]] on front of building ''LITTLE THETFORD VILLAGE HALL 1958''</ref> The larger of the two [[village green]]s is used as a play area. A picnic bench shaded by large trees is available for passing walkers. The green has a full-sized [[basketball]] hoop at one end. Dog control orders are in force.<ref>{{Cite news | title = How serious a problem is dog fouling? | newspaper = News magazine | publisher = BBC | date = 23 June 1998 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7469369.stm| accessdate = 5 June 2010}}</ref> In the [[Upware]] to [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]] section of Judith Bambers ''Rough Guide to walks in London and the south-east'', a {{convert|7|mi|adj=on}} walk is described which passes Little Thetford on the east bank of the River Great Ouse.<ref>{{Cite book| last = Bamber| first = Judith| coauthors = Helena Smith| title = The rough guide to walks in London and southeast England| publisher = Rough Guides| |
Sports and social activities including regular [[Pub quiz|quiz-nights]], netball, and cricket, are held in and around the village hall.<REF group="nb">Lt. Thetford Village Hall & Social Club notice board</ref> The hall is a brick building erected in 1958.<ref group="nb">[[Commemorative plaque|Plaque]] on front of building ''LITTLE THETFORD VILLAGE HALL 1958''</ref> The larger of the two [[village green]]s is used as a play area. A picnic bench shaded by large trees is available for passing walkers. The green has a full-sized [[basketball]] hoop at one end. Dog control orders are in force.<ref>{{Cite news | title = How serious a problem is dog fouling? | newspaper = News magazine | publisher = BBC | date = 23 June 1998 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7469369.stm| accessdate = 5 June 2010}}</ref> In the [[Upware]] to [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]] section of Judith Bambers ''Rough Guide to walks in London and the south-east'', a {{convert|7|mi|adj=on}} walk is described which passes Little Thetford on the east bank of the River Great Ouse.<ref>{{Cite book| last = Bamber| first = Judith| coauthors = Helena Smith| title = The rough guide to walks in London and southeast England| publisher = Rough Guides| year = 2003| page = 245| url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JZKzZYNqh_UC| isbn = 9781858289380}}</ref> |
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[[Saffron Walden]] [[Angling]] Club, formed in 1960, has a number of venues, including Little Thetford on the River Great Ouse. Fish species caught, along the weed and reed-lined river at Little Thetford, include [[Common Roach|Roach]], [[Bream]], [[Common rudd|Rudd]], [[Perch]] and [[Common Bleak|Bleak]]. In addition, some [[Tench]] to {{convert|6|lb|kg|0}} and rarely [[Carp]] have been landed.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Club waters | work = Club Website | publisher = Saffron Walden Angling Club | url = http://www.saffronwaldenac.btik.com/p_About_us.ikml | accessdate = 30 May 2010}}</ref> A family run all-year-round grass camp site is in the village, offering 36 pitches for caravans or tents, with toilet facilities, showers, a laundry room, a vegetable preparation area, and washing-up facilities.<ref>{{Cite web | last = Jefford | first = Sam | title = Two Acres Caravan and Camping Site | |
[[Saffron Walden]] [[Angling]] Club, formed in 1960, has a number of venues, including Little Thetford on the River Great Ouse. Fish species caught, along the weed and reed-lined river at Little Thetford, include [[Common Roach|Roach]], [[Bream]], [[Common rudd|Rudd]], [[Perch]] and [[Common Bleak|Bleak]]. In addition, some [[Tench]] to {{convert|6|lb|kg|0}} and rarely [[Carp]] have been landed.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Club waters | work = Club Website | publisher = Saffron Walden Angling Club | url = http://www.saffronwaldenac.btik.com/p_About_us.ikml | accessdate = 30 May 2010}}</ref> A family run all-year-round grass camp site is in the village, offering 36 pitches for caravans or tents, with toilet facilities, showers, a laundry room, a vegetable preparation area, and washing-up facilities.<ref>{{Cite web | last = Jefford | first = Sam | title = Two Acres Caravan and Camping Site | year = 2010 | url = http://www.twoacrescaravanandcamping.com/| accessdate = 13 June 2010}}</ref> |
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== Notable buildings == |
== Notable buildings == |
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[[St George's Church, Little Thetford|St George's Church]] is a 14th-century stone building with slate roof.<ref>Pevsner (1970) p. 417</ref> The roof was [[Thatching|thatched]] until 1863, when the church was heavily restored.<ref name="church" /> In 1886, it was struck by [[lightning]] and required extensive rebuilding.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ely |newspaper=The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald |date=4 May 1886 |page=8 }}</ref> Today, the church consists of a [[chancel]], [[nave]], north [[porch]], and south [[vestry]]. The octagonal bowl [[Baptismal font|font]] still has an original lead lining.<ref>Pugh (ed) (1953) pp. 157–158</ref> St. George's Church, a Grade II* listed building,<ref name="church">{{Cite web |title = Church of St George, Thetford|work = British Listed Buildings|publisher = English Heritage|url = http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-49485-church-of-st-george-thetford|accessdate = 4 June 2010}}</ref> is part of the Ely Team Ministry.<ref name=leaflet>{{Cite |last = Shaw|first = Tony|title = The Friends of St. George's Church|date = ?|location = Leaflet}}</ref> The Baptist chapel was erected in 1867 on the site of its 1839 predecessor.<ref>Pugh (ed) (1953) p. 158 col. 1</ref> |
[[St George's Church, Little Thetford|St George's Church]] is a 14th-century stone building with slate roof.<ref>Pevsner (1970) p. 417</ref> The roof was [[Thatching|thatched]] until 1863, when the church was heavily restored.<ref name="church" /> In 1886, it was struck by [[lightning]] and required extensive rebuilding.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ely |newspaper=The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald |date=4 May 1886 |page=8 }}</ref> Today, the church consists of a [[chancel]], [[nave]], north [[porch]], and south [[vestry]]. The octagonal bowl [[Baptismal font|font]] still has an original lead lining.<ref>Pugh (ed) (1953) pp. 157–158</ref> St. George's Church, a Grade II* listed building,<ref name="church">{{Cite web |title = Church of St George, Thetford|work = British Listed Buildings|publisher = English Heritage|url = http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-49485-church-of-st-george-thetford|accessdate = 4 June 2010}}</ref> is part of the Ely Team Ministry.<ref name=leaflet>{{Cite |last = Shaw|first = Tony|title = The Friends of St. George's Church|date = ?|location = Leaflet}}</ref> The Baptist chapel was erected in 1867 on the site of its 1839 predecessor.<ref>Pugh (ed) (1953) p. 158 col. 1</ref> |
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The Round House is thought to be a late 15th-century [[dovecote]].<ref name=vanishing>Petty (2003) p. 186</ref> A Sun Firemark insurance policy still exists, number 616606, dated July 1793, the earliest known written record of the house.<ref name=roundhouse>{{Cite web|title = The Round House Past and Present|work = Little Thetford Website | |
The Round House is thought to be a late 15th-century [[dovecote]].<ref name=vanishing>Petty (2003) p. 186</ref> A Sun Firemark insurance policy still exists, number 616606, dated July 1793, the earliest known written record of the house.<ref name=roundhouse>{{Cite web|title = The Round House Past and Present|work = Little Thetford Website |year = 2010|url = http://www.littlethetford.org/?page_id=45| accessdate = 25 June 2010}}</ref> Other sources suggest the Round House is a 18th-century thatched cottage, similar to the South African [[rondavel]].<ref>Pevsner (1970) p. 216</ref> A further source classifies this building as a post-medieval, 1540–1900 AD, [[Tower mill|windmill]].<ref>Hughes (1931) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record [http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8395&resourceID=1000 Windmill, Little Thetford]</ref> A family of 13 children lived in the building during the 19th century.<ref group="nb" name=display>Local history display inside St. George's Church</ref> The now private dwelling was re-thatched in 2009.<ref name="roundhouse"/> |
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The Horseshoes is a Grade II listed residential thatched cottage, which was originally the Three Horseshoes public house, a 17th-century pink-painted cottage built to follow the curve of the road.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Horseshoes 2, Thetford|work = British Listed Buildings|publisher = English Heritage|url = http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-49483-horseshoes-2-thetford|accessdate = 3 June 2010}}</ref> April Thatch is a former public house, now a Grade II listed residential property. This white-painted early 18th-century cottage used to be the Rose & Crown.<ref group="nb" name=display>Local history display inside St. George's Church</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = April Cottage 6, Thetford|work = British Listed Buildings|publisher = English Heritage|url = http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-49484-april-cottage-6-thetford|accessdate = 3 June 2010}}</ref> |
The Horseshoes is a Grade II listed residential thatched cottage, which was originally the Three Horseshoes public house, a 17th-century pink-painted cottage built to follow the curve of the road.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Horseshoes 2, Thetford|work = British Listed Buildings|publisher = English Heritage|url = http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-49483-horseshoes-2-thetford|accessdate = 3 June 2010}}</ref> April Thatch is a former public house, now a Grade II listed residential property. This white-painted early 18th-century cottage used to be the Rose & Crown.<ref group="nb" name=display>Local history display inside St. George's Church</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = April Cottage 6, Thetford|work = British Listed Buildings|publisher = English Heritage|url = http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-49484-april-cottage-6-thetford|accessdate = 3 June 2010}}</ref> |
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The former Ely and St Ives Railway, known locally as the Grunty Fen express,<ref>{{cite book|last=Dale|first=Rodney|title=Haddenham & Aldreth Past and Present|year=2000|publisher=Fern House|isbn=1902702069|accessdate=4 August 2010|page=78}}</ref> [[Level crossing|crossed]] the A10 road at Thetford Corner. Passenger service ceased in February 1931; the line was never popular because of the high cost of travel. In 1866, a year after the Ely–Sutton section opened, for example, the {{convert|7.5|mi|km|1}} return journey from Ely to [[Sutton-in-the-Isle|Sutton]] cost 2s 0d.<ref>Oppitz (1989) pp. 58–59</ref> That equates to a cost of almost £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|0.1|1866}}|0}} at present worth,<ref>Using [[Retail Prices Index (United Kingdom)|RPI]] as describe in [http://www.measuringworth.com/indicator.html Choosing the Best Indicator to Measure Relative Worth]</ref> as of {{CURRENTYEAR}}.{{Inflation-fn|UK}} The line completely closed in 1964. The nearest [[railway station|station]] was [[Stretham railway station]], situated on nearby Grunty Fen.<ref>A Vision of Britain [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/boundary_map_page.jsp?u_id=10159210&c_id=10001043 Administrative unit:Grunty Fen ExP/CP:Parish level unit:Boundary map]</ref> The Fen Line, Cambridge to Ely [[Railways in Ely|railway]] is close to the River Great Ouse as they both pass the village. Little Thetford "presents a picturesque appearance from the railway. The main line running close to its eastern end".<ref name="Pugh ed 1953 p. 152 col. 2"/> The nearest station is at Ely, {{convert|2|mi}} north-east of the village, about one hour 15 minutes away from London by rail. |
The former Ely and St Ives Railway, known locally as the Grunty Fen express,<ref>{{cite book|last=Dale|first=Rodney|title=Haddenham & Aldreth Past and Present|year=2000|publisher=Fern House|isbn=1902702069|accessdate=4 August 2010|page=78}}</ref> [[Level crossing|crossed]] the A10 road at Thetford Corner. Passenger service ceased in February 1931; the line was never popular because of the high cost of travel. In 1866, a year after the Ely–Sutton section opened, for example, the {{convert|7.5|mi|km|1}} return journey from Ely to [[Sutton-in-the-Isle|Sutton]] cost 2s 0d.<ref>Oppitz (1989) pp. 58–59</ref> That equates to a cost of almost £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|0.1|1866}}|0}} at present worth,<ref>Using [[Retail Prices Index (United Kingdom)|RPI]] as describe in [http://www.measuringworth.com/indicator.html Choosing the Best Indicator to Measure Relative Worth]</ref> as of {{CURRENTYEAR}}.{{Inflation-fn|UK}} The line completely closed in 1964. The nearest [[railway station|station]] was [[Stretham railway station]], situated on nearby Grunty Fen.<ref>A Vision of Britain [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/boundary_map_page.jsp?u_id=10159210&c_id=10001043 Administrative unit:Grunty Fen ExP/CP:Parish level unit:Boundary map]</ref> The Fen Line, Cambridge to Ely [[Railways in Ely|railway]] is close to the River Great Ouse as they both pass the village. Little Thetford "presents a picturesque appearance from the railway. The main line running close to its eastern end".<ref name="Pugh ed 1953 p. 152 col. 2"/> The nearest station is at Ely, {{convert|2|mi}} north-east of the village, about one hour 15 minutes away from London by rail. |
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The village can also be accessed by boat. The River Great Ouse passes to the east, forming much of the village's eastern boundary,<ref name=villagemap/> and there are [[Mooring (watercraft)|mooring]] [[bollard]]s inside the village boundary. The privately owned 1945 [[de Havilland Dragon Rapide]], based at the [[Shuttleworth Trust|Shuttleworth Trust's]] [[Old Warden]] airfield, passes over the village during sightseeing tours to Ely.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Dragon Rapide Flight over Cambridge Ely & Newmarket | work = BuyaGift.co.uk | publisher = Buyagift PLC | |
The village can also be accessed by boat. The River Great Ouse passes to the east, forming much of the village's eastern boundary,<ref name=villagemap/> and there are [[Mooring (watercraft)|mooring]] [[bollard]]s inside the village boundary. The privately owned 1945 [[de Havilland Dragon Rapide]], based at the [[Shuttleworth Trust|Shuttleworth Trust's]] [[Old Warden]] airfield, passes over the village during sightseeing tours to Ely.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Dragon Rapide Flight over Cambridge Ely & Newmarket | work = BuyaGift.co.uk | publisher = Buyagift PLC | year = 2010 | url = http://www.buyagift.co.uk/Product/Id/460/Name/Dragon_Rapide_Flight_over_Cambridge_Ely_&_Newmarket | accessdate = 13 June 2010}}</ref> A privately maintained [[light aircraft]] [[Aerodrome|airfield]] is located at Bedwell Hey Farm in the village.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aviation News and Review:Ports of call|publisher=LAAS International|date=February 2010|url=http://www.laasdata.com/ports-of-call/ports-of-call.php?c=1133|accessdate=7 July 2010}}</ref> |
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== Education == |
== Education == |
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{{See also|Little Thetford School|List of schools in Cambridgeshire}} |
{{See also|Little Thetford School|List of schools in Cambridgeshire}} |
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Little Thetford School is a [[Church of England]] [[primary school]]. In 1870, there was a school in the village using run-down premises lent by ''Townsend's [[Feoffee]]'', now the John Townsend charity.<ref>{{Cite web| author = The Charity Commission|title = John Townsend Charity, The | |
Little Thetford School is a [[Church of England]] [[primary school]]. In 1870, there was a school in the village using run-down premises lent by ''Townsend's [[Feoffee]]'', now the John Townsend charity.<ref>{{Cite web| author = The Charity Commission|title = John Townsend Charity, The |year = 2010 | url = http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/SHOWCHARITY/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=202685&SubsidiaryNumber=0 | accessdate = 11 June 2010}}</ref> Following local subscriptions and charitable donations, a 75-place school, designed by [[James Piers St Aubyn|J. P. St. Aubyn]], was erected in 1872.<ref>Pugh (ed) (1953) p. 158 col. 2</ref> This late [[Victorian era|Victorian]] building now provides [[Education in England|education]] to around 100 pupils.<ref>{{Cite web| author = Schools net |title = Little Thetford CofE Vc Primary School | publisher = Hot Courses, Ltd |year = 2010 | url = http://www.schoolsnet.com/uk-schools/school-details-reviews/cambridgeshire/little-thetford-cofe-vc-primary-school/16180339/0/195833.html | accessdate = 18 June 2010}}</ref> The school was ranked joint-top in all of Cambridgeshire by aggregate-scores in all three key-stage 2 test subjects in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Primary Schools in Cambridgeshire | work = Education League Tables | publisher = BBC News | date = 1 December 2009 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/09/school_tables/primary_schools/html/agg_873.stm | accessdate = 21 June 2010}}</ref> The [[secondary education]] school, [[Ely Community College|City of Ely Community College]], is {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} from the village.<ref>{{Cite web | title = A booklet of all Cambridgeshire schools and contact details | publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council | year = 2010 | url = http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4753168B-AB46-4011-93DC-5F66E8CD09A7/0/ListofEducationalestablishments.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate =13 June 2010 }}</ref> The independent [[King's School, Ely|King's school]], established c. 970, is also in Ely. King's provides education to pupils of nursery age through to international study.<ref>{{Cite web | title = UK Independent Schools Guide | publisher = emetis | url = http://www.emetis.com/index.htm | accessdate = 13 June 2010}}</ref> |
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== Public services == |
== Public services == |
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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
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;Bibliography |
;Bibliography |
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* {{Cite book| last = Astbury| first = A.K.| title = The Black Fens| publisher = The Golden Head press Ltd| |
* {{Cite book| last = Astbury| first = A.K.| title = The Black Fens| publisher = The Golden Head press Ltd| year = 1958}} |
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* {{Cite web | title = Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record (CHER) | publisher = Heritage Gateway | |
* {{Cite web | title = Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record (CHER) | publisher = Heritage Gateway |year = 2006 | url = http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/ | accessdate = 4 July 2010}} |
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* {{Cite book | last = Darby | first = H.C. | title = The Medieval Fenland | publisher = The University Press | |
* {{Cite book | last = Darby | first = H.C. | title = The Medieval Fenland | publisher = The University Press | year = 1940 }} |
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* {{Cite journal | last = Edwards| first = David N. | title = An Archaeological Investigation along the route of the Anglian Water Pipeline between Little Thetford and Cawdle Fen | journal = Cambridge Archaeological Unit report |issue = 173 |publisher= University of Cambridge | date = May 1996 | accessdate = 26 June 2010}} |
* {{Cite journal | last = Edwards| first = David N. | title = An Archaeological Investigation along the route of the Anglian Water Pipeline between Little Thetford and Cawdle Fen | journal = Cambridge Archaeological Unit report |issue = 173 |publisher= University of Cambridge | date = May 1996 | accessdate = 26 June 2010}} |
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* {{Cite book | last = Fairweather | first = Janet | title = [[Liber Eliensis]]: a history of the Isle of Ely from the seventh century to the twelfth | publisher = The Boydell Press | |
* {{Cite book | last = Fairweather | first = Janet | title = [[Liber Eliensis]]: a history of the Isle of Ely from the seventh century to the twelfth | publisher = The Boydell Press | year = 2005 | url = [http://books.google.com/books?id=fh5OozghywIC&lpg=PP1&dq=Liber%20Eliensis&pg=PA159#v=onepage&q&f=false Google Books] | isbn = 1843830159}} |
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* {{Cite journal | last = Fowler| first = Gordon | title = Cratendune: A Problem of the Dark Ages | publisher = Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society | date = 1946–1947 | pages = 70–73| accessdate =15 July 2010 }} |
* {{Cite journal | last = Fowler| first = Gordon | title = Cratendune: A Problem of the Dark Ages | publisher = Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society | date = 1946–1947 | pages = 70–73| accessdate =15 July 2010 }} |
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* {{Cite journal | last = Greig | first = A.| coauthors = Martin, J. | title = Cambridgeshire and Peterborough's State of the Environment Report | publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council | |
* {{Cite journal | last = Greig | first = A.| coauthors = Martin, J. | title = Cambridgeshire and Peterborough's State of the Environment Report | publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council | year = 1998 | url = http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2F0D5E30-F308-406B-9455-86B9EDDD50EC/0/soe98physical.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate =9 June 2010 }} |
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* {{Cite journal |last=Grove|first=Richard|url=http://www.bahs.org.uk/24n1a4.pdf|title=Coprolite Mining in Cambridgeshire|journal=The British Agricultural History Society|University of Sussex| |
* {{Cite journal |last=Grove|first=Richard|url=http://www.bahs.org.uk/24n1a4.pdf|title=Coprolite Mining in Cambridgeshire|journal=The British Agricultural History Society|University of Sussex|year=1976|volume=XXIV |issue = 1|pages=36–43|accessdate=5 July 2010}} |
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* {{Cite journal | last = Hall | first = David | title = The Fenland project, no.10 : Cambridgeshire survey, The Isle of Ely and Wisbech | page = 239 | publisher = Cambridge : County Council | |
* {{Cite journal | last = Hall | first = David | title = The Fenland project, no.10 : Cambridgeshire survey, The Isle of Ely and Wisbech | page = 239 | publisher = Cambridge : County Council | year = 1996 | accessdate = 21 June 2010}} |
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* {{Cite book | last = Kirby | first = Tony | coauthors = Susan Oosthuizen | title = An Atlas of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire History | publisher = Centre for Regional Studies, Anglia Polytechnic University | |
* {{Cite book | last = Kirby | first = Tony | coauthors = Susan Oosthuizen | title = An Atlas of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire History | publisher = Centre for Regional Studies, Anglia Polytechnic University | year = 2000 | isbn = 9780907262190}} |
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* {{Cite journal| last = Lethbridge| first = T.C. | title = Investigations of the Ancient Causeway in the Fen between Fordy and Little Thetford | journal= Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society | volume = XXXV | pages = 86–89 | |
* {{Cite journal| last = Lethbridge| first = T.C. | title = Investigations of the Ancient Causeway in the Fen between Fordy and Little Thetford | journal= Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society | volume = XXXV | pages = 86–89 | year = 1934 | accessdate = 12 June 2010}} |
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* {{Cite book | last = Mills | first = A.D. | authorlink = | title = A dictionary of British place-names | publisher = Oxford University press | date = 1991, 1998| isbn = 0198527586}} |
* {{Cite book | last = Mills | first = A.D. | authorlink = | title = A dictionary of British place-names | publisher = Oxford University press | date = 1991, 1998| isbn = 0198527586}} |
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* {{Cite journal | last = O'Connor| first = Bernard| title = The origins and development of the British coprolite industry | journal = Mining History: The Bulletin of the Peak District Mines Historical Society| volume = XIV | issue = 5 | pages = 46–57 | publisher = Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd | |
* {{Cite journal | last = O'Connor| first = Bernard| title = The origins and development of the British coprolite industry | journal = Mining History: The Bulletin of the Peak District Mines Historical Society| volume = XIV | issue = 5 | pages = 46–57 | publisher = Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd | year = 2001 |url=http://www.pdmhs.com/PDFs/ScannedBulletinArticles/Bulletin%2014-5%20-%20The%20Origins%20and%20Development%20of%20the%20British%20.pdf|format=PDF| accessdate = 10 July 2010}} |
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* {{Cite book | last = Oppitz | first = Leslie | title = East Anglia railways remembered | publisher = Countryside Books | |
* {{Cite book | last = Oppitz | first = Leslie | title = East Anglia railways remembered | publisher = Countryside Books | year = 1989 | isbn = 1853060402}} |
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* {{Cite book | title = Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB)|edition = online| publisher = Oxford Univeristy Press |date =2004–2010 | accessdate = 4 July 2010}}{{subscription required}} |
* {{Cite book | title = Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB)|edition = online| publisher = Oxford Univeristy Press |date =2004–2010 | accessdate = 4 July 2010}}{{subscription required}} |
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* {{Cite book | title = Oxford English Dictionary (OED)|edition = online | publisher = Oxford University Press | |
* {{Cite book | title = Oxford English Dictionary (OED)|edition = online | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2010 | accessdate = 7 July 2010}}{{subscription required}} |
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* {{Cite book | last = Petty | first = Mike | title = Memory Lane Ely and the Fens | publisher = Breedon Books Publishing| |
* {{Cite book | last = Petty | first = Mike | title = Memory Lane Ely and the Fens | publisher = Breedon Books Publishing| year = 2001 | isbn = 1859832156}} |
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* {{Cite book | last = Petty | first = Mike | title = Vanishing Cambridgeshire | publisher = Breedon Books Publishing| |
* {{Cite book | last = Petty | first = Mike | title = Vanishing Cambridgeshire | publisher = Breedon Books Publishing| year = 2003 | isbn = 1859833640}} |
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* {{Citation | last = Pevsner | first = Nikolaus | author-link = Nikolaus Pevsner | title = Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) | publisher = Yale University Press | year = 1970 | edition = 2nd | isbn = 978-0300095869}} |
* {{Citation | last = Pevsner | first = Nikolaus | author-link = Nikolaus Pevsner | title = Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) | publisher = Yale University Press | year = 1970 | edition = 2nd | isbn = 978-0300095869}} |
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* {{Cite book| editor-last = Pugh| editor-first = R.B. | coauthors = T.D. Atkinson, Ethel M. Hampson, E.T. Long, C.A.F. Meekings, Edward Miller, H.B. Wells, G.M.G. Woodgate | title = The Victoria History of the Counties of England: ''Cambridge and the isle of Ely''| publisher = Oxford University Press| year = 1953| volume = IV| url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21908 | pages = 151–159}} |
* {{Cite book| editor-last = Pugh| editor-first = R.B. | coauthors = T.D. Atkinson, Ethel M. Hampson, E.T. Long, C.A.F. Meekings, Edward Miller, H.B. Wells, G.M.G. Woodgate | title = The Victoria History of the Counties of England: ''Cambridge and the isle of Ely''| publisher = Oxford University Press| year = 1953| volume = IV| url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21908 | pages = 151–159}} |
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* {{Cite Book | last = Reynolds| first = Tim | coauthors = Leith, Stephanie | title = Archaeology between Cambridge and Ely the A10 corridor | pages = 12–13 | publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council | |
* {{Cite Book | last = Reynolds| first = Tim | coauthors = Leith, Stephanie | title = Archaeology between Cambridge and Ely the A10 corridor | pages = 12–13 | publisher = Cambridgeshire County Council | year = 1992| accessdate = 11 June 2010}} |
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* {{Cite book | last = Sweeting | first = Rev. W.D. | title = Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ely| publisher = London George Bell & Sons| |
* {{Cite book | last = Sweeting | first = Rev. W.D. | title = Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ely| publisher = London George Bell & Sons| year = 1910 | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21003/21003-h/21003-h.htm | accessdate = 1 July 2010}} |
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* {{Cite web|last=A Vision of Britain|authorlink=Great Britain Historical GIS|title = A vision of Britain between 1801 and 2001|publisher=University of Portsmouth and others| |
* {{Cite web|last=A Vision of Britain|authorlink=Great Britain Historical GIS|title = A vision of Britain between 1801 and 2001|publisher=University of Portsmouth and others|year = 2004 | url = http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/| accessdate = 4 June 2010}} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
Revision as of 20:28, 27 August 2010
Little Thetford | |
---|---|
![]() Little Thetford looking north-east. Ely is north—top-left. The A10 road at Thetford corner is west and the River Great Ouse is east. The south-west block of housing is where the Iron Age settlement and Romano-British tile kiln were found | |
Area | 2 sq mi (5.2 km2) [1] |
Population | 693 (2001) |
• Density | 347/sq mi (134/km2) |
OS grid reference | TL530764 |
• London | 62 mi (100 km) S |
Civil parish |
|
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
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 | |
Website | ECDC |
Little Thetford /ˈlit(ə)l 'θetfɔːd/ is a small village 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about 76 miles (122 kilometres) by road from London. The village is built on a boulder clay island surrounded by flat fenland countryside, typical of settlements in this part of the East of England. During the Mesolithic era, the fenland basin was dry and forested, although subject to salt and fresh water incursions. The marshes and meres of this fenland may therefore have been difficult to occupy, other than seasonally, but there is evidence of human settlement on the island since the late Neolithic Age; a Bronze Age causeway linked the village with the nearby Barway, to the south-east. An investigation, prior to a 1995 development in the village, discovered a farm and large tile-kiln of Romano-British origin; further investigations uncovered an earlier settlement of the Pre-Roman Iron Age. The Roman road Akeman Street passed through the north-west corner of the parish, and the lost 7th century Anglo-Saxon village of Cratendune may be nearby.[2][3]
The 10th-century Old English name, lȳtel Thiutforda, suggests a ford across the nearby River Great Ouse, which today forms most of the village's eastern boundary. In 1007, an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman named Ælfwaru, granted her lands in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, including the "land at Thetford and the fisheries around those marshes", to the abbots of Ely Abbey; the village was still listed as a fishery in the Domesday Book, 79 years later. Pasture farming, and harvesting of reeds, peat, and rushes were the other dominant activities of the time. The draining of the land, which began in the 17th century, enabled arable farming activity that continues to this day. During the late 19th century, coprolite, a phosphate-rich fossil used as a fertiliser, was mined in shallow pits around the village.
Little Thetford resisted the Parliamentary Inclosure Acts of William IV for seven years, which may have led to the strong Baptist following amongst the poor of the village. About half of Little Thetford was eventually enclosed under the Parliamentary Inclosure Thetford Act of Victoria.
The river flooding, which affected 30 counties in England during March 1947, caused the Great Ouse to break its banks at Little Thetford. Heavy rain following a very severe winter overwhelmed multiple rivers throughout England and eastern Wales. It was the worst flooding in over two hundred years. The dismantled Ely and St Ives Railway crossed the A10 road at Thetford corner. The Cambridge station to Ely station section of the Fen Line passes through the east of the village. The rail journey from Little Thetford to London, via Ely, takes about 75 minutes. Occupying an area of 2 square miles (5 km2), and with a population of 693, Little Thetford is the smallest civil parish in the ward of Stretham; notable buildings in the village date from the 14th century.
History
There is evidence of human settlement at Little Thetford since the Neolithic Age. A 1996 search along the Anglian Water pipeline at Little Thetford—Cawdle Fen uncovered an important and unusually dense concentration of late Neolithic, 3000–2201 BC, remains.[4] This is unusual because, although the fenland basin was dry and forested during the Mesolithic era, the area was sometimes subject to marine incursions, and at other times, fresh-water flooding. This led to marshes and open water areas which may have been difficult to settle on—except perhaps for seasonal activity.[5] A Neolithic polished flint axe, 4000–2201 BC, was found in the village in 1984 at Bedwell Hey Farm.[6] Fourteen flints, 4000 BC–42 AD, of various finishes were also discovered in 1998 at the same site.[7]
A more substantial Bronze Age settlement is known to have existed; the remains of what may have been a causeway were discovered in 1934, in the form of wooden piles unearthed by a farmer between Little Thetford and nearby Barway. A Bronze Age ring, 2500–701 BC, and a late Bronze Age sherd, 1000–401 BC, were excavated nearby.[8] There have been a number of Bronze Age finds in the area, including a 2500–701 BC palstave at nearby Fordey farm, Barway,[9] and at Little Thetford, a middle Bronze Age, 1600–1001 BC, rapier in 1953,[10] and a late Bronze Age, 1000–701 BC, flesh-hook in 1929.[11]
A Romano-British farm around 200 AD, largely built upon a previous Iron Age settlement dating from 200–100 BC, was discovered during the Watson's Lane development in 1994. Pre-Roman Iron Age and Romano-British pottery was found on the site, as well as human skeletal remains. A single-flue-chamber tile kiln was also uncovered.[12] Roofing tile fragments were found near the kiln, including tegulae, imbrices, lydions, pedales[13] and sequipedales.[14] The Roman road Akeman Street is three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) due west of the village.[15]
A middle Saxon pendant, 601–700 AD, was discovered in a field in Little Thetford in 1952. This 3-centimetre (1.18 in) diameter by 1-centimetre (0.39 in) thick pendant, made from rock-crystal, gold, garnet, and amethyst coloured-glass, has been worked in a lathe. The workmanship is not of a high standard.[16] Æthelbert of Kent was said to have built a church at Cratendune around 600 AD, about a mile from the what is now Ely Cathedral. In 673 AD, Æthelthryth considered restoring this church, thought to have been destroyed by Penda of Mercia, but instead made what is now Ely Cathedral the site of her monastery.[17] An early Anglo-Saxon cemetery, 410–1065 AD, uncovered around 1945 near Little Thetford (52.376N, 0.2375E), was thought to be this lost village of Cratendune.[2][3] A deserted Saxon settlement, 410–1065 AD, examined in 1999 in Ely, may also be a candidate for this lost site of worship.[18][19]
![Black and white image of river showing small chain ferry on left bank with shire horse and driver ready to go across to the right bank where we can see a windmill](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Little_Thetford_Ferry_c._1905.jpg/220px-Little_Thetford_Ferry_c._1905.jpg)
Little Thetford means little public or people's ford—Old English lȳtel Thiutforda (c. 972) and Liteltedford [sic] (1086)—compare with Thetford, Norfolk—Old English Thēodford (late 9th century) and Tedfort (1086).[20] The online Domesday Book records the settlement under the name Liteltetford [sic].[nb 1][21] The first written evidence that Ely Abbey had inherited the Little Thetford lands was in the 12th century chronicle, Liber Eliensis. The will of Ælfwaru (d. 1007), an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, granted estates in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, to the Abbey, which included "... that land at Thetford[22] and fisheries around those marshes".[23] In 1110, Hervey le Breton, Bishop of Ely, granted the manor to William Brito, his Archdeacon and also his nephew.[24] Chapel Hill in the village, near the river, commemorates the site of Harrimere Chapel, used since 1381.[15] Some of the stone from this chapel, dismantled in 1571, was used in the building of St George's Church. By 1539, the Little Thetford manor and its estates contained arable land, pasture, gardens, and orchards.[25] In the mid-16th century, the antiquary William Bowyer owned the farm.[26]
There had been a windmill, 1066–1900 AD, in Thetford Field, west of the main built up area of the village.[27] This may have been the site of the look-out tower village legend says had been used during the Norman Conquest by Hereward the Wake's defence of the Isle of Ely;[nb 2] a deserted settlement at this location may once have been the centre of the village.[28] The stump of a windmill, 1540–1900 AD, in the present centre of the village, was converted into a house. The site of this mill is where the Roundhouse still stands to this day.[29] The Harrimere windmill, was on the east bank of the River Great Ouse, at Barway. The chain ferry linked Barway with Little Thetford.[30]
The apothecary and botanist, William Sole (June 1741 February 1802), was born in Little Thetford[nb 3] and educated at King's School, Ely. Sole was apprenticed to Robert Cory of Cambridge for five years; he followed this by setting up a solo apothecary practice in Bath and later a practice in partnership with Thomas West. Sole published Menthae Britannicae; he was one of the first elected associates of the Linnean Society of London and Sprengel named a plant species Solea(now Viola) after him.[31]
![Large oblong brick building with metal railings](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Baptist_Church_Little_Thetford_2010-06-02.jpg/220px-Baptist_Church_Little_Thetford_2010-06-02.jpg)
An Enclosure Act is a parliamentary authority to fence-off common land, thus making that land private property, while awarding commoners land in compensation. Inclosure is the name given to the parliamentary statute thus created.[32] The process began in the 13th century and was supported by Acts of Parliament from 1640.[33] In November 1833, the Isle of Ely intended to apply for Acts of Parliament to enclose the lands of Little Thetford.[34] Officials arrived in the village armed with nothing more than a notice to be pinned on the Church of England's St. George's church door, but were prevented from doing so by a dozen villagers. They returned later with ten constables, authorised by Ely magistrates, and were confronted this time by 150 stick-wielding protesters, who continued to prevent due process. When the clergyman, Henry Hervey Baber, arrived the following afternoon, he was prevented from carrying out his normal Sunday service.[35] Villagers may have rebelled against the church at this time, perhaps believing it was acting on behalf of the establishment in the enclosure acts.[nb 2] This event may have been the trigger that, five years later, encouraged a strong Baptist following amongst the poorer villagers. About half the total area of Little Thetford[36] was eventually enclosed in 1844, seven years after that of Stretham.[37][38]
The village sent 61 men to fight in the First World War, which represents over 30 percent of the village population of 1911.[nb 4][39] Two villagers won Distinguished Conduct Medals.[40][41] Thirteen villagers—over six percent of the village—died at battles including La Cateau, Second Battle of Ypres, Gallipoli Campaign, Battle of the Somme, and the Battle of Arras.[nb 5][42]
One of the thatched houses in Little Thetford was destroyed by fire. Reported in the Cambridge Chronicle 6 November 1930, the cause of the fire at the c. 13th-century six-room building was not known. Fireworks were being discharged at the other end of the village. All that remained were burnt beams and smouldering walls, which were apparently made of old fen-mud. The villagers saved the nearby Three Horseshoes public house, by forming a bucket chain, and pouring water on its thatched roof.[43]
Two residents of the village were killed in action during the Second World War.[44] One villager, serving with the 5th Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment, was captured during the Battle of Singapore, and died in captivity in Thailand. Another villager, serving on board HMS Warspite, was fatally wounded at Salerno during his ship's support of the Allied invasion of Italy.[45]
The river floods that began in mid-March 1947 affected over 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2) of England. Thirty counties were underwater for nearly two weeks, during the worst flooding for over 200 years.[46] Before the flooding, snow had been falling continuously since 23 January, with drifts up to 23 feet (7.0 m) deep in places. The winter of 1946–1947 had been very severe, with mean average temperatures 4 °C (7 °F) below normal, for that time of year.[47] As the thaw began in mid-March, the warmer weather brought heavy rains. The rain running off the frozen ground, combined with the thaw, overwhelmed multiple rivers in England and eastern Wales, which flooded. The River Great Ouse collapsed at Little Thetford on 17th March,[46] flooding over 3 square miles (7.8 km2) of nearby land. The army was drafted in to help repair the river banks, assisted by villagers, including women, and German prisoners.[48]
Built in 1958, the village hall houses the village social club, which started in a small extension to the hall in 1973. The club was extended in 1981, as the membership had grown to over 400. Ely Member of Parliament, Mr. Clement Freud, opened the new room, built mainly by members themselves, on 7 May 1981.[49]
Governance
![Large pink thatched cottage built on slight curve of road 5 front windows 1 front door 3 attic windows chimney No front garden](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Horseshoes_Old_public_house_Little_Thetford.jpg/220px-Horseshoes_Old_public_house_Little_Thetford.jpg)
In 1929, Stretham and Little Thetford were together one of the twelve parishes of the South Witchford Hundred, with a total area of 58 square miles (150 km2).[50] The village of Little Thetford is coterminous with the civil parish of Thetford. The civil parish today is in the ward of Stretham, which comprises three civil parishes, Stretham, Thetford, and Wilburton, each of which has an elected council. Thetford seems to be the preferred administrative name used for the village, however it is easily confused with Thetford in Norfolk. Parish council services include bus shelters, cemeteries, shared equity housing, local planning consultation, play areas, village halls, and war memorials. Parish council meetings are held in the village hall situated in each civil parish.[51] Little Thetford is also an ecclesiastical parish, although the church no longer has the same administrative responsibilities as it had until the early 19th century. A civil parish need not cover the same area as an ecclesiastical parish, but in the case of Little Thetford, they do.[52]
The civil parish councils were governed by Ely Rural District council from 1894 until 1974.[53] East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) was formed in 1974 with administration buildings in Ely. The district council collects council tax, provides services such as building regulations and local planning, leisure and tourism, handles issues strategic to the district, and many other services. ECDC is in turn governed by Cambridgeshire County Council which has administration buildings in Cambridge. The county council provides county-wide services such as major road infrastructure, fire and rescue, libraries and heritage, and strategic planning.[51] A mobile library visits the village every fortnight.[54]
The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of South East Cambridgeshire. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is also part of the East of England constituency of the European Parliament which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.[51]
Geography
Geology and topography
![A dark tube can be seen as it pulls up dirt from the fields against a bright blue sky.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Little_thetford_tornado_may_2005.jpg/220px-Little_thetford_tornado_may_2005.jpg)
The village, which lies at about 16 feet (5 m) above sea-level, sits largely on the Kimmeridge Clay, a Jurassic shallow-water shelf-sea deposit, with an overall south-south-east to south-east dip. Underlying the Kimmeridge Clay, are similarly dipping older Jurassic clays, which also contain thin beds of limestone and sandstone.[55] Overlying the Kimmeridge Clay and lying some distance to the east of the village are similarly dipping, younger Cretaceous rocks, comprising the Greensand and Chalk.[56][57] At the west of the village, an outlier of Greensand forms the foundation of a hill rising to some 30 feet (9 m) above sea-level. This hill is capped by much younger (Pleistocene) boulder clay, the result of large ice sheets having moved over the wider general area.[56][57]
The Greensand also crops out to the south of the village. There it forms the eastern end of a similar outlier, on top of which is sited the village of Stretham. To the north-west of Little Thetford, a further outlier of Greensand, capped by boulder clay, occurs in the vicinity of Bedwell Hey Farm. Northwards, an even larger outlier of Greensand, partly capped by glacial deposits, forms a hill rising to 85 feet (26 m) above sea-level.[58] This, the highest point locally, has allowed the development of the regionally important Saxon settlement of Ely, Cambridgeshire.[56][57]
Even more geologically recent gravel, alluvium and fen deposits are found in the valley of the River Great Ouse at the eastern end of the village; they merge into the extensive flat tracts of The Fens which stretch north-north-west towards The Wash.[55][56][57] Holme at nine feet (2.75 m) below sea-level is East Cambridgeshire's (and the United Kingdom's) lowest point, and is 22 miles (35 kilometres) north-west.[59]
Boundaries
The A10 road forms most of the western boundary. The fourth longest river in the United Kingdom, the River Great Ouse, forms most of the eastern boundary. The northern boundary of the village extends from the north of Bedwell Hey Farm then eastwards across the A10 road to the River Great Ouse. Braham Farm falls just outside the village boundary to the north. The southern boundary encloses the Stretham coprolite pits, between Hundred Acre and Holt Fen, thus putting the pits firmly within the Little Thetford boundary.[58] The size of the parish has changed. It was two-and-a-half-square mile (6.5 km2) in 1861; one-point-seven-square mile (4.4 km2) between 1891 and 1931; then changed to the present value of two-square mile (5.2 km2) from 1951 onwards.[1]
Drainage and the Fens
![double rainbow over green in bright sunshine with large tree on both left and right of image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Double_Rainbow_over_green_01-10-2006.jpg/220px-Double_Rainbow_over_green_01-10-2006.jpg)
There are many man-made waterways, or Lodes nearby, including Wicken Lode and Soham Lode. Researchers suggest the Fenland Lodes are Roman in origin—almost certainly Soham Lode.[60] Other researchers disagree, presenting a case for such lodes being Anglo-Saxon or later.[61] The Thetford catchwater (drain), constructed in 1838, runs south-west to north-east around the eastern edge of the built-up part of the village. It drains by gravity, into the River Great Ouse north-east of the village, at the Braham Dock drain.[58]
The Earl of Bedford carried out extensive venture-capital led Fen draining schemes during the 17th century. The Fens continue to be drained to this day. Wicken Fen, one of Britain's oldest nature reserves, is two-mile (3 km) south-east of the village. Little Thetford is in the Littleport and Downham Internal Drainage board, which itself is part of the Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards.[62] Stretham and Prickwillow local museums preserve examples of steam-driven and diesel-driven pumping stations, respectively.[63][64] The Little Thetford pumping station is just inside the eastern boundary of the village.[65]
Climate
With an average annual rainfall of 24 inches (600 mm), Cambridgeshire is one of the driest counties in the British Isles. Protected from the cool onshore coastal breezes east of the region, Cambridgeshire is warm in summer and cold and frosty in winter.[66] Regional weather forecasting and historical summaries are available from the UK Met Office.[67][68] The nearest Met Office weather station is Cambridge NIAB. Additional local weather stations report periodic figures to the internet such as Weather Underground, Inc.[69]
Climate data for Cambridge (1971–2000 averages) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 44.6 (7.0) |
45.3 (7.4) |
50.4 (10.2) |
54.7 (12.6) |
61.7 (16.5) |
66.9 (19.4) |
72.0 (22.2) |
72.1 (22.3) |
66.0 (18.9) |
58.3 (14.6) |
49.8 (9.9) |
46.0 (7.8) |
57.4 (14.1) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 34.3 (1.3) |
34.0 (1.1) |
37.2 (2.9) |
39.2 (4.0) |
44.1 (6.7) |
49.6 (9.8) |
53.6 (12.0) |
53.4 (11.9) |
50.2 (10.1) |
44.8 (7.1) |
38.7 (3.7) |
36.1 (2.3) |
43.0 (6.1) |
Average rainfall inches (mm) | 1.77 (45.0) |
1.29 (32.7) |
1.63 (41.5) |
1.70 (43.1) |
1.75 (44.5) |
2.12 (53.8) |
1.50 (38.2) |
1.92 (48.8) |
2.01 (51.0) |
2.12 (53.8) |
2.01 (51.1) |
1.97 (50.0) |
21.79 (553.5) |
Source: Met Office |
Demography
Between 1881 and 1961, the village population density remained static at around 81/sq mi (31/km2).[70] In contrast, the England and Wales figures for the same period almost doubled, rising from around 480/sq mi (190/km2) to around 768/sq mi (297/km2). Little Thetford is in output area classification zones (CGM) six and seven. The area is classified as type three-C, accessible countryside.[71] In this classification, most residents work from home employed in agriculture of fishing. The areas in this classification are less densely populated than other areas of the country. The usually detached households generally have two or more cars. Varied ethnic backgrounds are less likely in such areas.[72]
Historical population of Little Thetford | |||||||||||
Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population | 119 | 147 | 229 | 257 | 250 | 366[nb 6] | 306 | 317 | 242 | 221 | 204 |
Year | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 |
Population | 209 | 150 | 191 | [nb 7] | 263 | 283 | 290 | 389 | 446 | 693 | – |
Census: 1801–2001[73] |
Economy
![River scene of two-storey wooden building with chimney with Fish and Duck written on the front wall some canal long-boats in the foreground](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Fish_and_Duck_2003-01-18-1.jpg/220px-Fish_and_Duck_2003-01-18-1.jpg)
The marshes[23] and meres surrounding the village supported fishing since Saxon times, at least until significant draining during the 17th century.[74] Eels were plentiful in the waters in and around the Isle of Ely (Eel–ey).[75] In 1086, Little Thetford was worth 3,250 eels to the nearby abbots.[21] In one year, 1087, it was written that 52,000 eels were caught in and around the city.[75] The islands in this landscape supported pastures; whilst reeds, peat, and rushes were harvested from the wetlands.[76] As the land was drained, arable farming became the dominant activity, as it is today.[71]
Little Thetford played a part in the coprolite mining rush of c. 1858–1900.[77] Coprolites are phosphate-rich fossils found 2 and 10 feet (0.61 and 3.05 m) below the surface in 33 feet (10 m) deep by rarely more than 5 miles (8.0 km) wide Gault clay beds. When mixed with sulphuric acid, the coprolite forms a fertiliser.[78] One author attributes the Stretham coprolite pit, in Little Thetford, as being owned by John Bailey Denton, 1814–1893, the surveyor and civil engineer. The site was worked from 1866. Mainly local labour was used in shovelling the coprolite from the pit, for washing and sorting. In 1871, six percent of the population of Little Thetford worked at the pit. The coprolite was transported to the James Fison (now Fisons Ltd) factory in Thetford, Norfolk, by river and then onwards by railway.[79][80]
The Three Horseshoes, now a residential property,[81] was one of seven public houses, known to be within the village boundaries since the mid-19th century. The British Beer and Pub Association estimated in 2001 that "six rural pubs close each week".[82] There was a public house at Little Thetford, the Fish and Duck, situated along the river nearer Stretham;[83] it closed sometime during 2006,[84][85] and the owning company dissolved on 11 May 2010.[86] There is a combined newsagent, post office, and grocery store in Stretham, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the village.[87] The one remaining local store is the recumbent bicycle shop, D.Tek, on the main street.[88]
The average distance the village population travels to work, by any means, is 13.6 miles (21.9 km).[89] Most residents commute to Cambridge, although some villagers use the 75-minute Fen Line commuter service to London from Ely railway station, 2 miles (3.2 km) away. There is a train every 30 minutes during peak time.[90]
Community facilities
![White thatched cottage single storey 3 windows 1 front door 1 attic window chimney No front garden](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/April_Cottage_Little_Thetford_13-10-2006.jpg/220px-April_Cottage_Little_Thetford_13-10-2006.jpg)
Sports and social activities including regular quiz-nights, netball, and cricket, are held in and around the village hall.[nb 8] The hall is a brick building erected in 1958.[nb 9] The larger of the two village greens is used as a play area. A picnic bench shaded by large trees is available for passing walkers. The green has a full-sized basketball hoop at one end. Dog control orders are in force.[91] In the Upware to Ely section of Judith Bambers Rough Guide to walks in London and the south-east, a 7-mile (11 km) walk is described which passes Little Thetford on the east bank of the River Great Ouse.[92]
Saffron Walden Angling Club, formed in 1960, has a number of venues, including Little Thetford on the River Great Ouse. Fish species caught, along the weed and reed-lined river at Little Thetford, include Roach, Bream, Rudd, Perch and Bleak. In addition, some Tench to 6 pounds (3 kg) and rarely Carp have been landed.[93] A family run all-year-round grass camp site is in the village, offering 36 pitches for caravans or tents, with toilet facilities, showers, a laundry room, a vegetable preparation area, and washing-up facilities.[94]
Notable buildings
![Two storey round thatched cottage with single doorway two windows on ground floor doorway sized and two thatched windows on the first floor](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Round_house_Little_Thetford_13-10-2006.jpg/170px-Round_house_Little_Thetford_13-10-2006.jpg)
St George's Church is a 14th-century stone building with slate roof.[95] The roof was thatched until 1863, when the church was heavily restored.[96] In 1886, it was struck by lightning and required extensive rebuilding.[97] Today, the church consists of a chancel, nave, north porch, and south vestry. The octagonal bowl font still has an original lead lining.[98] St. George's Church, a Grade II* listed building,[96] is part of the Ely Team Ministry.[99] The Baptist chapel was erected in 1867 on the site of its 1839 predecessor.[100]
The Round House is thought to be a late 15th-century dovecote.[101] A Sun Firemark insurance policy still exists, number 616606, dated July 1793, the earliest known written record of the house.[102] Other sources suggest the Round House is a 18th-century thatched cottage, similar to the South African rondavel.[103] A further source classifies this building as a post-medieval, 1540–1900 AD, windmill.[104] A family of 13 children lived in the building during the 19th century.[nb 10] The now private dwelling was re-thatched in 2009.[102]
The Horseshoes is a Grade II listed residential thatched cottage, which was originally the Three Horseshoes public house, a 17th-century pink-painted cottage built to follow the curve of the road.[105] April Thatch is a former public house, now a Grade II listed residential property. This white-painted early 18th-century cottage used to be the Rose & Crown.[nb 10][106]
Transport
![small disused railway station looking from the other side of the track two windows bricked-up doorway roof bordered by white painted edges](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Stretham_railway_station_2010-06-11.jpg/220px-Stretham_railway_station_2010-06-11.jpg)
A half-mile (1 km) section of the Roman road Akeman Street is shown on the 1903 Ordnance Survey map, three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) due west of the village. This straight north-north-east section originates in Stretham and heads towards Ely.[15] John Cary, the 18 century cartographer, documents a coach route from London to King's Lynn passing by the village in his Cary's New Itinerary[107][108] Road vehicle access to the village is now from the A10 road at Thetford Corner. Stagecoach operate the X9 bus service, Cambridge to March via Ely. This service stops near The Wyches, Thetford Corner.[109][110] The village is a cul-de-sac to road vehicles, with no possible passage except in and out. It is a five-minute walk to the River Great Ouse from the eastern end of Holt Fen.[111]
The former Ely and St Ives Railway, known locally as the Grunty Fen express,[112] crossed the A10 road at Thetford Corner. Passenger service ceased in February 1931; the line was never popular because of the high cost of travel. In 1866, a year after the Ely–Sutton section opened, for example, the 7.5 miles (12.1 km) return journey from Ely to Sutton cost 2s 0d.[113] That equates to a cost of almost £12 at present worth,[114] as of 2024.[115] The line completely closed in 1964. The nearest station was Stretham railway station, situated on nearby Grunty Fen.[116] The Fen Line, Cambridge to Ely railway is close to the River Great Ouse as they both pass the village. Little Thetford "presents a picturesque appearance from the railway. The main line running close to its eastern end".[38] The nearest station is at Ely, 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of the village, about one hour 15 minutes away from London by rail.
The village can also be accessed by boat. The River Great Ouse passes to the east, forming much of the village's eastern boundary,[111] and there are mooring bollards inside the village boundary. The privately owned 1945 de Havilland Dragon Rapide, based at the Shuttleworth Trust's Old Warden airfield, passes over the village during sightseeing tours to Ely.[117] A privately maintained light aircraft airfield is located at Bedwell Hey Farm in the village.[118]
Education
Little Thetford School is a Church of England primary school. In 1870, there was a school in the village using run-down premises lent by Townsend's Feoffee, now the John Townsend charity.[119] Following local subscriptions and charitable donations, a 75-place school, designed by J. P. St. Aubyn, was erected in 1872.[120] This late Victorian building now provides education to around 100 pupils.[121] The school was ranked joint-top in all of Cambridgeshire by aggregate-scores in all three key-stage 2 test subjects in 2009.[122] The secondary education school, City of Ely Community College, is 5 miles (8 km) from the village.[123] The independent King's school, established c. 970, is also in Ely. King's provides education to pupils of nursery age through to international study.[124]
Public services
![Saint Georges church from the south in January snow](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/St_Georges_Church_31-01-2003.jpg/220px-St_Georges_Church_31-01-2003.jpg)
Anglian Water supplies the village water and sewage services from their Ely Public Water Supply zone FE33. The water quality was reported as excellent in 2009. In the same report, the hardness was reported as 304 mg/l. This is in the hard range of the scale which is more than moderately hard and less than very hard. The nearest reservoir, Grafham Water, is 24 miles (39 km) due west of the village.[125]
The Distribution Network Operator for electricity is EDF Energy. The largest straw-burning power station in the world is at nearby Sutton. This renewable energy resource power station rated at 36.85 MW from burning biomass, nearly 25 percent of the total renewable energy reported for Cambridgeshire in 2009.[126] The worlds largest poultry litter power plant, 38.5 MW, at Thetford, refers to the other Thetford in Norfolk.[127]
East Cambridgeshire District Council is part of the Recycling in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (RECAP) Partnership, which was granted Beacon status for waste and recycling in 2006–2007.[128]
National health services (NHS) for the village are administered by NHS East of England. Acute cases are handled by four hospitals, including Addenbrooke's Hospital, 16 miles (26 km) south and Papworth Hospital 24 miles (39 km) south-west of the village. The nearest doctor's surgery is Haddenham Surgery, Stretham, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the village. This is a satellite surgery for the main surgery in Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, 5 miles (8 km) west of the village.[129]
See also
References
- Footnotes
- ^ Liteltedford in Mills (1991–1998) Thetford, Little Cambs. Thiutforda c. 972 , Liteltedford 1086 (DB). Affix is OE ltel; Liteltedford in Briggs, Keith (2010) Domesday Book place-name forms; Liteltedford in (2010) National Archives. Liteltetford in (1999–2010) The Domesday Book Online; Mills (1991–1998) Tetford Lincs. Tedforde 1086 (DB) 'People's or public ford'. OE Thēod + ford
- ^ a b Leaflet: St. George's Church, Little Thetford, History
- ^ ODNB 2010 says was born Thetford, Norfolk. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 53 and parish records state that Sole was born in Little Thetford, Cambridgeshire
- ^ The vicar of Stretham and Little Thetford Rev. S. Stewart Stitt, who lost his son in the war, recorded all those who took part in the war at the Church Annual Vestry Meeting in 1919.
- ^ St. George's church 1914–1918 memorial inside the church
- ^ Inflated due to local fair at time of census
- ^ No census 1941 due to WWII
- ^ Lt. Thetford Village Hall & Social Club notice board
- ^ Plaque on front of building LITTLE THETFORD VILLAGE HALL 1958
- ^ a b Local history display inside St. George's Church
- Notes
- ^ a b A Vision of Britain Thetford CP/Ch:Parish level unit:Population:Area
- ^ a b Fowler (1946–1947) pp. 70–71
- ^ a b (1953) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Cratendune
- ^ Edwards (1996) p. 2
- ^ Kirby (2000)
- ^ Ely Museum (1984) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Neolithic polished flint axe, Little Thetford
- ^ Plouviez (1998) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Flint scatter and miscellaneous objects, Little Thetford
- ^ Lethbridge (1934)
- ^ Randall (?) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record New Fordey Farm
- ^ Driver (1953) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Bronze Age rapier, Little Thetford
- ^ Bowman (2007) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Late Bronze Age flesh hook, Little Thetford
- ^ (1994–1996) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Romano-British settlement, Little Thetford
- ^ OED (2010) pedales "a foot long"
- ^ OED (2010) sequipedales "a foot and a half long"
- ^ a b c Cambridgeshire [Cambridge Isle of Ely] (Map) (2nd ed.). Ordnance Survey. 1903. § Sheet XXX. N. W.
{{cite map}}
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(help) - ^ Lethbridge (1952) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Saxon pendant, Ely
- ^ Sweeting (1910) pp. 8–10
- ^ (1999) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Late Saxon and Medieval occupation evidence, 2 West End, Ely
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- ^ Fairweather (2005) p. 159 note 294
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- ^ Dorothy (2004) ODNB Hervey (d. 1131)(subscription required)
- ^ Reynolds, Leith (1992) pp. 12–13
- ^ Alsop (2004) ODNB Bowyer, William (d. 1569/70)(subscription required)
- ^ Map (1605) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Late Medieval windmill
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(help) - ^ Bougler G S rev. Anita McConnell (2004) ODNB Sole, William (1741-1802)
- ^ OED (2010) Enclosure
- ^ Turner, Michael (1986). "Parliamentary Enclosures: Gains and Costs" (PDF). Ecomonic History Society—ReFRESH. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Revolt at Little Thetford". Cambridge Chronicle and University Journal. Cambridgeshire Collection. 29 November 1833. p. 3.
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(help) - ^ Pugh (ed) (1953) Enclosure:Thetford Act 7 & 8 Vic. c.xxix
- ^ Pugh (ed) (1953) Enclosure:Stretham Act 5 & 6 Wm. IV, c.13
- ^ a b Pugh (ed) (1953) p. 152 col. 2
- ^ Young, Robert (April 2009). "The Great War: Those who took part". Little Thetford dot org: Local History. Little Thetford .org. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette: George Dewsbury (325851)". The London Gazette. No. 30512. London: His Majesties Stationery Office. 5 February 1918. p. 38. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette: Frederick Wright (59786)". The London Gazette. No. 30389. London: His Majesties Stationery Office. 16 November 1917. p. 9. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Little Thetford roll of honour". Roll-of-Honour. 2002–2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Blaze in Thetford". The Cambridge Chronicle. 6 November 1930.
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(help) - ^ St. George's church 1939–1945 memorial inside the church
- ^ Young, Robert (April 2009). "The Second World War : 1939–1945". Little Thetford dot org: Local History. Little Thetford .org. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ a b "U.K. River Floods: 60-Year Retrospective" (PDF). Risk Management Solutions. 2007.
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(help) - ^ Petty (2001) p. 136
- ^ Pugh (ed) (1953) p. 151
- ^ a b c Leaflet:Councillors, committees & meeting dates. East Cambridgeshire District Council. February 2010.
- ^ Pugh (ed) (1953) pp. 154–155
- ^ A Vision of Britain Administrative unit:Ely RD:Local Government District
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(help) - ^ a b Darby (1940) p. 3 fig. 1
- ^ a b c d Cambridge (Map) (Based on 1st series 1:50000 map part of sheet 143–1974 ed.). 1:50000. British Geological Survey. 1989. § 173.
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(help) - ^ a b c Get-A-Map (Map) (2010 1:25,000 Scale ed.). Ordnance Survey. § TL530764GB. Retrieved May 2010.
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(help) - ^ "UK's lowest spot is getting lower". England: BBC. Friday, 29 November 2002. p. 1. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
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- ^ Hall (1996) p. 239
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(help) - ^ "The museum of fenland drainage". Prickwillow engine trust, registered charity in England (charity number 285139). 2008. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ Littleport and Downham Internal Drainage Board (Map) (Landranger 1:50000 ed.). Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards. § 143–154.
- ^ Greig (1998) p. 305
- ^ "Forecast:East of England". UK Climate Forecasts. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Historic Census Population Figures" (XLS). Cambridgeshire County Council. 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ^ "Learning, Drains". Prickwillow Engine Trust. 2005.
- ^ a b "The Islands of the Eels – Digging deep into the old Ely". Time Team. Channel 4. 17 May 2001. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ Ross, David (1996–2010). "Cambridgeshire Fens". Travel guides. Britain Express. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ Edwards, Martin. "Cambridgeshire–The Coprolite Mining Industry date = 1999". England GenWeb and World GenWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ O'Connor (2001) pp. 46–57
- ^ O'Connor, Bernard (2009). "Cambridgeshire Coprolite publications:Stretham coprolites". Retrieved 5 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ Grove (1976) pp. 36–43
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(help) - ^ Brown, Amanda (17 November 2001). "Six rural pubs close each week, study finds". The Independent. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ Petty (2003) p. 138
- ^ Geograph (2007) Former Fish and Duck public house and adjacent marina
- ^ 1pumplane (2009) 21 February 2009, Fen run 2:Fish and Duck
- ^ Companies House (2010) Popes Corner Marina Limited (04843157)
- ^ "Post Office Services, Ely". Zettai. 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Newsletter 42:Carrying small babies". Cambridge Cycling Campaign. 4 July 2002. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Area: Thetford CP (parish)". 2001 Census. Office for National Statistics. 2001. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ "How serious a problem is dog fouling?". News magazine. BBC. 23 June 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ^ Bamber, Judith (2003). The rough guide to walks in London and southeast England. Rough Guides. p. 245. ISBN 9781858289380.
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- ^ Jefford, Sam (2010). "Two Acres Caravan and Camping Site". Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ Pevsner (1970) p. 417
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- ^ Pugh (ed) (1953) pp. 157–158
- ^ Shaw, Tony (?), The Friends of St. George's Church, Leaflet
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- ^ Petty (2003) p. 186
- ^ a b "The Round House Past and Present". Little Thetford Website. 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ Pevsner (1970) p. 216
- ^ Hughes (1931) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record Windmill, Little Thetford
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- ^ "April Cottage 6, Thetford". British Listed Buildings. English Heritage. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ Cary, John (1817). Cary's New itinerary; or, An accurate delineation of the great roads ... throughout England and Wales; with many of the principal roads in Scotland [&c.]. His Majesties Postmaster General.
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(help) - ^ "X9 Timetable" (PDF). Cambridgeshire County Council. 7 June 2010 until 7 July 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ X9 route map (PDF) (Map). Cambridgeshire County Council. 7 June 2010 until 7 July 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ a b Map of Little Thetford (Map) (2010 Tele Atlas ed.). Google maps. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ Dale, Rodney (2000). Haddenham & Aldreth Past and Present. Fern House. p. 78. ISBN 1902702069.
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- ^ Using RPI as describe in Choosing the Best Indicator to Measure Relative Worth
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ A Vision of Britain Administrative unit:Grunty Fen ExP/CP:Parish level unit:Boundary map
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- ^ "Aviation News and Review:Ports of call". LAAS International. February 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
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(help) - ^ The Charity Commission (2010). "John Townsend Charity, The". Retrieved 11 June 2010.
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- ^ Schools net (2010). "Little Thetford CofE Vc Primary School". Hot Courses, Ltd. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ "A booklet of all Cambridgeshire schools and contact details" (PDF). Cambridgeshire County Council. 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "UK Independent Schools Guide". emetis. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Your Area:Cambridgeshire County:Ely". Corporate Website. Anglian Water. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- ^ van de Bulk, Paul (31 March 2009). "Renewable Energy Development in Cambridgeshire 1999–2009" (PDF). Cambridgeshire County Council. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
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(help) - ^ "NHS Choices–your health, your choices". Nearest surgery to Little Thetford. National Health Service (NHS). Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- Bibliography
- Astbury, A.K. (1958). The Black Fens. The Golden Head press Ltd.
- "Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record (CHER)". Heritage Gateway. 2006. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
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(help) - Darby, H.C. (1940). The Medieval Fenland. The University Press.
- Edwards, David N. (May 1996). "An Archaeological Investigation along the route of the Anglian Water Pipeline between Little Thetford and Cawdle Fen". Cambridge Archaeological Unit report (173). University of Cambridge.
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value (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) - Fowler, Gordon (1946–1947). "Cratendune: A Problem of the Dark Ages". Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society: 70–73.
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and|date=
(help); Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - Greig, A. (1998). "Cambridgeshire and Peterborough's State of the Environment Report" (PDF). Cambridgeshire County Council. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
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suggested) (help) - Grove, Richard (1976). "Coprolite Mining in Cambridgeshire" (PDF). The British Agricultural History Society. XXIV (1): 36–43. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
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(help); Text "University of Sussex" ignored (help) - Hall, David (1996). "The Fenland project, no.10 : Cambridgeshire survey, The Isle of Ely and Wisbech". Cambridge : County Council: 239.
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(help) - Kirby, Tony (2000). An Atlas of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire History. Centre for Regional Studies, Anglia Polytechnic University. ISBN 9780907262190.
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suggested) (help) - Lethbridge, T.C. (1934). "Investigations of the Ancient Causeway in the Fen between Fordy and Little Thetford". Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. XXXV: 86–89.
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requires|url=
(help) - Mills, A.D. (1991, 1998). A dictionary of British place-names. Oxford University press. ISBN 0198527586.
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(help) - O'Connor, Bernard (2001). "The origins and development of the British coprolite industry" (PDF). Mining History: The Bulletin of the Peak District Mines Historical Society. XIV (5). Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd: 46–57. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
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(help) - Oppitz, Leslie (1989). East Anglia railways remembered. Countryside Books. ISBN 1853060402.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) (online ed.). Oxford Univeristy Press. 2004–2010.
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(help)(subscription required) - Oxford English Dictionary (OED) (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2010.
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(help)(subscription required) - Petty, Mike (2001). Memory Lane Ely and the Fens. Breedon Books Publishing. ISBN 1859832156.
- Petty, Mike (2003). Vanishing Cambridgeshire. Breedon Books Publishing. ISBN 1859833640.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1970), Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) (2nd ed.), Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0300095869
- Pugh, R.B., ed. (1953). The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Cambridge and the isle of Ely. Vol. IV. Oxford University Press. pp. 151–159.
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ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - Reynolds, Tim (1992). Archaeology between Cambridge and Ely the A10 corridor. Cambridgeshire County Council. pp. 12–13.
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ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - Sweeting, Rev. W.D. (1910). Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ely. London George Bell & Sons. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
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(help) - A Vision of Britain (2004). "A vision of Britain between 1801 and 2001". University of Portsmouth and others. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
External links
- British History Online
- 2001 Census profile, Thetford parish, East Cambridgeshire
- Little Thetford website