Ailsworth Village

Chapter 9 Ailsworth Village Early History Ailsworth has evolved over the years from a small farming community to a modern village where agriculture is no longer the focus of village life. Aerial and field surveys have revealed evidence of prehistoric and Roman settlements in the surrounding area. The Roman market town of Durobrivae, to the South of the River Nene, was a thriving market and industrial area. Rich villas, farmsteads and pottery kilns were scattered along the Nene Valley and it is assumed that Ailsworth developed from one of these farmsteads. This was a time of change in the countryside; the Romans brought new crops and farming methods and organisation to the land. Ermine Street and King Street, which both run through the parish, were built as part of the network of military roads leading out of London. After the retreat of the Romans, the prosperity of the area declined and the villas and farmsteads were neglected, the land reverting to heath and scrub. The Roman roads remained in use long after the collapse of the Empire and were used as parish boundaries. The Saxons did not settle along the old roads but built their homes half a mile or so away. During the 7th century Ailsworth was part of the Kingdom of Mercia that was ruled by the last pagan king, Penda. He was killed in 654 and succeeded by Fig 9a. Main Street with Sharpe’s baker’s cart 1900. Peada, brother of Kyneburgha. The first recorded reference to Ailsworth can be traced to a Saxon charter of 948 when it was referred to as Aegelswurth. In another Saxon charter reference is made to an exchange of land that took place between Aithelwold, Bishop of Winchester, and Wulfstan Ucca. The Bishop gave Wulfstan land at Washington, Sussex and Wulfstan gave him land at Yaxley and Ailsworth. The estate at Ailsworth had been taken from a widow and her son because they Fig 9b. Lower end Main Street with horse drawn binder 1910. 105 were found to have stuck iron pins into an effigy of Wulfstan’s father, Aelsfige. The woman was drowned at London Bridge, while her son escaped to become an outlaw. It is likely that the bridge referred to was nearby on the Nene and not in London, as London Bridge was not built until 1176. (This early history is covered more fully in preceding chapters in this book). The entry in the Domesday Book in 1086 referred to Fig 9c. Ailsworth Green looking North along Main Street 1915. the village as Eglesworde, an enclosure of a man called Agel [1]. A record of 1253 noted that the Torpel family owned land in Ailsworth. In the following years most of Ailsworth was held by Peterborough Abbey and in 1541 it was granted to the Dean and Chapter. After 1601, the Poor Law passed all the responsibilities of village affairs to the church, which became responsible for the administration of the village. Today Ailsworth is in the ecclesiastical parish of Castor and until recent Fig 9d. Peterborough Road looking East: Wheatsheaf pub on the right. times the Church Commissioners owned most of the land in Ailsworth. At the end of the 19th century villages throughout the country underwent changes due to more modern agricultural methods and people moving into the towns. For example, in 1801, Ailsworth had a population of 154 and by 1851 the number had risen to 381. However by 1891 the number had fallen to 286 and by 1901 the village had only 251 inhabitants [2]. The village was becoming less self-sufficient and fewer people relied on farming for work. Snippets of village life taken from Parish Record Books 1888-1964 In 1888, the Local Government Act was passed, and the County Councils, Rural District and Parish Councils were formed. This was the beginning of real change in the administration of the village. The running of the village was handed back from the church to the people of the village. Ailsworth Parish Meeting Record Books are a rich source of information about the village and document the concerns of the local people and the gradual development of the small village into a thriving rural community. In 1894, the Overseers of the Parish, Mr W Briggs, a wheelwright and Mr H Sharpe, a farmer, called a meeting to decide whether or not the village should have a Parish Meeting or a Parish Council. Mr Carter of Manor Farm was 106 Chairman of the meeting. Messrs Coulson, Hill, Hornsby, Pell, Sharpe, Sismey and Taylor, names still familiar today, were among the twenty parishioners present. They agreed to continue with a Parish Meeting. Mr Carter was Surveyor of the Highways and Mr Darby was collector of the Highway rates. Parish land The Parish Meeting was usually held in the Methodist Chapel Schoolroom, on the nearest suitable day to ‘Lady Day’ Fig 9e. Peterborough Road looking West. Barley Mow pub on the left. (25th March) and to ‘Michaelmas’ (29th September), to collect the allotment rents and to attend to the needs of the village. The provision and improvement of amenities for the village was a major concern. In 1897, the Board of Agriculture gave consent for the final draft of the enclosure of the open fields of Ailsworth. Twenty-two acres of land was allocated for allotments and a recreation ground in the parish [3]. An Allotment Committee was formed and Mr Holmes was appointed to survey and set out the Fig 9f. Taylor’s Transport lorries and drivers, 1948. allotments, and it was agreed to charge four shillings per rood. The allotments were to be kept free of weeds and well manured. In 1899, Mr Tebbutt of Upton donated £1 to be used for prize-money in the allotment competition. There were to be prizes of ten shillings, five shillings, three shillings and two shillings. In 1901, the County Council was asked to provide some gardening lessons for the allotment holders. Rents were collected at the meetings and the allotments were highly sought after. In 1940, there was a large increase in the number of vacant allotments and by 1946, when there were no prospective tenants, the allotments were advertised for the first time. By 1963, the number of allotment holders had fallen to seven. Ailsworth Heath In 1898, 110 acres of land on Ailsworth Heath, in the North of the Parish, was rented out at eight shillings per head for horses and four shillings for beasts, from May Day to Martinmas. No one could put stock on the Heath without a common right and unauthorised stock were impounded by the Pinder, Mr Sam Garfield, who was paid £1 a year plus fees. In 1940, Lieutenant Feeny, farmer at Manor Farm, complained that the path through the Little Moffat (as recorded in the Minute Book) was overgrown. He said that it was harbouring rabbits, which in turn were eating his crops. The Parish Meeting did not think that they were responsible for the poor state of the path, as the thorns had grown from the farmer’s own neglected hedge. 107 In 1948, the Air Ministry asked to use Ailsworth Heath for bombing practice. The Parish Meeting was against such use and sent a letter of protest to the Air Ministry. In October 1957, there were still concerns about Ailsworth Heath and the Maffit. The Meeting thought that because the land belonged to the village, they had an interest in its use as a bombing range. They were also concerned about the amount of timber that was being removed from the woods. In 1971, the Nature Conservancy asked for permission to graze stock on the Heath. Permission was given and they continue to manage the land. Recreation and leisure facilities From 1898 to1982, the Recreation Ground in Station Fig 9g. Sharpe’s shop and Yard, 1960. Road was rented out for grazing. The land was let for herbage or eatage, with the parishioners retaining their rights to recreation under the Enclosure Award. In January 1898, the herbage was let to Harry Sharpe. It was agreed that he could graze only sheep and that the rent was £1 a year. Tendering for the field was competitive and this was reflected in the varied payments. The last parishioner to rent the grazing rights on the field was Brian Sharpe. Over the years there has been a variety of play equipment on the Recreation Ground. Swings were first put there in 1902. They were taken down on the first of November and put back on the first of February. The swings were for the use of Ailsworth children and they were locked on Saturday nights and opened on Monday mornings. Later an 18 feet long seesaw was built, as well as four seats and a ‘giant stride’. The large trees around the Recreation Ground were planted in 1904. Vandalism was a problem in these early days and the swings were in constant need of repair. In 1930, Mr Parker, licensee of The Barley Mow pub, asked for the replacement of the trapeze with two swings and that the seesaw be removed. He suggested that the plank of the seesaw be made into a seat. It was agreed to lock up the swings on August Bank Holiday ‘as strangers do more damage that day than village children do in the whole year’. (Don’t forget they were for use by Ailsworth children only). In 1935, new swings were bought costing £14 10s and the old framework was sold for 15 shillings. (Cliff Bass remembers part of the frame being in his father’s shed).

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