Five Parishes Their People and Places

Home , Ailsworth, Barnack, Liberty (division), Marholm

A History of the Villages of Castor, Ailsworth, Marholm with Milton, Upton and Sutton

By the CAMUS Project

1 Published by the CAMUS Project, The Rectory, Castor, Peterborough, PE5 7AU, United Kingdom

Copyright remains with the individual writers as listed in the Contents who have given non-exclusive rights to publish to the CAMUS Project.

All sales and distribution inquiries to The Rectory, Castor, Peterborough, PE5 7AU, United Kingdom

Printed by Stylaprint, Ailsworth, Peterborough.

ISBN 0-9547881-0-9 (Hardback) ISBN 0-9547881-1-7 (Paperback)

This book has been produced with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Cover design by Bev Rigby, using a map of 1828 by ET Artis as the background.

Ordnance Survey map reproduced by kind permission Crown Copyright

THE CAMUS PROJECT

2 FOREWORD – Sir Stephen Hastings

The CAMUS Project is a collection of personal reminiscence, record and research about a group of five English villages on the borders of Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. It may be unique: for it is compiled not from external research by questing academics or historians but, in their own words, by the people of these rural communities themselves. Several of them farm the same land their grandfathers did; some may trace their presence back to the Domesday Book. It tells of their history, their architecture, their way of living and their means of livelihood from the coming of the Romans until the edge of living memory.

Tenant farmers many were, and still are: first of the Abbey of Medehamsted (now Peterborough); later of the Fitzwilliam family, whose progenitor, Sir William, stapler of Calais and client of Cardinal Wolsey, purchased the estate of Milton in 1502. Milton has remained in the ownership of this family ever since and their benign influence still forms much of the background of life in these Parishes. As with many great rural estates, the story of Milton would be incomplete without a note on the Fitzwilliam Foxhounds, one of only four private Packs still left in the country. Kennelled at Milton, an account of their Masterships, Huntsmen and coverts provides a vivid impression of how from the early 18th century until the present day, hunting has been woven into the fabric of country life. The church bells are rung by willing hands, today, when hounds meet on Castor village green.

Through these pages we trace the changes in shape and method of farming, from the excavation of a Roman holding through the open field system of ridge and furrow, to the Enclosures of the late 19th century and on to the age of the combine harvester. Here are recalled the very names of the last teams of working horses; splendid Percherons and Shires, and of the fields they ploughed. The rattle of the milk pails in the early morning was still greeted in these villages as late as the 1950s.

The section on the Parish records makes compelling reading. Not simply for the pattern and identity of birth, death and marriage, historically significant though some were, but as a social study. The Parish system was used ‘to administer nearly all local matters’ including the Muster rolls, Tithe rolls and the Poor Law. ‘Bastardy’ for instance, and the care of illegitimate children, was a matter for the Parish. It seems to have been dealt with fairly, practically and with humanity – the fathers’ responsibility generally established and admitted – be he married parishioner, village doctor, or even Abbot! A useful example perhaps for those responsible for these matters in our cities today.

We learn the names of those villagers called to the service of their country, from the indentured archers and billhook men on the Muster rolls of the parishes in Henry VIII’s reign, to the long rolls of honour from the two great wars of the 20th century.

Thus, from their Celtic ancestors to the coming of Rome; from the earliest Anglo Saxon settlements through the ferocious Danish raids; from the establishment of Ecclesiastical administration and the power of the Great Abbey, to the Dissolution and the arrival of the Tudor dynasties; from the depredation of Cromwell’s puritans to the Restoration; here is the testimony of Peer, Parson, Ploughman and Poacher. It is the veritable story of the centuries in a corner of the heart of England.

But for all their sense of history and heredity, there is no static nostalgia here. The authors of these essays and the population of these villages represent a vital and energetic community. The integrity of life has held against the assaults of time and the King’s enemies. In the age of television and computer, Sunday worship is still normal and the bonds which have linked folk for generations remain. People look after each other in these villages and respect their monuments and their institutions. Here is the evidence to prove it.

Apart from its great intrinsic interest the CAMUS Project is of public importance and deserves to be widely read. The authors are too numerous to mention here but they deserve our profound thanks and congratulations. Finally, no praise is too high for the Editor, The Rev William Burke, Rector of these Parishes, who promoted and organised the whole enterprise, as well as contributing four fascinating chapters himself.

3 CONTENTS

Foreword Sir Stephen Hastings 3

The CAMUS Project William Burke 6

Subscribers List 7

Introduction - The Historical Background Keith Garrett and William Burke 8

Time Line A Chronology of our Parishes Gill Slidel 11

Colour Plates

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND - Archaeology and History Chapter 1. Prehistoric and Roman Times Andrew Nash, Stephanie Bradshaw, Ben Wood 17 Chapter 2. Survey of the Roman Roads Michael Brown 31 Chapter 3. The Early Anglo-Saxon Period – General Ben Wood 41 Chapter 4. The Anglican Period: Royal Ladies of Castor Avril Morris 45

OVERVIEW OF VILLAGE AND CHURCH HISTORIES CASTOR Chapter 5. Castor Village William Burke 57 Chapter 6. Castor Church William Burke 67 Chapter 7. The Buildings of Castor Kath Henderson and Elaine O’Boyle 85 Chapter 8. Castor House and its People Claire Winfrey 97

AILSWORTH Chapter 9. Ailsworth Village Carol Humphries and Joan Pickett 105 Chapter 10. The Buildings of Ailsworth Carol Humphries and Joan Pickett 115

SUTTON Chapter 11. Sutton History Keith Garrett 121 Chapter 12. Sutton Church Keith Garrett 129 Chapter 13. The Buildings of Sutton Keith Garrett 137

UPTON Chapter 14. Upton History and Buildings John Howard 143 Chapter 15. Upton Church John Howard 151

MARHOLM Chapter 16. Marholm Village and Buildings Hazel Yates 157 Chapter 17. Marholm Church Hazel Yates 169

AGRICULTURE and VILLAGE LIFE Chapter 18. Farming and the Villages William Burke 177 Chapter 19. Occupations and Businesses John Howard 193 Chapter 20. Leisure, Recreation and Village Organizations John Howard 205 Chapter 21. Rural Pastimes Mark Smith 219

MILTON Chapter 22. Milton Park and The Fitzwilliam Family William Craven 227

TRANSPORT Chapter 23. The Railways through the Parishes Richard Paten and Keith Garrett 239 Chapter 24. The River Nene Nigel Blanchford 247

4 NATURAL HISTORY Chapter 25. Natural History John and Emily Finnie 255

PEOPLE Chapter 26. People from the Parish Records William Burke 263 Chapter 27. Military – People of Two World Wars Joan Marriott and Margaret Brown 269 Chapter 28. Reminiscences - People and Places Brian Goode 283

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION Chapter 29. Castor Parish Council Stephanie Bradshaw 297 Chapter 30. Castor Schools Kath Henderson 305

JUBILEES Chapter 31. Celebrations Brian Goode 317 Chapter 32. Flags and Bunting Fred and Grace Gibbs 329

APPENDICES Appendix One Domesday Book Records for the Hundred of Upton 339 Appendix Two Rectors of Castor from AD1228 339 Appendix Three Rectors of Marholm from AD1217 340 Appendix Four Anthem for the Feast of St Kyneburgha 341 Appendix Five Castor, Inventory of Church Furnishings AD1558 342 Appendix Six Marholm, Inventory of Church Furnishings AD1558 342 Appendix Seven Compton Census of 1676 342 Appendix Eight Muster Rolls 1536 for all Five Villages 342 Appendix Nine Militia List, Ailsworth 1762 343 Appendix Ten Militia List, Castor 1762 343 Appendix Eleven Militia List, Marholm 1762 344 Appendix Twelve Militia List, Sutton 1762 344 Appendix Thirteen Militia List, Upton 1762 345 Appendix Fourteen Population - Castor, Ailsworth, Sutton, Upton 345 Appendix Fifteen 1801 Population Return – Castor 345 Appendix Sixteen Tithe Register for Castor – 1844 List of Owners and Tenants 346 Appendix Seventeen Tithe Roll 1847 List of Owners, Occupiers and Locations, Castor and Ailsworth 347 Appendix Eighteen Mr Hales’ Lecture, Extracts, Castor, 28th April 1883 348 Appendix Nineteen Listed Buildings – Ailsworth 350 Appendix Twenty Listed Buildings – Castor 350 Appendix Twenty One Census 1881 Analysis Douglas Gillam 351 Appendix Twenty Two Gazetteer all Five Villages 1849 352 Appendix Twenty Three Gazetteer all Five Villages 1874 353

PICTURE GALLERY 354

INDEX 375

GENERAL MAPS 1xA3 1:25000, Whole of Benefice (Map in colour section) 5xA4 1:10000, Village Centres in Village History Chapters Roman Roads, 1:50000 Map in Chapter 2

5 THE CAMUS PROJECT

The CAMUS Project (named after Castor, Ailsworth, Marholm, Milton, Upton and Sutton) grew out of the Castor Parish Church Archive Group, which was concerned with researching, collecting and indexing material about the history of the five villages and Milton estate. In 2002 a group from the villages agreed to write a book and to put all the archives and material collected, including the parish registers, on to a web-site, to make the information more widely available and ensure its survival. The project was awarded a Local Heritage Initiative Grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The web-site has now been established (www.thearchive.org.uk) and the lengthy process of transferring material onto the web has started. This is a process that will be continuous as more information is collected. Meanwhile, the first fruits of the project are the chapters in this book. Why these Five Villages and this Park? Quite simply, because there have always been close historical, ecclesiastical and personal ties between them. It would be very difficult to write a history of one without much reference to the others. They have always been in the same Hundred (the Upton, later to become the Double Hundred of Nassaburgh). All five villages and Milton Park were part of the Abbey Lands, with the Abbot of Peterborough as their feudal overlord. Castor, Ailsworth, Belsize, Sutton, Upton and Milton were in the same parish from the earliest days of Christianity until 1851 (Ailsworth, Belsize and Milton are still in Castor Parish.) Marholm, while being a separate parish since 1217, was originally probably part of the same parish, and for much of its history has shared the same parish priest as the others since then. Today these parishes share the same rector. Many of the farming families, such as the Darbys, Jarvises, Longfoots and Harrises extend across the parishes, as do Milton’s lands and interests. Today the villages share the same school. They still support each other in many ways. An old navigational epithet states that “You cannot know where you are going, unless you know where you are, and you cannot know where you are, unless you know from whence you came.” The same may be said of communities. There is something metaphysical in talking and writing about communities. There is a sense of seeking for that essence which is larger than us as individuals, something greater than us, but of which we are part. By being members of a community we become part of, and contribute, to history. This book is an attempt to distil something of the history which has brought us to the beginning of the Third Millennium. The authors of the chapters are not professional writers, but are members of the communities about which they have written - many of them born in the villages. The contributions are in many respects highly personal. Foot-notes and appendices have been included, where appropriate, in an attempt to assist anyone who wishes to follow up a subject for further research. There are many people who have not written articles but without whom the project could not have been completed. Among other people, we owe thanks to Steve Walker, co-ordinator of the CAMUS Project, and Nigel Blanchford our Treasurer, and to the Heritage Lottery Fund who with Nationwide and the Countryside Agency funded the writing of the book. Others have contributed behind the scenes: Jim Tovey, Stuart Weston and Edmund Burke helped with and produced much of the art work and graphics; Jim Tovey and Tracey Blackmore took many of the photographs; Millie Weston maintained the Data-Base, set out many of the appendices and typed articles for people; Helen Tovey, Gill Slidel and Sally Leeds proof-read texts. Ben Robinson, Curator of Peterborough Museum, acted as our archaeological advisor. The Nene Valley Archaeological Trust allowed us to reproduce their material, as did the Northamptonshire Record Society and the Victoria County History Society. The Northamptonshire County Record Office and Richard Hillier of the Local Studies Section of Peterborough Library have been invaluable resources. We had no publisher and have consequently imposed hugely on our village printer, Andy Vernum of Styalprint in Ailsworth - many thanks to him for his advice, guidance and forbearance.

Lastly, many in the villages provided us with information, photographs and valuable advice and encouragement. It is just not possible to include all the material we have collected – over 2000 documents – in one book. All the material has been kept, recorded and placed in the Parish Archives in the Cedar Centre at Castor, and will find its way onto the Archive Web-Site, the second stage of the CAMUS Project.

William Burke The Rectory, Castor The Summer Festival of St Kyneburgha of Castor 2004

6 We are grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Countryside Agency and the Nationwide Building Society Subscribers for the Local Heritage Initiative grant that made this project possible. We would also like to thank the following subscribers for additional financial support:

Mr Richard and Mrs Karen Anker (nee Conkey) John and Helen Franks Jon and Ann Ardron M Gailer Roy and Diane Armitage Clive and Marilyn Gardner Heather Nobbs Jack and Delsia Bailey Mr & Mrs Keith Garrett David and Maggie Noble Val and Bob Bailey Freddie and Grace Gibbs Mick and Elaine O’Boyle Ian and Donna Balfour Brian and Alison Gibson Des O’Connell Clyde and Beverley Banks Chloe Gibson Keith and Lindsay Oliver David Banks Hannah Gibson Ron and Roz Pearson James Barclay Joyce and Wallace Giddings Mr W and Mrs J M Pearson Liz Berryman and Steve Barker Bryan and Pauline Golding In memory of Annetta Peel (nee Bass) Rev John A H and Mrs D E Barley Bridget and Brian Goode Michael and Lois Peters Graham and Pauline Barnes John and Susan Gowler Jane M Pickett Geoffrey and Heather Barton Barbara and Malcolm Groves Joan and James Pickett Ian and Fiona Baugh Vic and Sandra Griffin Jack and Joyce Pitts Mrs Joan Baxter Amber Grys Mr James and Mrs Monica Pollard William and Anne Baxter Cara Grys Ben and Rosie Pounsett Mr and Mrs E A Beale Nadia Grys Chris and Antonia Pounsett Lyn and Michael Bell Shelley Grys Dr and Dr (Mrs) N Rajagopalan The Bennett Family Stephen Grys Mrs Eileen Rattenbury Mrs Gwendoline Berridge Valerie Grys Mr and Mrs George Read Margaret Berridge and Judith Colin and Claire Hailey Robbie, Jane and Lisa Reid Mick and Evelyn Biddle Mr and Mrs P Hammond Mrs Leslie Rigby Tracey and Justin Blackmore Peter and Claire Harris Quentin & Beverley Rigby, Benjamin, Alastair, & Robyn John and Christine Bladon Joyce Harris Kendal Roz, Joanna and Fiona Roden Lynette, Nigel, Claire, Tom and Alastair Blanchford Sir Stephen Hastings Ian and Marilyn Rogers Graham and Carol Boyall Stephen and Melanie Hawkins Michael and Glenis Rose David and Gill Boyman Gwen Heighton Jennie Russell (nee Bass) Stephanie and Martin Bradshaw Kath and David Henderson Keith and Brenda Salter Vincent and Rosalind Brierley Charlotte and Dominic Hensman Mr David and Mrs Angela Scott Helen and Michael Brocksom Meena and Theo Hensman The Shannon Family Chris and Alison Brown Allen and Joyce Herbert Mrs Margaret Sharpe Colin Brown Richard and Sian Higgins Dianne and David Shaw Colin and Margaret Brown John and Gina Hill Ian and Ginny Sheldon Air Vice-Marshal and Mrs M J D Brown Melvyn and Miriam Hill Freda Shimmin N S Brown John and Sue Hodder Charles and Gill Slidel Simon and Christopher Brown Eleanor Hoggart Mark, Denise, Kevin and Reece Smith Ken and Christine Bryan Mike and Jean Hooper John and Brenda South Margot and Norman Burden Anna, Barry and Trevor Hornsby Mary Speechley A Burgess Mr and Mrs P Huckle Mr Graham and Mrs Gaynor Spence Mr E W D Burke Michael and Angela Hudson-Peacock Mrs Susan Spence Diana Burke Colin and Carole Humphries Reg and Monica Spooncer William Burke Chris Hunt Jane and Robert Steward Jerry and Diane Caesar Mollie and Wilf Hutchinson Mrs Lesley (Daffodil) and Mr Paul Stubbs Michael and Delia Caskey Mr and Mrs G H Ingle Miss Danica Summerlin David, Carol, Alice, Benjamin and Samuel Castle Richard, Caroline, Amy and Simon Ingram Paul, Susan, Jennifer and Rebecca Sykes Castor Church of England School Mandy Ireland (Whizz) John and Julie Taylor June Cawsey Andrew and Helen Jarvis Jill Tebbutt Gordon and Sue Chambers Stanley and Fay Jarvis Mr and Mrs R J Tedcastle The Chillcott Family Eric and Margaret Jinks Mr and Mrs Derek Terrill Arthur and Jeanne Chilvers Melvyn and Enid Johnson Ted and Lynne Thain Evelyn and Peter Chitty John and Margaret Kennedy, Australia The Church of St John the Baptist, Upton Albert and Moira Clark Mr and Mrs K Kimber The Church of St Kyneburgha of Castor Charles and Joyce Clarke Reg Lambert The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Marholm Janet Codd Rachel Lay The Church of St Michael & All Angels, Sutton Mr Kevin and Mrs Deborah Conkey Peter and Janet Lee The Royal Oak, Castor Mrs Margaret Conkey The Leeds Family Jim and Tess Thompson-Bell Mr Martin George and Mrs Deborah Conkey David and Maureen Lewis Marian and Peter Tomkin Jonathan and Jackie Cook Dinah Lewis and David Sillett Amelia Tovey Pam Cooper Chris and Bob Little James and Helen Tovey Mr and Mrs J H W Costin Mr and Mrs B W Long Poppy Tovey William and Bella Craven Michael and David Longfoot Helen and Len Trundle Jonathan and Corinne Craymer Professor and Mrs R Lyman Nick and Bridget Vergette Neil Cunningham Mr and Mrs Andrew Lytwynchuk Duncan, Gill, George, Claudia and Molly Vessey Richard and Susan Custance (Sutton) The MacDonald Family Steve and Jo Walker Helen and Kevin Daly Richard and Jennie Manning Sophie, Ben and Emily Walker Leonard and Erika Danks Geoff Marriott Norman and Jean Warnes Noel and Joan Darby Joan M Marriott Mrs Mildred Watt (former resident of Ailsworth) Adrian and Kerry Davies Andy, Jenny, Annabel and James Martin Valerie and James Webb Robert Dickens and Judith Dickens Margaret and Derek Mathieson Sue Welch Joy and Harold Dillistone Mrs Jill McGarry Norman, Rachel, Simon and Hannah Westcott Carlos and Wendy Dominguez Sue and Bill McKenzie Millie Weston Mrs Rebecca Dudgeon Joyce McMillan Stephen and Sharon Weston Betty Dunham Nigel, Jackie and Niki Mercy Stuart Weston Norma and Clive Dunn Milton (Peterborough) Estate Jim and Margaret White (nee Ward) Mr and Mrs T P J Dyke David and Berenice Moll Mr and Mrs Maurice Wickham In memory of John and Ann Eades Avril M Morris Mr and Mrs Ben Winfrey Tony and Rosemary Evans Andrew and Sue Nash Claire and Ian Winfrey Mr and Mrs J A Fell Elizabeth Nash Drs Peter and Rebecca Winfrey John, Emily and William Finnie Thomas Nash Jay Winfrey and Family Mr Andrew and Mrs Victoria Fisher Sir Philip Naylor-Leyland Bt. Jim and Patsy Wood and Family Judy and Roy Fisher David and Noreen Newton Stewart and Sarah Wood Lorna and Leonard Fisher Iris Beryl Florence Newton Mr and Mrs John Wylde Mr William Forman Hugh and Jan Nicholls Rodney and Hazel Yates David Frankland and Judith Arrowsmith David Nobbs Daryl and Philip Yea

7 THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The Villages, the Park and the Soke of Peterborough Welcome to the story of our villages as told by the villagers. The book will take you through the life, work, worship, joy and pain of our history from the time of the Roman Empire to the present day. Whilst Castor itself has a much longer history, the history of the Benefice (of Castor-cum Ailsworth with Sutton and Upton with Marholm) really starts with the grant of lands to the Monastery of Medeshamstead – the old name for Peterborough - by Wulfhere, King of Mercia, in AD664. The grant to the monastery included among others ‘Eylesworthe, Castre, Sutton, Milton and Marham.’ The monastery was subsequently sacked by the Vikings, but a further grant was made by Edgar, King of England, in AD972 for the re-founding of the monastery at Medeshamstead. These two charters included the Hundred of Upton, later with Burgh to become Double Hundred of Nassaburgh, otherwise known as the Soke or Liberty of Peterborough as we know it today. These early charters were confirmed by subsequent kings, such as William I in 1070, King John on 29 December 1215 and others.

Topography The villages are grouped on the North bank of the Nene between Peterborough and Wansford and extend across the higher land to the North which forms part of the watershed between the rivers Nene and N Welland. They are part of the Ness of Burgh. The Ness (literally the “nose-shaped” piece of land) of Burgh (an old name for Peterborough) is shown on Mordern’s map of 1695. It is very roughly triangular, bounded by the River Welland to the North and the River Nene to the South, with its apex where the two rivers used to meet under Croyland’s ancient three-arched triangular bridge. The third side runs roughly North-West/South-East and forms the administrative boundary with the Willowbrook Hundred to the West. The river banks were alluvial gravels and water-meadows. Further inland lay the arable land between 20-30 feet Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL), with virtually unoccupied forested uplands (hanglands) at the watershed of the two rivers, about 100 feet AMSL, which were used for timber and hunting. Castor and Ailsworth sit on the spring line of the upland edge and face Southwards.

In 1849, the managed acreage of the benefice was 8810 acres, which would not have been greatly different from that in the 12th century. The Domesday acreage of the whole Soke of Peterborough was given as 70 hides and three- and-a-half virgates.

History Most of the Soke of Peterborough was originally a woody swamp, but Abbot Adulph (972-992) cleared it by degrees and built manor houses and granges. Indeed the place names indicate the Westward spread of settlements by the Abbey. The word ton is Old English for a settlement or farmstead, so we have Netherton (nether=lower), Orton (originally Overton), Milton (Middleton), Upton (Upper Settlement) Fig 1. Mordern’s map of 1695, showing the Nassaburgh or Upton Hundred

8 and Sutton (South of Upton). In the time of Abbot Ernwulf (1107-1114), revenues were set aside for parochial minsters and from this stems the rebuilding of Castor’s magnificent minster church.

The special privileges granted to the Abbey were freedom from the jurisdiction of King, Bishop and Sheriff ‘with Soc (Soke) & Sac, Toll & Team, Ingfangethef & Outfangenthef,’ that is: to receive revenues and services from manorial and hundred courts, and to hold judicial courts. In 1361, quarter and petty sessions were established throughout England, but the abbot retained control in the Soke, setting up his own sessions and nominating justices. The original meeting places for the Upton or Nassaburgh Hundred were the sites of Sutton Cross and the Langdyke Bush, (so-called after the old name for King Street, ‘the Langdyke’-long dyke) where the Roman road crosses the Northern parish boundary of Upton. The Court Baron for the whole Liberty (Barony or Soke) of Peterborough was for much of its time based at Castor.

At the dissolution of the monasteries, in 1541, these rights reverted to the crown, but, on the formation of the Diocese of Peterborough, were granted to Bishop John Chambers (the last abbot), while the lordship of the manors with ‘all other manner of portions, tithes and pensions in the parishes of Castor etc ...meadows, woods, rents, waters, fisheries etc of Castor, Ailsworth, Sutton, Upton, Belsize, Marholm,’ were granted to the Dean and Chapter.

Canon Symon Gunton in the 17th century writes ‘Here I must acknowledge myself at a stand, as not able to give a perfect account of all Mannors, Lands, and Tenements belonging to the Monastery of Peterborough at the time of the Dissolution; for it had Lands, or Tenements in…Upton…Marholm…etc. Which, how or when they were alienated from this Monastery, whether by the King, or by the Monastery itself before, I cannot say; But of such lands as the Abby was at this time in full tenure and possession of, King Henry made a tripartite kind of division, assuming a third to himself, confirming another third upon the Bishop, and the rest upon the Dean and Chapter.’

Bishop Scamler returned his privileges to Queen Elizabeth I, who granted them and the title ‘Lord Paramount of the Soke of Peterborough and Custos Rotularum’ (Keeper of the Rolls) to William Cecil, Lord Burghley, ancestor to later Marquises of Exeter.

The church initially owned most of the land in the parishes until the beginning of the 17th century, when the Lord of the Manor of Upton was Bishop Dove in his own right, (he also happened to be Rector of Castor.) The Dove family sold their land and interests to the Fitzwilliams in the 18th century. Meanwhile the Fitzwilliams, having been feudal vassals of the Abbey and then the Dean and Chapter, came to hold much of their land freehold, although it was not until after 1836, that they finally bought Belsize from the church. In the case of Sutton, the church remained the Lord of the Manor until the 1898 when the Hopkinson family bought the Manor of Sutton from the Church. The Lord of the Manors of Ailsworth and Castor today is still the Church Commissioners, although most of their land has been sold, either to Milton, or compulsorily purchased by the Peterborough Development Corporation. When talking of church- owned land, note the distinction between land owned by the Bishop, the manors owned by the Dean and Chapter, and glebe land, that which was owned by the local parish church. This latter land - the Glebe - was previously used to fund the local church and its ministry until it was removed from rural parishes by Act of Parliament in the 1970s. Its ownership and control was centralized under the Church Commissioners, but the effect was to remove from rural parishes the historic resources used by the local church.

In 1888, most local administration passed to county councils, but the third Marquis of Exeter, as Lord Paramount, ensured that the Soke became an administrative county separate from the County of Northampton, with full powers retained. In 1964 the Soke became part of the County of Huntingdon, and the Liberty of Peterborough Quarter Sessions were absorbed into the Huntingdon and Peterborough Sessions. In 1972 Huntingdonshire became part of the new greater County of Cambridgeshire. In 1998 the City of Peterborough, including our villages, became a unitary authority. Fig 2. Prospect of Castor by Stukeley 1724; interesting but not especially Keith Garrett and William Burke accurate.

9 Fig 3. Tithe map of 1847, 50 years before the Enclosures. Each strip in Open Fields is numbered – dark black mark on each its number; has been reduced size to North fit, in fact the original map is some 10ft by 10ft. North at top.

A Chronology of our Parishes

This chronology is intended to help the reader to find his bearings in the lengthy period considered. The dates given are not all concerned with the events of our parishes; some refer to matters of wider significance including a selection of landmarks in national history. Local events are in bold.

AD 43 Roman invasion of Britain

47 Roman legions reach River Trent

Area under Roman occupation; building of Roman villas in the parishes commences

122 Building of Hadrian’s Wall (Tyne – Solway) commenced

c250 Praetorium built at Castor

312 Constantine the Great proclaimed Emperor at York

314 Council of Arles (Gaul) attended by Bishop of Lincoln

367 Attacks on Britain by Picts, Scots and Saxons

406 Constantine III withdraws forces from Britain: probable end of Roman military occupation

418 Romans bury, by order, gold hoards – or move them to Gaul

Burial of Water Newton treasure?

432 St Patrick begins mission to Ireland.

448 Barbarian invasions of Britain – appeal to Rome for help

Saxons arrive in East Anglia

515 ‘King’ Arthur killed at battle of Camlann

563 Columba at Iona

582 Penda – son of king of Mercia - born

597 St Augustine arrives in Kent

627 Edwin – King of Northumbria - baptised

632 Penda – father of Kyneburgha – becomes King of Mercia

634 Oswald becomes King of Northumbria

641 Penda kills Oswald

655 Penda killed. Succeeded by Peada and Wulfhere

Peterborough Abbey - ‘the Abbey of St. Peter’ - built

664 Synod of Whitby (attended by Kyneburgha?)

Castor Convent built

c710 Death of Kyneburgha. Her sister, Kyneswitha, takes over as Abbess.

735 Death of Venerable Bede

787 First Viking raids

827 Egbert – King of Wessex – becomes King of all England

856 King Alfred recaptures London from the Danes

870 Castor Convent attacked by Danes; subsequently functions as a minster church with chapels-of-ease in neighbouring villages

899 Death of Alfred the Great

937 West Saxon Kings become masters of England

1012 Castor Church in ruins from Viking raids. 7th March – Bodies of Kyneburgha and Kyneswitha translated to Peterborough Abbey by Elsinus

1016 Canute becomes King of England: builds short-lived Danish ‘empire’

1066 Norman Conquest of England under William the Conqueror

1070 Hereward the Wake (Saxon) seeks to retrieve ‘his’ land from Abbot of Peterborough

1086 Compilation of Domesday Book: probably to enable William to maximise taxation prospects

1124 Castor Church rebuilt and rededicated (17th April)

1126 Jury system established in England

1214 Belsize Farm founded as an assart

1215 Authority of Medieval Church & Papacy at height. Barons extort Magna Carta from King John

1217 Marholm becomes a separate parish

1304 Milton receives Charter for market

1338 Beginning of Hundred Years’ War between England and France

1340 Castor receives Charter for market and fair

1348 Black Death reaches Europe (England 1349 – Scotland 1350)

1362 English becomes official language of Parliament and Courts

1415 Battle of Agincourt: great success of Henry V of England in France

1455 Beginning of Wars of the Roses: Yorkists v Lancastrians

1476 William Caxton sets up his printing press at Westminster

1485 Henry (VII) Tudor victorious at Bosworth Field: beginning of Tudor period. Leonardo da Vinci

1492 Christopher Columbus reaches the New World

1502 Fitzwilliams buy Milton

1509 Henry VIII - King of England (1509-47). Michelangelo: Sistine chapel ceiling

1515 Thomas Wolsey becomes Lord Chancellor of England and Cardinal

1534 Act of Supremacy: Henry VIII asserts control over English Church. Start of English Reformation

1536 Dissolution of smaller monasteries (remainder dissolved 1539). Execution of Ann Boleyn

12 1541 Reformation – Peterborough Abbey becomes Peterborough Cathedral

1553 Mary Tudor - Queen of England (1553-8); persecution of Protestants

1558 Elizabeth I - Queen of England (1558-1603)

1587 Mary Queen of Scots executed

1588 Spanish Armada defeated. Wilbores, Darbeys, Tebbotts were among those mustered from this parish for the defence of London.

1603 James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England (1603-25)

1604 Gunpowder Plot

1611 Authorised Version of the Bible in English

1613 Thomas Dove – Bishop and Rector of Castor

1616 Death of William Shakespeare

1625 Charles I - King of England (1625-49)

1642 English Civil War begins (1642-9): Roundheads v Cavaliers

1645 Battle of Naseby. Anglican priest killed at Woodcroft by Puritans

1646 Rector of Castor imprisoned by Cromwell in Tower of London: dies there in 1648

1649 Charles I executed. England governed as Commonwealth. Oliver Cromwell - ‘Protector’ (1653-8)

All church property in Castor, Ailsworth, and Sutton stolen and sold

1660 Restoration of Charles II (1660-85). Church property restored in parishes

1665 Great Plague of London

1666 Fire of London. Newton’s discovery of laws of gravity

1684 Great fire of Sutton

1685 James II - King of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1685-8)

1688 William (1689-1702) and Mary (1689-94) reign

1707 Act of Union between England and Scotland

1750 Dove family sell Upton Manor to Fitzwilliams

1776 Declaration of Independence by ‘The Thirteen Colonies’: American War of Independence

1793 Start of the Long Wars (Revolutionary and Napoleonic)

1795 White family buys Castor House from the Church

1797 Norman Cross Depot receives its first French prisoners-of-war

1805 Battle of Trafalgar

1815 Battle of Waterloo (end of Long Wars)

1829 Castor Fitzwilliam School founded

13 1831 Great Reform Act: greatly improves arrangments for electing Members of Parliament

1837 Accession of Queen Victoria

1843 Upton fields enclosed

1845 Peterborough’s first (limited) railway connection – through Northampton to Blisworth

1851 Sutton and Upton become separate parishes. Bishops no longer rectors at Castor

1861 Castor Infant School founded

1868 Restoration of Marholm Church – side aisles rebuilt

1870 The “Forster” Act : moves towards the principle of compulsory education

1875 First intelligible telephonic transmission (Alexander Graham Bell)

1896 Motoring made legal – London to Brighton motor car ‘run’. First (silent) cinema film in England

1898 William Hopkinson buys Lordship of Sutton Manor off Cathdral Dean and Chapter Enclosures at Castor and Ailsworth

1903 Enclosures at Sutton

1908 Old Age Pensions introduced - for those of seventy years and over - at five shillings a week

1914 World War I (1914-18)

1918 Votes for women aged thirty years and over. (1928 – for women aged over twenty-one years)

1922 BBC starts broadcasting regular programmes on the ‘wireless’. BBC TV (1930); ITA (1955)

1936 January: Accession of Edward VIII. December: Accession of George VI

1939 Outbreak of World War II (1939-45)

1944 Education Act: leads to sweeping changes especially as regards post-primary education

1948 Welfare State legislation based on ideas of Sir William Beveridge Last recorded use of horses for ploughing in the benefice (Fred Hornsby)

1952 Accession of Elizabeth II

1963 USA President John Kennedy assassinated. Beeching Report axed railways

1971 UK decimal coinage introduced. Divorce Reform Act in force. End of free school milk

1973 UK, Ireland and Denmark join European Economic Community. VAT introduced in UK

1977 New Township – ‘Battle of Castor’. Nene Valley Railway started

1979 Margaret Thatcher first woman Prime Minister

1989 Berlin Wall comes down. Church of England Synod votes in favour of ordination of women

2000 Global celebrations mark the advent of the new millennium. Celebrations throughout the parishes; bulb planting; opening of the Cedar Centre; two new bells and new vestments at Castor Church

Gill Slidel Gill Slidel is a former headteacher who was born in Hampshire but has lived in Castor – at first in Stocks Hill and subsequently in High Street - with her husband and family since the early 1970s.

14 Poplar Farmhouse, Marholm.

Roman ‘herring-bone’ masonry: foundations of the Roman Praetorium on Stocks Hill Castor.

Sutton Cross, an ancient meeting place beside another Roman road, Ermine Street.

Jack Wood who lived at The Elms Castor in the 1920s.

Milton Temple as rebuilt in 1986, having originally been built before 1775. It had collapsed before 1884. The bust in the niche of the Temple is of the 4th Earl Fitzwilliam. The site of Salter’s Tree on the Castor-Marholm road. The stump of an old elm could be seen until recently. This is thought to be the site of an old gibbet.

15 The barns and old farmyard at ‘ The Cedars’ Castor.

The newest meeting place - The Cedar Centre, 2000AD

Castor Infants School 1929 can you work out who still lives in the villages? Back (l-r): Miss Hales, unknown, unknown, Alec Jakes, Walter Pendred, unknown, Harry Hill, Kenny Baker. 2nd Row from back: Doris Ward, Mona Wodward, Maisie Hill, Joan Nix, Olive Afford, Margaret Ward, Joan Brown, Joyce Milford, Hilda Parker.3rd row: Don Harman, Sheila Catmull, Horace Ward, Ewart Hill, Barbara Sharpe, Betty Taylor, June Milford. Front: Ernest Hornsby, Geoff Ward, Peter Dudley, Billy Pearson, Clem Rylott (Upton).

Castor Church the oldest building is still used for its original purpose. The Church is built of stone from the oolitic limestone outcrop known as ‘Barnack Rag’, distinguished by its ‘shelly’ content. This stone has not been quarried since the 16th century. (Photo: J Tovey)