2. Willingham Growing Up

In parallel with the building of the manor house came the building of a new church. There is evidence that a Saxon church had stood on the same site earlier. Saxon designs of chevrons and plaitwork have been identified in the south porch on stonework that had been re-used by Norman masons. The new building was made of limestone from Barnack, 50 miles to the north, and the interior was richly decorated with red patterns painted on the walls and roof. This was a common practice then, and many of the rosette patterns remain on the south wall today. It is thought likely that the wallpaintings of St Etheldreda (foundress of the monastery of Ely) and of her sister Sexburga, were painted on the west wall of the new church to celebrate the visit of Henry III in 1244. The basic building (minus a tower and spire) had been completed by the 1240’s and was known then as St Matthew’s Church. It is by far the oldest building in the village today.

The village had several important strategic advantages over surrounding parishes. The Bishop of Ely now had a manor house in Willingham. It was situated very conveniently mid-way between Ely and Cambridge, and until 1754, it was adjacent to the only all-weather route through the undrained fen. The route ran along a causeway connecting Cambridge to Ely and parts of it still exist as a public footpath. It may not look much like a causeway now, but many thousands of people walked and rode that path for hundreds of years. Go just one mile from the village green through Priest Lane into Cow Lane, and you will see the large medieval earthwork of Belsars Hill to the left. Running northwards from it is the causeway to Aldreth and Haddenham, ending at Ely with its monastery and cathedral. To the south, the causeway led through Rampton and Histon to Cambridge, where an expanding university was producing large numbers of priests.   

 Next time: Ireland to Willingham – a powerful rector arrives in Willingham