How different was the Willingham of 1700 from that of 1200? Five hundred years is a very long time, but although many things certainly had changed, not all were on the scale you may have expected, and most of them only arrived during the last 100 years of our period.
Visually the village had changed considerably. The population had trebled from 150 to 450 and the additional 75 or so cottages to accommodate them had already led to the basic square village structure around what is now Church Street, High Street, Berrycroft and Green Street. The parish church (known then as St. Matthews) looked much the same, and still dominated a village of mostly single story cottages. Yet house design had changed little. The vast majority of cottages were still timber framed with mud and straw walls and thatched roofs, dark inside with damp floors. Most now had chimneys, which reduced fire risks but certainly didn’t eliminate them. Furthermore, an additional 75 cottages over 500 years can hardly be described as major expansion.
Agriculture obviously remained the prime occupation, but the ownership structure of land had changed considerably towards the end of this period. The feudal system of strip farming under successive Bishops of Ely lasted in essence for 400 years, until the Manor was sold in 1601. The new owners had started enclosing and selling land to a slowly emerging yeoman middle class. The drainage of Willingham Mere after 1615 by the new Lord of the Manor resulted in the reclamation of no less than 380 acres of very fertile land. However this would have been at the expense of much of the local fishing industry which had supported 10 boats based on the Mere for fishing, fowling and also reed and willow gathering. By 1700 a pattern of mixed farming had been established, of enclosed pastures for modest herds of cattle, sheep, a few pigs and horses, together with a rotating system of fields for arable crops, dominantly of barley, with one fallow at any one time. However it is very apparent from the many bequests in wills of this period ‘to the poor and needy’ that a measure of extreme poverty also persisted in Willingham.
Transport by road had changed little over the 500 years. The main all-weather route to Ely and Cambridge remained the Aldreth Causeway reached by Priest Lane, and the main mode of transport was still on foot or by horse for most villagers. Mobility in general benefitted after 1650 from the diversion of the entire flow of the Ouse from the Old West into the New Bedford River as part of the large scale project to drain the Fens. In conjunction with the draining of Willingham Mere this stopped the main cause of the frequent flooding that had blighted Willingham for centuries before this.
Education. The arrival of the first schoolmaster in 1579, and the establishment of the first school in 1593 brought literacy to villagers for the first time, and must be one of the most significant changes in Willingham. Before this, literacy was limited to a very small number outside the clergy of the church. It followed the introduction of printing presses on a national scale earlier in the century.
The Church still played a very dominant role in the day to day life in the village. It is difficult now to realise just how important church attendance was. It was virtually compulsory twice every Sunday, plus the many Saints Days and annual festivals of Christmas, Easter and Whitsun. Then there were church baptisms, weddings and funerals to attend. These all followed the catholic ritual until 1645, but the subsequent change to the protestant regime, and further competition from the baptists after 1660, did not reduce the importance of church and chapel attendance.
Rectors. The importance of the role of the Rector in the village remained paramount throughout the period. Even when they were absent for long periods when working for the King, the University and College appointments in Cambridge, they were supported by resident curates. Many of them certainly ‘punched above their weight’. The sheer number of high level national and university additional appointments achieved by the 20 Rectors of Willingham while in office here is quite remarkable:
- Treasurer to the Exchequer of Ireland
- King’s Ambassador to France (twice)
- King’s Messenger to Rome
- Provost of Kings College
- Master of Clare College
- Master of Pembroke College
- Master of Jesus College
- Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University (three times)
- Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth
- Chaplain to King James
- Assistant Commissioners to Oliver Cromwell.
Willingham after 1700. Of all the many local and national influences on Willingham after 1700 it is perhaps the development of transport that was to have the most wide-ranging effect.
The 19th century in particular saw new roads to Cambridge, Ely and St Ives. The new railway through Longstanton Station, connecting the village to London and Liverpool, was to open up markets for Willingham produce on a national scale, and massively change both the size and character of local agriculture.
Source material for ‘A Brief History of Willingham 1200 to 1700
- “The Village of Willingham” by Herbert E Norris, published 1890.
- “Notes Historical and Architectural on the Church of Saint Mary and All Saints Willingham”, a paper read to the Cambridge Antiquarian Society in 1894 by Rev. John Watkins, Rector of Willingham.
- “The Clergy of Willingham” a paper read to the Cambridge Antiquarian Society in 1956 by Canon J Bywaters, Rector of Willingham.
- “ The Victoria History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely” published 1986.
- “The Wallpaintings of Willingham” by Alan Fawcitt published 1990.
- Pamphlets and notes by the late Dennis Jeeps.
- “The Case for an Anchorhold”, a paper by Jeremy Lander , Architect 2005.
- “Conservation of the Wallpaintings in the Nave”, a report by Tobit Curteis 2005.
- ‘Contrasting Communities’ by Margaret Spufford, published 1979.
- ‘The Time-traveller’s Guide to Medieval England’ by Ian Mortimer, published 2009.
Next time: The dawn of a new era