Buckworth

Buckworth
Buckworth  Buckworth shown within Cambridgeshire
Population	181
OS grid reference	TL150771
District	Huntingdonshire
Shire county	Cambridgeshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Huntingdon
Postcode district	PE28
Dialling code	01480
EU Parliament	East of England
List of places UK England Cambridgeshire

Coordinates: 52°23′N 0°19′W / 52.38°N 0.31°W / 52.38; -0.31

Buckworth is a village in the county of Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire) in England. The parish stands 7 miles west of Huntingdon^[1] and covers an area of 2,023 acres.^[2] It is also a part of the hundred called Leightonstone.^[3] The village is located on the slope of a hill, in the middle of farmlands and facing northeast. The road crossing Buckworth (Church Road) joins Alconbury and Barham and is the main street of the village.^[4]

History

Middle Ages

According to the Dictionary of British place-names, the name of the parish comes from the "enclosure of a man called Bucc, or where bucks are kept".^[5][6] In the Domesday Book, Buckworth was composed of 25 households and 10 geld units (total tax assessed). The households were divided between 22 villagers, one smallholder, one priest and one smith. In 1066 the Lord was Earl Tosti and in 1086 Robert Count of Eu. The Head of the Manor is mentioned to be Great Paxton I. At the time, the village consisted of 18 ploughlands, two lord's plough team and 16 mean's plough teams. It also included two lord's land, one meadow of 80 acres, woodlands of 30 acres, one church and 0.5 acre of church lands.^[7] Concerning agriculture, Buckworth used to be on the route from the north of England to bring animals to the London markets. It was a busy thoroughfare.^[8]

The 19th Century

From 1 July 1837, Buckworth was a part of the Huntingdon Registration district. Thereafter, it was integrated to the Spaldwick sub-District. However, it is now back in the Huntingdon District.^[9] Buckworth was a part of the Poor Laws in the Huntingdon Union.^[10][11]

Total population of Buckworth Civil Parish, as reported by the Census of Population from 1871 tp 2011

In the 1870s, Buckworth was described as:" BUCKWORTH, a parish in the district and county of Huntingdon; 5¼ miles W of the Great Northern railway, and 7 NW of Huntingdon. Post Town, Alconbury, under Huntingdon. Pop., 201. Houses, 39."^[12]

Percentage of males working in agriculture compared to the total population in Buckworth from 1831 to 2011

The first Census available for Buckworth is dated at 1801 and at this time the village was composed of 130 inhabitants only. The population had grown consistently until 1880. In the 1881 Census of population, the number of people living in Buckworth was 223, which was the highest so far. Until 1950 the population decreased more or less constantly and the population's growth began again at the beginning of the 1950s up to now.^[13]

As reported in the 1831 and 1881 Occupational Orders, the main source of employment for men was agriculture. In 1881, female workers were employed in domestic service, in offices or without specified occupations for the most part. The other principal categories of employment were professionals, animals, dress, mineral substances, and house, furniture and decorations.^[14]

First and second World Wars

According to a war memorial in All Saints Church, two men died in the First World War, one in Vinny Ridge and the second in Agnez. However, no deaths were registered during the Second World War as nobody from the village was engaged in military defence. During the night of 16 April 1942, five land mines from the British aircraft were jettisoned near Brook Lodge Farm. They all exploded but no damages or injuries occurred.^[15] The Second World War changed the way of farming in the village. As Great-Britain became dependent on home-grown food, the non-productive land had to finally be used.^[16]

Present Day

Buckworth Industry of Employment - All People, 2001, as rerouted by the Neighbourhood Statistics from 2001

According to the Neighbourhood Statistics, employment in the parish is no longer only composed of agricultural activities. The number of farmers has decreased massively because of technology.^[17] The main sources of employment now include manufacturing, wholesale trade, the retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, real estate, renting and business activities, public administration and defense. Furthermore, a few people are working in the following categories: construction, hotels and catering, financial intermediation, education, health and social work and other.^[18]

Buckworth had a population of 181 according to the 2011 census.^[19] The parish is now part of the Ellington district ward and the Sawtry county ward. As reported by the Office for National Statistics, the village is "surrounded by inhabited countryside". Housing types are a mix of detached and semi-detached which are for the most part owner-occupied or private rented.^[20] The average asking price for any kind of property in the area is £270,412.^[21] However, detached houses are the most popular type of property sold in the area and are worth an average of £340,137.^[22] The area is really safe with only one incident of antisocial behavior recorded in 2011.^[23]

Places of interest

Buckworth All Saints - geograph.org.uk - 370715

• All Saints church, the main building and the landmark of the parish stands at its centre.^[24][25] It was listed on 28 January 1958 as a Grade II building.^[26] It was first mentioned in the Domesday survey in 1086.^[27] The building's oldest remains are dated from the 12th Century for the East angles of the nave. The construction materials are rubble with stone dressings for the walls and tiles and lead for the roof.^[28] This edifice is now composed of a nave (built in the 12th Century), the South arcade and aisle (13th), the North arcade and aisle (14th), the West tower (14th), the South porch (15th) and the roof (15th). In 1862 and in 1884, the church was reconditioned. In 1925, the spire of the West tower was renovated.^[29] The church has recently been awarded £156,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The reparation of the tower, the spire, the roof and the south porch should start in early 2014.^[30][31] Behind the church, there is a small graveyard.^[32]
• Buckworth Cricket Club, founded in 1958, is situated in Church Road. When the local pub closed, George Brown, a farmer from Buckworth, lent the building to open the cricket club. The last match the club played was in 1984. It is now known as the Clubhouse and can be hired for meetings of the Parish Council or different events. It is at the centre of the village and is used for many purposes, such as a polling station.^[33]
• Buckworth School was built in 1870 and was composed of an infant school and a sunday school. It was closed in the late 1950s.^[34] It is now used as a private residence.^[35]
• The Old Rectory was built in the 1670s. It was the home of vicars up to 1951 and was then sold by Church Commissioners.^[36]
• Buckworth Manor, known as The Old Manor House, is a Victorian house, probably built in the 1860s.^[37]
• The farms: Home Farm, Manor Farm, Holly Lodge Farm, Brickyard Farm and Park Farm are the five farms situated in the parish.^[38][39]
• Buckworth Wood is located in the west of the parish and is surrounded by farmlands.^[40]

References

External links

Media related to Buckworth at Wikimedia Commons