Hemingford Abbots

Hemingford Abbots
St Margaret's church
Hemingford Abbots  Hemingford Abbots shown within Cambridgeshire
Population	584 (2001)
OS grid reference	TL2970
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°19′01″N 0°06′00″W / 52.317°N 0.1°W / 52.317; -0.1

Hemingford Abbots is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England.^[1] Hemingford Abbots lies approximately 3 miles (5 km) east of Huntingdon, and is almost continuous with neighbouring Hemingford Grey. Hemingford Abbots is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England.

History

There has been a settlement on the present site since at least Roman times with both flints and a Roman sarcophagus found in the area. In Anglo-Saxon times the neighbouring villages of Hemingford Grey and Hemingford Abbots were a single estate. In the 9th century they split, and in 974 the manor fell under the ownership of Ramsey Abbey, where it remained until the dissolution in 1539.^[2]

In 1250 the village was listed as having 96 holdings, but numbers fell following the Black Death. The population grew from 306 in 1801 to 564 in 1841, but dropped as many moved to towns and cities. It grew rapidly after the Second World War, reaching a peak of 628 in 1961. Its 2001 population was 584.^[2]

The name Hemingford means "the ford of the people of Hemma", where Hemma is believed to be the name of a Saxon chief.^[3] The name "Abbots" was added in reference to its ownership by Ramsey Abbey.^[2] Listed as Emingeforde in the Domesday Book, the village was also known as Hemmingeford Magna, Emmingeforde Abbatis in the 13th century.^[4]

The village is home to a number of medieval buildings; Abbots End, the Manor House, Whiteways, Medlands, Abbots Barn, the White Cottage and Rideaway Cottage were all built prior to 1600.^[5]

Government

As a civil parish, Hemingford Abbots has a parish council. The parish council is elected by the residents of the parish who have registered on the electoral roll; the parish council is the lowest tier of government in England. A parish council is responsible for providing and maintaining a variety of local services including allotments and a cemetery; grass cutting and tree planting within public open spaces such as a village green or playing fields. The parish council reviews all planning applications that might affect the parish and makes recommendations to Huntingdonshire District Council, which is the local planning authority for the parish. The parish council also represents the views of the parish on issues such as local transport, policing and the environment. The parish council raises its own tax to pay for these services, known as the parish precept, which is collected as part of the Council Tax. The parish council consists of seven councillors and normally meets on the last Wednesday of the month (except in August and December).^[6]

Hemingford Abbots was in the historic and administrative county of Huntingdonshire until 1965. From 1965, the village was part of the new administrative county of Huntingdon and Peterborough. Then in 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972, Hemingford Abbots became a part of the county of Cambridgeshire. Hemingford Abbots is a part of the district ward of The Hemingfords for Huntingdonshire District Council^[7] and is represented on the district council by two councillors.^[8] For Cambridgeshire County Council Hemingford Abbots is part of the electoral division of The Hemingfords and Fen Stanton ^[7] and is represented on the county council by one councillor.^[9]

At Westminster, Hemingford Abbots is in the parliamentary constituency of Huntingdon,^[7] and is represented in the House of Commons by Jonathan Djanogly (Conservative). Jonathan Djanogly has represented the constituency since 2001. The previous member of parliament was John Major (Conservative) who represented the constituency between 1983 and 2001. For the European Parliament Hemingford Abbots is in the East of England (European Parliament constituency).

Demography

Population

In the period 1801 to 1901 the population of Hemingford Abbots was recorded every ten years by the UK census. During this time the population was in the range of 306 (the lowest was in 1801) and 564 (the highest was in 1841).^[10]

From 1901, a census was taken every ten years with the exception of 1941 (due to the Second World War).

All population census figures from report Historic Census figures Cambridgeshire to 2011 by Cambridgeshire Insight.^[10]

In 2011, the parish covered an area of 2,417 acres (978 hectares)^[10] and so the population density for Hemingford Abbots in 2011 was 168.1 persons per square mile (64.9 per square kilometre).

Culture and community

The village has one public house, The Axe and Compass, situated in a thatched 15th-century house.^[2]

Religious sites

A church is listed in the Domesday entry of 1086, although nothing remains of the building. The church was completely rebuilt at the end of the 13th century, the tower was added in the late 14th century and the spire in the 15th century. The present church of St Margaret's is largely a result of the reconstruction in the 18th and 19th centuries.^[11]

The church was originally named "St Margaret Church of the Virgin" and is now dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hemingford Abbots.

• Village website