Hildersham is a small village 8 miles to the south-east of Cambridge, England. It is situated just off the A1307 between Linton and Great Abington on a tributary of the River Cam known locally as the River Granta.

The bridge and ford across the River Granta in Hildersham

Hildersham
Hildersham is located in Cambridgeshire
Hildersham
Hildersham
Location within Cambridgeshire
Population211 (2011)
OS grid referenceTL5448
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCAMBRIDGE
Postcode districtCB21
Dialling code01223
PoliceCambridgeshire
FireCambridgeshire
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cambridgeshire
52°07′N 0°15′E / 52.11°N 0.25°E / 52.11; 0.25

The parish boundary extends from the Roman Road, known in medieval times as Wool Street, north of the village, to the border with Essex to the south.[1]

The village sign was designed by Mrs D.E. Arkright, who along with her husband, Mr R.B. Arkright MBE, lived in the village for over 40 years.

Hildersham Mill[2]

Population

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In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 202, in 81 households,[3] increasing to a population of 211 in 90 households at the 2011 Census.[4]

 
Timber framed house in Hildersham

History

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Village sign in Hildersham

The place-name 'Hildersham' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Hildricesham. The name means 'Hildric's village or settlement'.[5] At the time of Domesday there were 20 residents in the parish.[1][6]

One of England's greatest chroniclers, Matthew Paris, is believed to have been born in Hildersham, where the Paris family were at one time lords of the manor.[7][8] The Anglican divine Conyers Middleton died in the village in 1750.

Church

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Holy Trinity Church, Hildersham

The parish is served by Holy Trinity Church in Hildersham. The church was first built in the 12th century, and the present tower and sacristy survive from that date. The tall nave was rebuilt in the late 13th century and the chancel arch around 1400. The original 12th-century octagonal font is still present.[1]

Village life

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Until August 2013, the village was home to The Pear Tree public house.


 
The chancel in Holy Trinity Church
 
High Street
 
Path to Abingtons from Hildersham along the river

See also

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The Hundred Parishes

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Parishes - Hildersham". British History Online.
  2. ^ "Hildersham Mill". Historic England. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Hildersham parish" (PDF). UK census. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  4. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  5. ^ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p.239.
  6. ^ "Cambridgeshire". Domesday Book.
  7. ^ Edmund Carter (1819). The History of the County of Cambridge.
  8. ^ John Marius Wilson (1872). Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales.
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  Media related to Hildersham at Wikimedia Commons

  NODES
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