Caynham is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in south

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

, England. The parish lies on the

River Teme The River Teme (pronounced ; cy, Afon Tefeidiad) rises in Mid Wales, south of Newtown, and flows southeast roughly forming the border between England and Wales for several miles through Knighton before entering England in the vicinity of B ...

. It can be accessed via the A4117 or the A49 roads and is located 2½ miles (4 km) southeast of the

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The t ...

. The civil parish includes the village of

Cleehill Cleehill is a village in south Shropshire, England. It is sometimes written as Clee Hill Village (including the road sign entering the village) to avoid confusion. It lies in the civil parish of Caynham. The market towns of Ludlow and Cleobury Mo ...

and has an area of .Office for National Statistics
Caynham 2011

History

The word "Caynham" is an

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

derivation of "Caega's Ham" or homestead of a person called ''Caega''. It is believed the Saxons arrived in the area around 550–600 AD. Caynham (''often written as Cainham in historic texts'') is also mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

(1086): ''"Taxable value 8 geld units.Value: Value to lord in 1066 £8. Value to lord in 1086 £3.9. Value to lord c. 1070 £3.Households: 14 villagers. 9 smallholders. 9 slaves.Ploughland: 19 ploughlands (land for). 4 lord's plough teams. 5 men's plough teams.Other resources: 4.0 lord's lands.Woodland 200 pigs. 1 mill. 1 salthouse.Lord in 1066: Earl Morcar.Lords in 1086: Ralph of Mortimer; Robert of Vessey; Walter.Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Ralph of Mortimer.Phillimore reference: 4,11,4"''

Early history of Caynham

400 million years ago, when life on earth was only 150–200 million years old, life was only under water. Caynham was situated in warm coral waters and was likely to have been bristling with sea-life, shells can still be found today in the stones around the foothills of Shropshire. Dead sea life fossilised over time to create

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. This limestone was extensively quarried from the 18th century onwards. First evidence of human settlement in the area is the massive earthwork of "Caynham Camp". It can be dated back to 900 BC, late in the Bronze Age. It was later developed and expanded until the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

invasion of 44 AD. Much of Caynham's later history lies with the manor of Caynham. It is believed that the village of Caynham today is far less important than the manor was in

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

times. There have been many owners of the manor, from Saxon and Norman times with the

Earl of Mercia Earl of Mercia was a title in the late Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Danish, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. During this period the earldom covered the lands of the old Kingdom of Mercia in the English Midlands. First governed by ealdormen under th ...

, and

Ralph de Mortimer Ranulph or Ralph de Mortimer (before 1198 to 6 August 1246) was the second son of Roger de Mortimer and Isabel de Ferrers of Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire. He succeeded his elder brother before 23 November 1227 and built Cefnllys and Knuckla ...

who wrote the extract within the Domesday book for Caynham, to the Curtis dynasty of 1852–1946. In addition the manor of Caynham passed through many different hands in years to follow, until only recently in 2003 the court was bought by Paul Chester and work continues to substantially refurbish and restore the Manor.

Bishop Hooper C of E School

Bishop Hooper is Caynham's local primary school. Long serving the village and surrounding areas, dating back to the early 19th century in 1834. Aided by Shropshire Local Education Authority, the school is prestigious for its upkeep, and won an award for Environmental friendliness. In 2011 the school moved out of Caynham, to a new site in nearby

Ashford Carbonell Ashford Carbonell (or Ashford Carbonel) is a village and civil parish in south Shropshire, England, near the county border with Herefordshire. The village lies south of the market town of Ludlow, on the eastern side of the River Teme, facing t ...

Landmarks

St. Mary's Church

As a parish Caynham possesses a small

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

. St. Mary's Church is a small but quaint church, used mostly by local settlers and dates back to 1179, during the reign of King Henry II. The churchyard contains one Commonwealth war burial of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Captain

Sir William Michael Curtis, 4th Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

, of the

Royal Defence Corps The Royal Defence Corps was a corps of the British Army formed in 1916 and disbanded in 1936. As part of the reorganisation of home defence forces by Field Marshal Sir John French, Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, the Royal Defence Corps was crea ...

, who lived at Caynham Court. The

lych gate A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, lyke-gate or as two separate words lych gate, (from Old English ''lic'', corpse), also ''wych gate'', is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style ch ...

was dedicated to the nine local men who died serving in the same war, whose names are also listed on a brass plaque within the church in addition to a roll of honour of those who served.

Village hall

Caynham Village Hall was opened in 1911 in loving memory of George B. Charleton Esq. A new window was also placed in St. Mary's Church in memory of him. The hall is now used by youth clubs, the

Mothers' Union The Mothers' Union is an international Christian charity that seeks to support families worldwide. Its members are not all mothers or even all women, as there are many parents, men, widows, singles and grandparents involved in its work. Its main ai ...

and the local school for nativity performances etc. Moreover, it is also used for village socials suggesting a very close-knit, rural community. The Village Hall Committee manage and maintain the Hall.

Industry

Industry in Caynham has changed significantly over time. As with many rural villages Caynham was once dominated by agriculture. This sector was highly dominated by one gender, with 90% of workers being male. Also in 1881, services and offices started to become large sectors of employment, dominated more by female workers at around 80%. Today, Caynham is largely used for commuters who travel to and from work in the cities or towns of the surrounding area.

Geography

The village of Caynham is located along Caynham Road which also runs through the village of Knowbury. The road can be reached from the west by the A49 (north of

Ashford Bowdler Ashford Bowdler is a small village and civil parish in south Shropshire, England, near the county border with Herefordshire. Geography The parish lies south of the market town of Ludlow. The Parish is bisected West to East by the A49. The villag ...

) or from the east from the A4117 near Clee Hill Village. There is also the minor road to Ludlow and the A49 there, via

the Sheet Sheet (or "The Sheet") is a small modern village in the parish of Ludford about from the town centre of Ludlow, Shropshire. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. It was part of the Saxon hundred of Culvestan, which ended in the reign ...

. The village lies on fairly high ground surrounded by rural foothills.

Ledwyche Brook Ledwyche Brook is a minor river in south Shropshire, England. It is sometimes referred to as the River Ledwyche and spelled variously, including "Ledwich" or "Ledwych". The brook is a tributary of the River Teme. Its sources are just south of B ...

runs through the village.

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

lies 32 miles to the north and can be accessed via the A49.

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

is 24 miles south of Caynham and can also be accessed via the A49. The large town of

Kidderminster Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it had ...

is 22 miles east of Caynham, whilst the small local town of

lies 2.4 miles northwest.

Demography

The population of the civil parish of Caynham in the 1961 census was 1,063. This increased to 1,489 in the 2011 census. However, the civil parish covers a much wider area than the actual village of Caynham.

References

External links

{{authority control Civil parishes in Shropshire Villages in Shropshire