Great Gransden is a
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 ...
and village in the
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...
district of
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
, England. In 2001, the parish population was 969, which rose to 1,023 at the 2011 Census. It lies 16 miles (25 km) west of
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
and 13 miles (21 km) south of
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
. It contains the oldest
post mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All p ...
in England.
History
The village name translates as "valley of a man named Granta or Grante". It was spelled ''Grantandene'' in 973 and ''Grante(s)dene'' in the 1086
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 ...
.
Great Gransden was mentioned in 973 when its land was endowed to
Thorney Abbey
Thorney Abbey, now the Church of St Mary and St Botolph, was a medieval monastic house established on the island of Thorney in The Fens of Cambridgeshire, England.
History
The earliest documentary sources refer to a mid-7th century hermita ...
by
Aethelwold, Bishop of Winchester. It already consisted of 33 households in 1086, with an annual rent of £30 being paid to the lord of the manor.
Great Gransden's older centre consists of cottages grouped round a 16th-century church, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, whose tower dates from about 1390.
The connection between the village and
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...
appears to date from 1346, when the
advowson
Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, ...
for Great Gransden church parish formed part of the college's original endowment.
School and founder
Barnabas Oley
Barnabas Oley (1602–1686) was an English churchman and academic. A royalist figure of the First English Civil War, he was also the first editor of George Herbert and Thomas Jackson, and a personal friend of Nicholas Ferrar. In old age he was ar ...
, Vicar from 1633, was a Fellow of Clare College who edited the works of the poet and orator
George Herbert
George Herbert (3 April 1593 – 1 March 1633) was an English poet, orator, and priest of the Church of England. His poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets, and he is recognised as "one of the foremost British devoti ...
. Oley was one of the university's most active
Royalists
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
in the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
. He was deprived of his fellowship and lodgings in 1644, but recovered them in 1660. From 1664 he lived mainly at Great Gransden and left many benefactions.
The village school Oley founded in 1670, now a Church of England primary school in Little Lane, still bears his name. His life is remembered each year on the school's Founder's Day, held in the parish church; leavers receive an "Oley Bible" from a Fellow of Clare College.
Notable people
In order of birth:
*
Anne Dutton (1692–1765), religious tractarian and poet, and her clothier husband Benjamin, a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister, moved to the village and paid for a chapel to be built there.
*
James Plumptre
James Plumptre (1771–1832) was an English clergyman and dramatist.
Life
James Plumptre was born at Cambridge on 2 October 1771, the third son of Robert Plumptre, President of Queens' College, Cambridge, by his wife, Anne Newcome.''ODNB'' The ...
(1771–1832), dramatist, served as Vicar of Great Gransden church from 1812 until his death.
*
Arthur Tozer Russell
Arthur Tozer Russell (1806–1874) was an English clergyman known as a hymnwriter.
Life
The elder son of Thomas Russell, he was born at Northampton on 20 March 1806. He received his early education at St. Saviour's School, Southwark, and Merchan ...
(1806–1874) hymn-writer, served as a curate of Great Gransden church in 1829–1830.
Government
As a civil parish, Great Gransden has a
parish council elected by the residents. The parish council has nine councillors and normally meets on the first Monday of the month in the Reading Room in Great Gransden.
Great Gransden was in the historic and
administrative county
An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...
of Huntingdonshire until 1965. From 1965, it was part of the new administrative county of
Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative and geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgeshire.
Formation
The Local Government Act 1888 created fo ...
, until the
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
placed it in the county of Cambridgeshire in 1972.
The second tier of local government is
Huntingdonshire District Council
Huntingdonshire District Council is the local authority for the district of Huntingdonshire in Cambridgeshire, England. Based in Huntingdon, it forms the lower part of the two tier system of local government in the district, below Cambridgeshire ...
which is a
non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''shire counties'') in a two-tier arrangement. Non-m ...
of Cambridgeshire and has its headquarters in Huntingdon. Its 52 councillors represent 29
district wards.
Great Gransden belongs to the district ward of Gransden and The Offords, which has two councillors on the district council.
[ The village's highest tier of local government is ]Cambridgeshire County Council
Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council of Cambridgeshire, England. The council consists of 61 councillors, representing 59 electoral divisions. The council is based at New Shire Hall at Alconbury Weald, near Huntingdon. It is a mem ...
, based in Cambridge, It consists of 69 councillors representing 60 electoral divisions. where as part of the electoral division of ''Buckden, Gransden and The Offords'',[ it is represented by one county councillor.][
Great Gransden is in the parliamentary constituency of ]Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
,.[ It has been represented in the ]House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
by Jonathan Djanogly
Jonathan Simon Djanogly (born 3 June 1965) is an English politician, solicitor and Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon since 2001. Djanogly has been Trade and Industry Spokesman shadowing the Department for Business, En ...
(Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
) since 2001. The previous member was Prime Minister John Major
Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
(Conservative), from 1983 to 2001.
Geography
Great Gransden parish is west of the county town of Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, south-east of Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
and north of London. It covers an area of . The village stands on the B1046 road between Abbotsley
Abbotsley is a village and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England.[Longstowe
Longstowe is a civil parish and small rural village of nearly 200 residents in South Cambridgeshire, England, west of Cambridge. The population was measured at 205 at the 2011 Census. It is situated on the western side of the A1198 road (Ermine ...]( ...<br></span></div>, to the west, and <div class=)
, to the east. Minor roads run south-west to Waresley and north-east to Caxton Caxton may refer to:
Places
* Caxton Street, Brisbane, Australia
* Caxton, Cambridgeshire, a village in Cambridgeshire, UK
** Caxton Gibbet, a knoll near the village
* Caxton Hall, a historic building in London, UK
* Caxton Building, a historic ...
.
The parish ranges from , near its border with Abbotsley parish, to above sea level on the disused airfield. The subsoil is Ampthill Clay
The Ampthill Clay is a Mesozoic geologic formation in southern England. Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517- ...
with Lower Greensand
The Lower Greensand Group is a geological unit present across large areas of Southern England. It was deposited during the Aptian and Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous. It predominantly consists of sandstone and unconsolidated sand that were ...
. Streams in the parish include Waresley Dean, College Dean, Vicars Dean, Mandean and Gransden Brook; Home Dole Brook marks the border with Little Gransden
Little Gransden is a civil parish and village in South Cambridgeshire, England. In 2001 the population was 262 people, including Waresley and increasing to 296 at the 2011 Census. It is 11 miles (18 km) from Cambridge, on the border with ...
parish and South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, England, with a population of 162,119 at the 2021 census. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambridgeshire Rural District. I ...
.
Demography
Between 1801 and 1901 the population of Great Gransden according to the ten-yearly censuses ranged between 412 (1801) and 713 (1871).
All population census figures from report ''Historic Census figures Cambridgeshire to 2011'' by ''Cambridgeshire Insight''.[
]
In 2011, the parish covered an area of ,[ giving it a population density in 2011 of 192.8 persons per square mile (74.5 per square km).
At the time of the 2001 census, Great Gransden parish had 363 households. 98.8 per cent of people described themselves as White, 0.3 per cent as Asian or Asian British, and 0.9 per cent as mixed; 77.6 per cent were Christians, 1.2 per cent followed another religion and 21.1 were not religious.]
Landmarks
Great Gransden boasts the oldest post mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All p ...
in England, constructed around 1612 – though the claim is disputed by nearby Bourn
Bourn is a small village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. Surrounding villages include Caxton, Eltisley and Cambourne. It is 8 miles (12 km) from the county town of Cambridge. The population of the parish was 1,015 people ...
. It has two storeys, with a flour-dressing machine, inscribed 1774 on the second floor. The mill ceased to operate about 1890. It was presented to the county council in 1950 and classified as an ancient monument in 1957. A restoration project was completed in 1984, and a more thorough restoration began in 2015. The mill still possesses its machinery. Newly constructed sails are due to be installed by 2022. It can be viewed inside by appointment. A local legend claims a book of black magic entitled ''An Infidel's Bible'' was hidden in the mill in 1867, causing it to stop working. When the book was removed, the mill began to work again.
There are 53 other listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s in Great Gransden parish, including houses, barns and remains of a churchyard cross. The brick vicarage, north-west of the church, was built by Barnabas Oley, probably between 1660 and 1685.
A lychgate built in the churchyard in 1920 commemorates Great Gransden men who died in World War I
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 ...
.
Church of St Bartholomew
The Grade I listed parish church dedicated to Saint Bartholomew the Apostle consists of a chancel with a 19th-century organ chamber, a vestry on the north side, nave, north aisle, south aisle, west tower and north and south porches. It was listed in the Domesday Book, but no remains of that time survive. The tower was built in the late 14th century, but the whole church rebuilt in the 15th. The organ chamber and vestry were added and the north porch rebuilt in 1873. A pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
dating from 1600 and a rare clock, whose chime mechanism is said to date from 1683, are notable artefacts inside.
Baptist chapel
The Providence Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
Chapel in Sand Road is a Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
that dates from soon after 1734, when the tractarian Anne Dutton (see Notable people) and her husband moved here.
Amenities
Great Gransden has a pub in West Street, the thatched ''Crown and Cushion'', which also serves food. The village has a small general store with a sub-post office in Fox Street, and an antique shop in Hitchin Road. It also has a lawn tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cove ...
club, a bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
club, and a football team called the Gransden Chequers.
The first gardening allotments became available in 2008 through the Gransden Allotment Society. An orchard and "Greenfingers" micro-plots for children were added in 2009–2010, followed by a wildlife pond and a wildlife meadow in 2011. Tree-planting continues.
Gransden and District Agricultural Society Annual Show has been held every year since 1891, except during the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. It takes place on the last Saturday of September.
Transport
Great Gransden has occasional buses to and from St Neots
St NeotsPronunciation of the town name: Most commonly, but variations that ''saint'' is said as in most English non-georeferencing speech, the ''t'' is by a small minority of the British pronounced and higher traces of in the final syllable ...
and Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
. The nearest railway station is St Neots
St NeotsPronunciation of the town name: Most commonly, but variations that ''saint'' is said as in most English non-georeferencing speech, the ''t'' is by a small minority of the British pronounced and higher traces of in the final syllable ...
(7 miles, 11 km), which has regular services to Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
and Biggleswade
Biggleswade ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the River Ivel, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Bedford. Its population was 16,551 in the 2011 United Kingdom census, and its es ...
and peak-hour services to London King's Cross
King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the busiest stations in the United King ...
.
The village is 3 miles (5 km) from the main A428 road
The A428 road is a major road in central and eastern England. It runs between the cities of Coventry and Cambridge by way of the county towns of Northampton and Bedford. Together with the A421, (and the A43, M40 and the A34), the eastern ...
to Cambridge at Eltisley
Eltisley is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, on the A428 road about 5.5 miles (9 km) east of St Neots and about 11 miles (18 km) west of the city of Cambridge. The population in 2001 was 421 people, falling ...
and 11 miles (18 km) from the A1 trunk road between London and the North at Wyboston
Wyboston is a village in the English county of Bedfordshire,adjacent to the town of St Neots, on the Cambridgeshire border. The eastern part of the village is dominated by the A1 Great North Road. Approaching the Black Cat Roundabout from the B ...
.
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in Cambridgeshire
Huntingdonshire
Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire