Hatley 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 ...
in
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
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. It lies between the villages of
Gamlingay
Gamlingay is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England about west southwest of the county town of Cambridge.
The 2011 census gives the village's population as 3,247 and the civil parish's as 3,5 ...
and
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
, 12 miles south-west of the city 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 eight miles south-east of the town of
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 ...
. In 2001, the population of Hatley parish was 205 people living in 77 households, reducing at the 2011 Census to a population of 181 in 78 households.
History
The Hatley name was in use as early as 986,
derived from 'laie' or 'ley', a woodland clearing,
or 'woodland clearing on the hill'. The spelling ''Hatelaie'' was used 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 ...
. The parishes were known as 'Hungry Hatley' by 1218, possibly because the clay soil could not be cultivated effectively until mechanisation in the 20th century.
The adjoining parish of
Cockayne Hatley
Cockayne Hatley is a small, rural village in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England east of the county town of Bedford. The population in 2007 was approximately 75 with 33 houses. It is in the civil parish of ...
, in
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
, is said to be unconnected to the Cambridgeshire Hatleys.
In 1831, the population of the parish of Hatley St George was 105 people. At the time of the census in 1921, it was 67 people.
Governance
The parish was established in 1957 when the parish of Hatley St George was united with East Hatley.
Hatley Parish Council comprises five elected members (a chairman, vice-chairman and three others) and a clerk. The parish is represented on the
South Cambridgeshire District Council
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
by one councillor for The Mordens ward and on
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 ...
by one councillor for the Gamlingay electoral division. It is represented at 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. ...
as part of the
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 ...
constituency.
Geography
Hatley is 12 miles south-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 ...
and 45 miles north of London. The elevation ranges between 55 and 79 metres (180–260 feet) above sea level.
The soil is clay subsoil with
boulder clay
Boulder clay is an unsorted agglomeration of clastic sediment that is unstratified and structureless and contains gravel of various sizes, shapes, and compositions distributed at random in a fine-grained matrix. The fine-grained matrix consists ...
.
The parish covers an area of 958 hectares.
Around half of the land in Hatley parish belongs to the Hatley Park Estate. 76% of land is used for crops or
fallow
Fallow is a farming technique in which arable land is left without sowing for one or more vegetative cycles. The goal of fallowing is to allow the land to recover and store organic matter while retaining moisture and disrupting pest life cycles ...
land; 9.5% is covered by grass, 4.9% by woodland and 7.1% by
set-aside
Set-aside was an incentive scheme introduced by the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1988 (Regulation (EEC) 1272/88), to (i) help reduce the large and costly surpluses produced in Europe under the guaranteed price system of the Common Agricult ...
. Wheat,
barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...
and
rapeseed
Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains a ...
are grown. In summer, the estate's parkland is grazed by beef cattle and by sheep in winter. The yard at Church Farm, owned by the estate, has been converted to small business units. One other farm is in the parish and two neighbouring farmers use land in it.
There are two main settlements in the parish, connected by a minor road. Hatley St George consists of a row of houses along the Gamlingay-Croydon road. It has a small shop and post office, (subsidised by the estate)
a playing field, playground and
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
club. It is presumed that the hamlet's name is derived from that of the St George family, who were the principal landowners from the 13th century to 1658.
Hatley St George is an 'estate village' – Hatley Park Estate owns all the houses except for five. About a third are used for current and retired estate workers, with the others rented out.
![Hatleystgeorge7567](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Hatleystgeorge7567.jpg)
East Hatley is a row of houses along a smaller road. It was formerly known as Castell Hatley.
In 1929, the hamlet was owned by the Master and Fellows of
Downing College
Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...
,
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 ...
.
Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet
Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet ( – 1684) was a statesman, soldier, diplomat and spymaster and preacher, whose allegiances changed significantly during his career, giving his support to Oliver Cromwell and (later, after the Restoration) ...
, after whom
Downing Street
Downing Street is a street in Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Situated off Whitehall, it is long, and a few minutes' walk ...
is named, owned land in East Hatley (his grandson,
Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet
Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet (baptised 24 October 1685 – 10 June 1749) was a British landowner and inititially Tory, but later Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1710 and 1749. Through a donation in his will, he was t ...
, founded Downing College).
Historically, East Hatley housed local farm labourers. Now, few agricultural workers live there and it has been described as a 'small, middle-class commuter settlement'. The houses are mainly privately owned but there are three council-owned bungalows. There is little interaction between East Hatley and Hatley St George.
Hatley village hall was built by the estate in 1960.
It was run as a social club before it became financially unviable, closing in 2005, and is now run by the Parish Council.
Around one-third of the parish is occupied by Hatley Park, an area of private
landscaped parkland
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...
south of the road,
formerly owned by
Sir John Astor MBE.
Demography
At the time of the
2001 census, the population of Hatley parish was 205 people living in 77 households. The ethnic group of 98.6% of Hatley residents was white and 1.4% Asian or Asian British. 73.7% described themselves as Christian.
Hatley has a high rate of in-migration and commuting, and retains economically strong farming activities. Hatley Park once employed most Hatley St George residents. There was formerly a
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, documentation o ...
in Hatley Park, employing 15 people, but it is now a livery yard staffed by two for most of the year. Seven Hatley St George residents were employed on the estate in 2007; a number of people work for the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment throug ...
, whose
headquarters
Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...
is nearby at
Sandy, Bedfordshire
Sandy is a market town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. It lies to the east of Bedford, to the south west of Cambridge and north of Central London. The town has a population of around 13,400 based on 2015 estimates.
The ...
. At the time of the 2001 census, 17.7% of Hatley residents were self-employed, 2.1% were unemployed and 4% were employed in agriculture.
Landmarks
![Buffwood 4171](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Buffwood_4171.JPG)
In addition to the two churches, two buildings in Hatley parish are
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
: Hatley Park Lodge and
model farm
A demonstration farm, or model farm, is a farm which is used primarily to research or demonstrate various agricultural techniques, with any economic gains being an added bonus. Demonstration farms are often owned and operated by educational instit ...
buildings at Church Farm, Hatley St George.
Hatley St George has a church, dedicated to
St George
Saint George (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin language, Latin: Georgius, Arabic language, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christians, Christian who is venerated as a sa ...
, which was first built in 1352. It 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 ...
. Services take place every two weeks.
East Hatley's church, dedicated to
St Denis, has been disused since 1980. It is also a Grade II* listed building. Hatley's churches are part of the ecclesiastical parish of ''Gamlingay with Hatley St George and East Hatley'', in the
diocese of Ely
The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan (subordinate) bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now co ...
.
There are remnants of ancient woodland:
Buff Wood
Buff Wood is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hatley in Cambridgeshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
This site is ecologically diverse boulder clay woodland, with ...
, south-west of East Hatley, is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
(SSSI) owned by the estate and managed by the local
Wildlife Trust, and
Hayley Wood, another SSSI,
borders the parish in the north.
See also
*
List of places in Cambridgeshire
This is a list of cities, towns and villages in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It includes places in the former county of Huntingdonshire, now a district of Cambridgeshire.
A
*Abbotsley
*Abbots Ripton
*Abington Pigotts
*Alconbury
* Alc ...
References
External links
{{authority control
Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire District