Hildersham is a small village 8 miles to the south-east 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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is situated just off the A1307 between

Linton Linton may refer to: Places Australia * Linton, Victoria Canada * Linton, Ontario * Linton, Quebec United Kingdom England * Linton, Cambridgeshire * Linton, Derbyshire * Linton (near Bromyard), Herefordshire * Linton (near Ross-on-Wye), Her ...

and

Great Abington Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

on a tributary of the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...

known locally as the

River Granta The River Granta is the name of two of the four tributaries of the River Cam, although both names are often used synonymously. The Granta starts near the village of Widdington in Essex, flowing north past Audley End House to merge with the ...

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

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

to the south. 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 - geograph

Population

In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 202, in 81 households, increasing to a population of 211 in 90 households at the 2011 Census. Hildersham- timber framing (geograph 2264282)

Hildersham- timber framing (geograph 2264282)

History

The place-name 'Hildersham' is first attested 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 ...

of 1086, where it appears as ''Hildricesham''. The name means 'Hildric's village or settlement'. At the time of Domesday there were 20 residents in the parish. One of England's greatest chroniclers,

Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris ( la, Matthæus Parisiensis, lit=Matthew the Parisian; c. 1200 – 1259), was an English Benedictine monk, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey ...

, is believed to have been born in Hildersham, where the Paris family were at one time lords of the manor. The

Anglican divine Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

Conyers Middleton Conyers Middleton (27 December 1683 – 28 July 1750) was an English clergyman. Mired in controversy and disputes, he was also considered one of the best stylists in English of his time. Early life Middleton was born at Richmond, North Yorkshir ...

died in the village in 1750.

Church

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.

Village life

Until August 2013, the village was home to The Pear Tree public house. Hildersham - Holy Trinity - Chancel from W

Hildersham, footpath to Abington - geograph

References

External links