Wendens Ambo is a village in the

Uttlesford Uttlesford is a local government district in Essex, England. Its council is based in the market town of Saffron Walden. At the 2011 Census, the population of the district was 79,443. Other notable settlements include Great Dunmow, Elmdon, S ...

district of

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 Grea ...

, England. The population at the 2011 census was measured at 473. Its name originates from the merging of two originally separate villages called Wenden Magna (or Great Wenden) and Wenden Parva (or Little Wenden), ''ambo'' being the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "both".

Situation

Wendens Ambo is approximately two miles south-west of the market town of

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...

, fifteen miles south of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, 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. Cam ...

and forty miles north of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Within the village is

Audley End railway station Audley End railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the village of Wendens Ambo and the town of Saffron Walden in Essex, England. It is down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between and stations. Its three ...

which is the main station for Audley End House and Saffron Walden.

History

The earliest signs of settlement are from the Roman period. Remains of a villa were found during an excavation in 1853, and finds of flint tools from 300–200 BC suggest an even earlier settlement. It is likely that the farming community of Wenden started around the 6th and 7th centuries, taking its name from the valley in which it lies: Wendene. 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 manus ...

contains the first written account of Wenden Magna and Wenden Parva. Wenden Magna was owned by Robert Gernon, a Frenchman who also had land in

Stansted London Stansted Airport is a tertiary international airport serving London, England, United Kingdom. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England, northeast of Central London. London Stansted serves over 160 destinations acro ...

and

Takeley __NOTOC__ Takeley is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. History A number of theories have arisen over the origin of the village's name. One believes the village's name was a corruption from the "Teg-Ley" of ...

. Wenden Parva was also owned by a Frenchman, William de Warenne. A third Wenden, higher up the valley to the west is Wenden Lofts (probably the "Loutes Wenden" mentioned in a legal record of 1470, where the nearby villages of "Arkysden" and "Elmedon" are also mentioned.)Plea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; National Archives; CP 40/837; http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT2/E4/CP40no837/bCP40no837dorses/IMG_0578.htm; sixth entry with John Serle as plaintiff During the 17th century work began to rebuild the village dwellings, some of which are still occupied today. Also at this time, on 23 March 1662, Wenden Magna and Wenden Parva were joined to create Wendens Ambo. The 18th and 19th centuries brought the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

and also the railway, providing opportunities for work elsewhere, leading to Wenden eventually becoming a commuter village.

References

External links

Wendens Ambo Parish Council's WebsiteWendens Ambo Church and Village
{{authority control Villages in Essex Uttlesford

Situation

History

See also

References

External links