Ailsworth or Ailesworth 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

City of Peterborough The City of Peterborough, is a district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The district is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough, but also covers a wider area of o ...

unitary authority, about west of the city centre. The parish is part of the former

Soke of Peterborough The Soke of Peterborough is a historic area of England associated with the City and Anglican Diocese of Peterborough, Diocese of Peterborough. It was part of Northamptonshire, but was administered by Soke of Peterborough County Council, its own ...

, which was considered geographically part of

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

until in 1974, following 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 ...

, it became part of

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

. In the 2001 census the population stood at 413 (188 households) and this has increased to 559 (248 households) in the 2011 census

History

The village's

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

comes from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), 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 developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''Ægeleswurth''. 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086 records it as ''Eglesworde'' meaning "an enclosure of a man named Agel". The

common land Common land is collective land (sometimes only open to those whose nation governs the land) in which all persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...

s of Ailsworth and the neighbouring parish of Castor were not enclosed until 1898. The old village sign (pictured) celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the local

Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organization for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being the ...

was erected in 1981 on the boundary with the neighbouring village of Castor. A new sign was erected in 2021 and the old sign sold off. The £9 million dual-carriageway Ailsworth and Castor Bypass, which is part of the

A47 road The A47 is a major trunk road in England linking Birmingham to Lowestoft, Suffolk, maintained and operated by National Highways. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114 road, B4114. From Peterborough ...

, was opened in September 1991.

Churches

Ailsworth lies in the ecclesiastical parish of Castor. There is a Methodist Chapel.

Amenities

In Ailsworth there is a medical practice, village shop, coffee house, recreation ground and children's play area. The village does not have a public house with the nearest being The Prince of Wales Feathers and The Royal Oak in neighbouring Castor. The last pub that was open in the village was The Wheatsheaf which is now a private home situated at the end of Peterborough Road.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Villages in Cambridgeshire Geography of Peterborough Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire

History

Churches

Amenities

See also

References

External links