Coton is a small 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 ...
about three miles (about 5 km) west of
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
in
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 ...
, England and about the same distance east of the
Prime Meridian
A prime meridian is an arbitrarily chosen meridian (geography), meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. On a spheroid, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian ...
. It is in the district of
South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is a Non-metropolitan district, 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 Cambri ...
. The parish covers an area of . In the 2001 census it had a population of 773, with approximately 336 dwellings and 322 households. The population at the 2011 census was 910.
Location
Coton is approximately bounded to the north by the A1303
Madingley Road
Madingley Road is a major arterial road linking central Cambridge, England with Junction 13 of the M11 motorway. It passes by West Cambridge, a major new site where some University of Cambridge departments are being relocated.
The road is des ...
, which forms part of the
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
to
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 ...
road; to the west by open fields which separate the village from that of
Hardwick; to the south by open fields separating it from
Barton and to the east by the
M11 motorway
The M11 is a motorway that runs north from the A406 road, North Circular Road (A406) in South Woodford to the A14 road (Great Britain), A14, northwest of Cambridge, England. Originally proposed as a trunk road as early as 1915, various plans ...
, which divides it from the city of Cambridge and, to the south-east, the village of
Grantchester
Grantchester () is a village and civil parish on the River Cam or Granta (river), Granta in South Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about south of Cambridge.
Name
The village of Grantchester is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as ''Granteset ...
. Coton lies roughly equidistant from junctions 12 and 13 of the M11.
History
Coton is not mentioned 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086, as the land forming the village belonged at that time to Grantchester. However, in the Middle Ages, Coton became a separate parish. There are no references to a separate Coton population prior to 1500, but by 1563, 21 families are recorded as living in the village. The population grew slowly over the next two centuries, reaching 126 by 1801 and then more than trebled to 390 during the 19th century. Further population growth came in the 1940s, when an estate of Council houses was built at the west end of the village (Whitwell Way) and in the 1960s, when further houses were built between the High Street and the 1940s estate.
The oldest building in Coton is St Peter's Church (there are some pictures and a description of the church at the Cambridgeshire Churches website), built in the 12th century as a chapel, dependent on Grantchester church. It gradually established its independence from Grantchester over the course of the 13th and 14th centuries. Some of the original building survives, including the nave (excluding its aisles), the chancel and the font. The shafted south-east angle of the 12th century nave is still visible outside, while the chancel has 12th century windows to the north and south. The aisles date from the 14th and 15th centuries. Extensive restoration work was undertaken in the 1870s and 1880s.
From the 16th century until the early years of the 20th century, most of the land in Coton belonged to Cambridge colleges, including
St John's,
Queens',
King's
Kings or King's may refer to:
*Kings: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations.
*One of several works known as the "Book of Kings":
**The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts
**The ''Shahnameh'', an 11th-century epic Persia ...
and
St Catharine's, which let it for farming.
In 1830, Coton was one of many villages in the south and east of England to suffer damage during the
Swing Riots
The Swing Riots were a widespread uprising in 1830 by agricultural workers in southern and eastern England in protest of agricultural mechanisation and harsh working conditions. The riots began with the destruction of threshing machines in the ...
. One farmer had his farmstead burnt down with losses amounting to £1,720.
Notable former inhabitants of Coton include
Andrew Downes, a scholar and
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
Regius Professor of Greek in the late 16th century; and
Sir John Coke,
Secretary of State under
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
from 1625 to 1639.
A book about the history of Coton has been written by a former Headmistress of both the old and new Coton schools, Kathleen Fowle: ''Coton Through the Ages'' and updated by the author in 2013, with help from Carolyn Postgate, and editor
Elaine Storkey
Elaine Storkey ( Lively; born 1944) is a British philosopher, sociologist, and theologian. She is known for her lecturing, writing and broadcasting.
Early years and education
Born Elaine Lively on 1 October 1944, Storkey is the eldest of the thr ...
. It is available for purchase from the village church.
The village today
In addition to its church, Coton has a primary school with 140 pupils, a restaurant-pub (''The Plough''), a garden centre containing a post office, farm shop and cafe, football, cricket and bowls clubs, and a
British 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 ...
group (closed in 2019) as well as other local clubs. The well-known
Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial
Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II American military war grave cemetery, lying between the villages of Coton, Cambridgeshire, Coton and Madingley, north-west of Cambridge, England. The cemetery, dedicated in 1956, cont ...
is situated on the Coton stretch of Madingley Road. In recent years the Village Hall of Coton has been extended and refurbished, thanks to fundraising activities by local residents and the management of the village hall committee. It is now active, hosting an internet club, produce sales and local clubs, and becomes the village local cinema on Wednesdays each month. Coton Orchard, planted in 1922, produces mainly apple juice, supplying a number of Cambridge colleges.
The Coton Footpath is a recreational cycle or walk from Cambridge to Coton. It begins in the city centre,
Coton Footpath Upgrade
, West Cambridge Masterplan, University of Cambridge, July 2003. crossing 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, Cambridgeshire, Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distanc ...
, passing alongside the University
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
's West Cambridge
West Cambridge is a university site to the west of Cambridge city centre in England. As part of the ''West Cambridge Master Plan'', several of the University of Cambridge's departments have relocated to the West Cambridge site from the centre ...
site south of Madingley Road
Madingley Road is a major arterial road linking central Cambridge, England with Junction 13 of the M11 motorway. It passes by West Cambridge, a major new site where some University of Cambridge departments are being relocated.
The road is des ...
, then crossing the M11 motorway
The M11 is a motorway that runs north from the A406 road, North Circular Road (A406) in South Woodford to the A14 road (Great Britain), A14, northwest of Cambridge, England. Originally proposed as a trunk road as early as 1915, various plans ...
, bypassing Coton Orchard and terminating at the village recreation ground. On the roads and gardens around Coton it is often possible to see muntjac deer
Muntjacs ( ), also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, (URL is Google Books) are small deer of the genus ''Muntiacus'' native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Muntjacs are thought to have begun appearing 15–35 million years ago, ...
. The current concern in the village is the siting of a new proposed busway close to the village boundary and bisecting the orchard, and a Park and Ride facility on Madingley Hill, and meetings are underway with the Cambridgeshire planners.
Nearby villages
* Madingley
Madingley is a small village near Cambridge, England. It is located close to the nearby villages of Coton and Dry Drayton on the western outskirts of Cambridge. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 210.
The village was k ...
* Grantchester
Grantchester () is a village and civil parish on the River Cam or Granta (river), Granta in South Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about south of Cambridge.
Name
The village of Grantchester is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as ''Granteset ...
* Hardwick
* Barton
* Comberton
Comberton is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, just east of the Prime Meridian.
History
Archaeological finds, including a Neolithic polished stone axe (found to the south of the current village) and a Bronze Age ba ...
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
...
* Madingley Road
Madingley Road is a major arterial road linking central Cambridge, England with Junction 13 of the M11 motorway. It passes by West Cambridge, a major new site where some University of Cambridge departments are being relocated.
The road is des ...
(A1303) to Cambridge
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Villages in Cambridgeshire
Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire
Geography of Cambridge
South Cambridgeshire District