Stuntney is a village in East Cambridgeshire, located between Ely and

Soham Soham ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of East Cambridgeshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket. Its population was 10,860 at the 2011 census. History Archaeology The region between Dev ...

. It is just off the main road going from Newmarket to

Ely Ely or ELY may refer to: Places Ireland * Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely * Ely Place, Dublin, a street United Kingdom * Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England ** Ely Cathedral ** Ely Rural District, a ...

, the A142.

History

Early history

The earliest record of the village itself dates back to at least 1067, where the village of 'Stuntenei', is identified an eel fishing port 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 ...

, and medieval remains, including a large stone coffin, have been unearthed near Stuntney, showing that an early civilisation existed near here. It was once surrounded by water and a Bronze Age causeway connected Stuntney to the nearby cathedral town of Ely. Before the course of the

River Great Ouse The River Great Ouse () is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the W ...

was straightened by the Bishops of Ely in the 12th century it came right up the edge of the island on which the village stood, and docks existed on what is now agricultural land. Ely_from_Stuntney

Recent history

1868 saw a school built in Stuntney as the population rose to around 220 (which is similar to the current population); this school was expanded in 1958 and closed in 1983. Church of the Holy Cross. The church in Stuntney, which dates back to 1876, was built on the site of a previous Norman Church, which was demolished due to unsafe conditions. All that remains of the Norman church are three archways, one part of the present entrance. The 1876 church was also rebuilt, again for safety reasons, the second restoration taking place in 1903 when most of the nave was rebuilt. Holy Cross church-2

Closeup_of_Holy_Cross_Church_in_Stuntney_-_geograph

In the village's history there have also been a shop, which closed in 1991, and two public houses, which closed to become private residences in the late 1900s. Perhaps the greatest change in village life was the construction in 1986 of a highway bypass, which took traffic between Ely and Newmarket around the village rather than through it. Into the early 2000s,

Shire horse The Shire is a British breed of draught horse. It is usually black, bay, or grey. It is a tall breed, and Shires have at various times held world records both for the largest horse and for the tallest horse. The Shire has a great capacity for ...

s were kept in the village; traditionally, these horses were used to work the land, but when machinery took over in the 1970s, the horses were kept for breeding purposes.

Village today

Although the village no longer has a school, a shop or a pub, the Stuntney Social Club provides refreshments for members and guests. Stuntney Church of the Holy Cross 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 Ire ...

and holds regular services. The majority of the 60 houses are located across the three main roads in the village; some houses in Quanea and Nornea also belong to the village. Cole Ambrose Ltd, who have been involved in agriculture in the village since the 1600s, are located in Harlocks Farm, Stuntney. John Harding, the novelist, was born here in 1951.

Archaeology

The region between Devil's Dyke and the line between

Littleport Littleport is a large village in East Cambridgeshire, in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about north-east of Ely and south-east of Welney, on the Bedford Level South section of the River Great Ouse, close to Burnt Fen and M ...

and Shippea Hill shows a remarkable amount of

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...

findings of the Stone Age, the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

and the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

References

External links

Village website
{{authority control Villages in Cambridgeshire East Cambridgeshire District