WIMPOLE
The parish of Wimpole lies about 8 miles southwest of Cambridge, east of Ermine Street, the
former Great North Road, and contains 2,468 a. (fn. 1)
Wimpole Hall, the finest country house in Cambridgeshire, stands in the east part of the parish,
and its park lies over the ancient site of the village.
An irregular ridge, over 200 ft. high, of chalk
covered with boulder clay bounds the parish on the
north, with a spur running south-east towards the
parish centre. A stream flows down the intervening
valley, south-east across the parish. The low-lying
land in the south and south-east parts of the parish
is mainly on boulder clay over gault and suffers
from poor drainage. The parish is comparatively
well wooded because of extensive decorative planting.
Wimpole is rectangular in shape and includes the
areas of two vills that have disappeared, Wratworth,
which probably lay in the east part of the parish,
and Whitwell, which probably lay in the south-east
corner. Both had ceased to exist as separate entities
some time before the end of the 13th century. The
southern and western boundaries of Wimpole in
part follow Roman roads, the Cambridge road on
the south and Ermine Street on the west. The
northern boundary mostly follows an old ridge-way,
the Mare Way, with small northern projections into
Kingston and Great Eversden parishes. The eastern
boundary follows field boundaries.
In 1638 the eastern boundary ran further west in
several places, notably around the probable site of
the former village of Wratworth. (fn. 2) Wimpole and
Wratworth were assessed as separate vills in 1086
but by 1279, and probably earlier, Wratworth had
been absorbed into Wimpole and Orwell. A manor
known as Wratworth, with land in Wimpole and
Great Eversden, survived into the 17th century, (fn. 3)
when three enclosures, near Cobbs wood in the
eastern part of the parish, were known as Ratford,
Francis, and Walters. (fn. 4) The last two names are
those of families which held Wratworth manor before
the Cobb family. It is likely that Orwell and Wimpole
divided the common land of Wratworth, for in 1515
the two parishes shared the grazing on Wrotford
Green. (fn. 5) The division caused a further complication:
the tithes on the land in Wimpole, formerly of the
Walter family, were payable to Orwell in 1638. (fn. 6)
Whitwell similarly was separately assessed in 1086
and had disappeared as a vill by 1279. References
to Whitwell street in Wimpole were common in the
late 15th century, and an area known as Whitwell
was recorded in the early 16th century. (fn. 7)
There was a Roman settlement in Wimpole on
the site of the south-west lodge near Arrington
Bridge. (fn. 8) Later settlement in the parish was scattered.
In 1638 two north-south roads crossed the parish
from the Mare Way to the Cambridge road, then
called Cowstread way. (fn. 9) The eastern road has
survived as the principal road through the middle of
the parish, although that on the west, Wimpole way,
was probably more important. The roads were both
crossed in the north by a road which left the Mare
Way near Ross's Farm and ran in a semi-circle to
rejoin the Mare Way east of the parish boundary,
and in the south by a road from Arrington. Part of
the southern road has survived as a private road and
public footway. Several lesser roads linked the four
already mentioned, and the remains of some have
survived as rutted hollow-ways.
Settlement in the 17th century was scattered
along the roads across the middle part of the parish,
and centred on the junction of Wimpole way with
the Arrington road. The manor-house, church,
rectory, and several other buildings lay north-west
of the cross-roads, and houses straggled west along
the Arrington road at Benhall End, and south along
Wimpole way at Thresham End, which had existed
in the 15th century. (fn. 10)
Further settlement followed a minor road northeast of the manor-house, and north of that road lay
Avenel's land, possibly the site of Avenel's manorhouse. A group of houses stood at what was later
called Brick End, where a terrace of five twostoreyed brick houses stands, surviving from a row
of four pairs built in the 18th century, with a linking
19th-century house. (fn. 11) It is probable that just north
of Brick End there was a moat which may have been
the site of Banks manor-house. South of Brick End
was a group of houses on the site of Park Farm.
The road from there to Cobb's wood survives as a
track. Beyond Cobb's wood was a group of cottages
on the site of Little End Cottages.
The creation in the 17th century of several new
farms, which generally remained eight in number, (fn. 12)
resulted in the concentration of the declining
population on the farmsteads, away from the centre
of the parish. The enlargement of the park south,
west, and north of the Hall in the late 17th and early
18th centuries (fn. 13) probably continued the process. Of
the earlier settlement, Brick End, Little End,
Cobb's Wood Farm, and the home farm have
survived. By 1852 and perhaps by 1837 the other
hamlets had disappeared and all but two of the
roads across the parish had gone out of use. (fn. 14) The
houses along the Cambridge road which constitute
New Wimpole were built in the 1840s and 1850s,
and the depopulated centre (fn. 15) of the parish was
known as Old Wimpole by 1872. (fn. 16) The Mare Way
was in use as a road in the 1890s. (fn. 17) The ArringtonCambridge road was turnpiked in 1797. (fn. 18) In 1837 a
toll-gate was moved from its site near the south
avenue from the Hall to a position further east. (fn. 19)
The road was disturnpiked in 1870. (fn. 20)
In 1086 twelve people were enumerated in
Wimpole, 34 in Wratworth, and 11 in Whitwell. (fn. 21)
By 1327 when 64 people were assessed for tax, (fn. 22)
Wimpole, Wratworth, and Whitwell were apparently
united, and in 1377 were jointly assessed with 173
people. (fn. 23) In 1563 there were 36 families living in
Wimpole, (fn. 24) and c. 1800 it was said that the residence
of the Yorke family at the Hall for part of the year
was contributing to an increase in population. By
1801 there were 56 families, a total of 202 people,
and by 1831 the population had more than doubled
to 583. Thereafter the population declined to 419 in
1871 and by 1891 it had fallen to 290. (fn. 25) At the turn
of the century Cornishmen were hired for work on
the Wimpole estate. (fn. 26) The population nevertheless
continued to decline; by 1921 it totalled 244, and in
1961 it was 155. (fn. 27)
After the Chicheley family acquired Wimpole in
the 16th century, (fn. 28) the history of the parish became
largely that of the Hall, park, and estate. Thomas
Chicheley's new house of brick was probably begun
c. 1640 (fn. 29) south of the old manor-house which may
still have been standing. A third storey (fn. 30) and two
detached single-storey ranges, the west range or
orangery having a block connecting it to the house,
were added between 1660 and 1710. The library
wing on the north front and the chapel, designed by
James Gibbs, were added in 1719 and 1721.
Between 1742 and 1747 major work was carried out
when Henry Flitcroft refronted the main block and
reroofed it, added a three-sided, two-storeyed oriel
to the north front, and readjusted internal groundfloor partitions to form the gallery and saloon. He
added a range north of the chapel to complete the
east side block, with an elevation corresponding to
that of the library on the west. About 1778 an
apsidal eating room was added to the east block of
the north front and c. 1790 John Soane was responsible for extensive remodelling of the interior. About
1842 H. E. Kendall, the elder, transformed the east
range and north-east wing with additional offices in
the Italianate style, and enlarged the entrance hall
and rebuilt the stables. The additions made by
Kendall have been removed.
Wimpole Hall formerly housed the Harleian
library and manuscript collection, accumulated by
Robert and Edward Harley, earls of Oxford, of
which the bibliographer Humphrey Wanley (d.
1726) was keeper. At that period the Hall became a
resort for scholars, antiquaries, and authors,
including the earls' friend, the poet Matthew Prior,
who died there in 1721. (fn. 31)
A park was recorded at Wimpole as early as 1302, (fn. 32)
and in 1638 two enclosures, north-west of the
manor-house, were known as High and Low Park. (fn. 33)
In 1684 the park contained 210 a. (fn. 34) and at some time
before 1720 two fishponds and probably the Decoy
pond in Arrington were created in the stream northwest of the house. About 1720 Charles Bridgeman
undertook the landscaping of the park, and the
south, and possibly the west and east, avenues were
planted as vistas. The south avenue is 2½ miles long
and towards its southern end, in Whaddon parish,
the Octagon, a pool c. 500 ft. across, was made
c. 1721. In the mid 18th century the park was
enlarged to include Johnson's Hill and the stream in
the north part of the parish, and in 1752–4 the
formal gardens north and west of the house were
destroyed, and a paysage of c. 45 a. was laid out
within a ha-ha. Capability Brown worked at
Wimpole from 1767 to 1772. His activities were
concentrated in the north part of the estate and he
destroyed almost the entire north avenue, which
may have existed since before 1720. (fn. 35) The park was
enlarged north of Johnson's Hill, which he surrounded with belts of trees; the fishponds were
serpentized and Johnson's Pond was created north
of the stream; and a Gothic tower, designed earlier
by Sanderson Miller, was built on Johnson's Hill.
About the same time a Palladian building designed
by James Stuart, which has since disappeared, was
built west of the house. Humphrey Repton c. 1809
laid out belts of trees and drives which included a
long eastern approach through Cobb's wood, and
possibly a northern drive into Great Eversden wood.
He also laid out formal gardens north of the house.
The south and west lodges are of the first half of
the 19th century and about 1851 ornate entrance
gates were put up at Arrington.
There was a beer-house in the parish in 1804, to
which Lady Hardwicke objected, but no public
house has survived in Wimpole. (fn. 36) A reading room
was recorded in 1937 in the school grounds where a
parish hall was later built. (fn. 37)
Manors and Other Estates.
In 1066
Eddeva the fair held 2 hides and 2½ virgates in
Wimpole which later became known as BASSINGBOURN manor. Count Alan was lord in 1086 (fn. 38) and
the overlordship descended with the honor of
Richmond. By 1194 Thomas of Bassingbourn was
holding land in Wimpole, (fn. 39) and the manor descended
through his family. Alan, son of Alexander of
Bassingbourn, was holding the manor before
1223 (fn. 40) and c. 1235. (fn. 41) His son Baldwin (fn. 42) had inherited it by 1264 (fn. 43) and died in 1275, leaving his
son Warin, a minor, as his heir. (fn. 44) Warin survived
to hold the manor until his death in 1323 (fn. 45) and the
manor descended to his son Warin (d. 1348), whose
son Warin, the younger, (fn. 46) sold the manor to John
of Aylton before 1375 when Aylton sold it to Sir
Robert Swillington. (fn. 47) In 1377 Swillington sold the
manor to Sir Simon Burgh (fn. 48) who enfeoffed Sir
William Staundon, lord mayor of London, and
John Duffield with the manor in 1393. (fn. 49) Staundon
died owning it in 1410, leaving a daughter Elizabeth
(d. after 1426). (fn. 50) His widow Agnes (d. 1461), (fn. 51)
who had soon married Sir William Porter (d. 1436), (fn. 52)
released her life-interest in Wimpole in 1428 to
Henry Chicheley, archbishop of Canterbury (d.
1443), (fn. 53) who in 1436 settled the estate on his greatnephew Henry, son of John, son of William
Chicheley. (fn. 54) Henry died in 1490, and his eldest son
Henry (fn. 55) in 1518, when the manor passed to his
brother William. William's son Thomas (fn. 56) was in
possession in 1522. (fn. 57) Thomas Chicheley died in
1558, his son Clement (fn. 58) c. 1576, and Clement's son
Thomas in 1592. Thomas's son Sir Thomas
Chicheley died in 1616, leaving a son also called
Thomas, (fn. 59) who came of age in 1635. (fn. 60) He became
a prominent royalist and courtier, and was
knighted. (fn. 61) Sir Thomas sold Wimpole and Arrington in 1686 to Sir John Cutler, Bt., a very rich
London merchant, who died in 1693. (fn. 62) Cutler
devised his Cambridgeshire estate to his daughter
Elizabeth, who died without issue in 1697, leaving
the estate to her husband Charles Bodville Robartes,
earl of Radnor (d. 1723). (fn. 63) He sold it after 1707 to
John Holles, duke of Newcastle (d. 1711), whose
daughter Henrietta Cavendish Holles, who married
in 1713 Edward Harley, earl of Oxford (d. 1741),
inherited Wimpole and Arrington. (fn. 64) To pay the
earl's debts the estate was sold in 1739 to Philip
Yorke, earl of Hardwicke (d. 1764), (fn. 65) and it remained
with his family (fn. 66) until Thomas Charles AgarRobartes, later Viscount Clifden, acquired it from
Albert Edward Yorke, earl of Hardwicke, by foreclosure of a mortgage in 1891. (fn. 67) Lord Clifden died
in 1930 (fn. 68) and the estate was sold to Capt. George
Bambridge, whose widow Elsie, daughter of the
writer Rudyard Kipling, was living at the Hall in
1971.
In 1066 Earl Gurth had 1 hide and 1½ virgate in
Wimpole which was held by Eudes the sewer in
1086. (fn. 69) Eudes died in 1120 and his land escheated
to the king. At the accession of Henry II it was
granted to William FitzGerald (d. c. 1159), from
whom the overlordship descended to his brother
Henry (d. 1174–5), and successively to Henry's
sons Warin (d. 1216) and Henry (d. c. 1231), who
married Ermintrude Talbot. Their son Warin died
c. 1257 and Warin's daughter Alice, wife of Robert
de Lisle (d. before 1284), (fn. 70) inherited. The overlordship descended with the de Lisle honor and was
surrendered to the Crown in 1368 by the last male
heir, Robert de Lisle, who probably died without
issue in 1399. (fn. 71) The Andevilles held a mesne lordship: in 1086 Humphrey (probably de Andeville)
was holding the manor, (fn. 72) and Richard de Andeville,
who was holding land in Cambridgeshire c. 1236, (fn. 73)
held land in Wimpole in 1242–3. (fn. 74) By 1279 the heirs
of Alexander de Andeville were mesne lords in
Wimpole. (fn. 75)
About 1235 Henry of Childerley was holding the
manor of Richard de Andeville, (fn. 76) and his son Henry
was holding it in 1279. (fn. 77) The younger Henry may
have given the manor to Geoffrey of Pickford (d.
1299), (fn. 78) but it is likely that Geoffrey was one of the
three heirs of Alexander de Andeville. (fn. 79) Geoffrey's
son John was holding the manor in 1302–3 and in
1316, (fn. 80) and in 1320 was in debt to Ralph of Windsor, (fn. 81)
who was disseised of the manor by Nicholas
Segrave. (fn. 82) At his death in 1322 Segrave was said to
hold the manor of William Berford, one of the heirs
of Alexander de Andeville, (fn. 83) but in 1325 Ralph of
Windsor was awarded seisin of the manor against
Segrave's daughter Maud, wife of Edmund de
Bohun. (fn. 84) Ralph of Windsor was holding the manor
with others in 1346. (fn. 85) By 1368 it had passed to Sir
Hugh Clitheroe, (fn. 86) whose daughter Mary married
Sir Nicholas Gascoyne, (fn. 87) who was lord of the
manor by 1396, (fn. 88) and still held it in 1428. (fn. 89)
Henry of Childerley granted land in Wimpole to
John Avenel in 1283–4 (fn. 90) and in 1382 John's greatgrandson John Avenel (d. 1383), was holding the
estate of Robert de Lisle. (fn. 91) It may have been
absorbed into the Avenels' other Wimpole property
or have reverted to the main Andeville holding.
In 1479 John Dale died seised of a manor in
Wimpole which became known as CLAYDONS,
and which may have been the former Andeville
manor. His son and heir William Dale, then a
minor, (fn. 92) died in 1537 and was succeeded by his three
daughters, of whom Elizabeth Lynne inherited
Wimpole. (fn. 93) Her daughter Margaret's second husband, Paul Gresham, (fn. 94) was dealing with the manor in
1563, (fn. 95) and after his death Margaret married Robert
Radcliffe. She died in 1594 and her heir was Elizabeth, her daughter by Paul Gresham, the wife of
Sir John Wingfield. (fn. 96) Elizabeth died in 1604 and her
husband retained a life-interest in the manor. (fn. 97)
Thomas Chicheley leased the manor from Sir John
Wingfield and his son John in 1615. (fn. 98) The younger
John died in 1633 and his son and heir Richard (fn. 99)
sold the manor in 1651 to Chicheley's son Thomas, (fn. 100)
from whom it descended with the Wimpole Hall
estate.
Two sokemen of King Edward were holding in
1066 ½ hide in Wratworth which had passed to Guy
de Reimbercourt by 1086. (fn. 101) The overlordship
descended through his family to the Foliot, Ledef,
and Latimer families. (fn. 102) A sokeman held ⅓ virgate in
Orwell in 1066 which also passed to Guy de Reimbercourt, and was held of him in 1086 by one Ralph,
probably Ralph de Banks who was holding the
Wimpole manor as Reimbercourt's tenant in the
same year. (fn. 103) In 1166 William Francis was holding a
fee of the honor of Ledet and Wardon. (fn. 104) About 1170
Richard Francis was holding a wood in Wimpole; (fn. 105)
the fee had descended by 1223 to Alan Francis, (fn. 106)
and by c. 1235 to William Francis, (fn. 107) who was still in
possession in 1242. (fn. 108) It is probable that the estate
had been divided, for in 1279 Richard Francis held
two manors of the honor of Wardon. (fn. 109) That which
was later known as COBBS was held by John
Francis in 1302–3 (fn. 110) and 1335 (fn. 111) and had descended
to his son Richard by 1338. (fn. 112) Richard was still
alive in 1346. (fn. 113) By 1374 his daughter Eleanor,
widow of John Northwich, had inherited. (fn. 114) She had
married her second husband Geoffrey Cobb by
1376. (fn. 115) In 1381 Cobb was charged with taking part
in the Peasants' Revolt, but was subsequently
pardoned. (fn. 116) He was still in possession c. 1400 (fn. 117) and
was succeeded by his son John, who in 1401 sold the
manor to Sir William Staundon. (fn. 118) It subsequently
descended with Staundon's other Wimpole property. (fn. 119)
The second manor which Richard Francis was
holding in 1279 was that which retained the name
WRATWORTH. (fn. 120) It probably descended with
Cobbs manor until after Eleanor Northwich
inherited; by 1392 Wratworth had passed to John
Walter. (fn. 121) He died before 1471 when his son Gilbert
and grandson Henry were involved in a dispute with
their illegitimate cousin John. (fn. 122) The manor remained in the family and had descended to Henry
Walter by 1499 when he held it with Croydon
manor. (fn. 123) John Walter was holding the manor in
1566 when he leased it to Clement Chicheley, (fn. 124)
and in 1574 Henry Walter acquired it from John. (fn. 125)
John and Henry conveyed the manor to John's
son William Walter in 1580, (fn. 126) and in 1593 William
and Henry Walter sold the manor known as Wratworth Croydon, alias Francis, alias Tallboys, to
Anthony Cage of Caxton, (fn. 127) who died in 1603 leaving
his son John as heir. (fn. 128) Adlard Cage was holding the
manor in 1686 when he sold it to Sir John Cutler, (fn. 129)
and thereafter Wratworth descended with Wimpole
Hall. (fn. 130)
In 1066 a sokeman held 3 virgates in Wratworth
which had passed to Picot the sheriff by 1086. (fn. 131)
Picot's land had been granted by c. 1110 to Pain
Peverel, and the Wimpole fee descended to Pain's
nieces or daughters, Alice wife of Hamon Pecche
(d. between 1178 and 1185) and Maud wife of Hugh
of Dover (d. 1171–2). (fn. 132) The overlordship descended
through the Pecche family to which Maud of
Dover's rights as eldest coheir passed after her
death in 1185. (fn. 133) From c. 1279 until c. 1346 the
Mortimer family of Kingston, perhaps as successors
to the main line of the Banks family, were mesne
lords of the Pecche manor in Wimpole. In 1279
Baldwin St. George held ¼ fee in Wimpole under
William Mortimer. (fn. 134)
In 1086 Ralph de Banks was Picot's tenant in
Wratworth. (fn. 135) After the acquisition of the barony of
Bourn by Pain Peverel the fee was divided and the
Pecche portion descended separately as BANKS
or BAUNCS manor. Eustace de Banks, who held a
fee of Hamon Pecche in 1166, (fn. 136) was succeeded by c.
1175 by his son William, whose brothers Roger and
Robert also held land in Wimpole. (fn. 137) William, who
was still living in 1205, (fn. 138) was perhaps succeeded by
Robert de Banks, whose widow Sibyl was suing
for her dower in Wimpole in 1223. (fn. 139) Geoffrey de
Banks held a manor in Wimpole c. 1235, (fn. 140) and was
still in possession in 1242–3. (fn. 141) In 1279 William de
Banks, perhaps of a cadet line, held it of William
Mortimer. (fn. 142) It had passed by 1297 to his son Robert
de Banks (fn. 143) who was holding the manor in 1302
but was dead by 1316. By 1346 it had come to John
Holwell, (fn. 144) and was probably acquired with the
Holwells' Bedfordshire land in the 1340s by the
Avenels, with part of whose estate it had passed to
Nicholas Kimbell by 1412. (fn. 145) In 1416 John Kimbell
sold Banks manor to John Meppershall and others. (fn. 146)
In 1428 John Butler, husband of Meppershall's
daughter Joan, was sole owner, (fn. 147) and the manor
descended to their son John who died in 1482, (fn. 148)
whereupon his daughter Joan, wife of John Stanford, inherited it. She died in 1489, leaving it to her
husband for life and then to Thomas, her son by her
first husband, John Leventhorpe the younger. (fn. 149)
Thomas succeeded after the death of John Stanford
in 1493 (fn. 150) and died in 1506, leaving the manor to his
wife Agnes for life, and then to their son John, a
minor. (fn. 151) The manor probably passed with Leventhorpes manor in Toft (fn. 152) to Sir John Hinde, Justice
of the Common Pleas, who granted Banks manor
in 1548 to Thomas Chicheley as a settlement on
the marriage of his daughter Mary to Clement
Chicheley. (fn. 153) Thereafter the manor descended with
the Chicheley estate in Wimpole.
Maud of Dover's portion of the Peverel fee
descended as BEACH or AVENEL'S manor. Alan
the sewer was under-tenant of the manor, which
passed to his son Gilbert of Beach and to Gilbert's
son Alan, who was holding it in 1166. (fn. 154) In 1203
Alan's son Robert was under age and Alan's brother
Gilbert was disputing the inheritance with Geoffrey,
son of Aubrey and William Calvus (or Cauf), and
second cousin to Robert. (fn. 155) In 1228 (fn. 156) and c. 1235
Robert was holding the manor, (fn. 157) and by 1243 his
sister Ellen had inherited it. (fn. 158) In 1243 she exchanged
her manor in Wimpole for the land in Landbeach
which had descended to Robert's other heir, his
nephew Robert Avenel. (fn. 159) John Avenel was holding
the manor of the heirs of Godin of Beach by 1279, (fn. 160)
and John Lyndhurst and his wife Agnes held it in
1302–3. (fn. 161) Agnes Avenel, possibly widow of Lyndhurst and previously of John Avenel, was holding
the manor in 1316. (fn. 162) By 1346 it had passed to
William le Moyne, who may have held a lifeinterest. (fn. 163) Robert Avenel probably held the manor
at his death in 1387, and after subsequent disputes
over his inheritance it was settled on Sir Peter
Courtenay (fn. 164) who sold it to Sir Simon Burgh c.
1389, (fn. 165) whereafter it descended with Burgh's other
lands in Wimpole. (fn. 166)
What was called Wimpole manor-house was still
standing in 1538 north of the site of Wimpole Hall.
It was a gabled, two-storeyed structure, which
stood within a rectangular moat. A double gatehouse spanned the moat on the east side and led to a
lane which survived in 1971. (fn. 167)
In 1086 Whitwell was divided between Count
Alan, of whom Fulk held ½ hide, Earl Roger,
Hardwin de Scalers, of whom Robert the bald
(calvus) held 2 hides, and Picot the sheriff, of whom
Ralph de Banks held 1 hide. The disappearance of
the vill of Whitwell was probably the result of the
absorption of the four fees into Arrington and
Wimpole, where the Whitwell landowners held other
estates. Robert the bald, tenant under Hardwin de
Scalers in 1086, (fn. 168) was probably ancestor of the
brothers Eustace and William Calvus (or Cauf), who
were dealing with land which lay between Wimpole
and Armingford (probably the site of Arrington
Bridge) in the 1170s. (fn. 169) In the early 13th century
William's son Geoffrey Calvus and Robert Calvus
were sued over land in Wimpole. (fn. 170)
Economic History.
In 1066 Wimpole
contained 12 hides divided equally between the vills
of Wimpole, Wratworth, and Whitwell. Wimpole
was divided into two estates, and Wratworth and
Whitwell were occupied by 26 sokemen, and all
together were said to be worth £27 7s. Wimpole,
valued at £13, was almost equal in value to Wratworth, valued at 145s., and Whitwell, valued at
142s., combined. In 1086 their total value had
dropped to £20 8s.: Wimpole's value was £12,
Wratworth's 96s., and Whitwell's 72s. In 1086 the
larger estate in Wimpole vill, that of Count Alan,
contained 2 hides and 2½ virgates of which 2 hides
were in demesne. There was land for 1½ plough on
the demesne but only one was there. The second
estate, that of Eudes the sewer, contained 1 hide and
1½ virgate in 1086 of which land for 1½ plough was
in demesne. There were 2 servi. The two estates
supported 3 villani, 1 bordar, and 6 cottars, who had
land for 1½ plough. There was meadow for 1½ team. (fn. 171)
In 1066 twelve sokemen held the land in Wratworth vill and owed one watch and two carrying
services. In 1086 the largest estate was the 2 hides
and 2½ virgates held by Earl Roger, who had 1 hide
and 2/3 virgate in demesne. The five estates together
supported 3 villani, 12 cottars, and 17 bordars;
there were 2 servi. There was arable land for 7½
ploughs, which included 2 ploughs belonging to the
villani, and meadow for at least 4½ teams. (fn. 172)
In 1066 14 sokemen held the land in Whitwell
vill and owed three watch and four carrying services.
In 1086 Hardwin de Scalers held 2 hides, half of the
land of the vill; Earl Roger and Count Alan each
held c. ½ hide. Together the estates supported
9 cottars, 1 bordar, and 1 villanus, who shared land
for 2½ ploughs. There was arable land for a further
5 ploughs, one of which was on Picot's demesne,
and meadow for 4½ teams. (fn. 173)
By 1279 Wratworth and Whitwell had been
absorbed for the most part into Wimpole which
then contained six main manors. Three contained
over 200 a. and the Bassingbourn estate c. 360 a.
The Avenel and St. George estates both owed ward
to Cambridge castle and Bassingbourn manor
owed ward to Richmond castle. Bassingbourn, St.
George, and Francis manors paid scutage, and
Banks manor owed a suit to the shire and hundred
courts. The land was fairly equally divided between
on the one hand free tenants, whose holdings
totalled c. 600 a., and on the other the villeins and
cottars, whose holdings totalled c. 500 a. There were
c. 75 free tenements, mostly small and including
only one of over 50 a. One estate of 40 a. in Bassingbourn manor was responsible for the manor's
scutage and castle ward. There were c. 37 villeins,
who had regular holdings of 10 a. in all the manors
except Bassingbourn, where there was one holding
of 40 a., 6 of 20 a., and 9 of 10 a. Eight of the Avenel
villeins held at will and of the 20 cottars in the
parish 5 in Bassingbourn manor also held at will.
Tenures were complex and some men had several
holdings in different manors, combining them to
form considerable estates. Thus John of Wratworth
held 69 a. as a free tenant of six different lords. (fn. 174)
A common known as Collinsgreen in 1508 (fn. 175) may
have been the same as or part of Wrotford Green,
which lay in the same part of the parish, and was
shared with Orwell in 1515. (fn. 176) Fresham or Thresham
Green, recorded in 1530, (fn. 177) may have been a second
common near the hamlet of that name and was
perhaps the common belonging to the vill of
Wimpole. No later reference to a common has been
found and Thomas Chicheley (d. 1616) gave £20 a
year as compensation for cottagers' common rights. (fn. 178)
In 1831 it was recorded that Wimpole had no
common. (fn. 179)
Wratworth was said to contain 160 a. of arable
and meadow in Eversden and Wimpole in the 16th
century. (fn. 180) The estate consisted only of quitrents in the late 17th century. (fn. 181) No later survey has
been found. After the Chicheleys had acquired
almost all the land in Wimpole parish, it was run as
a single estate. Open fields called Northfield and
Southfield existed in the 13th century and Northfield in 1518, (fn. 182) and although some inclosure had
been carried out by the end of the 15th century (fn. 183) the
open fields survived in part into the 17th century.
By 1638 a small park had been created and nearly
one quarter of the parish had been inclosed.
Inclosure was concentrated around what appears to
have been the site of Wratworth in the north-east
part of the parish and around the manor-house.
About 100 a. known as Rhee Pasture was inclosed
in the south part of the parish and was probably
partly waterlogged. A home farm was retained and
the rest of the parish leased; one tenant, Daniel
Finch, held c. 250 a. in 1638. (fn. 184) During the late 17th
century the Chicheley family consolidated its
estate by a number of exchanges of land in Orwell
for land in Wimpole. (fn. 185) It is likely that several
farmsteads were established away from the centre
of the parish at that time, and in 1686 there were
seven farms, including the home farm of 100 a.
Inclosure had probably been completed by then, (fn. 186)
and although the park had been enlarged it was
leased for agricultural purposes. (fn. 187) The estate's
income from rents accounted for over one-fifth of
its total income in 1684, when annual rents totalled
£1,298. (fn. 188) In 1790 the income from 18 tenants was
£1,230. (fn. 189) When the tithes were commuted in 1837
there were over 1,073 a. in hand and the remaining
land was divided between 10 farms of 100–200 a. (fn. 190)
The pattern of tenant farming continued and in
1873 six poor farmers were receiving poor relief. (fn. 191)
In 1891 there were nine farms in Wimpole, including
Coomb Grove farm in the north-west corner of the
parish, most of the land of which lay in Arrington.
The Wimpole estate included five farms in Arrington,
Kingston Pastures farm in Kingston, and New farm
and Ross's farm in Eversden. The estate contained
11,111 a. in 1891, and until it was divided and some
outlying property sold in 1891, 1920, and 1933–7
the estate dominated that part of West Cambridgeshire. Coomb Grove, Valley, River Cam, and
Hoback farms in Wimpole contracted in 1920 when
their land laying in Arrington was auctioned. (fn. 192) In
1971 the estate comprised 2,325 a., divided, apart
from the Manor farm and parkland of 817 a. kept
in hand, into seven farms, mostly between 200 a. and
300 a. They were mainly devoted to growing cereals,
and occasionally to rearing beef-cattle and pigs. (fn. 193)
In the 18th century there were equal quantities of
pasture and arable land farmed by rotation of two
crops and a fallow. The heavy gault sub-soil caused
drainage problems and resulted in poor quality
pasture. The pasture, which included the park of
c. 400 a., was grazed by sheep, cattle, and deer;
the deer were decimated by an unspecified disease
in the 1790s and the sheep suffered badly from rot
caused by the poor drainage. (fn. 194) Philip Yorke, earl of
Hardwicke (d. 1834), was interested in new ideas in
farming and he was responsible for the construction
of extensive underground tiling drains and open
ditches in the 1790s. (fn. 195) He also tried to diversify the
traditional crops of wheat, barley, beans, and peas,
by introducing carrots, parsnips, lettuce, and
radishes, followed by a sowing of wheat. (fn. 196) In 1801
wheat, barley, and oats accounted for most of the
arable acreage, (fn. 197) although the earlier experiment
had been partly successful and a variety of crops
was still rotated. (fn. 198) In 1837 there were 1,358 a. of
arable land, 857 a. of pasture and meadow, and 155
a. of woodland. (fn. 199) The relatively large acreage of
woodland was partly the result of decorative planting in the park. (fn. 200) Several woods existed in the 16th
century. (fn. 201) In the 18th century, as planting progressed,
the woodland became a commercial proposition. (fn. 202)
There were two blacksmiths recorded in Wimpole
in 1846. (fn. 203) By 1852 a brick-works had been established
in New Wimpole, (fn. 204) and it belonged to the lord of the
manor in 1895. (fn. 205)
A windmill was recorded in Avenel's manor in
1331 and 1359, (fn. 206) and another in Bassingbourn
manor in 1347. (fn. 207) No further record has been found
except that a post mill was standing in Mill field,
north-west of the manor-house, in 1638. (fn. 208) In 1804
a threshing mill was built at Thornberry Hill Farm
to the design of Mr. Hume of Midlothian, on
Meikle's principle. The stream was diverted to
power the mill, which was later converted to corngrinding. (fn. 209) It was still in use in 1911 but had been
idle for several years in 1923. (fn. 210) The framed and
boarded mill building, but not the machinery,
survived in 1971.
Local Government.
No court rolls for
Wimpole have been found. In 1279 the lord of
Bassingbourn manor claimed view of frankpledge
through the liberty of Brittany in Wimpole, and
had withdrawn suit from the sheriff's tourn. Part
of Avenel's manor had also been drawn into the
liberty of Brittany by its bailiff since c. 1250.
Francis and Banks manors each paid 12d. for the
view in 1279. (fn. 211)
There were two churchwardens in 1561. (fn. 212) In
1776 poor-relief in Wimpole amounted to £41 5s.
The cost of poor-relief rose to £210 5s. in 1803, paid
to a total of 48 people, (fn. 213) and in 1831 when no
unemployed were recorded it totalled £348. (fn. 214) The
parish became part of the Caxton and Arrington
poor law union in 1835, (fn. 215) and in 1934 was transferred from the Caxton and Arrington R.D. to the
South Cambridgeshire R.D. (fn. 216)
Church.
Picot the sheriff granted two-thirds of
the tithes of his demesne in Wimpole before 1092 to
the canons of St. Giles, Cambridge, later Barnwell
Priory. (fn. 217) Count Alan granted tithes from his land
in Wimpole together with Swavesey church to the
abbey of St. Sergius and St. Bacchus in Angers
(Maine-et-Loire). (fn. 218) Both tithe-portions were later
represented by fixed money payments, 10s. to
Barnwell and 20s. to Swavesey Priory, a cell of the
abbey, (fn. 219) and may have been paid until their dissolution. (fn. 220) The church was not appropriated and the
rector received all the rest of the tithes.
The advowson of the rectory was probably held
by Robert de Lisle before 1201 (fn. 221) and had no
connexion with the fee which the Lisle family later
held in Wimpole. It remained with the Lisle family
in spite of a succession of counter-claims in the early
13th century (fn. 222) and was held of the honor of Brittany. (fn. 223) In 1358 John de Lisle granted the advowson
for a turn to John Malweyn (fn. 224) who may have held it
previously. (fn. 225) The Crown presented in 1361 when
Malweyn's heirs were royal wards. (fn. 226) In 1379
Robert de Lisle granted the advowson to Sir
Richard Scrope (d. 1403), (fn. 227) who presented in 1400. (fn. 228)
The advowson passed subsequently to Henry,
Lord Scrope of Bolton (d. 1459), (fn. 229) John, Lord
Scrope (d. 1498), (fn. 230) and Henry, Lord Scrope (d.
1533), who by 1514 had granted a turn to John
Pulleyn. (fn. 231) Henry, Lord Scrope (d. 1592), sold the
advowson to Clement Chicheley in 1563. (fn. 232) In 1625
the king presented for a turn. Sir Thomas Chicheley
presented again in 1641. (fn. 233) The patronage descended
with the Wimpole Hall estate, turns being granted
by the patron in 1695 to Richard Fournes and in
1713 to Thomas Price. (fn. 234) It was transferred to the
Ely Diocesan Patronage Board in 1945. (fn. 235)
The rectory was taxed at 18 marks c. 1217, at
24 marks in 1254, and at 34 marks in 1291. (fn. 236) In
1279 the church was said to own 10 a., and its
tenants c. 26 a., some paying rent to the altar. (fn. 237) In
1535 the living was said to be worth £18 (fn. 238) and in
1615 was said to have no glebe. All the tithes
belonged to the rector in 1638 except those on land
formerly held by the Walters, the former Wratworth, which were paid to Orwell. (fn. 239) In 1641 the
rector voluntarily gave up the tithes to the patron,
Sir Thomas Chicheley, and accepted £120 yearly
instead, as the money was worth more than the
tithes. (fn. 240) The arrangement continued until 1783 and
probably for longer. (fn. 241) In 1800 the rectory was valued
at £160 (fn. 242) and in 1837 all the tithes were commuted
for a rent-charge of £567 10s. (fn. 243)
The rectory, a framed building with ashlar casing,
stands east of Wimpole Hall. It was probably built
in the 16th century and in 1615 had a garden and
barn. (fn. 244) A north-west extension in red brick was
added in the 18th century. (fn. 245) By 1971 the house no
longer served the living and had been converted
into two dwellings.
In 1458 Agnes, widow of Sir William Porter,
founded a chantry of one chaplain in Wimpole
church for a daily mass for her former husband Sir
William Staundon. Agnes had the patronage of the
chantry until her death when it passed to the city of
London. (fn. 246) The chantry was licensed to acquire
lands, and was valued at 8 marks in 1463 (fn. 247) and at
46s. in 1535. (fn. 248) In 1536 there were said to be 57 a. of
land and a house and barn in Whaddon belonging
to the chantry; (fn. 249) by 1554 the chantry lands had
been granted to Sir Robert Chester. (fn. 250) In 1587 it was
said that the land had been absorbed into the
Chicheley estate and the buildings had been
demolished. (fn. 251) A guild of St. Mary was recorded in
1497 and 1498, when its property was managed by
wardens. (fn. 252)
One of the earliest recorded rectors of Wimpole,
the royal clerk Walter Langton, was a pluralist,
holding in 1291 at least six other benefices. (fn. 253) The
rectory changed hands frequently until the 16th
century, which was marked by a succession of long
tenures. William Fincham was rector 1503–35, (fn. 254)
Anthony Middleton 1538–51, and Thomas Parkinson 1551–79 or later. (fn. 255) Joseph Loveland, rector in
1641, was ejected in 1644 on charges of royalism,
non-residence, and card-playing. He was restored in
1660 and retained the living until 1695. (fn. 256) Although
Edward Marshall, rector in 1604, was not licensed
to preach, (fn. 257) the rectory was generally held by
qualified clerics, usually Cambridge graduates. (fn. 258)
A curate was appointed fairly regularly after 1561 (fn. 259)
and was usually resident after 1570. (fn. 260) About 1728
the curate resided alternately with the rector and
was paid a salary of £40 a year. (fn. 261) After 1807 the
rector was usually resident. (fn. 262) In 1970 the rectory of
Wimpole was officially held in plurality with Orwell
and Arrington rectories, (fn. 263) an arrangement which
previously existed informally.
About 1728 two Sunday services and four annual
communion services were held, and there were 20
communicants. (fn. 264) In 1825 there were only three
annual communion services and a side chapel and
chapel of ease in Wimpole Hall were scarcely used. (fn. 265)
In 1851 the average congregation varied from 160
in the morning to 230 in the afternoon. (fn. 266) Com-
munion was being held monthly in 1873, and in
1897 all the 284 seats were filled. (fn. 267)
The church of ST. ANDREW (fn. 268) is built of red
brick, freestone, and clunch ashlar, and has a
galleried nave, chancel, and north chapel. The
chapel is all that remains of a larger church that had
a chancel and aisled nave and was destroyed in 1748
to allow the erection of a new building, completed
in 1749 to the design of Henry Flitcroft. The north
chapel was restored in 1732 and of the three
windows in its north wall, one has 3 cinquefoiled
lights possibly of the 14th century. (fn. 269) The west wall
of the chapel was rebuilt to harmonize with the
nave and chancel, which have a symmetrical elevation of stone in two stages. The west door is pedimented and is flanked by blind window recesses.
The west wall has a pediment enclosing a bull's eye
and surmounted by a wooden cupola for the bell.
The east wall has a similar pediment and below it a
Venetian window with a pedimented overpiece. The
roof of the chapel is of the 17th century and is
divided into three bays by moulded tie-beams, and
the timbers are decorated with pendants. In the
middle north window of the chapel there is a
quantity of reset 14th-century glass, mainly shields
and the figure of a pilgrim, and in the third north
window are 14th- or early-15th-century fragments.
In the north, south, and west windows of the
gallery are shields of arms of the Yorke and connected families. The church was restored c. 1887. (fn. 270)
The north chapel contains the altar-tomb of Sir
Thomas Chicheley (d. 1616) and his wife Dorothy,
and several monuments and wall-tablets to members
of the Yorke family, some carved by Peter Scheemakers, John Flaxman, Thomas Banks, and the
elder and younger Richard Westmacott. Other
Yorke tablets are in the chancel. In addition, set on
the south wall of the chapel, are brasses from the
medieval church, including one of Thomas Worsley,
dated 1502, with the figure of a priest surmounted
by the Virgin and Child, and one to Edward
Marshall, vicar (d. 1625). The plate includes a cup,
paten, almsdish, and two flagons of c. 1655, presented by Sir Thomas Chicheley in 1679, another
17th-century cup, and a paten of 1703 obtained
c. 1860 by exchange with the parish of Ripley. (fn. 271) In
1552 the church had three great bells, but in 1971
only one, of 1653, perhaps by Miles Gray. (fn. 272) The
parish registers begin in 1599.
Nonconformity.
Richard Conder, a farmer
in the parish, was the pastor of a dissenting church
at neighbouring Croydon in 1718, and he continued
as pastor until his death. (fn. 273) Three Presbyterians
were recorded in 1728, (fn. 274) and in 1807 some Presbyterians and Anabaptists. (fn. 275) Houses were registered
for protestant dissenting worship in 1812 (fn. 276) and
1819, (fn. 277) but there was apparently no meeting in 1851.
In 1873 five farmers who were said to be dissenters
sometimes went to church. (fn. 278) All the inhabitants
were described as church people in 1897. (fn. 279)
Education.
A schoolmaster was recorded
between 1589 and 1611. (fn. 280) There was a Sunday
school in 1788, (fn. 281) and in 1807 a school for poor
children founded and supported by Elizabeth,
countess of Hardwicke, was said to be well managed
and well attended. (fn. 282) There were 74 pupils in 1818, (fn. 283)
and 66 in 1825, including 15 from Arrington. (fn. 284)
The school was wholly supported by Philip, earl of
Hardwicke, in 1833, when attendance had risen to
80. A Sunday school was started in the same year
supported partly by the earl and partly by the
rector. It was attended by about 70 boys, and had a
lending library. An evening school was held in the
winter. (fn. 285) In 1847 the combined day and Sunday
school, supported by subscription, and intended for
Wimpole and Arrington, had 67 day and 94 Sunday
pupils. There was one schoolroom and a teacher's
house. (fn. 286)
A new school was built in 1853, (fn. 287) apparently at
New Wimpole, (fn. 288) to replace the earlier one. From
1871 it was described as Church of England. (fn. 289) In
1873 21 children attended an evening school held
during the winter, and 25 boys who had left the
day-school attended the Sunday school. (fn. 290) The
Yorkes maintained the day-school until 1875, (fn. 291) and
from then onwards an annual government grant was
received. (fn. 292) A new school building with accommodation for 75 was completed at New Wimpole in 1876. (fn. 293)
In 1906 the school building was owned by
Viscount Clifden, from whom it was leased for
5s. a year. (fn. 294) Average attendance was 80 in 1877, (fn. 295)
52 in 1906, (fn. 296) and 35 in 1938, when there were
mixed and infants' classes. (fn. 297) The school building
was closed in 1946, and demolished in 1948. From
1946 to 1949 the school was held in the village hall,
and from 1949 in a school in Wimpole Park which
was closed in 1958, the children being transferred
to Arrington school. After the latter was closed in
1962 they went to Orwell Petersfield Church of
England school. (fn. 298)
Charities for the Poor.
It was apparently
Thomas Chicheley (d. 1616) who gave £20 a year as
compensation for cottagers' common rights. (fn. 299) The
money was distributed to the poor in 1686, (fn. 300) and in
1739 the Wimpole estate was subject to a payment of
£20 to the poor. (fn. 301) Until 1834 the money was
received by the overseers and carried into the poorrates, but by 1837, when it was known as Chicheley's Compensation Money, it was distributed by
the rector in coal to the aged poor. It was later paid
to the Wimpole coal club. In 1964 the Charity
Commissioners advised that the charity should not
be confined to members of the coal club, through
which it was still administered in 1970. (fn. 302)
Wimpole had the right to elect one poor man to
the alms-houses in St. Clement's parish, Oxford, in
accordance with the will of Edmund Boulter, proved
in 1736. (fn. 303) The benefit of the charity was lost to
Wimpole from 1787 to 1808, but in 1837 deserving
widowers past work were chosen as almsmen.
Under a Charity Commission Scheme of 1884 the
trustees were empowered to close the alms-houses,
and pay between 8s. and 10s. a week to six pensioners, including one from Wimpole. Pensioners
were to be poor men who had resided for at least
three years in the parish whence they were chosen.
The alms-houses were demolished in 1885, (fn. 304) and the
qualification for pensioners was altered by a Charity
Commission Scheme in 1930.
William Beho (d. 1757) by his will left £30 to buy
bread for fatherless children and widows. The
income was applied in accordance with the donor's
will in 1775, and the legacy had been invested in
stock by 1788. (fn. 305) In 1837 the dividends were not
known to have been distributed by the late rector.
In 1952 the charity had c. £36 stock, and the gross
income of 17s. 8d. was distributed in bread to poor
widows. Distribution of bread continued in 1970. (fn. 306)