WENDY
The parish (fn. 1) lay on the southern bank of the river
Cam or Rhee 8 km. north-west of Royston. It
covered 1,023 a. until 1957 when it was united with
the neighbouring parish of Shingay as Shingay cum
Wendy, covering 725 ha. (1,791 a.) in 1971. (fn. 2) The
eastern boundary (fn. 3) follows the Old North Road and
the northern boundary the river. The western boundary with Shingay followed the North Ditch. Apart
from a strip of alluvium along the river the parish
lies mostly on the Gault, with an island of Lower
Chalk south-east of the village, above 23 metres. (fn. 4)
The extreme south-east of the parish also lies on the
Lower Chalk. That part was included after 1937
in Bassingbourn airfield. (fn. 5) The rest of the parish is
level and low-lying and the northern edge, along the
river, was in the late 18th century liable to flooding. (fn. 6)
The loamy soil produced rich pasture land which
had been inclosed by the late 17th century and
which fed sheep and dairy cattle until ploughed
from the later 19th century.
Seventeen inhabitants were recorded in Wendy
in 1086 (fn. 7) and 14 contributed to the subsidy there in
1327. (fn. 8) Twenty-six people contributed to the wool
levy in 1347, (fn. 9) and probably half of the 166 adults
recorded in Wendy and Shingay in 1377 lived
in Wendy. (fn. 10) Numbers were perhaps already falling
by 1524 when 22 people paid the subsidy there, (fn. 11)
and only 16 households were recorded in 1563. (fn. 12)
The two parishes had c. 50 adults in 1660, (fn. 13) and
37 communicants in 13 households in 1674 and in
1676, (fn. 14) most of whom were presumably in Wendy. (fn. 15)
Numbers had risen by the mid 18th century when
Wendy had c. 100 inhabitants. (fn. 16) In 1794 there were
c. 20 families there, (fn. 17) and numbers gradually rose in
the 19th century from 109 in 1801 to 154 in 1851, falling slightly to 127 in 1891 and then more rapidly to
66 by 1931. In 1971 there were 103 inhabitants in
the united parish of Shingay cum Wendy. (fn. 18)
There was only one centre of settlement in Wendy
parish, near to the river c. 1½ km. from the Old
North Road. Close to the village were two moated
sites. The church stood in the centre of the
settlement until its demolition c. 1950. The walled
churchyard was still maintained in 1979 when the
old school building was used as a church. From
the early 19th century Road Farm on the eastern
boundary, and Hall Farm, later engulfed by the
airfield, stood outside the village.
The village lies along the road from the Old
North Road to Shingay and Steeple and Guilden
Morden, the only road to cross the parish in modern
times. Until the early 19th century it seems to have
run south of its modern course through the village,
leaving the church to the north. In 1827 both the
old and new courses were in use, but by 1836 the
road followed the modern line. There then remained
a small green near Church Farm. (fn. 19) In 1850 a road
ran south-east from the western end of the village
to Bassingbourn; it survived in 1919 (fn. 20) and was presumably closed by the development of Bassingbourn airfield, as was a track leading to Hall Farm.
A road between Vine and Road farms probably disappeared in the late 19th century. (fn. 21)
The Cox family kept an inn at Wendy, the
Windsor Arms next to the church, at least from
1809 until 1851. (fn. 22) No inn has been recorded since
then. There was a shop in Wendy at times during
the 19th century. (fn. 23)
Manors and other Estates.
In 1066
Eddeva held 4¾ hides in Wendy, 1 hide being held
of her by 6 sokemen. By 1086 all her land there was
held of Count Alan by Odo his chamberlain. (fn. 24) The
overlordship of Alan's honor of Richmond is recorded until the 16th century. (fn. 25) By 1130 Odo had
been succeeded by his son Robert the chamberlain
who held land in Wendy. (fn. 26) Robert's sons George
and Niel both died without issue and in 1191 Niel
was succeeded by the representatives of his sisters.
Those sisters probably numbered five. (fn. 27)
One sister, Avice, apparently married a member
of the Engaine family. (fn. 28) Part of a fee in Wendy was
held c. 1230 by William Engaine, probably of
Waresley (Hunts.). Agnes, widow of his son Robert
(fl. 1249), (fn. 29) in 1262 gave a third of a manor in
Wendy, which she claimed as dower, to the Knights
Hospitallers, (fn. 30) whose preceptory of Shingay held
land in Wendy of the honor of Richmond in 1276
and later. (fn. 31) It descended with Shingay manor (fn. 32)
until c. 1645 when it was bought with Wendy rectory by Thomas Chicheley and united with the
other Wendy manors. (fn. 33)
Tiffany, another sister of Niel the chamberlain,
married Tibbald son of Fulk (d. c. 1199) whose son
Fulk held part of the Richmond fee in Wendy in the
early 13th century. (fn. 34) Fulk was dead by 1221 (fn. 35) and
c. 1230 his son Ralph held land in Wendy later
known as FITZRALPHS manor. (fn. 36) Ralph's son,
also Ralph, was taken at Kenilworth in 1265 and
his confiscated land was granted to William Giffard. (fn. 37) Part of that land apparently remained with
Giffard and descended with his other Wendy lands, (fn. 38)
still being said in 1420 to be held of FitzRalphs. (fn. 39)
Ralph FitzRalph, however, regained the rest of his
Wendy estate and in 1299 settled it on his brother
William who held the manor c. 1302. (fn. 40) Most of
William's Cambridgeshire lands were settled on his
elder son Ralph, (fn. 41) but the Wendy manor passed
with lands in Hertfordshire to his younger son
William FitzRalph, also known as William Bradfield, who held FitzRalphs in 1316. (fn. 42) William was
succeeded by his son, also William, by 1346. (fn. 43) The
younger William left two daughters, but his heir
male was another William FitzRalph (fl. 1383)
whose son, also William, held the manor in 1412. (fn. 44)
The latter was dead by 1427 when his heirs, his
cousins John Hughesson and Elizabeth, wife of
John Clerk of Ardeley (Herts.), quitclaimed their
rights to John Clerk of London and Thomas
Clerk. (fn. 45) By 1428 FitzRalphs had passed to John
Tyrell. (fn. 46) It was presumably sold by him to Robert
Clopton and by 1465 was held with other Wendy
manors. (fn. 47)
In 1299 the manor was held of the FitzRalphs by
William of Brompton for life, (fn. 48) and passed presumably from John of Brompton (d. 1340) to George
of Brompton (fl. 1347). (fn. 49) Part of the Wendy estate
was later known as BROMPTONS manor. (fn. 50)
Another of Niel's sisters, perhaps Ivette, married
Conan; by 1201 their son Henry had quitclaimed
his lands in Cambridgeshire to Henry son of Hervey
of Ravensworth. (fn. 51) That Henry's younger son John
held land in Wendy c. 1230, perhaps of his elder
brother Ranulph, and that land presumably descended with Cherry Hinton successively to John's
sons Henry and John (d. by 1283). (fn. 52) By 1302 it was
probably held as ¼ fee by John Coleman, and in
1346 by his son also John. (fn. 53) The latter may be identified with John Wodehouse, lord of part of Wendy
in 1347. (fn. 54) By 1428 Coleman's ¼ fee was held by
John Tyrell. (fn. 55) It had perhaps been subinfeudated.
Cherry Hinton eventually passed to William of
Brompton and in 1340 John of Brompton's Wendy
lands included 15 a. held of John Wodehouse. (fn. 56)
The ¼ fee presumably descended from the 15th
century with Tyrell's other lands in Wendy. (fn. 57)
Beatrice, another of Niel's sisters, married
first Richard de Cormeilles (d. 1177) and
secondly Robert de Lisle (fl. 1206). Her rights in
Wendy descended to her son Walter de Cormeilles
(d. c. 1217). (fn. 58) Walter's heirs were his five daughters,
and Wendy passed to Sibyl who married first Ralph
Belet (fl. 1212) and secondly Hugh Giffard (fn. 59) who
held part of a fee in Wendy c. 1235. (fn. 60) Hugh's sons,
Walter, archbishop of York (d. 1279), and Godfrey,
bishop of Worcester (d. 1302), were succeeded by
John, son of their brother William Giffard, probably the William who had acquired FitzRalphs in
1265. (fn. 61) John was succeeded in 1319 by his son John,
a rebel in 1322 (fn. 62) who died holding the Wendy land
in 1327. His heir was his son, also John Giffard,
a minor, (fn. 63) who died before 1346 when ⅓ fee in
Wendy was held by his brother William. (fn. 64) William's
land seems to have passed by 1347 to Geoffrey
Seman. (fn. 65) In 1351 Seman gave a messuage and
2 carucates in Wendy to the king who immediately
regranted them to King's Hall, Cambridge. (fn. 66) By
1381 however that land, later known as GAMBONS manor, had passed to Cecily wife of William
Gambon (d. 1394). (fn. 67) Their son Richard died in
1400 while still a minor. His son, also Richard, (fn. 68)
died in 1420 leaving as heir his uncle John Gambon (fn. 69)
who in 1428 held the Giffard fee in Wendy. (fn. 70) John
Gambon probably sold the manor to Robert Clopton (fn. 71) and from 1465 it passed with the other Wendy
manors. (fn. 72)
Land near Lordship Close, the moated site northeast of the village, was in the mid 19th century
known as Gammons Grove: it was presumably the
site of Gambons manor house. (fn. 73)
Another estate in Wendy probably descended
from a fifth sister of Niel's. In the early 13th century Roger senz Manche (sine manica) held part of
the Richmond fee there (fn. 74) and in 1212 claimed rights
in the advowson of Wendy along with Ralph Belet. (fn. 75)
Roger's estate in Wendy apparently descended to
Alice senz Manche (or Mauntel) who held part of
a fee there c. 1235. (fn. 76) By 1302 her land may have
passed to Eleanor, daughter of Bartholomew Thornton and wife of Ralph FitzRalph, who held ½ fee
there. (fn. 77) In 1336 and 1346 her second husband John
de Regges held her land in Wendy. (fn. 78) After his death
it presumably descended from Eleanor's son Richard
FitzRalph and with the manor of Shepreth eventually passed to the Tyrell family. (fn. 79)
By 1428 John Tyrell and John Gambon held
most of the land in Wendy, (fn. 80) and by 1445 both their
estates had been acquired by Robert Clopton,
lately mayor of London (d. 1448). (fn. 81) Wendy seems
to have been settled on Clopton's daughter Alice
who married Henry Chicheley (d. 1490) and held
Bromptons, FitzRalphs, and Gambons manors with
him by 1465. (fn. 82) They were succeeded by their son
Henry (d. 1518), whose wife Elizabeth held Wendy
as dower, and then by Henry's brother William.
Wendy had been settled in 1516 on the marriage of
William's son Thomas (fn. 83) (d. 1558) and it descended
with his Wimpole estate (fn. 84) to Thomas's son Clement
(d. c. 1576) and grandson Thomas (d. 1592), having
been settled for life on the latter's wife Anne who
later married Thomas St. John. (fn. 85) Thomas Chicheley's
son, also Thomas, died in 1616 and his son Sir
Thomas Chicheley came of age in 1635. (fn. 86) Having
acquired the rectory estate and the Hospitallers'
Wendy estate c. 1645 he sold the whole parish to
Sir Thomas Wendy in 1655. (fn. 87)
Sir Thomas Wendy died in 1673, and under his
will the estate passed, after the life interest of his
widow Lettice (fl. 1692), to the descendants of
his sister Susan, wife of Thomas Stewart. (fn. 88) Her
daughter Sarah died unmarried c. 1697 (fn. 89) and Sarah's
moiety passed to her great-nieces Letitia, who died
soon after, and Mary Kemp. The other moiety had
passed from Elizabeth Stewart, wife of Sir Robert
Kemp of Finchingfield (Essex), to Letitia her
daughter by a second marriage to Robert King of
Great Thurlow (Suff.). Letitia (d. by 1699) married
Sir Robert Kemp of Gissing (Norf.) who in 1707
held her moiety of Wendy and in 1716 settled it on
his daughter Mary, who had already inherited the
other moiety, and her husband Sir Edmund Bacon
of Garboldisham (Norf.). (fn. 90) In 1722 they sold the
re-united estate to Edward Russell, earl of Orford
(d. 1727). Wendy then descended with Shingay
manor (fn. 91) to Letitia and Samuel Sandys. (fn. 92) On her
death in 1779 Lady Sandys left Wendy for life to
her daughter Letitia, who by will proved 1784 left
it to her sister Anne Bethell, with remainder to
their brother Edwin, Lord Sandys. (fn. 93)
Lady Sandys's sister Catherine Tipping had
married Thomas Archer, and their daughter, also
Catherine, married Other Lewis Windsor, earl of
Plymouth (d. 1771), to whose second son, Thomas
Windsor, Edwin, Lord Sandys, left Wendy on his
death in 1797. (fn. 94) Windsor died in 1832 leaving
Wendy in trust for the two youngest sons, John
(d. 1856) and Joseph (d. 1870), of his sister Elizabeth, wife of Gore Townsend, for their lives and
then to their nephew William, second son of Harriet
Townsend and Sir Grey Skipwith, Bt. In 1850 the
whole parish except for the vicarial glebe belonged
to the Townsend trustees and from 1870 to Capt.
William Skipwith. (fn. 95) After the latter's death without
surviving issue in 1907 Wendy was held by representatives of his brothers' families who sold the land
in 1919 to its farmers. (fn. 96)
Traces of a moat remain around Vine Farm, built
on the site of the former great house. In 1674 that
house, the home of the dowager Lady Wendy, had
10 hearths. (fn. 97) By the late 18th century it was used as
a farmhouse, and was being demolished piecemeal
as building materials were needed. (fn. 98) Known in 1836
as Wendy Old Farm, (fn. 99) by 1851 it had been divided
into tenements, (fn. 100) and it was said to have been later
demolished. The present Vine Farm, however, a
timber framed structure of 17th-century origin, is
probably part of the great house, remodelled in the
19th century and again in the 20th. Thomas Windsor started to build a house north of Vine Farm but
the work never progressed beyond the foundations. (fn. 101)
In 1250 Warin of Bassingbourn held 1 yardland
in Wendy of Sibyl of Croydon. (fn. 102) In 1348 Sir Warin
of Bassingbourn, not a descendant, died holding
30 a. in Wendy of the honor of Richmond. (fn. 103) It was
perhaps the estate of c. 40 a. in Wendy held by
Sibyl's successor Sir William Heron of that honor
in 1379 (fn. 104) which descended with Croydon manor
and was last recorded in 1545. (fn. 105)
In 1066 Goda held 1 yardland in Wendy of Earl
Alfgar. By 1086 it was held by Alured of Hardwin
de Scalers. (fn. 106) In 1208 it was in dispute between the
two branches of the Scalers family. (fn. 107) It may be
identified with the yardland that Maud of Dunton
held there c. 1235. (fn. 108) It has not been traced later.
In 1306 Walter Langton, bishop of Coventry and
Lichfield (d. 1321), was granted free warren on his
demesne lands including Wendy (fn. 109) where he held
land in 1316. (fn. 110) In 1318 Thomas Langton was one
of the highest taxpayers in the parish, (fn. 111) but the
family does not occur there later.
In 1552 the Crown sold 40 a. in Wendy given
for an anniversary in Bassingbourn church. (fn. 112)
Economic History.
In 1086 Odo's estate of
4 hides and 3 yardlands had 2 demesne plough
teams and 4 servi, while 6 villani and 5 bordars
had 4 plough teams. The estate included sufficient
meadow and woodland. It had fallen in value from
£10 in 1066 to £6 before rising again to £8, but
Alured's yardland, worked by 2 bordars, had retained its value. (fn. 113)
In 1328 the later Gambons manor had 80 a. of
demesne arable and 4 a. of meadow (fn. 114) and the Hospitallers' demesne was of a similar size in 1338. (fn. 115)
By 1420 Gambons demesne included 110 a. of arable,
10 a. of pasture, and 4 a. of meadow. (fn. 116) Only
69 sheep were recorded on Odo's demesne in 1086, (fn. 117)
but by 1347 there were up to 700 sheep in
Wendy over half of which were on the demesnes,
the largest flock belonging to Gambons manor. (fn. 118)
By 1328 the 4 villeins and 8 cottars holding of
Gambons seem to have commuted their labour
services for money payments. There were also some
free tenants. (fn. 119) In the mid 15th century Robert
Clopton's estate was let to farm, (fn. 120) and by 1524
there seem to have been 7 substantial yeomen in the
parish as well as c. 10 men taxed on £1 worth of
goods and 5 wage labourers. (fn. 121) In the mid 16th century the parish was divided between six main farms,
as it was a century later. (fn. 122)
By the mid 17th century although the arable
still lay in open fields some strips within them seem
to have been inclosed, disturbing the customary
cow and sheep commons. (fn. 123) There were also pasture
closes in the north near the river. (fn. 124) By the later 17th
century most of the parish had apparently been
inclosed. (fn. 125)
In the 16th and 17th centuries the major arable
crop was barley, and wheat, oats, and pease were
also grown. Cattle were important in the local economy by 1599 when a lack of fodder caused much
hardship. Some farms kept dairy cattle in the 17th
century, and in 1718 a dairyman was recorded in
Wendy. (fn. 126) In the late 18th century, besides being
known for the dairy cattle kept on its rich pastures,
the parish supported a flock of c. 650 sheep. (fn. 127) The
arable was then cultivated on a four-course rotation
including a fallow and producing barley, oats,
wheat, peas, beans, and clover and tares. (fn. 128)
In the early 18th century there were four large
farms and a smaller dairy farm, (fn. 129) and in the early
19th century there were five farms; the smallest,
South farm, seems after c. 1831 to have been absorbed in Hall farm which, with Vine, Road, and
Church farms, occurs throughout the 19th century. (fn. 130)
Vine farm was held by the Jackson family from
before 1811 until 1873, and the Russell family held
Road farm from 1814, later acquiring Hall and Vine
farms. (fn. 131) Hall farm, in the south, was the largest,
covering c. 300 a.; Vine farm included c. 260 a.
in the middle and north, Road farm c. 200 a. in
the east, and Church farm c. 150 a. in the north and
around the village. (fn. 132)
In 1850 there were only c. 270 a. of arable, all in
the south part of the parish, and c. 670 a. of meadow
and pasture. (fn. 133) By 1875, however, much of the grass
had been ploughed up and Hall and Vine farms,
then leased together, had c. 345 a. of arable and
only 154 a. of pasture. The arable was farmed on
a five-course rotation producing corn, turnips and
other roots, grass, peas, and beans. (fn. 134) Shepherds
were recorded in the 1860s (fn. 135) and Hall and Vine
farms still kept c. 200 sheep in the late 19th century, besides a small dairy herd. (fn. 136) In 1907 Road
farm had c. 150 sheep and 40 cattle. (fn. 137) The area of
grass continued to decline, and by 1919 there was
twice as much arable as pasture in Wendy. Vine
farm then had c. 105 a. of pasture and 156 a. of
arable but the other farms had a lower proportion
of grass. (fn. 138) Only a quarter of Vine farm was pasture
by 1932 but it was still described as suitable for
dairying. (fn. 139) From 1950 most of Wendy has belonged
to Mr. Sydney Bath who in 1979 farmed over
1,000 a. there and in Shingay from Church Farm.
The main crops were then wheat, barley, and
potatoes, and there was no dairying. (fn. 140)
The parish has always been entirely agricultural
and any craftsmen such as the tailor recorded in the
late 14th century and the carpenter in the early 18th
have served the agricultural community. (fn. 141) Throughout the 19th century almost all the inhabitants were
employed on the land, carpenters and dressmakers
being the only other recorded workers. (fn. 142) In the
1870s coprolite digging provided employment for a
few men, (fn. 143) but by the 1890s the lack of employment
was driving many young people to leave the parish. (fn. 144)
In the 1960s the only local employment was still
in farming. (fn. 145)
Two mills were recorded at Wendy in 1086 (fn. 146) and
there was a miller in 1286. (fn. 147) There was a water mill
on the FitzRalph estate in the 14th century (fn. 148) and a
miller was recorded in 1568, (fn. 149) but no mill has been
traced later.
Local Government.
In 1275 Wendy owed
suit at the tourn of the honor of Richmond, but the
preceptory of Shingay, which held land of that honor,
had withdrawn from its tourn some years before. (fn. 150)
In 1334 the tourn was held in Wendy and the vill
was represented by three customary tenants. The
honor had assize of bread and of ale there, and
regulated watercourses, besides hearing cases of
assault. (fn. 151) It still held a court and view of frankpledge
in the 15th century. (fn. 152)
In the mid 17th century the vestry appointed a
constable and presumably, as in the early 18th century, a surveyor of highways, an overseer of the
poor, and a churchwarden. In 1665 the constable
was put in charge of the town stocks. (fn. 153) In 1773 three
poorhouses were rented from the lord by the
parish, (fn. 154) and in the late 18th and early 19th century
the overseer paid rent for a cottage known as the
townhouse. He also distributed some weekly doles,
besides food, clothing, fuel, and medicine. The poor
rate rose from 1s. 6d. to 2s. 6d. in the £ between
1789 and 1809 when c. £90 was spent on the poor. (fn. 155)
Few people received permanent relief and Wendy's
expenditure on the poor, which fluctuated between
c. £47 and c. £112, was always amongst the lowest
in the hundred. (fn. 156) In 1831 labourers were apportioned among the farmers so that there was generally
no unemployment, and land was let free to them to
grow potatoes. (fn. 157) In 1834 one inhabitant was helped
to emigrate to America, and in 1836 widows and
children unable to work still received cash payments. (fn. 158) In 1834 Wendy joined the Royston poor
law union (fn. 159) and in 1894 the Melbourn rural district. (fn. 160) In 1934 it became part of the South Cambridgeshire R.D. (fn. 161) In 1956 it was united with
Shingay (fn. 162) and in 1979 the parish of Shingay cum
Wendy was part of the South Cambridgeshire
district.
Church.
Robert the chamberlain gave Wendy
church to the monks of Ely whom he had established
at Denny before 1159, and with Denny it was
transferred to the Knights Templars by c. 1170. (fn. 163)
It was probably appropriated by 1278 when Ely
priory was granted an annual payment of 4 marks
from the Templars' lands in Wendy and elsewhere. (fn. 164)
After 1311, following the suppression of the Templars, Wendy church passed with their Denny land
to the Hospitaller preceptory at Shingay. (fn. 165) The rectory and the advowson of the vicarage thereafter
descended with Shingay manor until c. 1645 when
they were sold to Thomas Chicheley, and then with
Wendy manor until the early 19th century. (fn. 166) The
rectory estate was then indistinguishable from the
lands of the united Wendy manors: the great tithes
were formally merged with those lands in 1850. (fn. 167)
From the 1830s the advowson belonged to trustees
of Thomas Windsor's settlement, who by 1891 had
granted it to the Church Patronage Society (fn. 168) with
which it remained.
In the mid 12th century the prior of Barnwell
claimed Wendy church, but no other connexion
with Barnwell has been traced. (fn. 169)
The church was valued at 12 marks in the
early 13th century, at 29 marks in 1254, and at
£16 13s. 4d. in 1276. (fn. 170) A vicarage was ordained
by 1278 and in 1291 was worth £4 13s. 4d. (fn. 171)
From 1312 the vicar received an augmentation of
2½ marks; (fn. 172) in 1453 the living was worth no more
than 12 marks (fn. 173) and in 1535 £5 10s. 9d. (fn. 174) The
vicar also received a payment of 20s. a year from
Bassingbourn rectory, still made in the late 17th
century. (fn. 175) By 1650 the vicarage was worth £22
a year (fn. 176) and in the mid 18th century c. £50. (fn. 177) By
c. 1830 its annual income was £200 (fn. 178) and despite
an augmentation in 1828 it was still £200 in 1873. (fn. 179)
In 1308 the corn tithes of Wendy with the glebe
corn yielded £15 13s. 4d. (fn. 180) In the early 17th century the vicar received 38s. 4d. a year from the rectory estate, apparently in lieu of small tithes, and
7 bushels of wheat from the farmers, in addition to
all tithe hay and dues called garden penny and
plough penny. (fn. 181) In 1683 it was agreed that the vicar
should receive £40 a year in place of all tithes, (fn. 182)
a payment recorded in the late 18th century. (fn. 183) In
1851 the vicarial tithes were commuted for a rentcharge of £140 10s. (fn. 184)
In 1637 the vicar had c. 5 a. of glebe and in 1656
besides 4 a. of arable he had 4 cow and 10 sheep
commons. (fn. 185) In 1688 the 4 a. were leased to the rectory estate, the vicar retaining the vicarage close and
an orchard and the grass from c. 5½ a. of inclosed
pasture. (fn. 186) In 1828 Thomas Windsor and Queen
Anne's Bounty gave the living £2,400 worth of land
amounting to c. 23 a.; (fn. 187) in 1850 there were 32 a. of
glebe, mostly north-east of Church farm, (fn. 188) and 30½ a.
in 1887. (fn. 189) It was sold in the mid 20th century. (fn. 190)
The vicarage house once stood in Dovehouse
Close, perhaps that in 1850 called Vicarage close
north of the lane leading to Vine Farm. By 1637 a
new house had been built east of the church. (fn. 191) In
1674 it had seven hearths. (fn. 192) By the 1780s it was in
poor repair, (fn. 193) and was rebuilt by Thomas Windsor,
probably soon after 1828 when the Queen Anne's
Bounty estate included four rooms adjoining the
house. (fn. 194) The new house, with gothic bow-windows,
was probably extended later in the 19th century
and was sold in 1949. (fn. 195)
A rector of Wendy was recorded in 1226 (fn. 196) and
vicars occur from the late 13th century. (fn. 197) From the
16th century the vicar of Wendy also served Shingay. (fn. 198) A curate was recorded in the 1540s when
the vicar was also resident, (fn. 199) but the cure was
vacant in 1560. (fn. 200) George Leathley served at Wendy
for 49 years from 1576 (fn. 201) and Seth Pavy, a member
of the Cambridge classis in the 1650s, was minister
from 1625 to 1663. (fn. 202) In 1669 Sir Thomas Wendy
was said to be instrumental in opposing dissent in
the parish, and by 1676 there were no Protestant
nonconformists and only one Catholic there. (fn. 203)
Thomas Ashburner, vicar 1719–35, was licensed
for non-residence because of the poverty of the
living. (fn. 204) In 1775 the vicar was also non-resident but
he kept a curate at Wendy as did his successor
Henry Rigby, vicar 1777–1819, who lived at Salisbury. (fn. 205) In 1775, and in 1807 when the curate lived
at Bassingbourn, there was one Sunday service at
Wendy and thrice-yearly communions with c. 7 communicants. (fn. 206) By 1825 the curate held two Sunday services. (fn. 207) G. W. E. Philips, an American who
was vicar from 1827 to 1866, himself held from the
1830s 2 or 3 Sunday services and 6 communions a
year with c. 35 communicants. He personally catechized the Sunday school children, and also employed a curate. (fn. 208) In 1851 c. 150 people attended
the morning and 240 the afternoon services. (fn. 209) By
1873 there were monthly (fn. 210) and by the 1890s weekly
communions, and there were then, as well as a
Sunday school, a bible class and a choir. (fn. 211)
From 1943 Wendy with Shingay was held with
Croydon with Clopton and later with other neighbouring parishes. From 1974 it was served by the
Shingay team. (fn. 212)
The church of ST. MARY, so called in 1537,
was later known as ALL SAINTS. (fn. 213) Little is
known of the medieval church, part of which may
have dated from the early 12th century. (fn. 214) In 1522
Sir Thomas Sheffield, preceptor of Shingay, rebuilt the chancel, and perhaps the whole church.
His arms and a St. John's cross remained in the
east window in 1684. (fn. 215) That church apparently had a
steeple. (fn. 216) It was in poor repair in 1561 (fn. 217) and in 1638
the chancel was decayed and unsafe. It was then
ordered that two steps be made for the altar, and
high seats in the chancel be taken down. (fn. 218) In 1644
William Dowsing ordered the steps to be levelled
again and removed a cross from the chancel. (fn. 219)
By 1734 the church was ruinous and a faculty was
obtained to rebuild it. (fn. 220) The new church, completed
by Samuel Sandys in 1737, was a small stuccoed
stone building, 45 ft. by 22 ft., with a Venetian east
window, three round-headed windows in each side,
and a bell turret at the west end. Some monuments
from the previous church were incorporated in the
building. (fn. 221) It remained in good repair until the
1830s, (fn. 222) but by the 1850s cracks had appeared in
the walls and two buttresses built against the west
end failed to stop its deterioration; by 1863 the
church was too dangerous to use and a nearby barn
was licensed for worship. The old building was
taken down and a new church was opened on the
same site in 1866. Built to the design of R. R. Rowe
it incorporated in its west wall the Sandys arms and
perhaps the clock from the previous church. The
new church was in the Early English style, of ashlar
with stone dressings. It had a chancel with south
vestry, a three-bay nave with a bell turret at the
west end, and a west porch. The double hammer
beam nave roof was that from All Saints in the
Jewry, Cambridge, taken down in 1865. The new
font was a replica of one found during the excavation of the old foundations. (fn. 223) The porch was rebuilt
in 1871. (fn. 224) Despite efforts to ensure that the new
church was built on adequate foundations it too was
cracking within 80 years, and it was demolished
c. 1950. (fn. 225) Services were subsequently held in the
mission church at Shingay until 1972 when the old
school in Wendy was converted and consecrated as
a church. (fn. 226)
A silver cup and two patens, all dated 1676 and
probably given by Lady Wendy (d. 1696), survived
c. 1960. (fn. 227) In 1552 the church had recently sold a
bell and three remained. (fn. 228) The single modern bell
from the last church was, after 1950, taken to
Church Farm from where it was stolen in 1970. (fn. 229)
The registers start in 1550. (fn. 230)
Nonconformity.
There were a few Independents at Wendy in 1807 (fn. 231) and a few Methodists
in 1825, (fn. 232) but no nonconformists by 1873 (fn. 233) or thereafter.
Education.
There was a schoolmaster at
Wendy c. 1720. (fn. 234) There was no school there in
1807 (fn. 235) but 11 girls and 9 boys were taught in 1818
at a reading school, (fn. 236) perhaps the Sunday school
where in 1825 children from Wendy and Shingay
were taught to read the scriptures. (fn. 237)
In 1828 Thomas Windsor built a school in
Wendy and in 1832 he granted it to trustees with
a rent charge of £30 a year to pay a teacher to
instruct poor children in reading, writing, and the
principles of the established church. In 1833 it was
attended by 10 boys and 15 girls. (fn. 238) In 1846 c. 50 children attended the day school and a further 30 a
Sunday school. (fn. 239) By 1873 there was also an evening
school. (fn. 240) The school was rebuilt in 1875 when
c. 38 children attended it. (fn. 241) Numbers remained at
c. 30 until the 1890s, (fn. 242) falling thereafter to 19 by
1902. (fn. 243) In 1904 the school was closed and the children were temporarily transferred to Wimpole and
Guilden Morden. (fn. 244) The Wendy and Shingay District Church of England school was reopened in
1906 (fn. 245) with accommodation for 50 boys, girls, and
infants. Attendance remained at c. 23 until 1926
when the seniors were transferred to Bassingbourn.
In 1927 the average attendance was 13, and in 1931
the remaining children were transferred to Bassingbourn and the school was closed. (fn. 246) The building, at
the east end of the village, has been used since 1972
as a church and village hall. (fn. 247)
Charities for the Poor.
From the late
18th century the interest on £2 given to the poor
was distributed by the churchwarden. It had been
lost by 1863. (fn. 248)