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Cambridgeshire
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Cambridgeshire |
| 5min Related Video: Cambridgeshire |
| British History: Cambridgeshire |
Cambridgeshire is a quiet, thinly populated, agricultural county, pleasantly hilly in the chalk south, flat in the north where it joins the Fens. The river Cam bisects the southern part of the county, flowing north to join the Ouse near Ely. It was a county of small landowners, puritan and nonconformist in sympathy, and politically independent. By the Local Government Act of 1972, Cambridgeshire took over Huntingdonshire and the soke of Peterborough, adding more than 50 per cent to its area.
Cambridge was a Roman settlement, the centre of a network of roads, joining to cross the Cam. Its importance was enhanced by the fact that it became the southern point of a complex pattern of inland navigation, centred on the Ouse. It was early colonized by the Angles and in the 7th cent. was much disputed between the East Angles and the Mercians. A development in 673 was the foundation of a monastery at Ely. It rapidly prospered and survived sacking by the Danes in 870. Work on the Norman cathedral began in 1083 and it was given cathedral status in 1109. Ely's unique position was responsible for the bishop being granted quasi- palatine status. The Isle of Ely was given its own county council in 1888, March becoming the county town, but was once more merged with Cambridgeshire in 1958.
Cambridge town went down before the first Danish onslaught in 870, was liberated by Edward the Elder in the early 10th cent., but fell to the Danes once more in 1011. After the Norman Conquest, William I built the castle in 1068 and the town received a charter in 1201. Stourbridge fair on Midsummer common was one of the largest in Europe. The growth of the university in the 13th cent. produced prolonged antagonism between town and gown, and is responsible for that mixture of seat of learning and East Anglian market town which characterizes Cambridge today. The northern parts of the county remained for centuries almost completely cut off by fen and water. Their inaccessibility made them a natural shelter for refugees, of whom Hereward, leader of resistance to the Normans, was the most famous. Proposals for draining the fens were put forward repeatedly. In the 17th cent. a start was made, and the earl of Bedford, through the work of Vermuyden, the Dutch engineer, succeeded in reclaiming vast areas.
The fen part of the county has always been an acquired taste. Camden wrote of the ‘Fen-men, a sort of people (much like the place) of brutish, uncivilized tempers, envious of all others … and usually walking aloft on a sort of stilts’. Admiration for Ely cathedral was usually tempered by disgust at the town itself. Celia Fiennes in 1698 found Ely ‘the dirtiest place I ever saw … a perfect quagmire, the whole city … I had frogs and slow-worms and snails in my room.’ Wisbech was a flourishing port and displayed some elegant buildings, but Pevsner wrote laconically in 1954 that the Fens ‘grow much potato, sugar-beet and other root crops, and wheat, but they have never grown much architecture’.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Cambridgeshire |
Cambridgeshire, county (1991 pop. 640,700), 1,313 sq mi (3,402 sq km), E central England. The county seat is Cambridge. Most of the area is alluvial fenland, rising to the low, chalky East Anglian Hills in the south, with the Gogmagog Hills near Cambridge the most conspicuous feature. The main rivers are the Ouse, with its tributaries, and the Nene. Efforts to reclaim the fens date back to the days of Roman occupation, but in the subsequent periods of invasion by Danes, Saxons, and Normans they were abandoned. The fens were drained after the Dutchman Cornelius Vermuyden completed a vast drainage project in 1653. Agriculture and light industry are the dominant economic activities. Wheat, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, and fruits are raised. Food processing is an important industry as well as radio engineering and the manufacture of cement, bricks, and scientific instruments. The town of Ely has been an ecclesiastical center for centuries. The Univ. of Cambridge dates from the early 13th cent.
| Wikipedia: Cambridgeshire |
| Cambridgeshire | |
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| Geography | |
| Status | Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county |
|---|---|
| Region | East of England[1] |
| Area - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area |
Ranked 15th 3,389 km² Ranked 15th 3,046 km² |
| Admin HQ | Cambridge |
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-CAM |
| ONS code | 12 |
| NUTS 3 | UKH12 |
| Demographics | |
| Population - Total (2008 est.) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop. |
Ranked 28th 769,100 227 / km² Ranked 18th 605,100 |
| Ethnicity | 94.6% White 2.6% S.Asian |
| Politics | |
 Cambridgeshire County Council |
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| Executive | Conservative |
| Lieutenancy |
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| Members of Parliament | |
| Districts | |
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Cambridgeshire (pronounced /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒʃər/ or /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒʃɪər/; also known, archaically, as the County of Cambridge; abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. Modern Cambridgeshire was formed from the historic counties of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, together with the Isle of Ely and the Soke of Peterborough; it contains most of the region known as Silicon Fen. The county town is Cambridge.
Cambridgeshire is twinned with Kreis Viersen in Germany.
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History
Main article: History of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlements in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate and Balbridie.
Cambridgeshire was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Grantbridgeshire" (or rather Grentebrigescire) (cf the river Granta). Covering a large part of East Anglia, Cambridgeshire today is the result of several local government unifications. In 1888 when county councils were introduced, separate councils were set up, following the traditional division of Cambridgeshire, for
- the area in the south around Cambridge, and
- the liberty of the Isle of Ely.
In 1965, these two administrative counties were merged to form Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely.[2] Under the Local Government Act 1972 this merged with the county to the west, Huntingdon and Peterborough (which had itself been created in 1965 by the merger of Huntingdonshire with the Soke of Peterborough - previously a part of Northamptonshire which had its own county council). The resulting county was called simply Cambridgeshire.[3]
Since 1998 the City of Peterborough has been a separately administered area, as a unitary authority, but is associated with Cambridgeshire for ceremonial purposes such as Lieutenancy, and functions such as policing and the fire service.[4]
In 2002, the conservation charity Plantlife unofficially designated Cambridgeshire's county flower as the Pasqueflower.
A great quantity of archaeological finds from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age were made in East Cambridgeshire. Most items were found in Isleham.
The Cambridgeshire Regiment (or Fen Tigers) county based army unit fought in South Africa, WWI and WWII.
Due to its flat terrain and proximity to the continent, many RAF and USAAF bases were built for Bomber Command in WW2. In recognition of this, the only American WW2 burial ground in England is located in Madingley Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial.
Most English counties have nicknames for their people, such as a Tyke from Yorkshire and a Yellowbelly from Lincolnshire; the traditional nicknames for people from Cambridgeshire are 'Cambridgeshire Camel' or 'Cambridgeshire Crane', referring to the wildfowl which were once abundant in the fens.
Original historical documents relating to Cambridgeshire are held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies.
Geography
Large areas of the county are extremely low-lying and Holme Fen is notable for being the UK's lowest physical point at 2.75 m (9 ft) below sea level. The highest point is in the village of Great Chishill at 146 m (480 ft) above sea level. Other prominent hills are Little Trees Hill and Wandlebury Hill in the Gog Magog Downs, Rivey Hill above Linton, Rowley's Hill and the Madingley Hills.
Politics
Cambridgeshire contains seven Parliamentary constituencies: Cambridge, Huntingdon, North East Cambridgeshire, North West Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, South Cambridgeshire, and South East Cambridgeshire.
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Cambridgeshire at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of English Pounds Sterling.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added[5] | Agriculture[6] | Industry[7] | Services[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 5,896 | 228 | 1,646 | 4,022 |
| 2000 | 7,996 | 166 | 2,029 | 5,801 |
| 2003 | 10,154 | 207 | 2,195 | 7,752 |
AWG plc is based in Huntingdon. The RAF has a few bases in the Huntingdon and St Ives area. Most of Cambridgeshire is agricultural. Close to Cambridge is the so-called Silicon Fen area of high-technology (electronics, computing and biotechnology) companies. ARM Limited is based in Cherry Hinton.
Education
Primary and Secondary
Cambridgeshire has a completely comprehensive education system with 12 independent schools and over 240 state schools, not including sixth form colleges.
Tertiary
The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. One of the campuses of Anglia Ruskin University is located in Cambridge as is one of the regional centres of the Open University.
Settlements
These are the settlements in Cambridgeshire with a town charter, city status or a population over 5,000; for a complete list of settlements see list of places in Cambridgeshire.
- Burwell
- Cambridge
- Chatteris
- Ely
- Godmanchester
- Huntingdon
- Littleport
- March
- Peterborough (no longer part of the administrative county)
- Sawston
- Sawtry
- Soham
- St Ives
- St Neots
- Wisbech
- Whittlesey
- Yaxley
The town of Newmarket is surrounded on three sides by Cambridgeshire, being connected by a narrow strip of land to the rest of Suffolk.
Climate
| Weather data for Cambridge | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 7.0 (45) |
7.4 (45) |
10.2 (50) |
12.6 (55) |
16.5 (62) |
19.4 (67) |
22.2 (72) |
22.3 (72) |
18.9 (66) |
14.6 (58) |
9.9 (50) |
7.8 (46) |
14.1 (57) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.3 (34) |
1.1 (34) |
2.9 (37) |
4.0 (39) |
6.7 (44) |
9.8 (50) |
12.0 (54) |
11.9 (53) |
10.1 (50) |
7.1 (45) |
3.7 (39) |
2.3 (36) |
6.1 (43) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 45.0 (1.77) |
32.7 (1.29) |
41.5 (1.63) |
43.1 (1.7) |
44.5 (1.75) |
53.8 (2.12) |
38.2 (1.5) |
48.8 (1.92) |
51.0 (2.01) |
53.8 (2.12) |
51.1 (2.01) |
50.0 (1.97) |
553.5 (21.79) |
| Source: Met Office | |||||||||||||
Places of interest
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Abbey/Priory/Cathedral |
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Accessible open space |
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Amusement/Theme Park |
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Country Park |
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English Heritage |
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Forestry Commission |
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Heritage railway |
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Historic House |
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Museum (free/not free) |
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National Trust |
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Zoo |
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Famous people from Cambridgeshire
As well as those born in the county there are many notable people from, or associated with, Cambridgeshire who moved there, particularly due to the presence of Cambridge University.
Cambridgeshire lays claim to Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, Prime Minister John Major, businessmen Henry Royce and Peter Boizot, social reformers Octavia Hill and Thomas Clarkson, and economist John Maynard Keynes. Scientists include Brian J. Ford and Stephen Hawking, and Nobel laureate Harold Kroto. Literary figures who hail from Cambridgeshire include John Clare, Samuel Pepys, Lucy M. Boston, Jeffrey Archer, and Douglas Adams ,Olaudah Equiano.
In entertainment, cartoonist Ronald Searle, comedian Rory McGrath, television presenter Sarah Cawood, and radio sports presenter Adrian Durham are all from Cambridgeshire. Paul Nicholas, Richard Attenborough and Warwick Davis are all associated with film, while musicians include Andrew Eldritch, lead singer of The Sisters of Mercy; Andy Bell, lead singer for Erasure; David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett of Pink Floyd; Don Airey, keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple; trombonist Don Lusher; Keith Palmer, of dance music band The Prodigy; Nigel Sixsmith, founding member of The Art Of Sound and well known Keytar player; Matt Bellamy and Operatic Bass-Baritone, Darren Jeffery. Athletes Joe Bugner, Sir Jack Hobbs, Louis Smith and Marty Scurll are also from the county. Richard Garriott, televangelist Peter Foxhall, and Hereward the Wake are from Cambridgeshire.
See also
- Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies
- Cambridgeshire local elections
- High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire
- Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
References
- ^ Hierarchical list of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics and the statistical regions of Europe The European Commission, Statistical Office of the European Communities (retrieved 06 January 2008)
- ^ The Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Order 1964 (SI 1964/366), see Local Government Commission for England (1958 - 1967), Report and Proposals for the East Midlands General Review Area (Report No.3), 31 July 1961 and Report and Proposals for the Lincolnshire and East Anglia General Review Area (Report No.9), 7 May 1965
- ^ The English Non-Metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972 (SI 1972/2039) Part 5: County of Cambridgeshire
- ^ The Cambridgeshire (City of Peterborough) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996 (SI 1996/1878), see Local Government Commission for England (1992), Final Recommendations for the Future Local Government of Cambridgeshire, October 1994 and Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin, December 1995
- ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
- ^ includes hunting and forestry
- ^ includes energy and construction
- ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
External links
- Cambridgeshire County Council
- Cambridgeshire.net community directory
- The Fens of North Cambridgeshire
- Cambridge Market Place Webcam
- Cambridgeshire Family History Society
- Cambridgeshire Community Archive Network
- Cambridgeshire Churches website.
- Cambridgeshire at the Open Directory Project
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