Helpston (also, formerly, "Helpstone") is an
English village formerly in the
Soke of Peterborough, geographically in
Northamptonshire, subsequently (1965–1974) in
Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative and geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgeshire.
Formation
The Local Government Act 1888 created fo ...
, then in
Cambridgeshire, and administered by the
City of Peterborough
The City of Peterborough is a unitary authority district with city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The area is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough but also covers a wider area of outlying villages and ha ...
unitary authority.
The
civil parish of Helpston covers an area of and had an estimated population in 2011 of 981.
The parish church is dedicated to
St Botolph
Botolph of Thorney (also called Botolph, Botulph or Botulf; later known as Saint Botolph; died around 680) was an English abbot and saint. He is regarded as the patron saint of boundaries, and by extension, of trade and travel, as well as vario ...
; the
chancel window was created by
Francis Skeat and depicts "
Christ in Majesty".
The poet
John Clare was born in Helpston in 1793 and is buried in the churchyard of St Botolph's.
The thatched cottage where he was born was bought by the John Clare Trust in 2005. The
John Clare Cottage, at 12 Woodgate, has been restored using traditional building methods and is open to the public. In 2013 the John Clare Trust received a grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund to help preserve the building and provide educational activities for youngsters visiting the cottage.
John Clare Primary School is named after the poet.
The name Helpston is
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
in origin and means the farmstead (''tun'') first settled by ''Help'' (an
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
personal name).
Helpston is well known for its athletics club, Helpston Harriers AC, who aspire to improve local running standards.
Gallery
File:UK Helpston.jpg, Village sign
File:John Clare's birthplace, Helpston, Peterborough - geograph.org.uk - 217344.jpg, John Clare Cottage
File:Bluebells at Helpston Heath - geograph.org.uk - 641739.jpg, '' Bluebells'' at Helpston Heath
File:Butter Cross and parish church, Helpston, Peterborough - geograph.org.uk - 87485.jpg, Butter Cross and parish church
History
In July 1822 it was reported that a
deodand
A deodand is a thing forfeited or given to God, specifically, in law, an object or instrument that becomes forfeited because it has caused a person's death.
The English common law of deodands traces back to the 11th century and was applied, on ...
of 20 shillings was laid upon the cart held responsible for the death of John Price, aged twelve, the driver of the cart. The inquest was held at the Bell Inn. Deodands were abolished under the
Deodands Act 1846 24 years later.
See also
*
Helpston railway station
References
External links
Helpston Parish WebsiteA website about the villageClare Cottage
Villages in Cambridgeshire
Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire
Geography of Peterborough
{{Cambridgeshire-geo-stub