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Little Wilbraham is a village in
Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...
, England, east of
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
between the A1303 and the A11. It is in the district of
South Cambridgeshire South Cambridgeshire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district of Cambridgeshire, England, with a population of 162,119 at the 2021 census. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambri ...
. It is a small village with a population of only 394, increasing to 425 at the 2011 census, and there is little employment within the village. The church of Saint John the Evangelist lies to the east of the village.


History

Little Wilbraham was an independent village by 1086, known as Little Wilbraham by the 13th century - however also known as 'Little Wilborham' during the early 17th century. In the mid-nineteenth century burials were excavated in the village, dating to the early medieval period, recovering 188 inhumations and 125 cremations, with notable finds including an iron-bound bucket and a horse burial. No
ancient woodland In the United Kingdom, ancient woodland is that which has existed continuously since 1600 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). The practice of planting woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 1600 i ...
was recorded in 1086, but 13
peasants A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising f ...
were. The number of landholders increased to c. 40 by 1279. In 1563 there were only 21 families. Under Charles II, there were c. 40 dwellings and 124 adults. By the 1750s, this stood at 41 families with 183 adults. The total
population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
rose steadily to reach 392 in 1851 and then 412 in 1881 before falling gradually to 266 in 1951. It now stands at 394. Nowadays, a few small
farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a men's social fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 34 active chapters in the United States and Canada.FarmHouse Fraternity New Memb ...
s and cottages survive from the 17th and early 18th century including White Hall, as timber-framed building from around 1600. Since 1800, there has been a divide in habitation in the village. To the east, on a street called Green Street by 1460, lay the rectory and the church whilst to the west, as section called Hawk Street, most of the farmhouses and cottages existed. The Gate, originally the main village public house, recorded from 1783, closed after 1937. The Hole in the Wall, however, was still open until recently in a 3 bayed, mid 16th century building, enlarged westward in the 18th century.


St. John the Evangelist

The main body of St. John's Church in Little Wilbraham dates from the mid 13th century. The first known rector of the church was Walter, son of William, who lived around 1230. Late in the 13th century, the north aisle was added, probably originally as a chapel. On the outside, set into the flint wall, are the remains of the lower half of a
crusader Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Military * Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades * Convair NB-36H Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber * Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II * Crusaders (guerrilla), a C ...
cross and this, along with the memory of the Order of the Templars, demonstrates the close links between the village and one of the Military Orders of the Crusading period. The 14th century saw major changes to the church. Early in the 14th century, the square tower was added at the west end, strengthened by supporting abutments or flying arches. On the north side, the wall was reconstructed so the top half of the crusader cross was lost. New windows were built in. Nearing the end of the 14th century, five ornate windows were also added. In the 15th century, the south side of the chancel was reconstructed and the oak door leading into the church was added. The octagonal font to be found in the church is a remarkably well preserved example of perpendicular stone-work. The church at this time would have looked very similar to how it looks today. The tomb on the left side of the altar commemorates Revd. Erasmus Lane, rector who died on 27 October 1715, aged 75. In the chancel are two further tombs, one commemorating William Blackwey (died 11 April 1521) and the other for Rev. John Hook, fellow of Bene't College, who died on 12 August 1777.Little Wilbraham Church Guide


Services

The nearest hospital is
Addenbrooke's Addenbrooke's Hospital is a large teaching hospital and research centre in Cambridge, England, with strong affiliations to the University of Cambridge. Addenbrooke's Hospital is located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. It is run by Cambridg ...
in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
; the Doctors surgeries are in
Bottisham Bottisham is a village and civil parish in the East Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about east of Cambridge, halfway to Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,983, including Ch ...
away and
Fulbourn Fulbourn is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, with evidence of settlement dating back to Neolithic times. The village was probably established under its current name by 1200. The waterfowl-frequented stream after which it was named lies i ...
. The majority of children attend the Church Controlled Primary School in Great Wilbraham, which was built in 1996 and has approximately 100 on roll. They then move on to Bottisham Village College. A Playgroup meets in a mobile classroom in the school grounds. There are no shops in the village and the nearest Post Office is in Great Wilbraham, there is however a small pub and a post box. There is no projected housing for the village as it is infill only. Many villagers also play in the local cricket and football teams based in the nearby village of Great Wilbraham.


See also

* Great Wilbraham * Great Wilbraham Preceptory *
Wilbraham, Massachusetts Wilbraham is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb of the City of Springfield, and part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,613 at the 2020 census. Part of the town comprise ...


References


External links


2001 Census
{{authority control Villages in Cambridgeshire Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire South Cambridgeshire District