At the 2021 census, Balsham parish had a population of 3,594.[1]
History
In 1015, Balsham was totally destroyed by Viking raiders. A sign on the village green commemorates the sole survivor of the attack who escaped by hiding in the parish church.[2] It was the birthplace of scholastic philosopherAdam of Balsham.
In 1568 Richard Killingworth, Esq., was granted an estate at Balsham, which in 1590 belonged to his son and heir John Killingworth and was called Place Manor, much later becoming Place Farm. In 1617, the year of John's death, he still held the manor on the site of what in 1975 was called Balsham Place, together with freehold and copyhold lands, an enclosure in Balsham Wood, and heathland in the west part of the parish. His eldest son Giles (born 1571) thereafter held the manor of the Charterhouse Foundation, the feudal superior. A Mr. Killingworth still held the estate in 1715 when it appeared to extend to 261 acres, but in 1756 it was for sale.[3]
The current church has a mix of dates, with the bell tower being the oldest part, dating from the 13th century. It was possibly built by Hugh de Balsham, who was Bishop of Ely between 1257 and 1286.[5] The chancel dates from the early 14th century, whilst the nave with its clerestory dates from the late 14th – the 26 stalls with their misericords were added during this building phase and probably date from 1400. A rood loft was added in the latter half of the 15th century, and the chancel roof was raised with its clerestory being added at the same time.
At some (unrecorded) time between the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the end of The Commonwealth, 17 of the misericords were removed, leaving nine. In the 19th century one misericord, which may have been the work of Canon H.J.S. Burrell, a former rector who was a noted woodcarver, was added.
The 19th century saw some extensive renovation, with the roofs being renewed, and the clerestories being repaired. A vestry was added on the north side in 1867, and further restoration was carried out in 1875. Further works have been carried out in the 20th century, with the addition of a chapel in the north aisle, containing an Elizabethanaltar table. In 1973 the bell tower was strengthened.
There are images and a description of the church at the Cambridgeshire Churches website.[6] The church has a number of 15th-century memorial brasses, including two rectors, John Sleford (d. 1401) and John Blodwell (d. 1462), and an unknown knight in Yorkist armour (c.1480s). The brasses have been moved from their original locations within the church.[7]
The village was at one time noted for its large community of Familists, members of an Anabaptist religious sect led by Christopher Vitell.[8] There is also an extensive history of other non-conformist congregations, from at least 1654.[9]
Balsham is in the Linton Electoral Division for County Council elections.[12]
Balsham is in the South Cambridgeshire local government district. Balsham Parish Council meets on the 3rd Monday of each month (excluding August and December) at the Sports Pavilion.[13] The village is part of a two-seat Ward that also comprises Carlton, Castle Camps, Horseheath, Shudy Camps, West Wickham, West Wratting and Weston Colville.
Geography
Balsham is a large parish covering 1,831 hectares (4,520 acres). It is located at 52°7′54″N0°19′22″E / 52.13167°N 0.32278°E / 52.13167; 0.32278 in south east Cambridgeshire, near the county boundaries with Essex and Suffolk. The village is 9 miles (14km) south east of the city of Cambridge. The larger village of Linton is to the south west, and smaller villages of West Wickham and West Wratting lie to the south east and north east respectively.
The village is sited on a ridge which runs from east to west, reaching 380 feet (116m) at its eastern edge. From the village, the ground falls away to open countryside.[14]
Economy and landmarks
Balsham has a post office/general store and a Coffee Shop (which was, until recently, a butcher's shop, hence the name "The Old Butchers"[15]). The village also has two public houses – The Black Bull[16] and The Bell.[17]
The Prince's Memorial bandstand.
Prince's Memorial is a full-sized bandstand opposite the village green.
The Icknield Way Path passes through the village on its 110-mile journey from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Suffolk. The Icknield Way Trail, a multi-user route for walkers, horse riders and off-road cyclists also passes through the village. A stone marking the route of the Icknield Way is located on the village green.
Balsham was served briefly by train in the 1840s by Balsham Road on the Newmarket and Chesterford Railway, one of the earliest railway closures in history when the line was diverted to Cambridge.
Education
The Meadow Community Primary School on the High Street provides for primary school children aged from 4 to 11. The school had 234 pupils in 2016.[21][22] Children from the surrounding villages West Wratting, West Wickham, and Weston Colville also attend the school, travelling there by bus. Children of secondary school age travel to nearby Linton Village College.[23]
The Holy Trinity Church holds two services every Sunday and communion every Wednesday. The church also plays host to two yearly concerts by the village choir, the Balsham Singers.[24] The village has a large recreation ground and bowling green used by football, cricket, and bowls teams.[25]
Media
Balsham is covered by several local newspapers. The Cambridge Evening News is published each afternoon and occasionally contains news about the village, while the Haverhill Echo appears every Thursday. The Saffron Walden Reporter is a free newspaper delivered weekly to every residence in the village. Balsham Review is a monthly parish magazine with local news, sporting reports, and advertisements. Local radio stations include BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and Heart Cambridge.
South Cambridgeshire is a 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 Cambridgeshire Rural District. It completely surrounds the city of Cambridge, which is administered separately from the district by Cambridge City Council.
The Abingtons are a community in South Cambridgeshire consisting of two small villages: Little Abington and Great Abington, about 7 miles (11 km) south east of Cambridge.
Linton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, on the border with Essex. The village is approximately 8 miles (13 km) southeast from the city and county town of Cambridge. The A1307 passes through the village.
South Cambridgeshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the 2024 United Kingdom general election by Pippa Heylings of the Liberal Democrats.
Babraham is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of Cambridge on the A1307 road.
Bartlow is a small village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about 12 miles (19 km) south-east of Cambridge and 7 miles (11 km) west of Haverhill in Suffolk. The River Granta runs through the village. In 2021 the parish had a population of 101.
Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth is a civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles south-west of Cambridge and just north of Royston, Hertfordshire. Since the 1960s the parish contains the villages of Bassingbourn and Kneesworth.
The Cambridgeshire County Football League, currently styled as the Adcock Cambridgeshire County League for sponsorship purposes, is a football league competition covering Cambridgeshire and western parts of Suffolk, Norfolk and northwestern parts of Essex in England. It has a total of 18 divisions, headed by the Premier Division. The Premier Division sits at step 7 of the National League System. Below the Premier Division lies the Senior A Division and Senior B Division. Below those two leagues, the structure splits into two parallel ladders of five divisions each. The Premier Division champions may apply for promotion to the Eastern Counties League Division One, the United Counties League Division One or the Spartan South Midlands League but few take up the offer. For instance, at the end of the 2021–22 season, Great Shelford, traditionally one of the stronger sides in the league, were the Premier Division champions, but did not apply for promotion. However, Eaton Socon FC, who finished fourth in the same season, were successful in their application to join the SSMFL Division One as they were the only club with the correct ground grading required for step 6 football.
Pampisford is a village, south of Cambridge, on the A505 road near Sawston, Cambridgeshire, England.
Newmarket is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was created upon the splitting up of the three member Cambridgeshire constituency into three single member divisions in 1885. The seat was abolished in 1918.
Dullingham is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England. It is situated 4 miles (6 km) south of Newmarket and 14 miles (23 km) east of Cambridge.
Fleam Dyke is a linear earthwork between Fulbourn and Balsham in Cambridgeshire, initiated some time between AD 330 and AD 510. It is three miles long and seven metres high from ditch to bank, and its ditch faces westwards, implying invading Saxons as its architects. Later, it formed a boundary of the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Flendish Hundred. At a prominent point, the earthwork runs beside Mutlow Hill, crowned by a 4000-year-old Bronze Age burial mound.
Stour Brook is a river that starts north west of the town of Haverhill, Suffolk just over the Cambridgeshire border in the parish of West Wickham. After leaving Haverhill, it quickly joins the River Stour by the village of Wixoe, Essex. During its course through Haverhill, most of the natural channel of this river has been replaced with a concrete channel.
Great Wratting is a village and civil parish in England, about four miles from Haverhill, Suffolk, in the valley of the River Stour. There is a ford across the Stour in the centre of the village, where bathing and fishing are common pursuits. The river here is heavily populated by crayfish, a non native species long since escaped from farms near the mouth of the Stour.
West Wratting is a village and civil parish 10 miles southeast of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire. At 390 feet (120 m) above sea level, it can claim to be one of the highest villages in Cambridgeshire.
Snailwell is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Newmarket.
West Wickham is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, 10 miles south-east of Cambridge on the border with Suffolk.
Linton was a rural district in Cambridgeshire, England, from 1894 to 1934.
References
1 2 "Quick Profile". Cambridge Insight. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
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