Exning

Last updated

Exning
Exning - Church of St Martin.jpg
Church of St Martin, Exning
Suffolk UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Exning
Location within Suffolk
Population1,960 (2011) [1]
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Newmarket
Postcode district CB8
List of places
UK
England
Suffolk
52°16′00″N0°21′00″E / 52.2667°N 0.35°E / 52.2667; 0.35

Exning is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England.

Contents

It lies just off the A14 trunk road, roughly 12 miles (19 km) east-northeast of Cambridge, and 10 miles (16 km) south-southeast of Ely. The nearest large town is Newmarket.

The most conspicuous building in Exning is the church of St Martin, which is visible from the A14.

History

Local lore reputes Exning to have been the capital of the Iceni tribe and therefore the home of Queen Boadicea (Boudicca). [2]

"The Island", a moated earthworks to the south of the parish is no longer visible following the building of the New Market bypass (originally part of the A45, before being redesignated the A14 [3] in 1973. [4] This led to the destruction of the site and its consequential delisting as a scheduled monument. However the sit was examined before the destruction of the site. [3]

Exning is reputed to have been the birthplace of Saint Ethelreda, to whom the cathedral at Ely is dedicated, though this is disputed.

A spring at Exning was named St Wendreda's Well, and a local legend had it that the seventh-century Saint Wendreda used its water for healing. Newmarket jockeys used to take horses there to drink before a race. [5] At the time of William the Conqueror, Exning was in Staploe Hundred. [6] Later, the settlement was in the Liberty of Ely.[ citation needed ] When the powers of the Liberty were reduced, some of its territory returned to Suffolk, including Exning – albeit as a part of Lackford Hundred, where it would remain until the Victorian period. For several centuries, the part of Suffolk centred on Exning was almost an enclave of the county within the confines of Cambridgeshire. [7] The parish of Newmarket All Saints was transferred from Cambridgeshire to this virtual enclave in 1894, but it continued to be practically detached until boundary changes in the area widened considerably the "bridge" between it and the rest of Suffolk a hundred years later. [8]

The Rosery Hotel is an early Victorian building which was frequently visited by Queen Mary.

During the Second World War, the headquarters of No. 3 Group of RAF Bomber Command were located in Harraton House. Nearby Newmarket Heath, the northwest corner of which borders on Exning, was used as an airfield for, amongst others, Stirling III Bombers of No. 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF. Little evidence remains of this chapter in Exning's history, apart from a single aircraft hangar on Heath Road, Burwell (near the One Thousand Guineas Connect service station on the A14 trunk road) and a memorial plaque on the racecourse.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newmarket, Suffolk</span> Market town in Suffolk, England

Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, Located 14 miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 14 miles northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred horse racing. It is a major local business cluster, with annual investment rivalling that of the Cambridge Science Park, the other major cluster in the region. It is the largest racehorse training centre in Britain, the largest racehorse breeding centre in the country, home to most major British horseracing institutions, and a key global centre for horse health. Two Classic races, and an additional three British Champions Series races are held at Newmarket every year. The town has had close royal connections since the time of James I, who built a palace there, and was also a base for Charles I, Charles II, and most monarchs since. Elizabeth II visited the town often to see her horses in training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burwell, Cambridgeshire</span> Village in Cambridgeshire, England

Burwell is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, some 10 miles north-east of Cambridge. It lies on the south-east edge of the Fens. Westward drainage is improved by Cambridgeshire lodes (waterways), including Burwell Lode, a growth factor in the village. A population of 6,309 in the 2011 census was put at 6,417 in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A14 road (England)</span> Major road in England

The A14 is a major trunk road in England, running 127 miles (204 km) from Catthorpe Interchange, a major intersection at the southern end of the M6 and junction 19 of the M1 in Leicestershire to the Port of Felixstowe, Suffolk. The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E24 and E30. It is the busiest shipping lane in East Anglia carrying anything from cars to large amounts of cargo between the UK and Mainland Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soham</span> Human settlement in England

Soham is a town and civil parish in the district of East Cambridgeshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket. Its population was 12,336 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Heath District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Forest Heath was a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Mildenhall. Other towns in the district included Newmarket. The population of the district at the 2011 Census was 59,748.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A11 road (England)</span> Road in England

The A11 is a major trunk road in England. It originally ran roughly north east from London to Norwich, Norfolk. It now consists of a short section in Inner London and a much longer section in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. The lengthy section between these was renumbered as a result of the opening of the M11 in the 1970s and then the A12 extension in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mepal</span> Human settlement in England

Mepal is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. Mepal is part of the East Cambridgeshire district, and is located just north of the A142 road between Ely and Chatteris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alconbury</span> Human settlement in England

Alconbury is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Alconbury is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being an historic county of England. Alconbury lies approximately 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Huntingdon.

Ashley is a village and civil parish in the East Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Newmarket. The modern village consists of the two ancient parishes of Ashley and Silverley. Ashley covers 2,250 acres (910 ha) and in the 2011 census had a population of 749. Ashley is in the electoral area of Cheveley ward.

Forest Heath District Council in Suffolk, England was elected every four years. between the last boundary changes in 2003 and the final elections in 2015, 27 councillors were elected from 14 wards. The council was abolished in 2019, with the area becoming part of West Suffolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakington</span> Human settlement in England

Oakington is a small rural Anglo-Saxon village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Oakington and Westwick, in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is seven miles (11 km) north-west of Cambridge. In 1961 the parish had a population of 698.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Lodge, Suffolk</span> Human settlement in England

Red Lodge is a village and civil parish situated in rural Suffolk, England, between Mildenhall and Newmarket, and very close to the A11 and A14 roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longstanton</span> Human settlement in England

Longstanton is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Cambridge city centre. Longstanton occupies 2,775 acres (1,123 ha). Longstanton was created in 1953 from the two parishes of Long Stanton All Saints and Long Stanton St Michael. While the village is called Longstanton, the alternative form Long Stanton is still in use, for example when referring to the separate pre-1953 parishes, or to the current ecclesiastical parish.

RAF Newmarket was a Royal Air Force station located near Newmarket, Suffolk, England, near the border with Cambridgeshire. It was opened in 1939 and closed in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chedburgh</span> Human settlement in England

Chedburgh is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the A143 around five miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 650, reducing to 597 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennett, Cambridgeshire</span> Human settlement in England

Kennett is a small village and civil parish at the very eastern tip of Cambridgeshire, England. Situated around 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north-east of Newmarket and 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of Bury St Edmunds, it falls into the county of Suffolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snailwell</span> Human settlement in England

Snailwell is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Newmarket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landwade</span> Human settlement in England

Landwade is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Exning, in the West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is 4 miles north of Newmarket. It was one of the smallest parishes in the county, it is only 1 kilometre from north to south and at most 500m from east to west. In 1951 the parish had a population of 38.

Wendreda, also known as Wendreth, was an Anglo-Saxon nun, healer, and saint, perhaps of the 7th century. She was uncertainly reported as a daughter of King Anna of East Anglia, a Christian king, which would make her a sister of Etheldreda, abbess of Ely, Sexburgha, abbess of Minster-in-Sheppey, and Ethelburga, abbess of Faremoutiers, who are all better-known saints, and a half-sister of Sæthryth, also an abbess of Faremoutiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Suffolk District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

West Suffolk District is a local government district in Suffolk, England. It was established in 2019 as a merger of the previous Forest Heath District with the Borough of St Edmundsbury. The council is based in Bury St Edmunds, the district's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Brandon, Clare, Haverhill, Mildenhall and Newmarket, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. In 2021 it had a population of 180,820.

References

  1. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Exning History". Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 Birch, Mel (2004). Suffolk's Ancient Sites- Historic Places. Mendlesham: Castell Publishing. ISBN   0-948134-50-X.
  4. ↑ "EXG 010 - The Island (Med) - Suffolk Heritage Explorer". heritage.suffolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "Saint Wendreda: the story of a Saxon Princess". Fensmuseums.org.uk. Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Suffolk". Open Domesday. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Current and historic counties". Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  8. ↑ "The Cambridgeshire and Suffolk (County Boundaries) Order 1992". Legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.