A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume IX

This volume relates to the part of the county lying north-west of Cambridge and includes the histories of twenty-seven parishes forming the hundreds of Chesterton, Northstowe, and Papworth. The area is bounded on the south by the road to St. Neots, on the east by the river Cam, and on the north by the Great Ouse or Old West River; it falls into two distinct physical landscapes, the land in the south sloping gently from a ridge and that in the north forming an extension of the fenlands of the Isle of Ely. Two distinct settlement patterns reflect the geographical division. The villages on the higher ground were mainly devoted to arable farming. Some of the smaller parishes there came into or remained in the hands of a single landowner between the early 16th and the mid 17th century, and each parish tended to be dominated by its principal landowner and the Church of England; population rose steadily in the earlier 19th century but fell sharply from the 1870s. Along the fen edge the parishes were mostly larger and included extensive meadow and pasture created on former marshland; numerous smallholders could support themselves out of theresources of the fens, grazing sheep on the commons, fishing, fowling, and cutting peat, and in the 17th century the villagers combined to resist the attempts of new lay lords to restore seigneurial rights and to inclose large tracts of commons. Religious dissent was strong. From the 1870s the establishment of orchards and market gardens and the growth of the Chivers jam factory at Histon enabled the villages to maintain or increase their population. The south-east corner of the area was particularly affected by the urban and academic expansion of Cambridge in the late 19th and the 20th century; several parishes were largely built up, Chesterton became fully suburban, and research organizations were established.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-197-22773-2

Price:  £60.00

A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume V

This volume contains the histories of 25 parishes in west Cambridgeshire and eight articles on sport. The parishes form the hundreds of Longstowe and Wetherley. On the west they lie along the Old North Road, which has affected thechanging shape and fortunes of some of the villages, while on the east the closeness of Cambridge has been influential through the ownership of land and livings by the colleges and, in modern times, through the spread of satellite housing. The soil is mostly a heavy clay that was not easily drained, and the existence in Wetherley hundred of five deserted village sites may attest the difficulties of cultivation. One site, however, was that of Wimpole, moved to make apark around what became the county's finest country house, once the seat of the Chicheleys and later of Edward Harley, earl of Oxford, and of the earls of Hardwicke. A few other places stand out from their neighbours,Bourn with its Norman castle-site, Caxton as a small market town and coaching centre which prospered until the decline of the Old North Road, and Rupert Brooke's Grantchester. The parishes tend to be small, with nucleated settlements. Much land remained in open fields until the eighth century, and several villages retain extensive greens. During periods of agricultural depression the inhabitants suffered acute poverty; coprolite-digging between 1855 and 1885 brought some prosperity. Modern agriculture includes large-scale arable farming, fruit-growing, and market-gardening. Light industry, cement-works, and radio-telescopes vary the rural scene. Of the sports whose history is toldin the volume, racing takes pride of place since Cambridgeshire includes Newmarket Heath. The presence of the university underlay the development of rowing, football, and cricket, while the county's geographical characteristics have given peculiar importance to wildfowling and skating.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-197-22717-6

Price:  £60.00

A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume VI

This volume contains the histories of 24 parishes in south-east Cambridgeshire, forming the hundreds of Chilford, Radfield, and Whittlesford. Traversed, and in part bounded, by the Icknield Way and the ancient Wool Street, they stretch from the neighbourhood of Cambridge to the Suffolk border. In the valley of the Cam or Granta the arable was cultivated in open fields until the early- rgth-century inclosures. On the south-eastern upland the medieval clearance of ancient woodland in the heavy clays produced much early inclosure, while the heathland lying along the Icknield Way encouraged sheep-farming, and nearer Newmarket is used for stud-farms. Babraham was notable for 17th-century irrigated meadows, and as the home of the Victorian sheep-breeder, Jones Webb. The villages in the river valleys are mostly nucleated; in the less populous eastern part settlement has been more scattered. The former market townof Linton, near the centre of the area, had once two small religious houses, and Castle Camps a motte-and-bailey castle, held by the Veres. Among later mansions, the Tudor Babraham Hall, and Horseheath Hall, a grand classical house, destroyed through its owner's extravagance, have gone. Sawston Hall, the seat of the Catholic Huddlestons during four centuries, survives. The village of Sawston and its neighbours have grown since the 19th-century through the presence of such industries as tanning, paper-making, and the production of fertilizers, and more recently of adhesives, besides light engineering. Further east the land is still devoted mainly to farming.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-197-22746-6

Price:  £60.00

A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume VII

This volume is devoted to an account of Roman Cambridgeshire. It completes the `general' articles on the county for the Victoria History, while the topography, on which four volumes have already been published, remains to be completed in three or four further volumes. Although in Roman times the county in no way formed a unit, and may indeed have been divided between the provinces of Britannia Superior and Inferior along the line of the Fen Causeway, andalthough only a relatively small part of the area looked towards the Roman settlement of Cambridge as its centre while the rest looked towards urban centres tying beyond the later county boundary, it has been possible to piece together the story of Roman Cambridgeshire. To a considerable extent it has been possible because of the pioneering groundwork done by the late Sir Cyril Fox on the Cambridge region, extending beyond the county but including all itssouthern part, and more recently by the Fenland Research Committee, taking in the Isle of Ely along with the rest of the Fens. The author of the present volume, Mr. David Browne, has devoted a long time to the study of Roman Cambridgeshire and has built on the work of his predecessors. Following a discussion of the landscape, which has changed greatly since the 1st century A.D., and of the roads, he unravels the story of settlement in the Roman period, in which the town of Cambridge, the Duroli-ponte of the Antonine Itinerary, provides contrasts with the villages of the Fens and the villas of the southern uplands. An analysis of the recorded items of material culture, together with shorter sections on agricul-ture, currency, religion, and burial, is linked with the settlement history to provide a comprehensive survey which may be used also as a selective gazetteer.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-197-22748-0

Price:  £60.00

A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume VIII

This volume covers the two hundreds of Armingford and Thriplow in south-west Cam-bridgeshire. They comprise 23 ancient parishes, lying between the Gogmagog Hills south-east of Cambridge, where an Iron Age hill fort partly survives, and the clay-covered West Cambridge-shire upland. To the north-west they are largely bounded by the Cam or Rhee, to the south by heathlend along the Icknield Way. The land has long been used mainly for arable farming. Some of the villages, which are mostly nucleated, may stand near the sites of Roman or earlier settlement. Those in the far west had some dependent hamlets, mostly vanished long ago. In that area several villages, after the early inclosure of their poor, heavy soils for pasturage, shrank greatly or, as at Clopton and Shingay, became. entirely deserted. Elsewhere open fields survived until the early 19th century. Later in that century coprolites were widely dug; inthe 20th com-mercial fruit growing was introduced; the chalk has been dug to make cement and whiting; and some of the larger villages, such as Melbourn, have attracted light industry. During the Second World War much level groundwas taken over for airfields. The churches of the area range from the humble early Norman work at Hauxton, through cruciform 13th-century buildings, as at Fowlrnere, to the stately Decorated of Trumpington and Bassingbourn. TheIgth century saw much rebuilding and refurnishing, sometimes financed by local religious plays. Several villages retain much timber framed vernacular building. The only aristocratic mansion, Gogmagog House of the dukes of Leeds at Wandlebury, has been demolished, but lesser houses include some well preserved late medieval manor houses and much good, plain Georgian work, as at Trumpington Hall, seat of the Pembertons. The villages near Cambridge have beengreatly affected in the 20th century by the spread of population.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-197-22757-2

Price:  £60.00

A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume X

The contributions of ordinary men and women, as well as gentry, clergy, farming dynasties, merchants and manufacturers, to the history of the towns, village, hamlets and streets of East Cambridgeshire, and to the working of fens, fields and farms, are clearly revealed in the histories of the twenty-three parishes which make up the four hundreds of Staploe, Staine, Flendish and Cheveley. The region is diverse in character: fenland dominates the north of the region; to the south lies open field arable and heathland, and in Cheveley hundred in the south-west there are hills, a continuation of the East Anglian heights. Major themes include the economy and drainage of the fens, the development of horse breeding around Newmarket, and the growth of industry and communications around Cambridge. The comprehensive history of each parish is fully referenced, illustrated with at least one map, which is complemented by four hundredal articles and an introduction setting out general themes and issues.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-197-22783-1

Price:  £90.00

Ancient Funeral Monuments - 1631

A superb and very ancient book published in 1631 - gravestone & monumental inscriptions in churches in East Anglia, London, the home counties and the south east. Transcribed as they appeared in 1631 !!    

Price:  £13.62

Cambridge 1935-6 Directory

A wonderfully comprehensive directory (over 500 pages) of all households of Cambridge. A superb reference source for those with ancestors in Cambridge.    

Price:  £9.79

Cambridge 1938 The Blue Book

An unusual but fabulously useful directory. An excellent opportunity to discover trades, residences, societies, and much more. Real family history!    

Price:  £15.11

Cambridge in the 1830s

The 169 letters between Gooden and his family and friends collected in this volume constitute a rich and hitherto unknown source for student life in Cambridge in the 1830s. They cover a wide range of topics: friendships, local politics, accommodation, clothing and bills, the personalities and vagaries of dons, and Gooden's health.   hardback   ISBN 978-1-843-83010-8

Price:  £50.00

Cambridgeshire 1830 Pigot's Directory

One of the earliest directories, this one covers the whole of the county. A huge amount of early 19th century information of interest to historians and genealogists.    

Price:  £9.79

Cambridgeshire 1839 Pigot's Directory

A complete directory of the county, quite small, but of immense value to historians and genealogists.    

Price:  £9.79

Cambridgeshire 1850 Slater's Directory

More comprehensive than the earlier Pigot's, contains listings of people with trades in all towns, villages and hamlets, plus descriptions of facilities.    

Price:  £9.79

Cambridgeshire 1851 History, Gazetter & Directory, Robert Gardner

For its early date of 1851, this is an extremely comprehensive directory, and one that has good information on the history of the county too.    

Price:  £12.13

Cambridgeshire 1873 Return of Owners of Land

Lists every person in the county who owned 1 acre of land or more, with name, place, extent of land and its value.    

Price:  £8.94

Cambridgeshire 1879 Kelly's Directory

An excellent resource for genealogists and family historians. This very comprehensive directory describes each place in the county in great detail.    

Price:  £9.79

Cambridgeshire 1888 Kelly's Directory

A comprehensive directory of the tradespeople of the county along with wonderful descriptions. Also includes is a court directory and classified trades directory    

Price:  £12.13

Cambridgeshire 1892 Kelly's Directory

Each town, village and hamlet is described, with details of local history, facilities and institutions. Also directories of private residents and classified trades.    

Price:  £12.13

Cambridgeshire 1896 Kelly's Directory (with map)

A comprehensive county directory. Using this wonderful resource you can build up a picture of where and how your ancestors lived their daily lives.    

Price:  £12.13

Cambridgeshire 1916 Kelly's Directory

A comprehensive directory from a very interesting period of history, being right in the middle of the Great War of 1914-18. Also includes is a beautiful map of the county.    

Price:  £12.13

Cambridgeshire Parish Registers - Marriages (8 Vols)

All 8 volumes of the Phillimore's marriages transcripts, making up the county set.    

Price:  £12.13

Catalogue of European Armour at the Fitzwilliam Museum

The collection of arms and armour in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, is one of the finest in England, and ranks just behind the royal and national collections in terms of the range and quality of its material.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-851-15857-0

Price:  £45.00

East Anglian Society and the Political Community of Late Medieval England

The essays and articles produced by Roger Virgoe (1932-1996) over a period of thirty-five years make a notable contribution to the study of political life in late medieval England, and to our knowledge of the workings of East Anglian gentry society.   paperback   ISBN 978-0-906-21944-7

Price:  £15.00

Handbook of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk & Cambridgeshire (1892)

Published in 1892, a wonderful description of all of the towns and villages in the four counties.    

Price:  £15.11

Handbook of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk & Cambridgeshire (1892)

Published in 1892, a wonderful description of all of the towns and villages in the four counties.    

Price:  £15.11

History of Queens' College, Cambridge 1448-1986

Queens' has the unique distinction of being the foundation of two queens. The development of the college in its early years took place in a political climate unsettled by the Wars of the Roses; the religious changes of the following century saw the college become a centre of humanist learning. Two of the great humanists of the age were both members of the college, and Queen's theatre was noted for its plays, always a part of humanist education. The consolidation of the college's fortunes took place against the more stable climate of the late 16th-early 17th century, reflected in the growing grandeur of presidential lifestyles and the temptations of monarchs to interfere in collegeelections. The interruption of civil war and revolution was succeeded by a period of Whig liberalism, itself brought to an abrupt end by the arch-evangelical president Isaac Milner. The Victorians shaped the modern university: reforming fellows devoted themselves to their colleges and their students, and for the first time an academic profession arose. To bring the story up to date, John Twigg charts the changes of the 20th century: the new political awareness and the pressures it has brought with it, and the continuing complexity of running the college. The history of any college is essentially made by its fellows and students, and they are not neglected: John Twigg draws revealing portraits and relates the anecdotes that are the stuff of college life while unfolding the absorbing history of Queens'.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-851-15488-6

Price:  £35.00

History of St John's College Cambridge, Part 1

A very detailed scholarly history of the college, including transcripts of old manuscripts and letters, etc. Fully searchable using Adobe Acrobat Reader.    

Price:  £15.11

Liber Eliensis

This is the first ever translation from Latin into English of an important source for English and ecclesiastical history. The Liber Eliensis is an account of the history of the Isle of Ely compiled by a monk of Ely monastery in the later twelfth century. He uses evidence from the monastery's Latin and Old English archives, combined with chronicle data and biographies of saints and heroes, to tell the story of Ely in three parts.   paperback   ISBN 978-1-843-83015-3

Price:  £30.00

Maps - Vol. 8 - Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk

An incredibly useful resource! Really high quality digitised maps that you can zoom in and in to see the finest detail.    

Price:  £9.79

Pigot's 1831 Topography and Gazetteer of England

Superb and rare topography and gazetteer of; Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, Middlesex, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex and Wiltshire.    

Price:  £15.11

Reformation and Religious Identity in Cambridge, 1590-1644

The character of the English Church at the end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century has always been a contentious historical issue. Concentrating on Cambridge University - where the critical theological debates took place and where new generations were schooled in learning and prejudice - this book aims to shed new light on the question, making use of a wealth of previously underexploited material from the archives of the University and the Colleges, and paying attention to some significant and unjustly neglected figures. After setting the scene in the seventeenth-century city and university, the book goes on to provide a careful and detailed analysis of the debate about Anglicans and Puritans, Arminians and Calvinists; it offers a lively account of bitter academic and religious rivalries fought out in sermons, academic exercises and in print. DAVID HOYLE is Canon Residentiary at Gloucester Cathedral and Director of Ministry in the Diocese of Gloucester.   hardback   ISBN 978-1-843-83325-3

Price:  £55.00

The Cartulary of Chatteris Abbey

Takes its place as perhaps the finest available study of a house for women religious. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW The fifteenth-century cartulary of the Benedictine nunnery of Chatteris Abbey in Cambridgeshire (founded in the earlyeleventh century) has important implications for the study of women religious, especially in the light of the small number of surviving cartularies from English nunneries, yet until now it has received little attention, perhaps due to its damage in the Cotton Library fire of 1731. This critical edition of the manuscript, which contains documents copied into it from the mid-twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, offers a full transcription, together with historical notes and apparatus. The introduction draws on the cartulary itself, as well as manorial and episcopal records, to analyse the nunnery's relationship with its patron, the bishop of Ely, and the development and management of its estates; it also examines the location and layout of the abbey, the social and geographical origins of the nuns, and the production and organisation of the cartulary. The edition is accompanied by an annotated list of all known abbesses, prioresses and nuns.
CLAIRE BREAY gained her Ph.D. at the Institute for Historical Research at the University of London; she is currently a curator of medieval manuscripts at the British Library.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-851-15750-4

Price:  £55.00

The Gentleman's Magazine Library 1731-1868, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire & Cornwall

The original Gentleman's Magazine contained articles on a vast array of subjects, including lots of wonderful topographical pieces. In 1891 George Gomme republished all of these topograhical articles but edited and indexed them into county specific order. Each of Gomme's works contains between two and four separate counties, except for the London volumes. An absolute goldmine of information about the county, its people and its places.    

Price:  £12.13

The Journal of William Dowsing

During the Civil War, in late 1643 and 1644, the Suffolk puritan William Dowsing visited some hundred parish churches in Cambridgeshire, and about a hundred and fifty in Suffolk, smashing stained glass and other 'superstitious' imagery, ripping up monumental brass inscriptions, destroying altar rails and steps, and pulling down crucifixes and crosses.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-851-15833-4

Price:  £50.00

The Victoria History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume IV

The Isle of Ely: Liberty and City of Ely. Ely, North and South Witchford, and Wisbech hundreds.Parishes: Benwick, Caxton, Coveney, Doddington, Downham, Elm, Ely, Haddenham, Leverington, Littleport, Manea, March, Mepal, Newton inthe Isle, Outwell, Parson Drove, Stanground North, Stretham, Sutton, Thetford, Thorney, Tydd St Giles, Upwell, Welches Dam, Wentworth, Whittlesey, Wilburton, Wimblington, Wisbech, Wisbech St Mary, Witcham, Witchford.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-712-90244-1

Price:  £75.00

The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely: Volume I

Natural History. Early Man. Anglo-Saxon Remains. Domesday. Inquisition Comitatus Cantabrigiensis.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-712-90241-0

Price:  £75.00

The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely: Volume II

Social and Economic History. Ecclesiastical History. Religious Houses. Industries. Political History.   hardback   ISBN 978-0-712-90242-7

Price:  £75.00

The Visitation of Cambridge 1575 & 1619

Pedigrees of Cambridgeshire families in 1575 and 1619.    

Price:  £12.13