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George in 1665 and the Five Bells in 1671 though by the late 19th century the number had risen to 16 with the George and the Vine the most notable. The White Hart opened in 1910; there were still 7 pubs in 1933 and 5 in 1982, of which the oldest was the Duke of
Wellington, known as the Warriors in the 18th century.
297:, on the B1050 road, Willingham Parish occupies 4,641 acres (1,878 ha), and had a population in 2007 of 3,900 people, increasing to 4,015 at the Census 2011. The highest point in the village is only approximately 23 feet (7 m) above sea level and Willingham has become increasingly at risk from flooding.
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in 1086 to 79 in 1251, and in 1377 the poll tax was paid by 287 adults. By 1801 the population was almost 800 inhabitants growing to more than 1,600 in 1851 despite a wave of emigration to
America in the 1830s. Numbers then remained generally constant until the 1960s when it grew rapidly again, and
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Willingham has a primary school, library, surgery, post office and a number of shops and restaurants. There are currently three pubs in the village — the Duke of
Wellington (closed since late 2022 whilst seeking new tenants), The Bank and The Porterhouse Pub. The first recorded alehouses were the
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was built on the foundations of the 12th-century building. Mainly constructed in the 14th century, it consists of a chancel with north vestry, nave, a south porch and a west tower with an unusual spire. It has notable 14th and 15th-century figure paintings, including a rare picture of a pregnant
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One of the oldest houses in the village dates from the 15th century. Willingham's history is closely associated to its position on the edge of the Fens and it was only with the major efforts to drain the Fens during the 17th century that the parish took its modern structure. During the
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Willingham has a Parish
Council made up of 15 Councillors all of whom are volunteers. The period of office is normally 4 years, but if they have been co-opted or elected at a by-election, they will serve until the next normal election time which at the moment is May 2025.
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The name
Willingham probably originated from being the homestead of the family or followers of a man called "Wifel" and was called Vuivlingeham c. 1050 and Wivelingham around 1086. The name Wivelingham was also used to refer to the village until the 18th century.
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337:, the majority of the low-lying land in the parish was inundated annually, and the village had two permanent meres, with the larger of the two growing to 380 acres (150 ha) at times of highest water level. It was only with the construction of the sluice at
364:, and that they could not be got rid of after his death until they were held over running water. In 1940, a German spy parachuted into Willingham, and was eventually captured and turned into a
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Evidence of
Christian Anglo-Saxon activity in Willingham has been found, and there has probably been a church in the village since at least the 12th century. The present church of
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A local man named Jabez Few, who died in the 1920s, was regarded by the townspeople of
Willingham as a witch. They claimed that the white mice he kept were his
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The area at the edge of the fens to the north of the present village was already occupied by the 2nd century, though these were at some point abandoned. The
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462:, also known as the Old West River, less than 2 miles (3 km) away. A bus service links Willingham and surrounding villages with Cambridge and St Ives.
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Willingham also has a football club named
Willingham Wolves. It's not known for sure why they took the name of Wolves, though it was presumably for
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The village has a number of amenities for young people provided by the
Willingham Youth Trust and a well established Scout Group.
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candidates in local elections for both the County
Council and the District Council between 1997 and 2016. However, since
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A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 9: Chesterton, Northstowe, and Papworth Hundreds
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that the parish was able to remain largely unflooded. Additional areas were drained by
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Willingham entry in the Victoria County History at British History Online
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in 1650 which diverted the flow of the Ouse from the Old West into the
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485:. The village of Willingham is a direct neighbour of the new town of
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Politically, the electorate of Willingham had voted consistently for
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Willingham's registered population grew from 23 at the time of the
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have been victorious in every local ward election since 2017.
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in 1768, carriage traffic would have run through Willingham.
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causeway, which formed the main route between Cambridge and
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Located approximately 12 miles (19 km) northwest of
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until replaced by steam pumps in the mid-19th century.
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delivered a 60.2% vote in favour of remaining in the
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317:in medieval times and perhaps dating from the
561:The Popular Dictionary of English Place Names
325:, and until the opening of the Cambridge-Ely
282:district and sits just outside the border of
674:"A quick guide to who we are and what we do"
321:, runs through the east of the parish past
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542:A. P. M. Wright & C. P. Lewis (1989).
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403:Willingham All Saints' Church in July 2014
357:passing 2,500 by 1981 and 3,436 in 2001.
465:Villages adjacent to Willingham include
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607:Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain
649:"Willingham Local Election Results"
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450:Transport links nearby include the
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747:Willingham Local Election Results
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653:Willingham Local Election Results
767:Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire
712:Willingham Village Facebook Page
512:. Office for National Statistics
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385:2016 Brexit referendum
191:Postcode district
605:Ash, Russell (1973).
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171:Sovereign state
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559:A.D. Mills (1991).
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631:"Spy Story"
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335:Middle Ages
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756:Categories
658:15 January
493:References
487:Northstowe
319:Bronze Age
272:Willingham
78:Population
60:Willingham
24:Willingham
347:windmills
295:Cambridge
185:Cambridge
181:Post town
483:Bar Hill
454:and the
327:turnpike
284:the Fens
103:District
94:TL408707
516:26 July
475:Rampton
383:in the
311:Aldreth
301:History
242:52°19′N
226:England
163:England
157:Country
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467:Earith
395:Church
387:, the
339:Earith
245:0°04′E
139:Region
677:(PDF)
592:(PDF)
207:01954
660:2024
611:ISBN
518:2016
481:and
471:Over
196:CB24
147:East
315:Ely
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221:UK
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
