The county of Cambridgeshire, home to a plethora of picturesque villages with roots tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon and Ancient Roman periods, also harbours some abandoned or forgotten settlements over the centuries.
These historical places were once bustling with life hundreds of years ago, but today, they bear little to no physical evidence of their past existence. However, historical records provide us with insights into these lost settlements, including their locations and population sizes.
Take for instance Wimpole, known for its grand 17th-century mansion and stunning acres of ancient landscape parkland and farmland. This estate was once a thriving community, housing several families who worked the land.
The earliest mention of the parish on the current estate is in the Domesday Book of 1086. The land was split between two owners: Earl Gyrth and Eddeva the Fair, with the majority of the parish being arable farmland.
Details about the villagers remain largely unknown until 1560 when the parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials began. These documents reveal that some of the earliest family names residing there included Mawlden, More, Pratt, Tyton, Semer and Brocke, reports Cambridgeshire Live.
One of the most comprehensive records of Wimpole Parish dates back to 1638, as depicted in Hare’s Map. This map was crafted by Benjamin Hare for the lord of the manor, Thomas Chicheley, prior to the construction of the current Wimpole Hall.
The map illustrates clusters of homes surrounding a moated manor with a deer park, and a network of roadways and tracks across the parish. Some of these appear to be long-distance routes, potentially linking Arrington and Great Eversden.
However, this landscape soon transformed, and within a few years, the parish was entirely abandoned. In 1640, the Manor House was torn down, paving the way for the construction of Wimpole Hall.
Over the subsequent 200 years, as the Hall and park expanded, taxes were increased. Settlements such as Bennall End, Thresham End, Wratworth and Ratford vanished without a trace.
Despite the 1801 census recording 56 families (a population of 202), only eight tenants, along with Lord Hardwicke, owned enough land to feature in the land tax assessment of 1810. The present-day village of Wimpole was established around 1840, absorbing what remained of the previous settlements.
Today, very few traces of the old routes and houses remain, although plenty of medieval ridge and furrow created by their ploughing still exists in the park. The Wimpole Estate, situated in Royston, is now under the ownership of the National Trust.
