Papworth St. Agnes

Papworth St Agnes used to be part of the Papworth Hundred, which included the villages of Boxworth, Conington, Elsworth, Fen Drayton, Graveley, Knapwell, Over, Papworth St. Agnes, Papworth Everard, Swavesey, and Willingham.
Papworth St Agnes, formerly known as Papworth Agnes is said to have taken its name from one Agnes de Papewurda (Reaney, Place Names of Cambs, 171).

The whole parish lies in an area of Best Landscape, with three sites of Natural History interest,

  • Ermine St Wood (Grid Ref:271654),
  • Lattenbury Hill Wood (Grid Ref: 268660,
  • Meadows (Grid Ref: 268645).

The area is 1,298 acres. It used to extend to 1316 acres, but 18 of these were lost to Papworth Everard during modern boundary adjustments, which came into operation October 8th, 1904. 

Until 1895 some 586 acres in the N.E. lay in Huntingdonshire and the rest lay in Cambridgeshire, with the boundary running between the chimneys of the Manor.

The B1040 on the south-east is part of the county boundary on the south to the Nill Well where it follows the stream north to the Graveley road, and further north to the former county boundary of Huntingdonshire

On the east, Ermine Street (A1198) separates Papworth St Agnes from Hemingford Abbots and Hilton.

Nill Well is notable because it is a chalybeate spring meaning the water is impregnated with iron salts
The meadows between the brook and to the west of the houses are a conservation area which includes a site of Natural History Interest

The original village can be traced in the settlement remains between existing cottages and the Manor house.

This aerial photo, taken in the early 1990's shows the village at the end of a long hot summer.

The older buildings of note include:
The Parish Church of St John the Baptist which was mentioned in the Domesday book (1087) was rebuilt in 1530 under the will of Anthony Mallory, and was again rebuilt in 1848, and 1854. In 1976 the Church commisioners declared the Church to be redundant, and in 1979 proposed to demolish the building. The villagers petitioned against this and proposed to take the upkeep of the building over. With the help of the Friends of Friendless Churches, and a great deal of fund raising the building has been restored and is used for a variety village activities.
In the reign of King John the manor of Russells, belonged to a family of that name, from whom it passed successively to the families of Papworth and Mallory. Much of the current building, formerly known as Manor Farm, was built for William Mallory in 1585. Sir Thomas Mallory, author of Morte d'Arthur, died in Papworth St. Agnes in the 15th century.

Sometime before 1637 William Mallory's grandson sold Manor Farm to the Caters.  There was a bell in the church bearing the name of Thomas Cater.

A moat and various earthworks that have been disrupted by the road running through the village surround the Manor.  (A detailed description of this building and earthworks is to be found in “An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Cambridgeshire, Volume One)
The Rectory, now alienated, is a 2-storied building built of white brick by the Rev. H.J. Sperling in 1847-8 by a builder called John Bland at a price of £497 exclusive of timber, which was supplied by the estate.
The School House, now a dwelling, has rendered walls and a tiled roof.  Its south end is towards the church, and is said to date from 1840.
The communal Bakehouse standing on a small village green dates from 1850.  It has an industrial chimney and was also used for scalding pigs.
Passhouse Farm – now Passhouse Farmhouse – dates from 17th century and is an L-shaped framed and plastered building with a thatched roof, and has been much altered over the years. It backs onto the Meadows that are an area of special Natural History interest, that are currently maintained under a scheme of Stewardship. Aerial maps of the village show ridge and furrow remains of both open field furlongs and old closes in the Meadows. These are also visible around Dumptilow Farm, Lattenbury Hill and north of the Manor.
Dumptilow Farm dates from mid 19th century.  Hill Farm was build around 1800.  Both are built of white brick.
The soil is heavy clay with a subsoil of blue gault. The chief crops are wheat, oats, barley, rape and beans.
Manor Cottage Four thatched cottages remain, one at the north end of the village opposite the bakehouse, the other three being at the south end of the village.  Between these are a group of modern houses, built during the last 30 years.
The Old Reading Room The Old Reading Room was knocked down in 2000, and a new 2 bedroomed cottage was built in it place.  Next to it stands an old-fashioned red telephone box, still functioning although every house in the village now has at least one, if not more, phone lines going into their house.
The whole parish lies in an area of Best Landscape, with three sites of Natural History interest, Ermine St Wood (Grid Ref:271654), Lattenbury Hill Wood (Grid Ref: 268660, Meadows (Grid Ref: 268645).
The population in 1921 was 116. In 1951 the population of the village had shrunk to 90. By the 1960’s the village had decayed to a collection of 19th century cottages interspersed with derelict closes. The population fell to a low point of 40 in the mid 1970’s and is currently around 50.  Since the 1970's there has been some development in the form of individual private detached houses and some cottages have been restored.  The Church is now looked after by the Friends of Papworth St Agnes Church (FOPSAC) for village activities on behalf of the Friends of Friendless Churches.
 

Sources:

1. Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, England (1968). An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Cambridgeshire, Volume One, West Cambridgeshire

2. South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 1999