LONGSTOWE
The parish of Longstowe, comprising 1,544 a., lies
about 10 miles west of Cambridge, on the borders
of Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire. It is
irregular in outline: its boundary with Bourn on the
east follows the line of Ermine Street, later the Old
North Road, for more than 2 miles, but its other
boundaries are much less uniform. Longstowe lies
on the southern boundary of the hundred which
bears its name, but holds a central position between
its eastern and western extremes. (fn. 1)
The parish lies in undulating country between
the 200 ft. and 250 ft. contours. (fn. 2) It overlies clay on
gault, and except for a number of ponds along the
line of the village street and ornamental lakes in the
grounds of Longstowe Hall the parish is not well
watered. It was a matter for complaint in the 17th
century that the village was 'unhappy for the want
of good water . . . having neither springs nor brooks
to supply that defect.' (fn. 3) Like many of its neighbours
on the clay, it had plenty of woodland in the 11th
century, (fn. 4) though that had largely been cleared by
the end of the 13th century. (fn. 5) Some 40 a. were held
by the lord of the manor by the 16th century,
together with furze and heath. (fn. 6) Anthony Cage the
elder, who purchased the manor in 1571, (fn. 7) made
'a little park for deer and a warren for conies' around
his new house. (fn. 8) The amount of woodland attached
to the manor had increased by the end of the 18th
century, (fn. 9) and by 1857 it was said to be extremely
well timbered with woods and plantations in a
thriving state and an abundance of game. (fn. 10) The
parish continues to be well timbered, particularly
in the north, around the church and Longstowe
Hall. (fn. 11) It is mainly agricultural and until inclosure
in 1799 was farmed in three open fields. (fn. 12)
In terms of population, as in area, Longstowe is
one of the smaller parishes in the hundred. Seventeen people were enumerated in 1086. (fn. 13) In 1327 31
people were assessed for tax. In 1377 97 paid tax, (fn. 14)
and in 1563 24 families were recorded. The population remained fairly constant; in 1674 24 houses
were enumerated (fn. 15) and in 1801 there were 175
inhabitants. There followed a steady rise to 296 in
1891, but within the next decade there was a fall of
over 40, and from 1921 the total has fallen further
in each decade. In 1961 the population was 218. (fn. 16)
Longstowe church, like its neighbours at Caxton
and Arrington, (fn. 17) is sited a little distance away from
the Old North Road, and is isolated from the
present village, being virtually in the grounds of
Longstowe Hall. It is not far removed from the site
of St. Mary's Hospital which stood by the road; (fn. 18)
that concentration in the north end of the parish,
where an area was known c. 1800 as Town Green, (fn. 19)
may have been the nucleus of the medieval village
which, probably by the mid 13th century, had
spread southwards. (fn. 20) The Old North Road seems
to have been of no particular significance in
Longstowe, for the built-up area did not extend to
it until the late 19th century, (fn. 21) though the Golden
Lion inn, later the Redhouse inn, was sited at the
cross-roads with the Cambridge way, presumably
to attract custom from two routes. The road pattern
within the parish at the end of the 18th century was
of two roughly parallel roads running westwards
from the Old North Road, joined by a road running
roughly north-south. The most northerly road,
from Bourn, entered the parish at the Fox crossroads and still exists for a few hundred yards. West
of its junction with the main street of the village, it
once forked, the northern branch forming the
'ancient way' to the hall. The southern fork turned
south and then west, leading towards Great
Gransden. (fn. 22) Roughly parallel was a road in the
south part of the parish known variously as the
Cambridge way, (fn. 23) Gamlingay way, (fn. 24) or Porter's
way. (fn. 25) Its eastern section was in 1966 a wide grassy
track, its western half part of the road to Little
Gransden and Gamlingay. The main street of the
village once joined the two parallel roads. Its
southern end was diverted for the construction of
the Bedford and Cambridge railway, opened in
1862, (fn. 26) its earlier course leading to Copy Yard
Farm.
That road pattern divided the parish into four
unequal areas. In the north, by the time of inclosure
in 1799, lay woods and parkland around the hall
and church, together with a number of small
closes. Similar closes clung to the main street as far
as the Cambridge way. (fn. 27)
The modern settlement pattern of Longstowe is
scattered. The main part of the village is little more
than a loose collection of farm-houses, cottages,
and the Three Horseshoes inn, built in 1865, (fn. 28)
spreading for half a mile. Three farm-houses form
a group of buildings south of the railway, and there
is another group on the road south of the church.
The opening of Old North Road railway station
in 1862 (fn. 29) encouraged building development along
the road, and sites became available south of the
Fox cross-roads in 1870. (fn. 30) Rectory Home Farm,
formerly Glebe Farm, was built early in the 17th
century and restored in the 19th century. Middle
Farm dates from the 17th century, and was remodelled in the mid 18th. A barn south of the Elms
is of the 17th century. The Redhouse inn was built
immediately after inclosure in 1800, under a
covenant that all dung from the stables of the inn
should become the property of the owner of Longstowe Hall. (fn. 31) By 1812 the inn was known as the
Golden Lion (fn. 32) and in 1833 as the New Stables. (fn. 33)
It became the property of the lord of the manor in
1874. (fn. 34)
Manors and Other Estates.
Ethelgiva
(d. 985), wife of the ealdorman Ethelwin, gave to the
monks of Ramsey Abbey (Hunts.) an estate at
Longstowe. It included a hide at Bourn (fn. 35) which was
a berewick of that estate in 1086 and remained
connected with it until the late 13th century. (fn. 36)
The Longstowe property was held by the abbey in
demesne in 1066, when it was reckoned at 2 hides,
but in 1086 it was occupied by a tenant, one Guy. (fn. 37)
Subsequently the Ramsey land at Longstowe may
have been appropriated by Picot the sheriff, for
it was recovered from his successor, Pain Peverel,
lord of Bourn, by Abbot Bernard (d. 1107). (fn. 38) The
overlordship of the chief manor, called from one
of its 12th-century tenants STOWE WYTHE, (fn. 39)
was retained by the abbey until the Dissolution,
after which it may have come to Richard Williams
alias Cromwell, who acquired much Ramsey land
from the Crown in 1540. (fn. 40) Richard's grandson,
Sir Oliver Cromwell, of Hinchingbrooke (Hunts.)
(d. 1635), was said to be overlord c. 1605. (fn. 41)
Reinald, abbot of Ramsey 1114–30, granted the
abbey's demesne at Longstowe among other lands
to Guy of Eu, whose son Gilbert soon after relinquished to Reinald most of the grant, excluding
Longstowe, under an exchange. (fn. 42) Guy of Stowe,
probably son of Gilbert, held 3½ hides of the abbot
in 1166, (fn. 43) and he or a namesake, who held the 3½
hides c. 1185, was still alive in 1200, (fn. 44) and gave his
lands during his lifetime to his son Stephen.
Stephen was dead by 1204, when his son Richard
was defending his title to the estate. (fn. 45) Richard was
dead by 1228, when his widow Agnes held his
lands in dower. His son William, then a minor, (fn. 46)
probably soon died, for by 1230 2 hides at Longstowe were in dispute between Baldwin son of
Stephen and William son of Gilbert, probably son
of Guy of Stowe. (fn. 47) In 1234 they agreed to divide
the estate equally between them, each taking one
hide, which they held accordingly c. 1235, although
Baldwin retained the overlordship and site of the
manor-house. (fn. 48) He was probably still living c.
1251, (fn. 49) but by c. 1270 had been succeeded by his
son William of Stowe, called also William Baldwin, (fn. 50)
who reunited the manor by acquiring the other
half of the fee c. 1272 from his kinsman John, son
of William son of Gilbert and rector of Longstowe.
John's brother Ethelbert renounced his interest for
a life-annuity. William son of Baldwin held the
whole manor in 1279, (fn. 51) and died after 1285. It had
come to his son Baldwin by 1296 when it was
settled upon him and his wife. (fn. 52) Baldwin, who was
alive in 1327, was shortly succeeded by Philip of
Stowe, perhaps his son, (fn. 53) who died c. 1337. (fn. 54)
Philip's widow Maud held 2/3 of the manor in dower
in 1339 when it was settled on Robert Wauton and
his wife Maud, with successive remainders to their
sons William, Bartholomew, Thomas, and John. (fn. 55)
Robert held it in 1346. (fn. 56) By 1396 it had come to
John Wauton, who died after 1412. (fn. 57) His daughter
Margaret married William Denstone who held it in
1428 and died in 1433. (fn. 58) Denstone's son and successor John died in 1462, leaving as heir his daughter
Anne, who had married John Broughton (fn. 59) (d. 1479).
Their estates passed in succession to Broughton's
sons, John (d. 1483) and Robert. (fn. 60) Sir Robert
Broughton on his death in 1506 left Longstowe for
life to his uncle John Leynton. Robert's heir was his
son John, (fn. 61) who died in 1518, leaving as heir a son
John who died, still a minor, in 1528. (fn. 62) His lands
were divided between his sisters and coheirs,
Longstowe being included in the share of Anne,
who had livery in 1529 and died in 1562. She
married Sir Thomas Cheyney, K.G. (d. 1558). (fn. 63)
His son Henry's wardship was granted to Francis,
earl of Bedford, (fn. 64) to whom Anne conveyed Longstowe manor in 1560, (fn. 65) but who evidently resettled
it on Henry Cheyney, for the latter in 1563 granted
it to Thomas Bownest or Downest. (fn. 66) In 1571
Bownest granted Longstowe to Anthony Cage the
elder, (fn. 67) and the descent of the manor then followed
that of Caxton for a century, (fn. 68) passing through the
hands successively of Anthony Cage (d. 1603) and
Sir John Cage (d. 1628) to John's son Sir Anthony.
Sir Anthony sold it to Francis Bickley the younger
in 1649, and he in turn sold it to Ralph (later Sir
Ralph) Bovey in 1655. On Bovey's death in 1679
the manor, unlike that of Caxton, passed to the
Revd. Thomas Davies, who took the additional
name of Bovey. (fn. 69) His daughter and heir Catherine
married Sir Thomas Alston, of Odell (Beds.), in
1750, and despite a separation two years later
Alston retained the property until his death in
1774. (fn. 70) His widow then resumed ownership until
her death in 1778, when the estate passed to John
Wasse of Tempsford (Beds.), her illegitimate
son. (fn. 71) Wasse assumed the name of Alston and,
c. 1791, styled himself baronet. (fn. 72) He sold the
property to the Revd. Robert Thomson in 1796. (fn. 73)
Thomson, who soon took up residence in Longstowe, died in 1827, and the estate passed to his
trustees, who sold it in 1840 to Richard Simpson
(d. 1853). (fn. 74) Richard's son Joseph, of Bourn Hall,
conveyed the property to Sidney Stanley (d. 1896)
in 1858. (fn. 75) Stanley's son, Charles Wentworth
Stanley (1860–1939), sold the manor in 1905 to
W. A. Briscoe (1860–1934), (fn. 76) whose son, R. G.
Briscoe (1893–1957), gave the manor, hall, and
estate to his nephew, Mr. M. G. M. Bevan, in
1951. (fn. 77)
The medieval manor-house probably occupied
the site of Longstowe Hall. It was surrounded by a
great moat in the eastern part of which a young man
was drowned in 1381. (fn. 78) Anthony Cage the elder
(d. 1583) built a house which forms the centre of
the garden front of Longstowe Hall. (fn. 79) Gabled
extensions were erected to the left and right in the
19th century and in 1910 Sir John W. Simpson
added a completely new entrance side in Edwardian
Neo-Elizabethan or Neo-Jacobean style. Inside
there is some Flemish panelling of c. 1550. (fn. 80)
Almar who held 1½ virgate in 1066 was still in
possession as tenant of Count Alan twenty years
later. (fn. 81) That holding was possibly the origin of the
serjeanty held in 1212 by Aubrey of Stowe, who in
that year was holding a virgate in Longstowe. (fn. 82)
In 1250 the estate, then held by Aubrey of Stowe,
otherwise Aubrey le Child, was charged with the
service of providing for the king a truss of hay for
his outer chamber when he came to Cambridge. (fn. 83)
Part of the estate, c. 40 a., however, had already
been alienated, and the serjeanty service was in
that year converted into knight-service for 1/40 fee
and a rent of 10s. a year. (fn. 84) Aubrey le Child died in
1252, holding nearly 30 a. of land and rents. His
son and heir Aubrey (fn. 85) assigned a capital messuage,
20 a. of land, and the rents of 12 tenants to Master
John of Ravelingham c. 1275. (fn. 86) That holding was
again split and the part of the estate that was leased
to tenants, comprising just over 30 a., had passed
into the hands of John of Chertsey by 1314. (fn. 87) In
that year Chertsey was succeeded by his brother
Robert, who rendered 11s. each year to the king. (fn. 88)
In 1316 Robert, known as Robert le Peyntour,
granted the property to John Prat of Longstowe. (fn. 89)
In 1366 Henry Valentine and Alice his wife were
pardoned for acquiring the estate without licence
from John, son of John Prat, who had acquired it
from John Prat of Longstowe. (fn. 90) Alice retained the
property at least until 1383 when it was granted to
feoffees. (fn. 91) The subsequent history of the estate has
not been traced.
Hardwin de Scalers, lord of Caxton, had in 1086
a small estate of 3½ virgates in Longstowe, which had
been owned in 1066 by a sokeman of Archbishop
Stigand and three sokemen of the abbot of Ramsey.
In 1086 it was held by a knight and two Englishmen. (fn. 92) It seems that the estate descended, unlike
Caxton, in the half-barony of Whaddon, for c. 1235
Simon the Chamberlain, who had held land at
Longstowe since 1204, was said to be holding a hide
there in socage of Geoffrey de Scalers. (fn. 93) In 1279
an estate of 150 a. formerly held by Thomas son of
Goda, was held of Richard de Freville, heir to the
Shelford branch of the Scalers family, by John of
Caxton. Under John of Caxton the estate was
divided, and did not survive as a unit. (fn. 94)
By 1200 the priory of St. Mary Overy, Southwark, possessed an estate in Longstowe which by
1279 comprised nearly 180 a. (fn. 95) In the latter year it
was held of the prior by Simon son of Roger of
Stowe, (fn. 96) whose successor, Simon of Bourn, was
assessed at almost the same sum as the lord of the
manor in 1327. (fn. 97) Simon was succeeded by his
kinsman, John Henry, in 1337 when the estate
measured over 160 a. (fn. 98) In 1535 Southwark still
retained an income of 60s. from the estate (fn. 99) but by
1543 William Gery is said to have held the property,
then called BOURN'S COURT, of Sir Thomas
Cheyney as of the manor of Longstowe. (fn. 100) In 1548
William Cooke, serjeant at law, acquired the estate
from Gery and his wife. (fn. 101) William Bramfield sold
half of Bourn's Court, then described as a manor, to
Simon Wiseman in 1557; (fn. 102) Thomas Wiseman and his
wife conveyed the whole manor to Robert Peck
in 1564, (fn. 103) and it subsequently merged with the main
manor, probably being purchased by Anthony Cage
the elder. (fn. 104)
Three other religious houses had small estates in
Longstowe. Walter the chaplain, vicar of Longstowe, before 1250 gave 2 a. by Ermine Street, part
of the serjeanty lands, as the site for St. Mary's
Hospital. (fn. 105) By 1250 the sisters of the hospital had
increased their holding to 12 a. and to over 16 a.
by 1279. (fn. 106) The hospital was still in existence in
1392, but its lands were taken by the rector soon
after, and had come into the king's hands before
1414. (fn. 107) Its subsequent history has not been traced.
The abbey of Sawtry (Hunts.) held in 1279 6 a.
formerly belonging to the serjeanty of Aubrey le
Child, and retained the land until the Dissolution,
when it probably passed with the Shakeldon estate
in Gamlingay to Richard Cromwell and his successors. (fn. 108) A small holding belonged to the preceptory of
Shingay when that house was surrendered. (fn. 109)
About 1520 St. John's College, Cambridge,
acquired land in Longstowe by Crown grant. A
further 90 a. were purchased in 1711–12, (fn. 110) and the
property, let to successive tenants, was sold to the
lord of the manor in 1940. (fn. 111)
By will dated 1692 Matthew Wilkes endowed
some alms-houses in Leighton Buzzard (Beds.)
with an estate of just over 50 a. in Longstowe. (fn. 112)
The property, often simply known as 'Leighton
Buzzard', (fn. 113) comprised by 1865 a farm and the Horseshoes inn. It remained the property of the charity
until 1947. (fn. 114)
Economic History.
At the time of the
Domesday survey the three estates in Longstowe,
those held of the abbey of Ramsey, Count Alan,
and Hardwin de Scalers, together comprised 3
hides and a virgate. Arable farming evidently
predominated and there were 6½ ploughs and 6
oxen, forming part of a further plough-team,
together with meadow land for those beasts. Two
ploughs were attached to the abbot's demesne
farm. There were 5 villani and 6 bordars on the
abbot's land, 2 servi on Count Alan's, and 4 bordars
on Hardwin's. The abbot had pasture for the cattle
of the vill, and each estate had wood for fences and
houses. The total value was £9 12s. T.R.E., when
received £6, and in 1086 £6 2s., the greatest loss
being incurred on the abbot's estate. (fn. 115)
In 1279 there seems to have been a comparatively
simple tenurial structure, though the exact numbers
of tenants cannot be determined. It is clear, however, that free tenants outnumbered customary
tenants, for there were only eleven customary
holdings in the whole vill. William of Stowe, the
lord of the manor, held nearly 350 a. His estate
was largely arable, and included only 15 a. of
woodland, 5 a. of meadow, and 4 a. of pasture on
the demesne. On that estate alone did customary
tenants outnumber free tenants and cottars. John
of Caxton's tenants on the fee of Richard de
Freville were all free, but there were both free and
customary tenants on the estate of St. Mary Overy.
The serjeanty lands divided between William of
Stowe and Master John of Ravelingham were held
by free tenants only, mostly at low rents. (fn. 116)
Longstowe seems to have suffered a serious
decline before the Black Death. In 1341 less than
half of the ninth could be collected because the
greater part of the village lay fallow and several
messuages were empty. The lands were said to be
nearly waste because of the inability of the tenants
who were troubled and ruined by frequent taxes
and tallages and by the coming of the keepers of the
king's horses. (fn. 117) In 1342, however, the parish produced over 75 stone of wool. (fn. 118)
The growth and consolidation of the demesne
lands of the manor can be traced from inclosure of
arable land in 1490–1 by Sir Robert Broughton. (fn. 119)
By 1560 the estate appears to have consisted of
about 280 a., (fn. 120) by 1571 of over 300 a., (fn. 121) and by
1594 a further 100 a. had been added. (fn. 122) During the
next two centuries the estate probably varied little
in size, but by 1827 it had grown to nearly 800 a. (fn. 123)
and to 860 a. by 1833. (fn. 124) By 1857 the estate was said
to be over 1,020 a. in extent (fn. 125) and further small
purchases were made, including lands in Caxton, (fn. 126)
in 1860, 1868, and 1921. (fn. 127) In 1921 former glebe
property including Copy Yard farm was purchased,
and in 1940 the estate of St. John's College,
Cambridge, was acquired. (fn. 128)
Consolidated holdings within the estate had
emerged by the mid 18th century. Glebe farm, given
to the rectory in 1729, (fn. 129) was already a unit of about
100 a. with a house. (fn. 130) By 1750 Lordship, Middle,
Townsend, and Further farms were formed, (fn. 131)
though the names changed, often with the tenants.
Thus Middle farm had become Great Papworth
farm by 1814 (fn. 132) and continued to be so called at
least until 1857. (fn. 133) The holding of Christopher
Hawke in 1800 (fn. 134) was still known as Hawke's farm
in 1857 (fn. 135) but later became Bellam's farm. Lower
farm was known as Purser's in 1814. (fn. 136) On the
rectory estate Glebe farm was sometimes known as
Rectory farm, and Copy Yard farm was earlier
known as Little Papworth farm. (fn. 137) The holdings
varied in size. In 1833 Home farm comprised over
280 a., Great Papworth 236 a., Hawke's and
Purser's each over 100 a. (fn. 138)
Some arable land was inclosed in Longstowe in
the late 15th century but in 1772 about half the
parish, 757 a., was still in open-field cultivation. (fn. 139)
Most of the old inclosures were concentrated around
the village although a few lay in the open field in the
south part of the parish. There is some evidence to
suggest that a rearrangement of the open fields
took place between 1787 and 1799. The three fields
which were marked out neatly by the roads in 1787
bore different names and to some extent covered
different areas from those recorded in 1799. In 1787
Holbrook, or East, field lay east of the village street
and extended across the Cambridge way to the
southern boundary of the parish. Ridgeway, or
West, field lay west of the village street, the
Cambridge way forming its southern boundary.
Townsend, or North, field lay to the north, crossing
the road to Great Gransden. (fn. 140) By 1799 Little field
had replaced Holbrook field but did not extend south
of the Cambridge way, and Great field seems to
have been a combination of Ridgway and Townsend fields. The land south of the Cambridge way
had become Long field, with the Great Common at
its western end. (fn. 141)
In 1799 the half of the parish remaining under
open-field cultivation was inclosed under an Act
obtained in 1798. The rector received for his glebe
and commuted tithes c. 405 a., including exchanges
of old inclosures. Dr. Thomson, lord of the manor,
obtained 417 a. including similar exchanges. St.
John's College was allotted 79 a., the charity estate
30 a., the Leighton Buzzard alms-houses 28 a., and
the vicar of Bourn c. 22 a. Four small landowners
received 33 a. between them. (fn. 142) It was reported in
1801 that already less corn was being grown, though
still some 550 a. were given over to oats, barley,
and wheat, and that the process was likely to
continue. (fn. 143) Similarly calf-rearing had given way to
fattening for the London market. Sheep, which
were badly hit by rot in 1793, (fn. 144) were also formerly
reared in the parish, but like calves were then kept
only for fattening. About 1816 the parish was
suffering a depression and many holdings were
deserted and unoccupied. The inclosures were
given as a reason for rising prices of animal food. (fn. 145)
Alterations and improvements were nevertheless
made in the village after inclosure. Wright's,
Hawke's, and Purser's farms were repaired before
1833 and Withers's land south of the Red House
inn had 'lately been drained at a heavy expense,
and in a few years will doubtless be increased in
value'. (fn. 146) St. John's College made regular repairs
to its property, which was, however, unlet in 182930, and again between 1833 and 1837, while a rent
allowance was made in 1849–50. (fn. 147)
A cattle dealer and a corn dealer were among the
inhabitants of Longstowe in 1851. (fn. 148) Brick-kilns,
from which Brick Kiln close derived its name, were
probably fired for use only within the parish. (fn. 149)
There was a windmill on William of Stowe's
estate in 1279, (fn. 150) and the field name Mill furlong
south-west of the Red House inn may mark its
site. (fn. 151)
Local Government.
No court rolls for
Longstowe have survived and no detailed records
of local government before the 19th century. In
1841 the rector said that there was no vestry clerk
and that it was not customary to take minutes. (fn. 152)
Expenditure on the poor was £31 in 1776, an average
of £35 in the years 1783–5, and £83 in 1803. (fn. 153) After
1816 the figure was around £100, reaching a peak
of £135 in 1823. (fn. 154) Longstowe became part of the
Caxton and Arrington union in 1835, (fn. 155) and in 1934
was transferred from the Caxton and Arrington R.D.
to the South Cambridgeshire R.D. (fn. 156)
Church.
There was probably a church at
Longstowe by c. 1100, belonging to Ramsey Abbey,
for Abbot Reinald reserved half the tithe when he
granted the manor to Guy of Eu. (fn. 157) The advowson
subsequently descended with the manor held by
the family of Stowe. When the manor was divided
in 1234 between Baldwin and William of Stowe,
each took half the advowson. (fn. 158) William's son and
successor John was later made rector. William son
of Baldwin held the whole advowson in 1279, (fn. 159)
and from that year it descended with the manor until
the death of Sir Ralph Bovey in 1679, (fn. 160) though
feoffees presented in 1406, (fn. 161) the Crown in 1546
during a minority, (fn. 162) and the bishop of Ely in 1556
after a deprivation. (fn. 163) Elizabeth Simmonds of
Longstowe, Bovey's trustee, granted the advowson
for one turn to John Crosse, rector 1679–1716,
who presented his own son John, rector 1716–74.
The patronage then reverted to the lords of the
manor who exercised it until 1815. John Dyer
presented in that year and in 1819, and the patronage
then passed to Peter Cowling of Fen Stanton
(1820), William Fowler (1825), Henry Hollaway,
who presented himself in 1832, Thomas Price
(1839), and H. A. Bishop, who presented himself
in 1839. (fn. 164) By 1852 John Sharp had acquired the
advowson, and presented his son-in-law, James
Rushton, rector 1852–95. (fn. 165) The patronage descended
on Rushton's death in 1895 to his widow, (fn. 166) and on
her death by 1903 to her brother, J. P. Sharp,
rector 1895–1906. J. H. Sharp presented in 1907. (fn. 167)
A. A. Sharp, rector 1916–22, son of J. P. Sharp,
acquired the advowson, and in 1928 gave it to
Selwyn College, Cambridge, the patrons in 1966. (fn. 168)
The benefice has always been a rectory, though
vicars were appointed in the 13th century. (fn. 169)
After several variations of assessment during the
13th century, the rectory was finally valued in 1291
at £13 6s. 8d. (fn. 170) By 1535, however, its value had
fallen sharply to £4 8s. 2d., (fn. 171) and was the smallest
in the deanery and one of the smallest in the
county. The value was given as £50 in 1650. (fn. 172) The
acquisition of the glebe farm in 1729 (fn. 173) and the
improvements following inclosure in 1799 raised
the value to £120 by 1800, (fn. 174) and in 1812 it was said
that the income of the rectory was £449. (fn. 175)
The glebe in the Middle Ages comprised a few
small closes mostly around the church and parsonage
part of which was probably that acquired by
Walter the chaplain, vicar in the 13th century. (fn. 176)
Thomas Okey, rector of Longstowe 1396–1406,
unlawfully acquired the property of the defunct
hospital, but it had been taken into the king's
hands by 1414. (fn. 177) The glebe remained small until
1729 when, under the will of John Crosse, rector
1679–1716, a farm of c. 100 a. was added to the
living. (fn. 178) In 1799 at inclosure the rector was allotted
just over 90 a. in place of glebe and common, and
over 243 a. in place of all tithes, together a little
more than a quarter of the area of the whole parish. (fn. 179)
In the late 19th century the rector was farming the
land himself with the aid of a bailiff. (fn. 180) Most of the
property lay in the east and south parts of the
parish and included Little Papworth, later Copy
Yard, farm. (fn. 181) In 1921 the glebe was sold except for
11 a. (fn. 182)
By 1573 the rectory house consisted of a hall
with a chamber over, a parlour and buttery, each
with chambers over, and a kitchen. It was surrounded
by a complex of buildings including barns, a
pigeon-house, a malt-house, a hay-house, and a
kiln-house, together with two gatehouses and two
stables, one of each described as 'without the moat'.
The buildings were of timber with brick foundations and were thatched and were in a poor state
of repair. (fn. 183) The parsonage was replaced by a
masonry building before the end of the 18th
century, when the rector, Richard Haighton, was
said to have greatly improved it. (fn. 184) In 1810 the
property was in decay through wilful negligence,
and in 1812 the house was extensively remodelled
under John Bushell of Huntingdon. (fn. 185) The house
was rebuilt in 1839. (fn. 186)
The poverty of the benefice may account for
considerable pluralism among the rectors of
Longstowe, and for the employment of vicars in
the 13th century. (fn. 187) A parochial chaplain occurs
in the 15th century. (fn. 188) Curates occur regularly from
the late 16th century when the rectors held other
cures. (fn. 189) Thomas Parneby, rector 1556–73, was also
vicar of Hinton 1535–73; William Howgrave, rector
1573–95, held the rectory of Stanton St. Michael
at the same time; and William Stanton, rector
1605–34, was incumbent of Knapwell 1613–27 and
of Bourn 1631–4. His successor, John Stanton,
'a very weak man', (fn. 190) rector 1634–74, held Knapwell
together with Hatley St. George for some time until
his death in 1674. (fn. 191) Richard Haighton, rector
1774–1810, was vicar of Bourn 1778–83 and rector
of Croxton 1786–1810. Both Stanton and Haighton's
resided at Longstowe. John Murray, Haighton's
curate in 1799, was paid £40 a year. (fn. 192) Murray's
successor by 1807, Ralph Tatham, who was curate
of both Longstowe and Caxton, resided at St.
John's College, Cambridge, where he held a
fellowship and was master 1839–57. (fn. 193)
In 1644 twelve cherubim in the church were
broken down, and the steps were ordered to be
levelled. (fn. 194) In 1678 pigeons entered the unglazed
windows, the town plough was kept in the nave,
the west end was cracked, and furniture, books,
and plate were lacking or needed repair as did the
chancel. (fn. 195) In 1685 the chancel was still 'in a woeful
case' and little had been done towards the other
repairs and renewals. (fn. 196) The church was 'in good
repair and very decent' in 1779, though the north
chapel needed attention, and the whole interior
required a coat of whitewash. (fn. 197)
A sermon was preached once every Sunday by
1807 and communion was celebrated four times a
year, though few attended. (fn. 198) In 1825 two sermons
a Sunday 'have never been done', and communion
was then given at Christmas and Easter only and
the rector taught children in his own home every
Sunday. (fn. 199) By 1841, however, two sermons were
preached each Sunday and the rector catechized
in a Sunday school which was held in the church. (fn. 200)
Two services were held in 1884. (fn. 201) A parish room was
opened in 1899 and a mothers' meeting and a
reading room were immediately begun. (fn. 202)
By 1279 Henry the cobbler, a cottar of the lord of
the manor, held some land for which he gave 8 lb.
of wax annually to the altar of St. Ethelbert in
Longstowe church. (fn. 203) In 1825 the rector recorded a
charitable endowment which traditionally was partly
for repairs to the church, but which had not been
properly applied. (fn. 204)
The church of ST. MARY has a chancel, nave,
north chapel, south porch, and west tower, all
except the tower being of the 19th century. The
medieval church appears to have had only a chancel,
nave, south porch, and the late 14th-century tower.
In 1609 Sir John Cage built a transeptal chapel, on
the south side of the nave, which later contained his
tomb, and on the north side of the nave Sir John's
son Anthony built a similar chapel. The church
contained a number of memorials to members of
the Cage family including, in the chancel, one to
Anthony Cage (d. 1603), and a quantity of armorial
glass. (fn. 205) The north chapel was subsequently used as
the family vault of the Bovey family and it contained
a monument to Sir Ralph Bovey (d. 1679). By 1727
the south chapel was in ruins, and in 1779 it was
fenced off from the churchyard with a brick wall. (fn. 206)
In 1863–4 the church was rebuilt, probably following
the old outlines, in red and blue brick with stone
dressings. The architect was W. M. Fawcett of
Cambridge (fn. 207) and the rector, James Rushton, and his
wife are said to have borne nearly the whole cost. (fn. 208)
The surviving monuments and some armorial glass
were reset in the north chapel. Before the rebuilding
the bells included one, which survives, of c. 1450,
attributed to John Sturdy of London, and two
others which were probably 16th-century. Eight
tubular bells were given by Mrs. Rushton in 1898. (fn. 209)
In 1552 the church possessed two chalices, and a
copper gilt cross. (fn. 210) The surviving plate includes a
cup of 1780, a paten of 1720–1, and a cup, paten, and
flagon of 1867. The registers begin in 1569 and are
largely complete.
Nonconformity.
There were two dissenters
in Longstowe in 1731 (fn. 211) but apparently none in
1755 (fn. 212) or 1807. (fn. 213) Meeting-places were licensed in
1814, (fn. 214) 1821, (fn. 215) and 1827. (fn. 216) In 1825 seven heads of
families were said to be Baptists, though their
wives and children went to church. They were all
labourers, and a cottage was used as a meeting-
house. They had various teachers, whom the rector
thought to be not licensed. (fn. 217) A chapel was licensed
in 1849, (fn. 218) but no nonconformist meeting-place was
listed in 1851. (fn. 219) There was a small Baptist chapel
in 1900. (fn. 220) A chapel was registered in 1852, (fn. 221)
probably for Primitive Methodists, which in 1897
was attended by about 50 people. (fn. 222) Neither chapel
survived in 1966.
Education.
A school had been established by
the rector in Longstowe by 1818, when 25 children
were educated on Sundays and on two evenings
during the week. (fn. 223) This school was short-lived,
but a similar school was opened in 1826. Described
as a day and Sunday school, it was supported by
the rector and the principal inhabitants. All poor
children were taught gratuitously but a few of the
more prosperous children contributed. The mistress
received a salary and coal and lived in a house
provided rent-free by the rector. The school was
attended by 15 boys and 25 girls in 1835, (fn. 224) and by
13 boys and 15 girls in 1846–7, when it was held on
Sundays only in part of the church. The children of
farmers and small tradesmen attended the dayschool at Bourn. (fn. 225)
A Church of England school was built in 1854
and a teacher's house attached to it was built in
1866. The school was maintained by voluntary
contributions, by school pence depending on the
economic status of the parents, (fn. 226) and, from 1876,
by annual parliamentary grants. (fn. 227) Accommodation
until 1896 was for 58 and thereafter for 70. Average
attendance rose from 45 in 1871 (fn. 228) to 58 in 1878, (fn. 229)
but fell to 44 in 1900. (fn. 230) It was 27 in 1927 (fn. 231) and 23 in
1938. (fn. 232) The school was transferred to the council
in 1927, (fn. 233) and closed in 1962. (fn. 234)
Charities for the Poor.
By will dated
1541 Richard Baley devised to the churchwardens
of Longstowe a yard called Cranham's Yard and
5 a. of land. In 1637 the yard was still enjoyed by the
inhabitants but the rent of the land was concealed.
Before 1628 John Pate the elder, John Peck, and
others purchased a messuage and 20 a. in Longstowe
'for the easing and benefits of the said town in
harms [and] public charges'. For several years up
to 1637 the tenants had paid nothing. (fn. 235) The estate
may have been the origin of the Town Lands,
which by 1788 produced an annual rent of £9, used
for the repair of the church, and generally for poorrelief. (fn. 236) In 1801, following inclosure, 26 a. situated
in Long field and three tenements, possibly the
town houses, (fn. 237) were conveyed in trust for the
church and the poor. In 1807 the benefaction was
thought to be for the poor only. In 1825 the land
produced £15 rent, though formerly £22 had been
paid. (fn. 238) In 1837 the land was let for £22, but most
of the income had been spent on inclosure expenses
and repairs to the church and to the town houses. (fn. 239)
According to a Scheme of 1862 any money left
after paying for the repairs of the church was to be
equally divided, one half to provide coal and clothing
for the poor or education for orphans, the other half
to accumulate, to form a fund for the church. The
income in 1952 was £38. (fn. 240)
There were three alms-houses in Longstowe in
1727. (fn. 241) They were probably the three thatched,
clay dwellings occupied rent-free by the poor and
known in 1788 as the town houses. (fn. 242) In 1807 there
were six houses, all inhabited by the poor. (fn. 243) In 1837
there were two cottages, one divided into two
dwellings and the other into four. Each dwelling
was occupied by one person at an annual rent of
£1 5s. The money received was administered with
the Town Lands charity. (fn. 244) In 1867 there were eight
dwellings in a very bad state. (fn. 245) The cottages were
still standing in 1897, (fn. 246) but later evidence of them
has not been found.