BALSHAM
The parish of Balsham (fn. 1) lying 9 miles south-east
of Cambridge and 3 miles north-east of Linton,
covers 4,550a. (fn. 2) The boundaries have long remained
unchanged, following on the north-east, north-west,
and south-west respectively the Fleam Dyke, an
earthwork probably dating from the 7th century, (fn. 3)
the Icknield Way, and Wool Street. The southeastern boundary, between Balsham and West
Wickham, is very irregular, and it has been suggested that the two parishes may have been joined
at one time, and that Balsham, like West Wickham,
was settled from across the Suffolk border. (fn. 4)
Balsham, 1617
The ground rises gradually from 125 ft. at the
north-western end of the parish to over 300 ft.,
before falling to 200 ft. to form what was once known
as the Twenty Acre Valley, at the centre of the
parish. It then rises to a height of 375 ft. at the
eastern edge. (fn. 5) Chalk underlies the whole parish,
but in the east, especially above the 300 ft. line, it
is covered by boulder clay. (fn. 6) There are no streams,
but on the impervious clay are many ponds; in
1974 fourteen were said to have disappeared in
recent years. Wells have been sunk through the
clay to the bottom of the chalk, at considerable
expense. In 1908 Balsham had three such wells for
public use. (fn. 7)
The chalk heathland at the north-western end of
the parish once provided grazing for many sheep.
Most land in the parish remained uninclosed until
1806. (fn. 8) Balsham wood (c. 200 a.) near the south-east
end of the parish represents the remains of once
extensive woodland. Charterhouse plantation, a belt
of trees enclosing over 600 a. around Dotterel Hall
farm in the north-west, was planted before 1885. (fn. 9)
In 1951 the Fleam Dyke was designated of special
interest because of its bird and plant life. (fn. 10) In 1909
there were large chalk quarries at Balsham; (fn. 11) the
workings were clearly visible in 1975 c. 1 mile west
of the village along the Fulbourn road.
Balsham village is the only centre of settlement in
the parish. Reference to a church in the early 11th
century points to the existence of a Saxon church, (fn. 12)
probably on the site of the present church. The
church, the site of the manor-house, and a small
village green lie close together near the centre of
a linear village, on the higher ground at the south-
eastern end of the parish. (fn. 13) A larger open space
adjacent to the small green may well be part of an
originally larger green. The nucleus of the village
is rectangular, with the church, manor-house, and
green at the north-western corner. The high street
runs along the southern and western edges and then
westwards at right angles to the western edge. It
stretches from the West Wickham road at the eastern
end of the parish to the junction of the Fulbourn,
Hildersham, and Linton roads. Most dwellings were
originally along that length of road. A few others
were along Fox Lane, probably the old Linton–
Newmarket road which crossed the western end of
the high street, or along Old House Lane, leading
to Plumian or Old House Farm, which still marks
the north-eastern extent of the dwellings.
In the late 19th century there was still much open
ground within the village. In 1852 much of the
Quadrangle, the land behind the manor-house site,
bounded on two sides by the high street, was a playground for the school. At the western end of the
high street there were a few houses with long closes
running northwards, and next to them a meadow
adjoining the grounds of Balsham Place. The
southern side of the street was open, and the land
opposite Balsham Place was still empty in 1886. In
1975 that part of the village still had relatively few
houses, each having a large plot of land. The filling
in of space within the village began between the
wars. In 1926 the district council built six new houses
on the Cambridge road. In 1948 it built another
small estate on the West Wickham road, in an area
which had been called Rose Green. In 1960 another
council estate was built on the opposite side of the
road, slightly nearer the centre of the village. Other
infilling has been private building in small closes
opening from both sides of the main street wherever
there was space. By 1971 such building was said to
have totalled 130 houses. In the 1960s and 1970s
several estate houses were built by the Vesteys.
There are c. 10 surviving farm-houses of the
17th century, all with the usual three-room plan,
internal chimney stack, and timber-framed and
plastered walls. Most have later extensions. Most
of the other older houses are smaller and of the late
18th and early 19th centuries. Balsham Manor is
a small early-17th-century house greatly enlarged
in the later 18th and early 19th centuries. Plumian
and Lower farms were the only ones to have houses
within the village in 1975. Of the outlying farms only
Dungate, on the northern edge of the parish, dates
from before the inclosure of 1806. It is a small
18th-century house, considerably enlarged and
remodelled in the early 19th century. In 1933 Worsted Lodge, at the western corner of the parish, was
described as a hamlet. (fn. 14) In 1975 besides Worsted
Lodge Farm there were some 5 dwellings and a
petrol station there.
In 1086 there were 12 villani, 12 bordars, and
2 servi in Balsham. (fn. 15) An increase in population
brought the number of tenants to 93 in 1251, but
by 1327 there were only 53 taxpayers and by 1356
the number of tenants had fallen to 50. (fn. 16) In 1377
there were 255 adults. (fn. 17) In 1563 there were 80 households, and in 1666 and 1674 101 houses were recorded. (fn. 18) In 1728 the parish contained some 670
people. (fn. 19) In the 19th century numbers rose steadily
from 759 in 1811 to 1,352 in 1851, thereafter falling
gradually, with a slight rally in 1911, to 650 in 1931.
Afterwards the population increased, slowly at first
but growing from 712 in 1961 to 1,204 in 1971. (fn. 20)
The main London–Newmarket road runs along
the north-western boundary of the parish; it was
turnpiked in 1724. (fn. 21) The old Newmarket–Linton
road bypassed Balsham village on the west, but the
road through the village and other villages to the
north-east gradually became the main route. Other
roads connect the village with Fulbourn, Hildersham, West Wickham, and West Wratting. From
1848 to 1851 there was a railway station 3 miles
from Balsham village, on the Chesterford–Newmarket line, but after the line was closed in 1851 the
nearest stations were at Six Mile Bottom and Fulbourn, 5 miles from the village. (fn. 22) In 1975 the station
house at Balsham road was still standing.
In 1686 Balsham had only two guest beds and
stabling for four horses. (fn. 23) The Black Bull, near the
centre of the village, is said to have been a 17thcentury coaching inn, and the plastered and thatched
timber-framed building is of that date. It was a
public house until c. 1940; in 1969 it was a country
club, but in 1973 reverted to its former use. (fn. 24) In
1806 two public houses were noted, the Bell and the
Fox and Hounds. (fn. 25) The latter, in Fox Lane, dated
from the mid 17th century and was formerly called
the Crown. It was a private house by 1935. (fn. 26) The
Bell near the east end of the high street occurs from
1790. (fn. 27) In 1962 it was said that there had recently
been eight inns in Balsham. (fn. 28) In 1975 the Queen's
Head, the Bell, and the Black Bull remained.
Hugh of Balsham, bishop of Ely 1258–86 and
founder of Peterhouse, was most probably born on
the episcopal manor of Balsham. (fn. 29) Other clerks from
the manor found places in the household of Bishop
Arundel in the 14th century. (fn. 30) In the 19th century
the agriculturalist Philip Howard Frere lived for
some time on his father's estate, Dungate farm, the
house and some of the land of which lay in Balsham.
His father, William Frere, was master of Downing
College and spent part of each year at Balsham. (fn. 31)
The author Frederick William Rolfe ('Baron Corvo',
d. 1913) was an assistant master at a private school
in Balsham in the 1880s. (fn. 32)
Plough-boys used to go around the village to
collect money on Plough Monday early in January,
a custom which lasted in Balsham into the 20th
century. It was revived in 1972 as an annual event
to raise money for local causes. (fn. 33)
Manors and Other Estates.
Leofflaed,
wife of Oswi and daughter of Beorhtnoth, by will
dated 1017 X 1035 granted Balsham to Ely abbey.
Balsham was included in Edward the Confessor's
confirmation of the abbey's Cambridgeshire estates. (fn. 34)
In 1086 the manor of BALSHAM, consisting of
9 hides, was said always to have belonged to the
church of Ely. (fn. 35) On the creation of the see of Ely in
1109 the manor passed with the abbey's lands to the
bishop, (fn. 36) with whom it remained when the lands
were divided between bishop and monks, (fn. 37) and for
the next four centuries.
In 1575 Thomas Wyborne sold his lease of the
manor to Thomas Sutton. (fn. 38) In 1600 Balsham was
one of the manors alienated by Bishop Heton to the
Crown which a year later granted it in fee to Sutton. (fn. 39) In 1611 the manor was included in the endowment of Sutton's new foundation, the Charterhouse,
which has owned it ever since. (fn. 40) A fee-farm rent
in Balsham, granted by the Crown in 1601 to Sir
Christopher Hatton, a cousin of the Lord Chancellor, and Francis Needham, and disputed in 1619
between Needham and Hatton's widow Alice, (fn. 41)
apparently passed to Sutton, and so to his foundation. (fn. 42) In 1919 the Charterhouse sold over 1,200 a.
in two lots, as Wood Hall and Dotterel farms. (fn. 43)
A manor-house in Balsham, sometimes called
Balsham Hall, (fn. 44) was recorded in 1356, when its
buildings were said to be ruinous. In 1357 it had a
main chamber with others adjoining, chapel, room
for the steward, various offices, gatehouse, stables,
granary, and other farm buildings, almost all in need
of repair. (fn. 45) In the 14th century Bishop Arundel
visited Balsham less frequently than some other
manors; his presence there is recorded only three
times, (fn. 46) but it was a target for the rebels of 1381
who broke in, burned muniments, and damaged the
buildings. (fn. 47) In the late 16th century Thomas Sutton
lived in Balsham, and his wife died there in 1602. (fn. 48)
The present Nine Chimneys house is the south wing
of a large timber-framed house of the later 16th
century which may have been Sutton's home. There
is a tradition that it was built on the site of an older
manor-house. (fn. 49) In 1617, however, the hall or manorhouse was near the centre of the village, between the
church and the high street, (fn. 50) on the site occupied in
1975 by the old school. In 1863 the Charterhouse
gave the old manor-house for use by the National
school. (fn. 51)
In 1086 Hardwin de Scalers held in Balsham from
the abbot of Ely 80 a. previously occupied by three
sokemen of the abbot. (fn. 52) In 1212 his descendant
William de Scalers (fn. 53) held of the bishop of Ely 1½ fee
in Shelford, Wratting, and Balsham. (fn. 54) The estate
depended upon Caxton manor (fn. 55) with which it
descended. (fn. 56) References to its land in Balsham have
not been found after the early 16th century.
In 1568 William Blodwell granted Richard Killingworth an estate in Balsham, (fn. 57) which in 1590
belonged to John Killingworth, and was called
PLACE manor, (fn. 58) later Place farm. In 1617 John
Killingworth held a house on the site of what in
1975 was called Balsham Place, together with freehold and copyhold lands, an enclosure in Balsham
wood, and heathland in the west part of the parish. (fn. 59)
That estate may have derived from the Scalers fee.
By 1618 John was dead and his son Giles held the
manor of the Charterhouse. (fn. 60) A Mr. Killingworth
held the estate in 1715 when it amounted to 261 a., (fn. 61)
and in 1756 it was for sale. (fn. 62) By 1790 it had descended
from Henry Lagden the younger to his son, the
Revd. H. A. Lagden, (fn. 63) who in 1800 shared Place
farm with James Haylock. In 1806 it was divided
between them and Frances Cole; (fn. 64) Haylock's son
John bought Cole's share of the farm in 1819, and
the rest of the estate after Lagden's death in 1833. (fn. 65)
In 1884 Place farm was owned by Mrs. Annie Haylock, and in 1886 by her executors. (fn. 66) In 1904 it
belonged to Hanslip Long and by 1912 to his son,
also Hanslip Long. (fn. 67) On the son's death it passed
to his wife Mrs. Mildred Long whose heirs offered
it for sale in 1969, when it covered 490 a. (fn. 68) It was
purchased by Mr. R. A. Vestey, who in 1975 was the
largest landowner in the parish. (fn. 69) Balsham Place
house, then separated from the land, is a plain grey
brick house of c. 1825 standing at the western end
of the village, on the north side of the high street.
In 1269 Richard de Freville, heir to half the
Scalers barony, held 1½ fee in Carlton, Balsham, and
Babraham, which William de Criketot, who died in
that year, held of him. (fn. 70) About 1285 Criketot's
heirs were said to hold in chief a tenement in
Balsham which had been John James's, (fn. 71) but in 1372
Richard de Freville's great-grandson John Freville
held JAMES'S (later called JACOB'S) land in
Balsham in chief together with West Wratting
manor. (fn. 72) In 1302 Roger Barbedor held James's land
in demesne together with ½ fee in Little Carlton of
the Criketots, as did Joan Brown in 1346. Joan's
heirs were holding it in 1428, (fn. 73) and John Caldbeck
in 1478, but no certain reference to it has been found
later. (fn. 74)
Thomas Plume (d. 1704), archdeacon of Rochester, left nearly £2,000 to build an observatory in
Cambridge and found a chair of astronomy. Soon
after his death the money was used to buy 235 a. in
Balsham, partly copyhold but mostly freehold. (fn. 75) In
1804 34 a. were sold to meet the expenses of inclosure, (fn. 76) and in 1832 a further 14½ a. were bought.
After the deaths of the original trustees the estate,
known as PLUMIAN or OLD HOUSE farm, was
held by successive professors of astronomy by title
of their office until 1869 when it was conveyed to the
university. (fn. 77)
An extensive but short-lived estate was built up
in the 18th century by the Lagden family. The lands
held by Henry Lagden the elder and his sister Mary
Lagden passed to Henry's grandson the Revd.
Henry Allen Lagden in 1786. H. A. Lagden was one
of the major landholders at inclosure, but he soon
moved from Balsham and the estate was being sold
off before his death. (fn. 78) Besides Place farm he owned
over 400 a. in the western corner of the parish,
which he sold to William Bryant in 1825. (fn. 79) In 1867
George Matthews sold the estate, called WORSTED LODGE, to St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
London, which sold it in 1920. (fn. 80)
From 1834 to 1914 21 a. in Balsham belonged to
the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy as part
of its estate in West Wratting. (fn. 81)
The 40 a. in Balsham which in 1086 Almar held
of Count Alan of Brittany (fn. 82) seem to have been part
of Oxcroft manor in West Wratting. It may be
identified with the knight's fee in Balsham held by
1355 by the earls of Oxford. By the 19th century
the Oxcroft land in Balsham amounted to just over
20 a., part of Dungate farm. In 1877 that land was
purchased by St. John's College, Cambridge, which
sold it in 1946 to H. E. Eastwood. In 1952 it was
bought by Jesus College. (fn. 83)
Economic History.
There were 10 hides in
Balsham in 1086. Five hides were on the demesne of
the abbot of Ely, where there were 2 servi and
5 plough-teams, with land for 2 more teams. There
were 12 villani with 12 teams, and 12 bordars, each
of whom had 10 a. The 80 a. of Hardwin de Scalers
and the 40 a. of Almar each had one plough-team.
The 80 a. were valued at 13s. 4d. and there were
80 sheep there. The abbot's 9 hides were worth
£17, an increase of £5 on the value T.R.E. His
estate included woodland for 200 pigs, 12 a. of
meadow, pasture worth 32d., and 391 sheep. (fn. 84)
In the 13th century there were five groups or
classes of tenants. In 1222 7 free tenants held from
3½ to 140 a. for rents in money and kind and for
ploughing and carrying services. Thirty-four yardlanders owed 3 days' work a week, at ploughing,
carting, threshing, mowing, ditching, and hurdlemaking, found men for haymaking and reaping, and
paid witepund, a customary payment on the bishop
of Ely's estates, and winesilver, a commutation of
service in the vineyard at Ely. Thirteen halfyardlanders owed the same services except that
between Michaelmas and Lammas they owed only
2 days' work a week. Eighteen customary tenants
of holdings of varying sizes paid rent and witepund
and owed services of ploughing, carrying, haymaking, and boon-works. Eighteen cottars owed
1 day's work a week between Michaelmas and
Lammas, 3 for the rest of the year, and carrying services on foot. All except the free tenants had to reap
an 'ale half-acre'. The manorial waste to a total of
111 a. had been divided between the tenants, 2½ a.
for a yardlander, 1¼ a. for a half-yardlander, ½ a.
for a cottar.
By 1251 there had been little change in the number of tenants or the services that they owed, but
gersum, tallage, heriot, suit of mill, and payments
for pannage were also recorded, sick-leave was
regulated, and works were valued for commutation
at ½d. each in winter and summer, 1d. in autumn.
One yardlander gave 5s. 10d. instead of all his works.
The lord could make any half-yardlander his
ploughman, shepherd, overseer of the harvest, or
keeper of the wood. In 1222 one customary tenant
had kept the lord's wood and pigs, receiving payment in kind; in 1251 another was the village smith.
The demesne arable in 1251 covered 1,028 a. and
could be worked by 4 ploughs, along with the customary services. There were 7 a. of demesne meadow,
52 a. of pasture which was common from August to
January, another 52 a. of permanent common pasture on the heath, and 34 a. of woodland. The
demesne could support 7 cows and a bull, 42 sows
and a boar, and 1,000 sheep. (fn. 85) By 1356 the number
of tenants had fallen considerably. The yardlanders
were represented by 27 villeins each holding 20 a.,
and there were 10 half-yardlanders and 9½ cotlands, owing services as in the 13th century, and 4
customary tenants called 'molmen'. Some land that
appears to have been assarted before 1222 had gone
out of cultivation.
Demesne farming continued in 1356. The lord
had plough-horses and oxen; his ploughshares were
provided by the smith in return for certain land.
Of the 818 a. of demesne arable, 67 a. were leased
out, along with a few acres of meadow and pasture. (fn. 86)
By the mid 15th century all the demesne was
leased. (fn. 87) In 1617 it comprised 25 a. of pasture and
enclosed meadow, 61 a. of Lammas ground, 247 a.
of arable in the open fields, 2 sheep-walks for 1,000
sheep, and 143 a. of woodland. (fn. 88) A century later
the demesne contained 567 a. of arable, besides
pasture, heath, and Balsham wood. The largest
pasture was the Yole, to the west of the wood,
already inclosed in 1617. (fn. 89) By 1830 the demesne
lands were divided into several farms. (fn. 90)
There is evidence of a three-course rotation in the
13th century, but the field pattern was irregular. In
1251 there were 22 fields of widely varying sizes,
many of the names suggesting land recently cleared.
Long ownership by the church may explain the lack
of change in the pattern; many of the 13th- and
14th-century field-names survived at inclosure in
the early 19th century. (fn. 91) The 13th-century crop
rotation was designed to provide adequate grazing
for the large number of sheep, the fields being
divided into fairly compact areas of fallow and
stubble. (fn. 92) The lord had the right to fold all his
tenants' sheep, and in 1312 six other men had the
right to fold 100 sheep in Balsham. They included
the rector, Hugh Jacob, and Hugh le Despenser,
earl of Winchester. (fn. 93) In 1617 seven separate heaths
lay at the west end of the parish. One was common,
two belonged to the demesne, two to John Killingworth, one to the rectory, and one to a William
Linsdale. (fn. 94) In 1830 the owner of Oxcroft claimed
sheepfold and right of sheep-walk over 67 a. of
heath in Balsham for an unlimited number of sheep.
The claim was based on an allotment made at inclosure acknowledging the right which had descended
with the Oxcroft lands from Hugh le Despenser. (fn. 95)
In the 13th century wheat, rye, barley, oats,
beans, and peas were produced on the manor. In
1356 the demesne grew wheat, barley, oats, and
some peas and vetch. (fn. 96) In the 16th century there
was a saffron ground in the parish. (fn. 97) In the early
17th century it was thought that large profits could
be made from the sale of wood. (fn. 98) In 1794 the open
fields were set with barley, oats, rye, trefoil, cinquefoil, clover, and turnips, all except the first two
being sown for the extensive flock of Norfolk sheep,
which grazed the 1,200 a. of heathland. No artificial manures were used, and the yield per acre was
18 bu. of wheat or barley, 14 bu. of oats or rye. The
open fields covered c. 1,500 a. and were let at
7s. 6d. an acre; inclosures covered only c. 100 a.
and were worth 21s. an acre. There were also c. 50 a.
of meadow. Improvement of the land was thought
to be possible only through inclosure. (fn. 99) Seventy
years earlier Charterhouse officials had estimated
that inclosure of the arable could double the value
of the estate. (fn. 100) The areas inclosed before 1806 were
much the same as those already in severalty in 1617:
the village closes, the Yole, Balsham wood, the
heath grounds, and some meadow. (fn. 101)
Of the 3,084 a. allotted at inclosure in 1806,
993 a. went to the rector, and 879 a. as demesne to
the Charterhouse. In addition c. 650 a. of freehold
were divided among 11 freeholders, in lots ranging
from 10 perches to 180 a. The 900 a. of copyhold
were divided among 64 people, including all the
freeholders. Apart from the Charterhouse and the
rector only four landowners received more than
100 a.: John Haylock 184 a., the Revd. H. A.
Lagden 479 a., Thomas Symonds 106 a., and the
Plumian professor 178 a. Four other estates received
between 70 a. and 100 a. (fn. 102) Copyhold tenure survived
in Balsham until its statutory abolition in 1925. (fn. 103)
Few farms in Balsham can be traced back to preinclosure times. Plumian farm, however, was leased
to members of the Purkis family from 1755 until at
least 1912. (fn. 104) Another exception was the 60 a. of
copyhold land known as Nine Chimneys or
Thomas's farm and associated with Nine Chimneys
House. In the 18th and early 19th centuries it was
held successively by the Burrows and Symonds
families. In 1817 the ownership of the house and
land were separated, and the land formed in 1975
part of Yole farm, then owned, along with Lower
farm, by Kiddy and Samworth. (fn. 105) Dotterel Hall and
Wood Hall farms were formed from the demesne
land c. 1830, although there was a house at Dotterel
by 1824. (fn. 106) They were at first leased separately, and
were sold in 1919. Both were owned in 1975 by Mr.
R. A. Vestey; Dotterel Hall farm was let, and Wood
Hall was farmed along with Rectory and Place farms
as one unit. (fn. 107)
After inclosure Balsham lands were farmed on an
improved four-course system. (fn. 108) In 1905 there were
3,850 a. of arable. (fn. 109) In 1975 there were nine farms,
together covering 4,000 a. They were divided into
large arable fields farmed with a high level of
mechanization. (fn. 110)
In 1811 118 families were occupied in agriculture,
and 29 in trade or manufacture. In 1831 men employed by the parish received 9s. or 10s. a week;
cottages cost 40s. to 60s. a year, and coal 11s. a
bushel. (fn. 111) During the Captain Swing riots in 1830
c. 200 labourers assembled at Balsham to demand
increased wages. (fn. 112) In 1877 the population was almost
entirely poor. (fn. 113) Numbers had begun to decline
as early as 1861, which was attributed to emigration. (fn. 114) When they rose again after the Second World
War Balsham became primarily a commuter settlement for those working in industry or research
stations outside the parish. In 1971 those employed
within the parish included 24 in agriculture, 14 in
the building trade, and 16 garage or agricultural
engineers. (fn. 115)
In 1086 Balsham had a mill worth 4s., presumably
a water-mill outside the parish. In 1356 a windmill
in Balsham was valued at 22s. 8d. a year. (fn. 116) In 1687
there were two windmills, one in Ashley south-west
of the village, and one in Button field, in the eastern
part of the parish. (fn. 117) In 1753 a copyhold tenant was
licensed to take down a windmill as he had two on
his land and one was never used. (fn. 118) A windmill which
could also be driven by steam was built in 1831 and
was derelict by 1925. (fn. 119) In 1852 a mill stood behind
the Black Bull near the centre of the village. In 1929
there was a steam-mill in the parish. By 1975 the
mill south-west of the village had been demolished. (fn. 120)
In 1245 the bishop of Ely was granted a market
on Mondays at Balsham and a fair there for three
days at Holy Trinity. In 1318 the market-day was
changed from Monday to Wednesday. (fn. 121) The market
had been discontinued by the mid 18th century, but
the fair survived in the early 19th century as a
statute fair for hiring labourers. By 1851 both market
and fair were said to have been long since discontinued. (fn. 122)
Local Government.
At Balsham as in his
other manors the bishop of Ely enjoyed view of
frankpledge, vee de naam, and other franchises,
including cases of felony, theft, and bloodshed. (fn. 123)
Court rolls and books survive from 1310 until
1935. (fn. 124) In the 14th century courts seem to have been
held only three or four times a year; in the 16th and
17th centuries they were held once or twice a year;
from the 18th century only once, apart from special
sessions to deal with particular transactions. The
court met at the manor-house; the meeting was
usually called a court leet and court baron. As late
as 1554 a fine for chevage is recorded. From about
1770 the presentments of the homage ceased to be
concerned with leet jurisdiction and the regulation
of agriculture, and became occupied solely with
tenurial matters, except that the court continued
to appoint a pinder and two constables, and in 1854
received a presentment of waste.
In 1825 one churchwarden was chosen by the
rector and one by the parish. (fn. 125) There were usually
two overseers, but in 1787 there seem to have been
five, two of whom were the wives of previous overseers. (fn. 126) A parish clerk was recorded from 1665. (fn. 127) In
the 18th century the overseers received rent from
the town land to supplement the poor-rate, and at
least once there was also a general subscription to
supply the poor with coal and blankets. (fn. 128) Balsham's
expenditure on the poor was consistently one of the
two highest in the hundred, increasing from £141
in 1776 to £628 in 1803. The highest expenditure
was £1,181 in 1825. In 1803 39 adults received
permanent outside relief, and by 1814 the number
had risen to 66. In 1831 there were 15 men employed
by the parish and paid for from the poor-rate. There
was also an allowance for large families. In 1832
£230 was spent in wages for paupers. Fuel and
clothing were also distributed, but there was no
land let to labourers, and few cottages had gardens. (fn. 129)
Balsham became part of the Linton poor-law union
in 1835, was transferred in 1934 with the rest of
Linton R.D. to the South Cambridgeshire R.D., (fn. 130)
and in 1974 was included in South Cambridgeshire.
Church.
There was a church at Balsham by
1010. (fn. 131) A rector was mentioned between 1220 and
1225. (fn. 132) The advowson of the rectory belonged in
the Middle Ages to the bishop of Ely, and the
church to the bishop's peculiar jurisdiction. (fn. 133) The
advowson descended with the manor, the lessees of
which held it in the later 16th century. Since 1611
the Charterhouse has been patron. (fn. 134)
In 1254 the rectory was valued at 40 marks, the
most valuable in Wilbraham deanery. (fn. 135) In 1291 it
was in Camps deanery and, taxed at £44, was by far
the wealthiest benefice there. (fn. 136) In 1535, when valued
at £39 6s. 8d., it was still the wealthiest rectory in
Camps deanery. (fn. 137) In 1744 Mr. Lagden of Balsham
was said to have offered £316 a year for a lease of
the rectory. (fn. 138) In 1835 the net value was £1,104, and
in 1883 the gross value was £1,600. (fn. 139)
In 1311 the rector had the right to fold 100 sheep. (fn. 140)
In the 17th century the rectory had 153 a. of arable,
8 a. of meadow, and a heath with a sheep-pen.
Most tithes were paid in kind, and the rector also
received tithes from lands in West Wratting and
West Wickham, and a quarter of the wool-tithes
of the Wickham flock. (fn. 141) At inclosure in 1806 the
rector was allotted over 740 a. for tithes and over
250 a. for glebe, of which 180 a. was heathland. He
was also later allotted 26½ a. in West Wratting and
16½ a. in West Wickham. (fn. 142) By 1926 the glebe had
been reduced to 500 a., (fn. 143) which in 1975, still as
glebe, formed Parsonage or Rat Hall farm. The
farm-house had been demolished by then.
The rectory house, mentioned in 1377, was rebuilt
in the 17th century. (fn. 144) In the early 1840s a large new
rectory was built of brick in a simple Gothic style. (fn. 145)
Another new house was built in the 1960s; in 1975
the 19th-century building, known as Sutton Hall,
was occupied as a private house by Sir Frederick
Catherwood. (fn. 146)
There were two guilds in Balsham in the 15th
century, dedicated to the Trinity and to St. Nicholas. (fn. 147) The dates of foundation are unknown, but
there were three chaplains in Balsham in 1406. (fn. 148)
The chapels are said to have stood at the east end
of the two aisles. (fn. 149) At least one still existed in 1521,
but there was no trace of them in 1547. (fn. 150) In 1510
a chantry was founded by Geoffrey Blodwell who
endowed it with an estate called Hunts, which in
1557 consisted of a messuage and 150 a. (fn. 151) In 1558
the lands were granted to Thomas Reeve and
Christopher Bullit. (fn. 152) In 1553 the late incumbent of
the chantry received a pension of £5. (fn. 153)
The charity of Dr. Andrew Perne (d. 1588) provided for a yearly sermon at Balsham by a fellow
of Peterhouse and for catechizing the children. In
1758 10s. was spent on the sermon, and in 1759
3s. 4d. was distributed among the children. (fn. 154) In
1837 the money was used for the intended purposes,
but by 1864 was distributed with Perne's other
bequests in fuel. (fn. 155) In 1883 a Scheme devoted the
money to the promotion of religious knowledge in
Balsham school. (fn. 156)
Up to the 16th century the valuable rectory
attracted pluralists and high officials of the church,
and was used to reward service to the see of Ely or
the Crown. John of Osmele (fl. 1291) was archdeacon
of Ely, as was Richard Bale (fl. 1462) who also acted
as the bishop's official. (fn. 157) John Blodwell (d. 1462)
was administrator of the Ely temporalities; Henry
Myn (fl. 1519) was steward to bishop West; William
May (fl. 1540) had been the bishop's chancellor,
and Andrew Perne (d. 1588) was dean of Ely. (fn. 158)
Three rectors, John of Droxford, later bishop of
Bath and Wells (d. 1329), Henry Snaith (fl. 1361),
and John Sleaford (d. 1401), earned their preferment
in the king's service. Both Sleaford and Droxford
held many other benefices. (fn. 159) There are references
to curates and chaplains in Balsham from the 14th
century onwards. (fn. 160)
In 1550 it was found that the site of the altar had
not been destroyed; otherwise there is little trace
of the 16th-century religious changes. (fn. 161) William
May, later archbishop-elect of York, had to resign
as rector in 1554, but Andrew Perne who took the
living c. 1556 continued to hold it under Elizabeth.
He was not often resident but kept a curate in Balsham. (fn. 162) In 1644 the church was visited by William
Dowsing, who broke pictures and crosses, and
echoed the order of 1550 to level the chancel. (fn. 163) In
1650 the rector, Dr. Thomas Warner, was found
to be a worthy, painful, and godly preacher, but in
1654 was listed as a scandalous minister. (fn. 164) From the
later 17th century most rectors died in office. (fn. 165) For
more than a century after 1751 they were all connected with the Charterhouse; several were ushers
or readers there, and William Ramsden, 1780–1804,
was master. Both he and his curate were almost
strangers to the parish, and Ramsden died at the
Charterhouse; (fn. 166) otherwise few complaints were
recorded about the incumbents.
In 1728 there were two services on Sunday and
the sacrament was administered four times a year
to 20–30 communicants. In 1783 the rector regularly catechized and lectured the children. (fn. 167) In 1807
there was a sermon at evening service, and the
quarterly sacraments were well attended. (fn. 168) In 1825
there were c. 100 communicants at Easter. By 1836
there were sermons at both Sunday services. (fn. 169) In
1851 250 attended service in the morning and 500 in
the afternoon. (fn. 170) By 1877 weekly communions had
been introduced but were poorly attended. (fn. 171) In 1897
there were a Mothers' Union branch, a bible class,
and a boys' and young men's reading room. (fn. 172) In
1913 a church institute was built by public subscription. (fn. 173)
The church of the HOLY TRINITY, so called
in 1518, (fn. 174) is built of field stones and brick with
dressings of freestone and has a clerestoried chancel
with north vestry, an aisled and clerestoried nave
with south porch, and a west tower. There was a
tower c. 1150, (fn. 175) but the surviving bell tower is of
the mid to late 13th century and is the oldest part
of the fabric. The chancel is of the earlier 14th century, implying a nave of considerable length by that
date. The nave, with its arcades, aisles, and porch,
was rebuilt in the later 14th century by John Sleaford (d. 1401). His monumental brass, and that of
another rector, John Blodwell (d. 1462), both with
effigies, are in the chancel. Sleaford also provided
the fine set of 26 stalls in the chancel and the chancel
screen. The rood loft is a later addition, probably
of the late 15th century. It once housed the organ,
and in 1840 the village band. (fn. 176) The chancel clerestory was perhaps added at about the same time as
the loft. The appearance of the tower was altered
in 1589 when heavy buttresses were added to the
north and west sides and an octagonal brick vice
to the south. The initials of Thomas Sutton are
on a buttress, (fn. 177) and his arms on panelling reset in
the north aisle but perhaps once forming part of
a private pew. Repairs were undertaken in the
earlier 19th century and included extensive renewal
of the roofs and repairs to the clerestories, that of
the nave being refaced with brick. (fn. 178) A vestry was
completed on the north side of the chancel in 1867. (fn. 179)
There was a general restoration in 1875 under the
direction of William Butterfield. (fn. 180) By 1922 a chapel
had been formed on the site of the old altar of the
guild of St. Nicholas in the north aisle. It contains
the Elizabethan altar-table and panelling from the
old rectory. (fn. 181) The tower was again strengthened in
1973–4. (fn. 182) The ancient stone font has a sixteen-sided
bowl and a carved wooden cover. An early coffin-lid
with interlace ornament stands in the south aisle.
There were four bells and a clock bell in 1562.
One of the five bells that survive is 16th-century.
In 1609 two bells were recast as four, of which three
survive; the treble was damaged one May Morning
and was recast in 1774 by Pack and Chapman of
London. In 1969 the bells could not be rung because
the tower was unsafe and in 1975 remained unhung. (fn. 183)
In 1278 the church had two chalices and by 1390
there were also a silver chalice, a gilt chalice and
cross, and gold ornaments. (fn. 184) In 1552 there were
three silver chalices and patens. (fn. 185) By c. 1960 the
plate included a silver cup and offering plate of
1777, and a cup and paten cover of 1838. (fn. 186) The
registers start in 1559 and are virtually complete. (fn. 187)
Nonconformity.
About 1560 Christopher
Vitels, a disciple of the Family of Love, established
at Balsham a congregation which by 1574 had
aroused suspicion. Six members were questioned
but returned orthodox answers. They had at least
five other sympathizers; there was another investigation in 1580, and some members were imprisoned. (fn. 188) In 1609 Edmund Rule and John Taylor
the elder, two of the original group, were again
reported to belong to the Family. (fn. 189) In 1686 John
and Oliver Taylor of Balsham were named as
recusants, perhaps suggesting a continuing tradition of dissent in the Taylor family. (fn. 190)
In 1669 there was a small group of Quakers in
Balsham. By 1672 they had joined the meeting at
Linton, but John Webb, whose name appears from
the 1650s, held regular meetings at his house in
Balsham. (fn. 191) In 1679 there were four Quakers in
Balsham, but by 1682 some had been won back to
the church by the rector, Dr. John Templar. (fn. 192)
In 1654 there were a few Baptists in Balsham, as
in 1669. (fn. 193) In 1728 there were few dissenters in the
parish, and in 1807 there were said to be no dissenters, chapels, or meeting-houses. (fn. 194) By 1824, however, a barn was registered for protestant worship,
and a house in 1825. (fn. 195) In the same year a few
Presbyterians and Methodists from Balsham were
said to worship at Linton or West Wratting. (fn. 196)
Meeting places in Balsham were registered in 1836
and 1840; in 1847, 1848, and 1852 Primitive Methodists were meeting in Balsham. (fn. 197) A Primitive
Methodist chapel in Balsham was registered from
1859 until 1896. (fn. 198)
In 1833 a Congregational chapel was built to seat
300. (fn. 199) It may have been the chapel which was used
by Baptists and Independents, and was probably
also the Balsham Home Missionary chapel, a station
of the Cambridgeshire County Union and Home
Missionary Society, a Congregational body. That
was the only nonconformist place of worship in
Balsham recorded in 1851 when it was said to seat
only 200, and to have been built in 1838–9. (fn. 200) In 1877
100 parishoners were chapel-goers, while another
100 attended both church and chapel. In 1897 50
out of 183 Balsham families were dissenters. (fn. 201) In
1860 the Balsham chapel had an out-station at West
Wratting, and from 1905 to 1945 the two were combined. Numbers increased until 1916, but then
declined. In 1954 there were only four members in
Balsham, and the chapel was not mentioned after
that. (fn. 202) By 1975 it had been demolished; the former
manse in the high street was a private house.
In 1894 a Salvation Army barracks in Balsham
already in use was registered. The registration was
cancelled in 1896. (fn. 203)
Education.
A schoolmaster was recorded in
1625. (fn. 204) David Appleyard, by will dated 1669, gave
1 a. in Linton to pay for teaching three poor children of Balsham. The income was devoted to educa-
tional purposes by a Scheme of 1881. (fn. 205) The parish
had three dame schools in 1728 and four in 1807. (fn. 206)
In 1818 a lean-to schoolroom was built on the chancel of the parish church, where a National school
opened with 110 children. The school was held on
Sunday and Wednesday, and there was also a
working school for 30 girls every weekday except
Saturday. (fn. 207) An infant department with 20 boys and
40 girls was started in 1833 when 82 children
attended the day-school at their parents' expense
and 120 the Sunday school. (fn. 208) In 1836 both the infant and Sunday schools were taught by the curate,
and supported by voluntary contributions. (fn. 209) In
1847 Balsham had two dame schools with 33 children, a village day-school with 30 boys, and the
National school with an average attendance of
61 on weekdays and 168 on Sundays. The National
school had only one schoolroom and no teacher's
house. It was supported by a grant, school pence,
and subscriptions. (fn. 210) In 1863 the Charterhouse gave
the Old Hall to the National school, which in 1864
moved to new buildings there, including two schoolrooms, a classroom, and a teacher's house. The
school received a state grant from 1864. (fn. 211) By 1868
evening classes were also held. (fn. 212)
The vestry levied a rate in 1877 to meet school
expenses, for which in 1878 the rector agreed to be
responsible, receiving c. £54 a year from the rates. (fn. 213)
In 1884 average attendance was 148, and in 1908
142. (fn. 214) In 1930 the school became a council school,
and new buildings, for 96 children, were opened
on the same site in 1931. Average attendance was
103. (fn. 215) The school was reorganized between 1936
and 1938 when the seniors were transferred to
Linton village college, and in 1938 average attendance was 60. (fn. 216) By 1970 building had begun on the
north side of the high street for a new primary school
which in 1972 served Balsham, West Wratting,
Weston Colville, and West Wickham. In 1975 the
old buildings remained in use, pending the erection
of further classrooms on the new site. (fn. 217)
Charities for the Poor.
The house in
Balsham given before 1575 by John Woolward for
the use of two poor widows named by the manorial
court was presumably the alms-house recorded in
1593. (fn. 218) In 1720 and 1790 the trustees of the poor
held a cottage in Balsham, probably the same
building, described as an unendowed alms-house
in 1728. In 1807 there were two old alms-houses,
which were then vested in the parish officers and
inhabited by paupers. In 1831 the double cottage
for the poor was altered and improved by the Charterhouse. (fn. 219) In 1882 the vestry resolved to try to
identify two cottages which had been held by trustees at inclosure; they are not mentioned thereafter. (fn. 220)
A Scheme of 1883 amalgamated and regulated
the Balsham parochial charities, including Perne's,
Appleyard's, Symonds's, and Wollaston's. (fn. 221) Dr.
Andrew Perne, by will dated 1588, gave a rent-charge
of £1 16s. 8d. of which £1 3s. 4d. was to be distributed among the poor, the residue being for sermons
and catechizing. (fn. 222) In the 18th century it was said
that the poor's share should be spent on white
herrings in Lent. (fn. 223) In 1864 all the money was distributed in fuel, and in 1881 the poor's share was
spent on calico and flannel for large families. David
Appleyard, by will dated 1669, gave 14 a. in Linton
for doles to the poor at Easter, a rent-charge of 15s.
for doles on Christmas Eve, and one of 6s. for bread
in Rogation week. Robert Symonds, by will dated
1832, gave £100 for coal for widows and orphans on
Christmas Eve. In 1881 2 cwt. of coal were given
to each of 50 poor widows. (fn. 224) Edward Wollaston
(d. 1838), rector of Balsham, gave £200, the income
to be half for the National school, and half for coal
and clothing for widows and widowers. (fn. 225)
The 1883 Scheme also dealt with the income from
other poor lands. In 1696 the trustees bought 4 a.
with money given by various donors since 1599. (fn. 226)
In 1783 the town lands yielded £5 a year, which
had not been distributed or accounted for for
7 years. (fn. 227) At inclosure the trustees were allotted
5½ a. in Balsham and in 1837 distributed the rent
in doles of 9d. per head. (fn. 228) In 1881 6d. was given to
each of 838 poor of the parish. Distribution was then
stopped, causing great ill feeling, while the Charity
Commissioners considered a Scheme, by which
money devoted to educational purposes continued
to be so used, the distribution of coal and clothing
under Symonds's and Wollaston's wills continued,
and all other income was pooled. Despite the
labourers' demands for the continuance of headmoney two-thirds of the income was to go to poor
labourers living alone, or with two children at
school, to widows, and to the infirm. The other third
was used to provide relief in cases of sickness, loss,
or destitution. In the first year £60 was distributed.
In 1974 the income of between £25 and £50 was
distributed for the general benefit of the poor. (fn. 229)
By will proved 1931 Anne E. Prince left £300 for
a nurse or nursing and medicaments for the poor
of Balsham. In 1974 the Prince Nursing Fund had
an income of £53, spent on comforts for the
chronically sick, or help in sudden illness. (fn. 230)