LITTLE SHELFORD
The parish of Little Shelford (fn. 1) lies c. 6 km. south
of Cambridge, on the south-west bank of the river
Cam or Granta, (fn. 2) which separates it from Great
Shelford, and whose shallow ford gave both parishes
their name. (fn. 3) Little Shelford covers 484 ha. (1,196
a.) (fn. 4) It is very flat, rising little over 15 m. except at
Cockle Hill, c. 30 m., near the south-west corner of
the parish. It lies mostly on the Lower Chalk, with
a strip of alluvium and valley gravels along the river. (fn. 5)
The parish forms a rough square with a narrower
projection at the northern end. The eastern boundary
follows the river Cam, except at the south-east
corner of the parish, where land east of the river,
formerly intercommonable with Whittlesford, was
granted to Little Shelford when Whittlesford was
inclosed c. 1810. (fn. 6) The western boundary was also
undefined, land there being intercommonable with
Harston, Hauxton, and Newton until their inclosure in 1800. (fn. 7) The boundary with Hauxton on
the north follows a watercourse, and the remaining western and southern boundaries follow field
boundaries.
A number of streams and artificial watercourses
drain from marshy meadow land along the eastern
boundary into the river. Little Shelford village lies
near the north-eastern edge of the parish. Land to the
north and west was probably inclosed in the 16th and
17th centuries; apart from the riverside meadows
and the Moor near the western boundary the rest of
the land was cultivated in three open fields until
their inclosure under an Act of 1813. (fn. 8) No houses
were built outside the village before inclosure.
The shallow ford through the two branches of
the river Cam and adjoining marshy ground had
been crossed by the later 14th century by wooden
bridges and a causeway. In 1399 there was a hermitage there. (fn. 9) Many inhabitants of both Great and
Little Shelford left bequests for the repair of the
bridge, presumably that at the eastern end of
the causeway, in the 15th and 16th centuries. (fn. 10) By the
1590s the county was contributing to its repair. (fn. 11)
The wooden bridge had been replaced by c. 1630
with a stone one (fn. 12) whose cutwaters survived in 1980.
In 1662 the chief constable of the hundred was
ordered to see to the cleaning of the river as weeds
were undermining the bridge. (fn. 13) It was rebuilt in
1782; three round brick arches survived in 1980.
The smaller bridge at the western end of the causeway, with two segmental brick arches, appears to
date from the 19th century. (fn. 14)
The parish is traversed for almost its full length
by a road running north-west from Whittlesford to
Shelford Bridge. That road was turnpiked in 1729
and disturnpiked in 1871. There was a tollhouse
on the bridge. (fn. 15)
Of the inhabitants recorded in Shelford in 1086
probably 25 were in Little Shelford. (fn. 16) By 1279 there
were c. 60 tenants and 62 messuages there, (fn. 17) and
36 inhabitants were taxed in 1327. (fn. 18) The population
changed little in the 15th century and 34 people
paid to the subsidy in 1524. (fn. 19) There were 32 households in Little Shelford in 1563, (fn. 20) rising to c. 40 in
1666. (fn. 21) Ninety adults were recorded in 1676, (fn. 22) but
in 1727 there were estimated to be only 32 families
there. (fn. 23) By 1801 numbers had risen considerably,
to 61 families, 220 inhabitants. They continued to
rise to 580 in 1851, and after fluctuating between 580
and 440 until 1931, rose again after the Second
World War to 658 in 1951 and 884 in 1971. (fn. 24)
There are remains of a pagan Anglo-Saxon
cemetery near to the river, south-east of the bridge. (fn. 25)
The village of Little Shelford grew up west of there,
around the point where the Whittlesford road turns
east to cross the river. It spread from a nucleus near
the ford, including the manor house and church,
westwards along Church Street and southwards
from the west end of Church Street along the
modern High Street, known in the early 19th
century as Thames Street Road. From the latter's
junction with Church Street roads also ran northwest to Hauxton and west towards Harston and
Newton. A number of 17th- and 18th-century
cottages survive south-east of the church and on
High Street. Hall Farm, at the southern end of High
Street, is an early 16th-century building, extended
in the later 16th century and again in the 17th and
18th centuries. White's Farm, also on High Street,
dates from the 17th century and was altered in
the 18th. King's Farm, near the northern end of
the street, originated as a small cottage, which was
altered in the later 18th century, and greatly
enlarged in the early 20th century to designs by
Frederick Lean. (fn. 26) Next to it stands a dovecot which
was converted into a house in the 18th century.
A 14th-century house on High Street was moved
there from Eaton Socon (Beds.) in 1966. (fn. 27)
The number of houses in the village probably
remained between 30 and 40 until the later 18th
century, and although the number had almost
doubled by 1831 it was not until the later 19th
century that enough had been built to accommodate
the growing population. (fn. 28) In the later 19th century
several larger houses were built in the village and
along the Whittlesford road, (fn. 29) but in the early 20th
century it was difficult to find building land, and
more labourers' cottages were needed. (fn. 30) By the
1940s there had been further building along the
Hauxton and Newton roads. A number of council
houses were built after the Second World War
between High Street and Whittlesford road, and
other post-war development has included single
houses within the old village and c. 40 private
houses east of the Whittlesford road. (fn. 31) The extent
of the village has however changed little, and in 1980
much open land still remained within the village.
The Three Horse Shoes inn, on the south-east
side of Church Street, occurs in 1787. (fn. 32) It was used
for parish meetings in the 1830s and survived until
1908 when it was demolished and a private house
built on the site. (fn. 33) The Prince Regent on the corner
of Church Street and the Hauxton road, recorded in
1847, (fn. 34) survived in 1980. The William IV on High
Street, which also occurs in 1847, was converted
into private houses in 1910. (fn. 35) The Chequers, on the
north-west side of Church Street, built in the late
1860s, also survived in 1980. (fn. 36) There were other
public houses in the village in the later 19th century. (fn. 37)
From the 18th century the parish was much
influenced by the Wale family whose main seat was
Shelford House or Hall, later known as the Old
House, south-east of the church. The family owned
much land in Little Shelford, and many members
lived there. (fn. 38) In 1862 a cottage on Church Street,
later known as The Studio, was opened by Col.
R. G. Wale as a reading room and adult evening
institute. Between 1885 and 1908 technical subjects
were taught there. (fn. 39) The Wales also provided the
village with a recreation ground south of Shelford
Hall on Whittlesford Road. In 1925 a village hall
was built as a war memorial on Church Street on a
site given by C. H. Clay, and enlarged by C. F. Clay
of Manor Farm in 1932. (fn. 40)
John Rickinghale, bishop of Chichester from
1426, was a native of Little Shelford. (fn. 41) In the early
19th century a Mr. Preston ran at Shelford House
a private school whose pupils included T. B. Macaulay and William Wilberforce's eldest son. It moved
to Hertfordshire in 1814. (fn. 42)
Manors and other Estates.
In 1086
Hardwin de Scalers held altogether nearly 8 hides
in Shelford, most of which formed the later manor
of LITTLE SHELFORD. Part of that land, c.
1½ hides, which in 1066 had been held by six sokemen under Eddeva, was held by Hardwin under
Count Alan, 2½ hides was formerly the demesne of
Ely abbey, and the rest, former sokeland, was held
in chief. (fn. 43) Little Shelford passed on Hardwin's death
to his son Richard, forming the caput of his half of
the Scalers barony. It descended from Richard's son
Stephen (d. 1168) to Stephen's son William (d. 1199)
and the latter's son, also William (d. by 1222), (fn. 44) being
assigned in 1199 to his mother Sibyl as dower. (fn. 45)
The younger William's son Richard (d. 1231) was
succeeded by his daughter Lucy who married
Baldwin de Freville (d. c. 1257). (fn. 46) Little Shelford
thereafter descended in the Freville family for over
300 years. Baldwin de Freville c. 1235 held ¾ fee
there in chief, ¾ fee of the honor of Richmond, and
1½ fee of the see of Ely, (fn. 47) and those overlordships
were recorded until the 15th century. (fn. 48)
Baldwin's son Richard de Freville was succeeded
in 1299 by his son John (d. 1312) (fn. 49) whose son
Richard in 1325 settled the manor on himself and
his wife Margaret. (fn. 50) Sir Richard was succeeded in
1328 by his son Sir John (d. 1372). The manor had
been settled on John's marriage to Ellen Lucy and
on her death in 1380 (fn. 51) passed to Sir John's brother
Robert Freville (d. 1393) and then to Robert's
son Thomas (d. 1405). (fn. 52) Thomas's son William
(d. 1460) was succeeded by his son, also William
(d. 1481). (fn. 53) The latter's son John was succeeded in
1505 by his son Robert (fn. 54) (d. 1521). Robert's wife
Rose (d. 1529) held much of the Little Shelford
estate for life, (fn. 55) and was succeeded by their son
John (d. 1552). John's son and heir Robert (fn. 56) in 1556
granted the reversion of the manor of Little Shelford, then held for life by his mother Dorothy, to
John's brother George. (fn. 57)
George Freville, a judge and a baron of the
Exchequer, sold Little Shelford in 1577 to John
Bankes (d. 1619). (fn. 58) Bankes sold the manor house and
part of the demesne to Tobias Palavicino. The
manor and the rest of the land was held by John's
widow Priscilla until 1634 and was later sold by their
second son John to Daniel Wigmore, archdeacon
of Ely. (fn. 59) Palavicino sold his estate in Little Shelford
to John Gill (fl. 1641). (fn. 60) By 1665 it had passed to
Gilbert Wigmore, also rector of Little Shelford,
who had inherited the rest of the manor in 1646 on
the death of Daniel Wigmore, his kinsman. (fn. 61)
Gilbert died in 1713 and the manor passed to his
son-in-law Roger Gillingham, also rector (d. 1749). (fn. 62)
In 1745 Gillingham sold Little Shelford manor to
William Finch, a Cambridge ironmonger (d. 1762).
Finch was succeeded by his great-nephew William
Ingle Finch, later William Finch Finch, lord in
1808 (fn. 63) and 1815. (fn. 64) Henry Finch, presumably
William's son, sold the manor in 1837 to James Law
and his son James Edmund. The latter, also rector,
sold the manor and land in 1879 to C. J. Clay, lord
in 1883, (fn. 65) and the manor house to William Walton,
fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, whose
daughter lived there in 1903. (fn. 66) C. J. Clay had been
succeeded by 1908 by John Clay, lord in 1937. (fn. 67)
Little Shelford manor house, the main seat of the
Frevilles, was recorded from the late 13th century, (fn. 68)
presumably occupying the site of later houses near
the river, north of the bridge and church. The house
included a chapel in 1349, (fn. 69) and in the 1520s a hall,
two parlours, and a great and little chamber. (fn. 70)
Tobias Palavicino built a new house in the earlier
17th century. It was of brick and had a three-storeyed
main front of five bays with gabled wings, each of
two bays, between which there was a colonnade
with a two-storeyed central porch. Palavicino's arms
were above the doorway. (fn. 71) In the 1610s the house
was for a time occupied by the earl of Southampton. (fn. 72)
In the 1660s it had 25 hearths. (fn. 73) It was largely
demolished c. 1750 and a new house with a plain
central block of five bays was built on the site. (fn. 74)
Some material from the old house, including a
17th-century door and Palavicino's coat of arms,
was incorporated into two pavilions which are
joined to the new house by curving walls. The main
block appears to have been refaced in the 19th
century and the 18th-century panelling in some of
the principal rooms had to be restored after a fire
c. 1945 (fn. 75) The small park is bounded by the river on
the east and by an early 18th-century brick wall
on the south.
A considerable estate was built up in Little
Shelford from the early 18th century by the Wale
family. Gregory Wale (d. 1739) bought from Gilbert
Wigmore a house and land there which he left to
his son Hitch Wale (d. 1749), with remainder to his
other son Thomas. (fn. 76) In 1765 Thomas leased the
house from Hitch's widow who had a life interest. (fn. 77)
Thomas, a Riga merchant, bought other land in
the parish, and on his death in 1796 at the age of 95
was succeeded by his son Charles, later General
Sir Charles Wale, (fn. 78) who after inclosure in 1815 held
c. 380 a. in Little Shelford. Thomas had left his
estate to his daughter, Margaretta Philippina, who
after 1815 held c. 140 a. (fn. 79) Her estate, known as King's
farm, passed on her death in 1841 through her
niece Isabella Willis to Robert Gregory Wale, and
then to Isabella's son-in-law J. F. Eaden. (fn. 80) Sir
Charles Wale's eldest surviving son Alexander
Malcolm succeeded his father in 1845, and in 1850
sold his Little Shelford estate to his brother Robert
Gregory Wale (d. 1892). The latter's son R. F. Wale
died in 1893 and was succeeded by his five sisters
whose estates eventually descended to Miss Norah
Cecil Wale Powell (fl. 1962). R. G. Wale's brother
Charles Brent Wale (d. 1864) also held an estate in
Little Shelford, known as Saintfoins. It passed in
turn to his son Frederick and grandson C. G. B.
Wale (fl. 1937). (fn. 81)
The Wale family's house, known as Shelford
House or Hall or the Old House, south-east of the
church, was of 17th-century origin. It was altered
in 1764 by Thomas Wale (fn. 82) and largely demolished
c. 1852. The north wing, which has walls of 18thcentury brick but has been much altered, was left
as an entrance lodge to a new house built in a Gothic
style for R. G. Wale by W. J. Donthorn. (fn. 83) Much of
that building was burnt down in 1928. The north
wing and parts of the mid 19th-century stabling,
converted into private houses, survived in 1980.
Between 1775 and 1845 a family mausoleum,
designed by William Wilkins, stood west of the
house in Camping Close. (fn. 84) The house stood in a
small park adjoining the Whittlesford road.
Economic History.
In 1086 the estate which
Hardwin de Scalers held from Count Alan included
1½ hide and 6 a. cultivated by 6 villani and 2 bordars
with 2 ploughteams, and meadow for the 2 teams.
The remainder of Hardwin's estate consisted of
6 hides, 1 yardland, and 7 a. One hide was in
demesne, cultivated by 1 ploughteam, and the rest
was cultivated by 13 villani and 4 bordars with 7
teams. There was meadow for 4 teams, and sufficient
pasture. Apart from the Ely abbey land, much of
Hardwin's estate had in 1066 belonged to sokemen,
presumably the forerunners of the villani and
bordars. (fn. 85)
By 1279 the demesne of Little Shelford manor
included 300 a. of arable, 30 a. of meadow, and 10 a.
of several pasture. (fn. 86) By the end of the century it
was estimated as 250 a. of arable, 20 a. of meadow,
and some marshy pasture. (fn. 87) In 1279 the parish
included another c. 340 a. of arable land, c. 45 a.
of meadow, and 6 a. of common moor. (fn. 88) As in later
years (fn. 89) the meadow was presumably in the east of
the parish along the river, the moor north-west of
the village on the Hauxton road, and the open arable
fields south of the village.
There were in 1279 13 free tenants holding
between 24 a. and ½ a. each. Two held what were
probably enfranchised villein tenements, and there
were also 14 villein half-yardlanders who each held
12 a. of arable and 2 a. of meadow. The latter owed
3 works a week throughout the year, and 2 carrying
services a week, and paid heriot, gersum, and
leyrwite. There were also 35 cottars who held 1 a.
each in return for reaping and threshing services,
2 boonworks, leyrwite, gersum, and a money rent.
A further 12 customary tenants held small pieces
of land for money rents. (fn. 90) In 1299 the labour
services of all the customary tenants were worth
£8 2s. a year; (fn. 91) in 1381, when they totalled only
200 a year, many had presumably been commuted. (fn. 92)
The manorial estate dominated the parish, and in
1327 when Mabel de Freville paid 14s. 6d. to the
fifteenth, only one other parishioner paid over 2s. (fn. 93)
By 1521, when the arable was divided between
three fields, Wheat, later White, field, Southfield,
and Homefield, there was apparently much inclosed
meadow, besides some common meadow. (fn. 94) By 1615
the three fields were known as Whitefield, in the
south-eastern corner of the parish, Middle field, on
the southern boundary, and Danford or Dernford
field, between the Whittlesford road and the riverside meadows. The common meadow presumably
lay south-east of the village and the several meadow
to its north, while the Moor was still on the Hauxton
boundary. (fn. 95) Land in the south-eastern corner of the
parish was intercommonable with Whittlesford until
its inclosure c. 1810. (fn. 96) Little Shelford Moor was
intercommonable with Harston and Hauxton until
Harston's inclosure c. 1800 when the boundary was
defined, and c. 64 a. were allotted to Little Shelford
owners and c. 20 a. as common for the parish. (fn. 97)
In the 16th century barley was probably the
parish's main crop, (fn. 98) and in the early 17th century
c. 450 a. were sown with corn each year. (fn. 99) Saffron
was grown in the 1620s, presumably as in the 1770s
in closes, one third being ploughed up each year.
Peas were then also grown in closes. (fn. 100) A shepherd
was recorded in Little Shelford in the 13th century. (fn. 101)
In 1615 there were c. 300 sheep in the parish. One
farmer in 1618 had a flock of c. 120 as well as a herd
of cattle, (fn. 102) and in the late 18th century Charles
Wale had c. 300 sheep there. (fn. 103)
Until the Wale family came to prominence (fn. 104) the
lords of the manor continued to dominate the parish.
In 1523 Rose Freville was taxed on lands worth £20,
a further 6 parishioners paid on goods worth
between £4 and £15, and 5 on 40s. worth of goods,
while 22 paid on wages of 20s. to 30s. (fn. 105) In the 1640s
the lord of the manor was still the principal taxpayer. (fn. 106)
By 1814 (fn. 107) nearly 300 a. of land around the village
and in the north of the parish had already been
inclosed. The remaining arable was still divided
between three fields, and there was common meadow
along the river, May Common immediately south of
the village closes, and the Moor and Back Moor to
their west. The inclosure award, enrolled in 1815,
allotted c. 860 a. of open and common land. The
rector received c. 250 a. as glebe and in lieu of
tithes. The largest allotment was to Sir Charles
Wale who received c. 315 a. His sister Miss M. P.
Wale received 105 a., and only three others had over
10 a. There were 8 allotments of 5 a.–10 a., and 25
under 5 a. The lord of the manor received 7 a. for
manorial rights, the rest of his estate, c. 140 a.,
being already inclosed. Throughout the 19th and
earlier 20th century the main owners have remained
the lord of the manor, the rector, and the Wale
family. (fn. 108)
By 1830 c. 70 agricultural labourers were employed
on seven farms in Little Shelford, the two largest
being farmed by William Clear, c. 400 a., and a Mr.
Wilkerson, c. 250 a. (fn. 109) Hall farm, west of the village
and extending into Hauxton, and Manor farm, in
the north of the parish, (fn. 110) continued to be farmed
from homesteads in the village, as did the smaller
White and King's farms. Two farmsteads were
built in the fields after inclosure, Rectory Farm on
the glebe east of the Whittlesford road, and Saintfoins to its north-west, on land held at inclosure by
Charles Finch. (fn. 111) Saintfoins was probably built by
Francis Henson (fl. 1815) and passed through
several hands before being bought in 1860 by Hamer
Towgood (d. 1914). It had only c. 50 a. of land and
was often farmed with Rectory farm. (fn. 112) In the 20th
century the parish has been divided among one or
two large farms and several smaller ones. (fn. 113)
By the mid 19th century c. 840 a. were cultivated
as arable, the main crops being barley, wheat, and
turnips ; oats, cabbage, and vetches were also grown.
In 1905 c. 900 a. of arable and 450 a. of permanent
grass were returned. Barley and wheat continued
to be the major crops into the 1970s. By the 1950s
sugar beet was also grown. (fn. 114) In 1866 the meadow
land supported c. 80 cattle, and 240 pigs and over
1,000 sheep were also kept. The number of cattle
increased as the sheep decreased and by 1905 there
were c. 700 sheep and 106 dairy and 124 beef cattle.
By 1955 few sheep were kept, but there were c. 30
dairy cattle, over 200 beef cattle, and large numbers
of poultry. (fn. 115)
A fletcher was recorded in Little Shelford in the
later 16th century, (fn. 116) and there was also a weaver
there in the later 18th century, (fn. 117) but the main
occupation in the parish long remained agriculture.
In the 1830s some men and boys worked in the
gravel pits, and c. 24 were tradesmen or craftsmen. (fn. 118)
From the mid 18th century the Gall family made
rope and twine in Little Shelford. They had a rope
walk running east from their premises to near the
church. From the mid 19th century the firm also
made sacks and tarpaulins and from the later 19th
century distilled tar. The business continued until
the 1950s. In 1957 the premises were bought by
a manufacturer of lenses and optical instruments
and by 1974 were used by a small firm engaged in
wrought iron work. (fn. 119) Arthur Austin (d. 1908),
whose family had been long established in the area
as windmill builders, farmed at Little Shelford from
the 1890s. He was also a lime and coprolite merchant,
and before 1875 he built a brewery on the Hauxton
road. He may also have run a foundry for a time in
the parish. (fn. 120) The brewery was disused in 1916 and
had been demolished by 1966. (fn. 121) In the late 1930s
there was a firm making straw plait at Little Shelford. (fn. 122) By the later 20th century most of the parish's
inhabitants worked at Cambridge, Sawston, or
Hauxton. (fn. 123)
A water mill was recorded at Little Shelford in
1279, 1299, and 1381. (fn. 124) Mill Lane was recorded
there in the mid 16th century, (fn. 125) but the double
water mill from which the rector received tithe in
1615 was probably King's Mill in Great Shelford. (fn. 126)
A mill in Little Shelford has not been traced later.
Local Government.
In 1275 Richard de
Freville claimed the assize of ale in Little Shelford,
and a tumbrel. (fn. 127) Courts for Little Shelford manor
are recorded in the late 13th and 14th centuries. (fn. 128)
Court records survive for 1627 to 1635, (fn. 129) and a
court was recorded in 1783. (fn. 130)
In the earlier 17th century a court leet and baron
was held once a year. As well as dealing with tenurial
matters the court issued and enforced ordinances
about the cleaning of watercourses and the pasturing
of animals on the commons, and elected a hayward
and a constable. (fn. 131) It perhaps also exercised some
control over poor relief, for in 1631 and later the
leet ordered that no inhabitant should take in a
pauper from outside Little Shelford without the
permission of other parishioners. (fn. 132) The parish had
an almshouse in 1666 ; (fn. 133) it has not been traced later.
In the early 19th century the parish's expenditure
on poor relief included the payment of weekly doles
to some paupers and occasional cash payments to
others, as well as payments for coal, clothing, and
medicine. Some wages were paid from the rates,
and some men were employed digging gravel;
occasional loans were also made. In 1830 c. 15 people
received weekly payments. The parish employed
a surgeon by 1829. (fn. 134) Little Shelford's rate in 1803
was the highest in the hundred; it thereafter
fluctuated greatly, but generally remained high.
Expenditure on poor relief rose from £275 in 1815
to £450 in 1833. (fn. 135)
By c. 1830 15 labourers were generally out of
work, and to provide employment and prevent others
being thrown on the parish it was agreed that
farmers should employ a minimum number of men
according to the value of their farms. (fn. 136) Men were
also employed on the parish roads and drains. (fn. 137) In
1835 a close and regular check was kept on the overseers' expenditure in an attempt to keep the rate
down. (fn. 138)
By 1830 the parish oversaw the maintenance of
public ditches and maintained a fire engine in
conjunction with Great Shelford and Stapleford. (fn. 139)
In 1855 an improvement committee, appointed by
the vestry, made plans for the better drainage of the
parish. (fn. 140)
After 1834 Little Shelford joined the Chesterton
poor law union, passing in 1894 to the Chesterton
R.D., and in 1934 to the South Cambridgeshire R.D.
From 1974 it has been part of the South Cambridgeshire district. (fn. 141)
Church.
The church at Shelford which had
belonged to the monks of Ely and had been seized
by 1086 by Hardwin de Scalers (fn. 142) was probably
Little Shelford church. The living has remained
a rectory, the advowson descending with Little
Shelford manor until the 19th century. (fn. 143) In 1879
J. E. Law, then rector and patron, sold the advowson
to St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. (fn. 144) The college
retained the advowson, and after 1930, when the
benefice was united with Newton, presented alternately with the dean and chapter of Ely. (fn. 145) In 1960
the advowson was assigned to the bishop of Ely. (fn. 146)
The rectory was valued at 12 marks c. 1217, at
14 marks in 1254, and at 16 marks in 1291. (fn. 147) By
1534 it was worth £15 9s. 8d. (fn. 148) and c. £100 by the
mid 17th century. (fn. 149) In 1728 it was valued at £120,
by 1830 at c. £370, and in 1883 at £400. (fn. 150)
In 1291 and 1367 as well as all the tithes of Little
Shelford the rector received 2s. for tithes from 3½ a.
in Whittlesford. (fn. 151) By 1615 the payment had risen
to 6s. 8d., (fn. 152) and the rector was later allotted c. 1 a.
in Whittlesford in lieu of tithes. (fn. 153) In the later 17th
century it was established that he should also receive
a payment of 28s. a year from Hauxton rectory. (fn. 154)
At inclosure in 1815 the rector was allotted 224½ a.
in lieu of all tithes in Little Shelford. (fn. 155)
In 1279 there were c. 26 a. of glebe, given by an
earlier lord of the manor. (fn. 156) By the early 17th century
there were c. 60 a., (fn. 157) but the rector was allotted only
c. 28 a., close to his tithe allotment in the south of the
parish, in 1815. (fn. 158) Rectory Farm had been built there
by 1837. (fn. 159) St. Catharine's College gave the rector 4 a.
more glebe c. 1885, (fn. 160) and in 1887 it totalled c. 255 a. (fn. 161)
In 1952 Rectory farm was sold to Messrs. J. Fordham and Sons, (fn. 162) who still held it in 1980.
The rector had a house in Little Shelford in 1279, (fn. 163)
probably on the site of later glebe houses immediately north-east of the church. It perhaps had 4
hearths in the mid 17th century. (fn. 164) From the 17th
century the rector was often also lord of the manor
and lived in the manor house, as in 1731. (fn. 165) The
rectory was kept in good repair and let out. (fn. 166) In
1858 the old rectory, a long, low building with a
deep roof and dormer windows, was demolished and
a large new brick and stone house built in a Gothic
style on the same site by J. E. Law. (fn. 167) That house,
in 1980 called Priesthouse, was sold in 1962 (fn. 168) after
a new rectory had been built to its north-east.
Thomas Eyton, rector of Little and Great Shelford, was licensed not to reside in 1337. (fn. 169) In 1378
besides the rector there were three chaplains in the
parish, and two were recorded there in 1406. (fn. 170) In
the early 16th century there was a Corpus Christi
guild in Little Shelford. (fn. 171) Roland Swinburne, rector
1540–57, was also master of Clare College and held
a prebend of Salisbury. (fn. 172) George Fuller, rector
1561–79, was non-resident; he also held Hildersham,
and lived at Christ's College where he was a fellow. (fn. 173)
His successor John Scurfield was also chaplain to
the earl of Essex and rector of Hertingfordbury
(Herts.). He was non-resident in 1579, and in 1590
employed a curate at Little Shelford. (fn. 174) In the late
16th and early 17th century a number of parishioners,
especially the Bankes family, failed to attend church. (fn. 175)
William Alabaster, presented in 1627, was a
Latin poet and divine who had been a convert to
Catholicism earlier in his career. (fn. 176) Gilbert Wigmore,
rector 1641–65, and his son-in-law Roger Gillingham, rector 1709–49, both owned the manor. (fn. 177)
William Wells, rector c. 1665–75, was also president
of Queens' College, vice-chancellor of the University,
rector of Sandon (Essex), and archdeacon of Colchester. (fn. 178) A Mr. Hurst, rector in the later 18th
century, also held Great Shelford and employed a
curate for the two parishes, himself living at Boxworth. The curate held one Sunday service and
thrice yearly sacraments in 1775. (fn. 179) Martin Hogg,
rector in 1802, was chaplain to the earl of Cholmondeley. (fn. 180) His successor Henry Finch, rector 1806–
49, also held Great Shelford and Longstanton, (fn. 181)
and in 1807 lived mostly in Cambridge. He held
alternate Sunday morning and evening services, and
quarterly communions attended by c. 12 people. He
was resident at Little Shelford by 1825. (fn. 182)
James Edmund Law, rector 1852–92, was presented by his father, and, although licensed for
non-residence in 1855, lived at Little Shelford from
1859. (fn. 183) By 1873 he was holding two Sunday services
and monthly communions, and there was also a
Sunday school. (fn. 184) His successor E. T. S. Carr, rector
until 1929, was also a fellow, bursar, and president of St. Catharine's College. By 1897 he had
introduced a choir and a parochial library. (fn. 185)
After his death the benefice was united with Newton, but rectors have continued to live at Little
Shelford. (fn. 186)
The church of ALL SAINTS, so called in 1521, (fn. 187)
is built of field stones with stone dressings, and
consists of a chancel with north vestry, a nave with
a south chapel and porch, and a west tower. Part of
the nave north wall, including a doorway and
window, survives from a 12th-century building, as
until the mid 19th century did a cross wall between
the chancel and nave, pierced by a pointed central
opening, with two smaller blind side-arches. The
chancel was rebuilt or remodelled in the late 13th
century. The vestry, the tower, and the south porch
were added in the early 14th century, probably by
Sir John de Freville (d. 1312) and his successors who
may also have rebuilt the south wall of the nave.
A new five-light east window was put in by Sir
John (d. 1372) or his wife Ellen (d. 1380), (fn. 188) and in
the early 15th century a south chapel was added,
probably by Margaret, wife of Thomas Freville
(d. 1405). In the mid 15th century the nave and
tower were partly rebuilt and new five-light, squareheaded windows were put into the chancel. Some
windows were blocked in 1638; (fn. 189) the west wall of
the south chapel was rebuilt in brick in 1728 and
the east end of the chancel was apparently rebuilt
and the east window replaced in 1760. (fn. 190) By the mid
19th century the blind arches of the cross wall
between nave and chancel had been pierced by
square openings (fn. 191) and as a result that wall was
insecure. It was taken down during restoration in
1854 and replaced with a large new chancel arch
designed by Edward Walters of Cambridge. At the
same time a squint between the south chapel and the
chancel was filled in. (fn. 192) By 1873 further restoration
was necessary: (fn. 193) it was undertaken in 1878–9 under
the direction of R. R. Rowe. The chancel was largely
rebuilt and given new east and south windows, the
nave walls were repaired, and the roofs were rebuilt
in the style of the old ones. The south doorway was
renewed and a new porch built. (fn. 194) The tower was
restored, also by Rowe, c. 1884, and again in 1950
when other repairs were also undertaken. (fn. 195)
The Church of All Saints, Little Shelford
In 1742 there survived 16 chancel stalls with
canopies and a chancel screen painted with the
Freville arms and St. George's cross. (fn. 196) The screen
was removed in 1854 although the rood stair turret
survived in 1980. Only the backs of the stalls then
remained. The octagonal stone font dates from the
early 14th century. There was a three-decker pulpit
before 1854; (fn. 197) the carved oak pulpit and canopy
which survived in 1980 dated from 1633. Against the
north wall of the chancel, under an elaborate ogeeheaded arch, is an effigy of Sir John de Freville (d.
1312). To its west a slightly earlier arch once covered
the tomb of a woman, perhaps his wife Eleanor
(d. 1316). (fn. 198) The east window glass once contained
inscriptions to Sir John (d. 1372) and Ellen Freville
(d. 1380); with other painted glass which survived
c. 1750 (fn. 199) it had disappeared by the 19th century. In
the south chapel there survive brasses to Robert
Freville (d. 1393) and his wife Clarice (d. 1399),
and Thomas Freville (d. 1405) and his wife Margaret
(d. 1410). In the 17th century monuments to several
other members of the Freville family survived. (fn. 200)
A monument to Gilbert Wigmore (d. 1683) is set
in the outside south chancel wall. In the south
chapel are monuments to William Ingle (d. 1767),
his son William Finch Finch (d. 1826), and Samuel
Ingle, rector (d. 1794). On the north wall of the
nave are many monuments to members of the Wale
family.
In the 13th century the church was richly
provided with vestments, some given by the Frevilles. (fn. 201) In 1473 the rector John Catte left several
vestments and a chalice to the church, (fn. 202) and in 1552
there was a silver chalice and paten. (fn. 203) In the 20th
century the plate included a cup and paten of 1638. (fn. 204)
Little Shelford had three bells in the steeple in
1552. (fn. 205) One was recast and a new one bought in
1608. (fn. 206) Another was recast in 1612, and four new
bells were cast c. 1702. (fn. 207) Six bells were hung in the
tower in 1961. (fn. 208) The parish registers begin in 1686,
and there are bishop's transcripts from 1600. (fn. 209)
Nonconformity.
No nonconformists were
recorded in Little Shelford in the mid 17th century, (fn. 210)
but c. 7 families were described as Presbyterian in
1731. (fn. 211) In 1759 a house was licensed for protestant
worship by the United Brethren. (fn. 212)
By 1807 the rector reported that there was no
meeting house and the few dissenters often attended
church, (fn. 213) although it was later said that the meeting
house had been in use before 1800. It was refitted
and licensed in 1823. Then described as a barn,
it was presumably on the site of the later chapel,
east of High Street near King's Farm. In 1851 c. 50
people attended each of the 3 Sunday services. (fn. 214)
The meeting was served by the Home Missionary
Society, a Congregational body. (fn. 215) The chapel was
probably rebuilt in 1881. (fn. 216) In 1895 it was served
with Sawston, as it was in the 1960s when it had
c. 11 members. (fn. 217)
John Wesley preached at Shelford in 1759. (fn. 218) In
1761 a house in Little Shelford was licensed for
Methodist worship (fn. 219) and in 1783 there were said to
be many Methodists in the parish, (fn. 220) but they are
not recorded later.
Education.
There was an unlicensed school
master at Little Shelford in 1590. (fn. 221)
By the early 19th century Miss M. P. Wale
supported a school which taught writing, bible
reading, and needlework to c. 15 girls. After her
death it was supported for a few years by other
members of her family and the rector's wife, before
closing. (fn. 222) In 1818, when many children attended
Great Shelford schools, there was one other day
school at Little Shelford for c. 15 children. (fn. 223) By
1833 2 dame schools there taught c. 35 infants, and
a Sunday school, opened in 1823, taught c. 60
children. (fn. 224) From the 1840s Little Shelford children
attended schools at Great Shelford. A Sunday school
continued at Little Shelford, and evening classes
were sometimes held there. (fn. 225)
Charities for the Poor. (fn. 226)
Little Shelford
was amongst the parishes to benefit from Lettice
Martin's charity, established in 1562. The income
was distributed in small cash doles, usually with
a £2 rent charge on Hall Farm, devised by John
Bankes by will proved 1619. (fn. 227) By 1980 the income of
the Parochial Charities, under £5, was used for
the general benefit of the poor.