ENGLISH-FENS-L Archives

Archiver > ENGLISH-FENS > 1998-03 > 0889462415


From: John Grice <>
Subject: Re. Confused American
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 11:53:35 -0500


----------

Having read Graham Freestone's interesting e-mail re: the Whereabouts of
Mill End, Chatteris. I wonder if you may be interested in the reply I sent
him. I must comment on the explanation you had found, Graham, as you say,
it is not your explanation.
Witchford is still a village and has not yet, even with the Trading Estate
on the old airfield being added joined to the City of Ely, founded in 673
AD.
Ely and its cathedral 'The ship of the Fens' still stands proudly above the
surrounding countryside.
Cambridge became a City (Iquote Michael Rouse, A View into Cambridgshire)
in 1951. Collins English Dictionary definition of a City is 1) any large
town or populous place
2)a large town that has received the title from the Crown, usually the seat
of a Bishop.

Gene,
As you will see from the following I can imagine why you are confused about
the whereabouts of Mill End, Chatteris. I'll try to sort your problem but
may only add to your confusion!
I will start at the outside and work in.
On your map you must see the county of Cambridgeshire.
A county in England is similar to a state in USA.
Each county had subdivisions or hundreds, having their own court, for ease
of travel and administration I would presume. These old hundreds are still
used (in the case of Chatteris even now) for registration purposes. The
North Witchford hundred was an area covering Chatteris, March, Doddington,
Stanground and Whittlesey.
Chatteris was a small town in 1853. (and still is!), population of around
5,000. In 1851 (I quote) the town was said to be considerable, to be
lighted by gas and to contain some handsome houses and good shops. It had
15 Inns and 43 beerhouses (one or two in each street!).Agriculture is the
main industry but there is some engineering in the town.
Mill End Chatteris was a sub-district of Chatteris. There were several
mills in the town, but in Mill End I know that there was White Mill and
Black Mill.
I hope that helps a little - Mill End Road has been renamed London Road(we
were 72 miles from London). It is the road which leaves Chatteris towards
St. Ives.
I was born in London Road opposite the remains of Black Mill. There is
nothing there now but new houses have been built and the streets have been
named after the mills.

Records are at Cambridge Record Office e-mail address

Have you tried Cambridgeshire History on the net for info? address is
tttp://www.camcnty.gov.uk/library/librarie.htm

Hope this helps and not confuses
Regards
Elizabet

This thread: