Burwell: The History of a Fen-edge Village

Burwell is one of Cambridgeshire's larger villages lying on the south-east edge of the fens. This history, whilst showing the twists and turns of the development of a village from its earliest times, also illuminates the daily lives of the people who lived and worked on both the land and the fens. This is the fascinating story of how a society worked, the ebb and flow of power between the local landowners, the church and the state, the organization of lands and agriculture, all well-researched and shown with great attention to human detail. A village of great importance in the 12th century, when it played its part in defeating Geoffrey De Mandeville and ending the rebellion against King Stephen, Burwell's history continued as a port and a commercial and manufacturing centre for quarrying, fertilizer and brick-making well into the 20th century. The author has delved deep into the records but has also walked the land so he has been able to paint an informative and rounded picture of a village living and developing through the years.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Topography and Archaeology. Chapter 2: The Development of the Village. Chapter 3: The Period of Turmoil. Chapter 4: Manors. Chapter 5: Medival Life. Chapter 6: Churches and Chapels. Chapter 7: Open Fields. Chapter 8: The Post-Medieval Burwell. Chapter 9: The Enclosure. Chapter 10: Fen Drainage. Appendix 1: The Manor of Burwell (1216-1272). Appendix 2: The Liber Garsumarum of Ramsey Abbey. Appendix 3: Survey of the Manor of Burwell Ramseys 1649. Appendix 4: John Lawrence De Wardeboys (Warboys).

About the Author :
The author has had an interest in history and archaeology from his teenage years when he helped on digs in the summer, field walked in the autumn and spent much of his time in the local record office in the winter. On moving to Burwell he developed a strong interest in the history and archaeology of the place and now, after some years of research, both on the ground and in the Cambridge Record Office, the University Library and the Public Records Office at Kew, he has produced an authoritative account of the making of a fen-edge village.

Review :
Norfolk Roots No. 7 - September/October 2005. Historians, social or family, professional or amateur, can all benefit from this examination of the history of a village. The fact that it lies on the Cambridge edge of the Fens does not preclude those living on the Norfolk edge from enjoying this insight into village life in East Agnlia from the earliest times to the 20th century. What is ideal about this books is that it looks at the lives of ordinary people, the roots from which most of our family trees have grown, and gives an excellent view of the daily routines over the centuries, the highs and lows from festival or holy days (our modern holidays) to the all-important rent days, four times a year, and the labouring days which made up so much of life from the rising of the sun until it set again. You may not find your line back to Richardus Pistor, a baker in the 12th century, but who is to say whether or not the descendants or Richard Whitaker, an 18th century servant whio is alsmost certainly the man raised the alarm when fire spread through the barn in 1727 as vaillages watched a puppet show, made their way through the Swaffham Gap, or headed for Norwich rather than Cambridge when they sought to make a new life for themselves. This villafe which saw its population ebb and flow, but in particular it saw mass immigration during the 17th to 19th centuries. How did the village cope with these 'incomers' or did they accept them more willingly than we are led to believe. An enjoyable read and also a valuable contribution to the library of the area's history - right up to recent times.