We had a very lively and interesting talk by Michelle Bullivant, a local historian and archaeologist.
Michelle started her career as an archaeologist and worked on digs at Lakenheath and Mildenhall for the County Council but is now self-employed. Digs are now funded by developers rather than local authorities.
Michelle noticed an entry for Cherry Hinton, then just Hinton, in the Domesday book which said there were four mills. The term ‘mill’ means two stones grinding together and there might be two pairs in one building. No windmills existed at that time and no evidence showed above ground, but Michelle started looking around what is now to most of us just a suburb of Cambridge to see if she could find any trace of these early structures. Parts of the village have names like Spring Head and Mill End and the Hinton Brook flows into the River Cam so she started her search by looking at water courses and ended up in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall. By clever detecting work using her eyes, field walking, old maps before and after enclosure and sale documents she was able to prove that a watermill did exist in Cherry Hinton. She even found a millstone by the entrance to the Hall, very overgrown, which now has pride of place as a seat!
Michelle brought along some clunch, pottery, buckles and fire tongs which were found in test pits and prove that people were living and working there in the thirteenth century.
She was keen for us to have a look round Wickhambrook as there must have been watermills before our four windmills. Possible sites might be at fording places, near a manor house or where there is a pool. Once the weather cheers up, members might be out on the hunt near the ford/manor and by the woods past Australia Farm.
Next meeting is a talk by Martyn Taylor on shops and pubs in Bury St Edmunds – ‘Which Ones Do you Miss ?’ – on Tuesday 19th March, 7pm in the WI Hall.