Somersham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Somersham
Somersham
Population	3,802 (2001) 3,810 (2011)
OS grid reference	TL361779
District	Huntingdonshire
Shire county	Cambridgeshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HUNTINGDON
Postcode district	PE28
Dialling code	01487
Police	Cambridgeshire
Fire	Cambridgeshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	North West Cambridgeshire
List of places UK England Cambridgeshire 52°22′56″N 0°00′02″E / 52.382255°N 0.00061°E / 52.382255; 0.00061

Somersham is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. It is a civil parish, which means it has its own local government. Somersham is about 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) east of Huntingdon and 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) north of St Ives. The village is part of Huntingdonshire, which is a district within Cambridgeshire and also a historic area of England.

People have lived in this area for at least 2,500 years, and probably even longer! While Somersham might not have many very old buildings, it has a long and interesting history. The village is also special because it sits right on the Greenwich Meridian line. You can even find a marker on the pavement in the High Street that shows where this important line crosses.

Somersham once had a train station. This station connected the village to towns like March and St Ives. There was also a short train line that went to Ramsey.

A Look at Somersham's Past

St John the Baptist's Church, Somersham

The land of Somersham was once owned by the Abbots (who later became Bishops) of Ely. They received it from an Anglo-Saxon leader named Byrhtnoth. This happened after Byrhtnoth died in the Battle of Maldon in Essex in the year 991 AD.

Somersham was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. The Domesday Book was a huge survey ordered by William the Conqueror to record all the land and property in England. In 1086, Somersham was called Summersham. It was part of the Hundred of Hurstingstone in Huntingdonshire. At that time, there was one main estate in Somersham with 41 households. The area had enough land for 11 ploughs, 20 acres (8.1 hectares) of meadows, 1,361 acres (551 hectares) of woodland, and three fishing spots.

The ownership of Somersham changed over time. The land eventually went to the Royal Family when Queen Elizabeth I took it in the late 1500s. It stayed with the Royal Family until after the English Civil War. During this war, the Parliament fought against King Charles I. After the war, Parliament sold the land.

However, after the Restoration, when the monarchy was brought back, the land was returned to the Crown. There was a large manor house in Somersham with beautiful gardens. This house dated back to the 1100s or even earlier. A new palace was built over the old medieval building by Bishop James Stanley during the time of King Henry VII. But by the late 1600s, the buildings were in poor condition and were pulled down in the mid-1700s.

In the late 1300s, the church in Somersham was an important source of income for an English Cardinal named Adam Easton. He used its wealth until he died in 1397.

During the 1700s, there was a health spa just outside the village. It was promoted by one of the royal doctors. James Hammond, a poet who died in 1742, was born and grew up in Somersham. His poems were popular for many years, but they are not as well known today.

Somersham's Population Over Time

How Many People Live Here?

From 1801 to 1901, the number of people living in Somersham was counted every ten years by the UK census. During this time, the population ranged from 833 people in 1801 to 1,653 people in 1851.

Since 1901, a census has been taken every ten years. The only exception was in 1941, because of the Second World War.

All population census figures from report Historic Census figures Cambridgeshire to 2011 by Cambridgeshire Insight.

In 2011, the parish of Somersham covered an area of about 1,890 hectares (4,670 acres). The population density was about 201.6 people per square kilometre (522.1 people per square mile).

Village Life and Activities

Somersham is a village with many useful services. It has a public house (a pub), two schools, and several shops. Even though some small shops have closed recently, there are still many places to go. These include a Tesco Express, a Costcutter with a post office, a florist, printers, a pet shop, chemists, four hair salons or barbers, a Chinese takeaway, an Indian takeaway, a cafe, and a fish and chip shop. There are also two doctors' surgeries and two playgroups for younger children.

Sports and Hobbies

The local football team is called Somersham Town. They play in the Cambridgeshire League. They used to be part of the Eastern Counties League.

Somersham Town Band is the only brass band in the old area of Huntingdonshire. The band's history goes back to 1919. The current band was started again in 1980 after not being active during the 1970s.

Getting Around Somersham

From 1848 to 1967, Somersham had a train station. This station was part of the Great Eastern Railway line that ran between St Ives and March.

Today, the village has bus services. These buses connect Somersham to St Ives and Ramsey. There are also buses that go from St Ives to Cambridge as part of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway.

See also

In Spanish: Somersham (Cambridgeshire) para niños