Ashdon

The village is approximately 4 miles (6 km) northeast of the nearest town, Saffron Walden. It is on the River Bourn, a tributary to the River Granta, a tributary to the River Cam. The village is close to the Essex/Cambridgeshire county border.

According to the 2011 census the population of the parish was 893, up from 792 in 2001.[1][3] Apart from Ashdon village, the parish also includes Steventon End (52°03′47″N 0°19′55″E) and Church End (52°03′01″N 0°18′10″E).

The River Bourn has caused much flooding in recent years to the village of Ashdon in 2000 and 2001 saw heavy winds and rain flood it immensely. On 14 June 2007 the village fell victim to flash flooding when a month's rain fell in an hour causing heavy flooding. Historically, one tenth of Ashdon parish was woodland.[4] In 2018 work on the fitness equipment was completed. [5]

At the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, Ashdon was a settlement known as Ascenduna in the ancient hundred of Freshwell.[6]

Ashdon has been cited as a potential location [note 1] for a significant battle in 1016, known as the Battle of Assundun.[4][7][8] This was a key milestone in the creation of a united England, whereby the Danish King Canute (or Cnut) defeated the English King Edmund II. After the battle King Edmund II ceded England (except Wessex) to Canute.[7] During the summer and autumn of 2016 the Ashdon and Hadstock Millennium Group organised events to mark the event.[9] On 10 September 2016 Waltons Park hosted a re-enactment of the battle which was organised by Ashdon Parish Council, Hadstock village and Saffron Walden Museum, and involved 80 actors[10][11] In addition to the battle, former archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams came to Hadstock church to deliver a commemorative service.[12]

The village is split between the valley settlement and (the) Church End which contains the Guildhall. Originally built on the hill the villagers migrated down the hill to escape the Black Death during the 13th and 14th centuries. [13]

All of the Bartlow Hills were entirely in Ashdon Parish, Essex when the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Essex ran from Steventon End to the River Granta, then along the Granta westwards to Linton, as shown on Ordnance Survey maps including those dated 1805, 1838 and 1882. There is evidence to suggest former vineyards were in operation near to the church.[4] During the reign of Henry VIII the village rector served as a royal chaplain and even officiated his marriage to Anne Boleyn. [14]

As a rural settlement, farming has been a major aspect of village life. So after many years of reduced pay, the farmers formed unions and in 1914, partook in the first agricultural strike.[15][16] Not only were workers unhappy over pay conditions, which at 13 shillings a week among the lowest paid in the country (just ahead of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire),[17][18] but also the dismissal of workers who had joined the Helions Bumpstead National Agricultural & Rural Workers Union branch, which had formed one year previously.[18][19] The strikers used the grounds of The Fox (a former pub) to organise protests and host concerts.[4] In addition to the concerts villages organised processions of flags and banners, as well as torch glowings at night.[18] During the strike 70 police officers were drafted in and resulted in 8 workers being sentenced to a month imprisonment in Cambridge, for refusing to pay fines.[15][18][19] Initially the workers demanded 16 shillings and for reduced working hours with a half day on Saturday[17] but settled for 15 shillings and £8 for harvest work, bringing the dispute to a close a day before the outbreak of World War I.[18]

Ashdon Halt was a stop (from 1911 to 1964)[19] on the closed Saffron Walden Railway near Church End. The halt was only opened after a long campaign by the village.[20]

Elizabeth Everitt is commemorated both in the church and on the war memorial who died rescuing an American pilot in 1944. She was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal (then the highest civilian award now replaced with the George Cross). [21]

Ashdon Primary School, a non-denominational, built in the Victorian Age, for 4–11 year olds is located in the village and has approximately 90 students and had Iain Dale, a Conservative Blogger.[22] Following an initiative to boost student numbers in 2014,[23] the school was still under capacity 4 years later.[24]

In 2013, Ashdon Forest School became the first fully outdoor pre-school to be assessed by Ofsted; it achieved a 2, or "Good" rating.[25][26]

In 2014, Hideout Leather, an Ashdon clothing manufacturer, was approached to design jackets for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.[27]

The village suffers from speeding, in 2018 over 1,000 vehicles were caught travelling at over 36mph in a 30mph zone, as such efforts were made to implement a 20mph speed limit.[5] However, 18 people picked up 18 bags full of litter (on average 1 bag per person).[5] The WI celebrated its centenary in 2018. [28]

By 2019, all the (27) historic streetlights were modernised. [29]

An electoral ward in the same name exists. The district ward contains the "Parishes of Ashdon, Hadstock and Sewards End together with the Little Walden ward of Saffron Walden parish."[30] This ward had a population of 1,736 at the 2011 census.[31]

The village has a cricket team that play at Waltons Park.[32] However, since 2017 the club has not played in a Saturday league. [33] There is also a football team Ashdon United and a cycling club Ashdon Velo .[2] It has hosted numerous cycle events in recent years, including the 2010 Regional Championships.[34]

There is a windmill on the hill, Bragg's Mill, which has recently been renovated; it is one of the few remaining post mills in Essex. Historically the mill had a brewery and to celebrate the legacy of the mill an Ashdon Amber ale was brewed by Roughacre Brewery in neighbouring Castle Camps.[35] The restored windmill was opened on 23 September 2006 by Patricia Herrmann OBE, Vice Chairman of the Essex Environment Trust.[36] There is also a village museum with information on local history, which was renovated in 2017. [37]

There are three religious centres in the village. These are two churches, All Saints' Church and Ashdon Baptist Church and the Buddhist retreat at Marpa House.[2] Ashdon Baptist Church has been in the village since 1809.[38] The parish church of All Saints dates from the 13th century, with later alterations.[39] It is Grade 1 listed and supported by The Friends of All Saints. From 2002-2017 donated over £100,000 to maintain the building. [13] A church bell is believed to be over 500 years old and in 1969 were restored after 90 years of absence. [14] [4] Marpa House Buddhist retreat was established in 1973 and is run by the Dharma Trust and practices the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.[40] Businesses include a haunted pub (The Rose and Crown which was frequented by Cromwell),[41] as well as many farms.

1 There is dispute over whether battle occurred in North West Essex, in the area around Ashdon, or in South East Essex, in the area around Ashingdon (near Rochford).

• The Hundred Parishes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ashdon.

• Ashdon Church on Essex Churches website
• Ashdon Weather
• Ashdon in the Domesday Book