Longstowe

Seventeen people were counted at Longstowe for the 1086 Domesday Book. An area known as 'Town Green' around 1800 may have been the centre of the medieval village which had spread to the south by the middle of the 13th century. Most of Longstowe's woodland had been cleared by the end of the 13th century, although were held by the lord of the manor in the 16th century, in addition to furze and heath. The manor was purchased by Anthony Cage the elder in 1571, and he established 'a little park for deer and a warren for conies' around the new house. The acreage of the manor's woodland grew by the end of the 18th century. Until inclosure in 1799, agriculture was carried out in three open fields. In 1801, 175 people lived in the parish; the number rose to 296 in 1891 but dropped again to 218 by 1961. ==Governance==

Longstowe is represented on the South Cambridgeshire District Council by two councillors for the Gamlingay ward and on Cambridgeshire County Council by one councillor for the Gamlingay electoral division. It is in the parliamentary constituency of South Cambridgeshire in the House of Commons. ==Geography==

Longstowe is 12 miles (19 km) west of the county town of Cambridge, 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Huntingdon and 47 miles (75 km) north of London. The eastern boundary is marked by the A1198, formerly the Roman Ermine Street (or Old North Road), along which Arrington lies to the south and Caxton to the north. The parish borders Great Gransden in Huntingdonshire. The B1046 runs through Longstowe from Little Gransden in the west to Bourn in the east. The soil is heavy clay with a subsoil of strong clay. It was said in the 17th century that the village was 'unhappy for the want of good water... having neither springs nor brooks to supply that defect'. ==Demography==

At the time of the 2001 census, Longstowe had 193 residents living in 73 households. All described themselves as White; 73.6% were Christian and 26.4% did not follow a religion or did not state one. ==Landmarks==

Longstowe Hall is an ancient mansion purchased in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I by the Cage family, who rebuilt it; it was acquired by William Arthur Briscoe in 1906. It stands in a park of about 175 acres (70 hectares) A lych gate near the church lists the names of the Longstowe men who served in World War I; 'RIP' is inscribed next to the names of those who died. ==Religious sites==

The parish church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin The church was rebuilt in 1863–1864 by architect W.M. Fawcett of Cambridge for lord of the manor Sidney Stanley, probably following the old outlines, in red and blue brick with stone dressings. The rector James Rushton and his wife reportedly bore nearly the whole cost of the rebuilding. The surviving monuments and some armorial glass were reset in the north chapel. The church contains several notable monuments, mostly reset in the north chapel after the 1863-64 rebuilding. The most significant is the early 17th-century tomb-chest of Sir Anthony Cage (d. 1603), originally located in the chancel, featuring two recumbent effigies with ten children kneeling at the front. The lady's effigy is described as smaller and cruder than her companion, and may have originated from a similar but now-destroyed tomb of John Cage and his wife Jocosa (d. 1627). Bovey, a lawyer who acquired several estates and was made baronet in 1660, specifically commissioned Bushnell in his will and provided detailed specifications for the design. This extraordinary Carolean resurrection monument depicts Sir Ralph as a half-figure rising from the ocean, grasping an anchor lowered from clouds above, with a Latin inscription meaning "I am immersed in the deep, but the anchor of Christ lifts me up again." More recent monuments include a memorial to W.A. Briscoe (d. 1934), adapted from a C17 wooden cartouche possibly supplied from Longstowe Hall, and an unusual monument to T.M.P. Bevan (d. 1981) featuring a miniature bronze angel holding up a naked figure on a lettered stone bracket, created by sculptor Hans Feibusch with carving by David Kindersley. The oak lych gate was erected in 1896 by the widow of the Rev. James Rushton M.A., who was rector at Longstowe between 1852 and 1895. A rood was erected in 1920 as a memorial to Longstowe men who were killed in World War I. ==Recreation==

The village supports a successful cricket club with both A and B teams competing in the Cambridgeshire leagues. ==Notable people==

• Christian Cowan (born 1995), fashion designer, grew up at Longstowe Hall ==References==