Abbots Ripton
| Abbots Ripton | |
| Huntingdonshire | |
|---|---|
 The Three Horseshoes, Abbots Ripton | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL231780 |
| Location: | 52°23’24"N, 0°11’24"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 309 (2001) |
| Post town: | Huntingdon |
| Postcode: | PE28 |
| Dialling code: | 01487 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Huntingdonshire |
Abbots Ripton is a village in Huntingdonshire, five miles north of Huntingdon.
The village itself occupies some 4,191 acres and is home to 309 residents as at the 2001 census. It is fully stocked as a village, with a church (St Andrew’s), a shop, garage, post office, a pub (The Three Horseshoes), and a school, the Abbots Ripton CofE Primary School.
Also in the village if the 18th century Abbots Ripton Hall which now has an estate totalling 5,700 acre, larger than Abbots Ripton itself; its grounds contain some quite rare trees including a good collection of elm trees, which are injected every year to prevent Dutch elm disease.[1] The Hall is home to Lord de Ramsey.
The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, a research centre in the land and freshwater environmental sciences, is also based in the area.
The origins and history of the name
Abbots Ripton manor appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Riptone. During the 12th and 13th century the village fel into the ownership of the Abbot of Ramsey and became "Abbots Ripton" to distinguish it from nearby Kings Ripton, which was owned by the Crown. After the Reformation the crown sold it to the St John family and for a time it was called St John's Ripton[2] before it became known by the name we know it today.
Church
St Andrew's is the parish church. On an ancient site, the current church was gradually reconstructed and enlarged during the third and fourth decades of the 13th century. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Lincoln in 1242.
At the beginning of the 16th century a great deal of rebuilding took place, which eventually fell short of replacing the whole of the 13th century structure. The chancel was rebuilt, the north chapel added and a new arcade on the north side of the nave erected. The tower dates from a little later. The church was restored by subscription in 1858, and in 1868 the roofs of the nave and the south aisle were restored as a memorial to Frances Rooper by her brothers and sisters.
References
- ↑ Gardens Guide - Abbots Ripton Hall http://www.gardens-guide.com/gardenpages/_0055.htm
- ↑ Uk and Ireland Genealogy http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/HUN/AbbotsRipton/index.html