Barnackis a village andcivil parishin thePeterboroughunitary authorityof the ceremonial county ofCambridgeshire,England and thehistoric countyofNorthamptonshire.[2]Barnack is in the north-west of the unitary authority, 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east ofStamford, Lincolnshire.The parish includes thehamletofPilsgateabout 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Barnack. Both Barnack and Pilsgate are on the B1443 road. The 2021 Census recorded a parish population of 1000.[1]
| Barnack | |
|---|---|
 Anglo-Saxon tower and Early English spire of St John the Baptist's church | |
  Barnack Location withinCambridgeshire | |
| Population | 1,000[1] |
| OS grid reference | TF0705 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Stamford |
| Postcode district | PE9 |
| Dialling code | 01780 |
| Police | Cambridgeshire |
| Fire | Cambridgeshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Barnack Parish Council |
Barnack is historically part of theSoke of Peterborough,which was associated with Northamptonshire but had its own County Council from1888until 1965. From 1894 until 1965 there was aBarnack Rural Districtthat was a subdivision of the Soke, and which formed part ofHuntingdon and Peterboroughuntil 1974.[3]
Barnack is notable for its formerlimestoneindustry, itsAnglo-Saxonparish church and an unusual earlyBronze Ageburial.Hills and Holes,an area of Roman and later quarrying, is now a nature reserve.
The Barnack burial
editThe Barnack burial is an important early Bronze Age find. It comes from a complicated monument which was expanded and altered on at least three occasions. The original burial was very rich for the period, but was covered by only a smallbarrow.Later additional burials and cremations were cut into the barrow, and it was enlarged twice. Probably at the same time, three concentric ditches were dug around the barrow. The final monument contained at least 23 bodies and had a diameter of 50 metres (160 ft).
When gravel quarrying threatened the barrow in 1974, the decision was taken to excavate. The objects recovered were donated to theBritish Museum[4]but replicas are displayed inPeterborough Museum and Art Gallery.[5]
The primary burial
editThe primary burial was of a man aged between 35 and 45. He died sometime between 2330 and 2130 BC. He was very robustly built and quite tall for the time: about 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m). He was suffering from slightarthritis.Marks on his bones, and those of the other people in the barrow, show that they were used to squatting. It is unknown if this was due to their work or just how they sat. His teeth had no disease but were well worn, showing he ate mainly a gritty diet of cereals.
The grave goods
edit
The grave goods of the primary burial are rare and prestigious. There is a large "beaker"pot and a copper dagger, common items found in graves of the time. There is also a piece ofoakcharcoal;it is unknown what this was for and archaeologists have been unable to provide an adequate explanation why it was buried in the grave. There is an unusual pendant made of either bone from asperm whaleorwalrusivory.Yet the most luxurious item is astone wrist-guard.These stone wrist-guards normally have between two and six holes carefully drilled into them. However, the wrist-guard from Barnack has eighteen holes, and each one was filled with a foil-thin disc of gold. The wrist-guard. made ofgreenstone,was never intended to be worn since the gold caps in the holes would have stopped it from being tied to the arm. Fewer than a hundred such wrist-guards have been found in Great Britain and the example from Barnack is arguably the finest. A similar less refined wrist-guard fromDriffieldin Yorkshire is also in theBritish Museum.
Parish church
editTheChurch of England parish churchof StJohn the Baptistis notable for its 11th-centuryAnglo-Saxontower.[6]The interior of the church includes a high-quality late Anglo-SaxonRomanesque sculptureofChrist in Majesty.[7]The tower is topped by what may be one of the earliest spires in England, dating to around the 12th Century.[6]
Economic and social history
edit
Barnack stone
editOoliticLincolnshire limestone,including some called "Barnack rag", was a valuable building stone first used by theRomans.Quarrying continued in theMiddle Ageswhen the abbeys atPeterborough,Crowland,Ramsey,SawtryandBury St Edmundsall used Barnack stone, and themonasteriesfrequently were in dispute over the rights to it. Blocks of stone were transported on sleds to theriver Wellandand loaded onto barges on which they were taken down theRiver Neneand theFenlandwaterways. Most notably, Barnack stone was used to buildPeterboroughandEly Cathedrals.[8]Barnack stone was also used extensively for buildings in Stamford.[9]
It is likely that the stone was also carved in the village. A possible Barnack school ofAnglo-Saxon sculpturehas been identified.[10]
The stone was used for numerous buildings in Barnack itself, most notably the parish church. Another notable example is 7 Station Road, which is a 13th-[8]or 14th-century house remodelled in the 16th or early 17th century.[11]It is aGrade II* listed building.
The best Barnack stone had been worked out by about 1460, but after thedissolution of the monasteries,supplies became available from demolition of the Fenland monasteries and was re-used in Cambridge colleges.[12][13]Lesser-quality Barnack stone continued to be quarried until the 18th century,[8]and in 1825 it was quarried as roadstone for theGreat North Road.[9]
After the useful stone had been removed, the bare heaps of lime-rich rubble were gradually covered by a rich carpet of wild flowers, such as thepasque flowerandpyramidal orchid,which can be seen today. The quarry area, now anational nature reserveandSite of Special Scientific Interest,[14][15]is called the"Hills and Holes"[8]or "Hills and Hollows".
Apples
editThe 'Barnack Beauty' apple variety was first cultivated here in about 1840.[16]
Mills
editBarnackwater millwas built in the 18th century.[17]Itsundershot water wheelisin situbut none of the mill's interior machinery remains.[17]
Barnackwindmillis atower millbuilt of Barnack stone in 1797.[18]Its commercial use as a mill ceased in 1914[18]and for a time it stood derelict.[8]Its interior machinery survives complete and the mill was restored in 1959–62.[18]
Railways
editIn 1846 theSyston and Peterborough Railwayopened. It included a station in the parish about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Barnack. It was nearerUffington, Lincolnshirethan Barnack, so initially it was called Uffington station. The Syston – Peterborough line was absorbed by theMidland Railway,which in 1858 renamed the stationUffington and Barnack.British Railwaysclosed the station in 1952, and that line's nearest station to Barnack is nowStamford.The disused Uffington and Barnack station survives and is alisted building.[19]
In 1867 theGreat Northern Railwayopened a branch line linking Stamford andWansford,with aBarnack railway stationon the east side of the village. TheLondon and North Eastern Railwayabsorbed the GNR in 1923and closed the branch line in 1929.
School and village hall
editIn the middle of the 19th century a house in the village built in 1797 was converted into the parish school.[20]In the 20th century the school moved to new premises and the building was converted into the village hall.[20]
Notable people
editCharles Kingsley,author ofThe Water Babies,spent his childhood at the Rectory. His brotherHenry Kingsleywas born there in 1830.[21]They were the sons of the Rev. Charles Kingsley the elder and Mary,néeLucas. The Rectory was largely rebuilt later in the 19th century and is now called Kingsley House.
The painterWilfrid Wood(1888–1976) lived in a 17th-century thatched cottage, Littlefield on Station Road, Barnack from 1938. The village hall is now named after him.[20]
Amenities
editBarnack has a primary school, a pub,[22]twobed and breakfasts,aMOT testcentre and a garage. There are also several other small businesses and an agricultural goods supplier.
References
edit- ^ab"Area: Barnack (Parish) Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^"Barnack ward".Peterborough City Council.Archived fromthe originalon 6 March 2008.
- ^"Barnack Rural District".A Vision of britain Through Time.University of Portsmouth.Retrieved16 January2017.
- ^British Museum Collection
- ^Council website
- ^abPevsner 1968,p. 208.
- ^Pevsner 1968,p. 209.
- ^abcdePevsner 1968,p. 210.
- ^abRCHM 1977,pp. 64–69.
- ^Cramp 1977,pp. 191–233.
- ^Historic England(19 March 1962)."7, Station Road (1226449)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^Woodcock, Nigel; Norman, David (20 August 2010)."Building Stones of Cambridge: A walking tour around the historic city centre".University of CambridgeDepartment of Earth Sciences. Archived fromthe originalon 15 January 2014.
- ^Alexander 1995,p. 116.
- ^"Barnack Hills & Holes NNR".Natural England.Archived fromthe originalon 22 July 2007.
- ^Natural England – Barnack Hills and Holes SSSI
- ^"Barnack Beauty apples".Cook's Info.Retrieved8 November2020.
- ^abHistoric England(24 February 1982)."Barnack Water Mill (1126862)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^abcHistoric England(19 March 1962)."Barnack Windmill (1331559)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^Historic England(24 February 1982)."Former station and crossing keeper's house (1309647)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^abcHistoric England(24 February 1982)."Wilfrid Wood Hall (1331557)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved4 September2013.
- ^"Kingsley House".Peterborough Hidden Heritage.Archived fromthe originalon 20 June 2009.Retrieved19 December2009.
- ^"The Millstone at Barnack – Restaurant & Pub".10 August 2021.Retrieved26 March2022.
Sources and further reading
edit- Alexander, Jennifer S (1995)."Building Stone from the East Midlands Quarries: Sources, Transportation and Usage"(PDF).Medieval Archaeology.39:107–135.
- Cramp, Rosemary J(1977). "Schools of Mercian sculpture". In Dornier, Ann (ed.).Mercian Studies.Leicester:Leicester University Press.pp. 191–233.ISBN0718511484.
- Goodwin, J Martin (1983) 'The Book of Barnack' (Barracuda Books Ltd, Buckingham, ISBN 0 86023 158 5).
- Pevsner, Nikolaus(1968).Bedfordshire and the County of Huntingdon and Peterborough.The Buildings of England.Harmondsworth:Penguin Books.ISBN0-14-0710-34-5.
- "Building Materials and Construction: Stone".An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the Town of Stamford.RCHM.1977. pp. 64–69.
External links
edit
- Barnackin theDomesday Book