Burwell, Cambridgeshire

2025-11-01T15:26:31Z

109.154.19.24: /* Barn Fire */ moved reference, it applied to the wrong sentence.

{{Short description|Village in Cambridgeshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox UK place
|official_name = Burwell
|country = England
|region = East of England
|static_image_name = St Mary the Virgin, Burwell - 2.jpg
|static_image_caption = St Mary's Church in Burwell, a [[Listed building|Grade I listed]] building dating from the 12th century
|area_total_km2 = 24.7
|area_footnotes = <ref>[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=6177544&c=Burwell&d=14&e=8&g=425886&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1286559836468&enc=1&dsFamilyId=1201 Office for National Statistics: Land use statistics]. Figure for entirety of Burwell ward including surrounding farmland.</ref>
|population = 6,309
|population_ref = (2011)<ref name="2011Census"/>
|os_grid_reference = TL589665
|map_alt = Burwell lies on the eastern rim of [[Cambridgeshire]], 4 miles (6.5 km) from Newmarket in Suffolk. It is in the East Anglia region of England.
|coordinates = {{coord|52.275|0.327|display=inline,title}}
|label_position = left
|post_town = Cambridge
|postcode_area = CB
|postcode_district = CB25
|dial_code = 01638
|constituency_westminster = [[South East Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)|SE Cambridgeshire]]
|civil_parish = Burwell
|london_distance_mi = 56.6
|london_direction = SSW
|shire_district = [[East Cambridgeshire]]
|shire_county = [[Cambridgeshire]]
|website = [http://www.burwellparishcouncil.gov.uk/ Parish Council] 
}}
'''Burwell''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɝː|w|ɛ|l}} is a village and [[civil parish]] in [[Cambridgeshire]], England, some 10 miles (16 km) north-east of [[Cambridge]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://english-church-architecture.net/cambridgeshire/burwell/burwell.htm |title=Burwell |publisher=English Church Architecture |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219130031/http://english-church-architecture.net/cambridgeshire/burwell/burwell.htm |archive-date=19 December 2011}}</ref> It lies on the south-east [[Fen Edge|edge of the Fens]]. Westward drainage is improved by [[Cambridgeshire Lodes|Cambridgeshire lodes]] (waterways), including Burwell Lode, a growth factor in the village. A population of 6,309 in the 2011 census was put at 6,417 in 2019.<ref>[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/cambridgeshire/E34002125__burwell/. City Population. Retrieved 2 January 2021.]</ref>

==History==
===Toponymy===
The name "Burwell", [[Anglo-Saxon]] in origin, refers to a fort ''(burh-)'' close to a spring ''(-well)''.<ref name="BH:B">[[British History Online]]: 'Burwell', A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 10: Cheveley, Flendish, Staine and Staploe Hundreds (north-eastern Cambridgeshire) (2002), pp. 334–341. URL: [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18903 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18903] Retrieved 13 October 2010.</ref> The first record of the name dates from 1060.<ref name="cambridgeshire.gov.uk">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8D12D531-55A4-4559-AC01-F0757E51EA45/0/EUSECambsBurwell.pdf |title=Cambridgeshire County Council – The Historic Towns of Cambridgeshire: An Extensive Urban Survey: BURWELL, p. 5 Summary |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304173013/http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8D12D531-55A4-4559-AC01-F0757E51EA45/0/EUSECambsBurwell.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2012}}</ref> It appears in the 1086 [[Domesday Book]] as Burewelle, Burwella and Burwelle.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7578428&queryType=1&resultcount=8 |title=Domesday Book |publisher=National Archives |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> There is a spring in the south of the village, close to remains of the 12th-century Burwell Castle,<ref name="BH:B"/> and evidence of previous settlement on or near the castle site.<ref>[http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/archaeology/historic/exturbsur/eastcambs/EUS-Burwell.htm Cambridgeshire County Council: Extensive Urban Survey: Burwell] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131023135/http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/archaeology/historic/exturbsur/eastcambs/EUS-Burwell.htm |date=31 January 2009}}</ref>

Old maps sometimes name the village in the plural, "Burwells".<ref>[http://www.antiquemaps.com/uk/mzoom/23619.htm Antique Maps: Cambridgeshire, Jan Jansson, c. 1646] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707150618/http://www.antiquemaps.com/uk/mzoom/23619.htm |date=7 July 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www.antiquemaps.com/uk/mzoom/15827.htm Antique Maps: Cambridgeshire, Richard Blome, 1715] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707150647/http://www.antiquemaps.com/uk/mzoom/15827.htm |date=7 July 2011}} showing Burwell as "Burwells"</ref> which may refer to a pair of parishes: Burwell St Mary<ref>[http://www.antiquemaps.com/uk/mzoom/26889.htm Antique Maps: Cambridgeshire] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707150528/http://www.antiquemaps.com/uk/mzoom/26889.htm |date=7 July 2011}}, [[Emanuel Bowen]], 1777, showing Burwell as "Burwell or Burwell St. Mary"</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10047390 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224093710/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10047390 |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 December 2012 |title=A Vision of Britain Through Time: Burwell St Mary |publisher=Visionofbritain.org.uk |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> and Burwell St Andrew,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10092980 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224065141/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10092980 |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 December 2012 |title=A Vision of Britain Through Time: Burwell St Andrew |publisher=Visionofbritain.org.uk |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> or to a distinction between the High Town round the churches in the south of the village and the newer North Street and Newnham parts, separated by a causeway.<ref name="BH:B"/>

===Early settlement===
There is evidence of prehistoric human activity in the vicinity of Burwell. Flint tools such as axes dating from the [[Palaeolithic]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB2265&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Palaeolithic axe find, Burwell Castle |publisher=Heritage Gateway |date=3 December 1992 |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> and [[Mesolithic]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8118&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Mesolithic axe, Hightown Drove |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> have been found on the west side of the village. Other burned and worked flint has been found close to the spring, dating from the late [[Neolithic]],<ref name="heritagegateway.org.uk">{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB17708&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Prehistoric and Roman remains, Reach Road, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> but most of the activity in the area at the time seemed to have been on the fen to the west of the village, where a large number of flint and stone tools discovered on a raised piece of ground suggest there was already settlement before the onset of the https://uploadpie.com/NASxMyBronze Age.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB7752&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Probable Neolithic settlement, Hallard's Fen, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> During the Neolithic, [[peat]] began to form on the fenland round the village, which partly buried the prehistoric sites.<ref name="cambridgeshire.gov.uk"/>

Activity on the fen continued into the [[Bronze Age]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB7805&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Bronze Age palstave and spear, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB7763&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Late Bronze Age hoard, Burwell Fen |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> as did activity close to the spring<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB7848&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Bronze hoard, St Mary's churchyard, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> but they were joined by increasing activity on the [[Heath (habitat)|heath]] in the south of the parish, where [[Tumulus|barrows]] are known to have existed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB9008&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: "The Beacons" Bronze Age barrow |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> The southern part of the parish is also the highest ground within it, and is close to the ancient [[Icknield Way]].<ref>[http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8D12D531-55A4-4559-AC01-F0757E51EA45/0/EUSECambsBurwell.pdf Cambridgeshire County Council – The Historic Towns of Cambridgeshire: An Extensive Urban Survey: BURWELL] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304173013/http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8D12D531-55A4-4559-AC01-F0757E51EA45/0/EUSECambsBurwell.pdf |date=4 March 2012}} Page 9: "The south-eastern corner of Burwell reaches the ancient Icknield Way.... "Part of Burwell Heath reaches a height of over {{convert|50|m|abbr=on}} in the southern corner of the parish."</ref>

As Burwell entered the [[Iron Age]], activity on the fens to the west appears to have decreased as the conditions became more marshy. However, ditch systems and enclosures were found there during excavations in 1969 and 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8124&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Iron Age ditch systems, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> Activity near the spring continued, with evidence of a burial in a nearby ditch.<ref name="heritagegateway.org.uk"/> Settlement was revealed in 2005 on the eastern edge of the village.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB17427&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Iron Age settlement remains, Newmarket Road, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref>

Settlement close to the spring continued after [[Roman Britain|Roman colonisation of Britain]]. Evidence has been found {{convert|500|yards}} north of St Mary's Church.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8159&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Roman settlement, N of Burwell Church |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> Roman archaeological remains have been found round the village, including pottery,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB5217&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Roman finds and features, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> vessels and bowls,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8122&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Roman hoard, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> a lead vat,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB8190&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Roman vat, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> and coins perhaps relating to a villa in Ness Road, north of the village.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB9593&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Metal detecting finds, High Ness Farm, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> Evidence of another villa in the same area comes in roof tiles from the 2nd century CE,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB7873&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Possible Roman settlement site, Burwell |publisher=Heritage Gateway |date=26 March 1952 |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> although findings here and there cover the 2nd to 4th centuries. Reach Lode on the north-west edge was probably of Roman construction,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB9521&resourceID=1000 |title=Cambridgeshire HER: Reach Lode |publisher=Heritage Gateway |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> as was the original Burwell Lode, since been replaced.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8D12D531-55A4-4559-AC01-F0757E51EA45/0/EUSECambsBurwell.pdf |title=Cambridgeshire County Council – The Historic Towns of Cambridgeshire: An Extensive Urban Survey: BURWELL |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304173013/http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8D12D531-55A4-4559-AC01-F0757E51EA45/0/EUSECambsBurwell.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2012}}</ref>

===Waterway===
The village is located at the head of [[Cambridgeshire Lodes|Burwell Lode]], a human-made waterway that connects it with the [[River Cam]]. The present course, laid out in the mid-17th century, replaced an older route that was probably Roman in origin.<ref name=boyes>''The Canals of Eastern England'', (1977), John Boyes and Ronald Russell, David and Charles, {{ISBN|978-0-7153-7415-3}}</ref> The lode splits in two at the village, each branch serving a series of basins, warehouses and wharves located at the bottom of long strips of land, with merchants' houses at the far end of them.<ref name=blair>''The River Great Ouse and tributaries'', (2006), Andrew Hunter Blair, Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson, {{ISBN|978-0-85288-943-5}}</ref>

The village and lode gained importance with the opening in the 1850s of the Burwell Chemical Works owned by T. T. Ball. By the 1890s, this had become the Patent Manure Works owned by Colchester and Ball. About 10,000 tons of goods a year were shipped along it, using three steam tugs and a fleet of lighters. Prentice Brothers Ltd built barges in the village until 1920, and continued repairing them there after they bought the fertiliser factory in 1921. The factory was later owned by [[Fisons]]. Boats continued to be used to move the fertiliser to Fenland farms until 1948. Commercial use of the lode ceased in 1963, when the traffic in [[sugar beet]] stopped.<ref name=boyes/>

===Burwell Castle===
The village is the site of an unfinished [[Burwell Castle|castle]] in Spring Close,<ref group="nb">{{gbmapping|TL587661}}</ref> whose final wall was knocked down by the Fire Brigade testing a fire hose in the 1930s, but the dry [[moat]] is still visible. It was built during "[[The Anarchy]]", the mid-12th-century conflict in the reign of [[Stephen of England|King Stephen]]. Despite a settlement that the throne would pass to [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] on Stephen's death, the Barons took the opportunity to fight their own battles. Of these, [[Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex|Geoffrey de Mandeville]] was notably troublesome. After turning against Stephen, he set up an impregnable base around [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]], from which he attacked towns such as [[Cambridge]]. So the king ordered castles be built to surround him. The few known potential sites of these included [[Rampton, Cambridgeshire|Rampton]] (Giant's Hill), [[Ramsey, Cambridgeshire|Ramsey]] (Booth's Hill), Burwell, and possibly [[Knapwell]].

At Burwell, a moat was constructed and the stone keep partially built when Geoffrey attacked and was mortally wounded. His revolt then collapsed and the castle was left unfinished. The narrow lane along the side of the church next to Spring Close, where the Castle stood, is named Mandeville.

===Barn Fire===
[[File:Barn Fire memorial - Obverse.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Burwell barn fire memorial - obverse]]
[[File:Burwell Barn Fire memorial - Reverse.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Barn fire memorial - reverse]]
On 8 September 1727, a travelling [[puppet show]] was filled with onlookers in a Burwell barn in what is now Cuckolds Row, near the centre of the village. The doors were nailed shut to stop further people getting in, an act that led to tragedy. Richard Whittaker, a [[hostler]] employed by the owner of the barn came back to feed the horses. He seems to expect to be admitted free but was not. He made his way to the stable, clambered over a partition with a [[candle lantern]] and peered in to watch. The candle set fire to the hay within. It was reported that with no way to escape, 80 of the 140 people inside perished in the ensuing blaze. Whittaker was tried at Cambridge Assizes in 1728, but acquitted.<ref>{{Cite book |title= An East Anglian Odyssey, the story of the DaSilva Puppet company |author= Chris Abbott |publisher= Friends of Wisbech and Fenland Museum |year=2006}}</ref>

The ''Newcastle Courant'' reported on the fire
{{quote|Newmarket, Sept. 11 In my last to you, giving the melancholly Account, of what happened at Burwell, I mentioned a Boy, that carried a Lanthorn into a Place, where there was a great Deal of Hay and Straw next the Barn; but I am since informed, that there was a Man with him, who beat the Lathorn about, and would not strive to put out the Fire, but run away, and left it burning; the man is apprehended, and committed to Cambridge Castle: The Andrew that belonged to the Show got out, but almost burned to Death, and lived but a Day and Night; he desired to see the Man that the Boy impeached and as soon as he saw him, he said, That was the Man that told him he would set the Barn Fire over their Heads, if he did not let him in to see the Sight for Nothing. There was a Floor above them, and the Fire got into the false Roof, and run like Wild-Fire above them; and the Floor fell and smothered all the poor Souls in 3 or 4 Minutes: I am told by several People since, that there is an Account of 120 Men, Women and Children burnt.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Newmarket |newspaper=Newcastle Courant |date=23 September 1727 |page=1}}</ref>}}
{{quote|At the Assizes at Cambridge, one Richard Whiteker, charged upon suspicion of setting fire to a Barn in Burwell, in which about 125 Persons that were in it to see a Puppit Shew were burnt or otherwise destroy'd, was try'd and acquitted of the Fact.<ref>{{Cite news |title=At the Assizes |newspaper=Stamford Mercury |date=4 April 1728 |page=4}}</ref>}}
The victims were buried in the [[churchyard]] of [[St Mary]]'s, at the opposite end of the High Street, beneath a stone engraved with a blazing heart and angels' wings. An inscription on the reverse, added in 1910 when the stone was restored, states: "To the memory of the 78 people who were burnt to death in a barn at Burwell on Sept 8th 1727." Inside the church is a separate memorial to two other victims, John and Ann Palmer. <ref>{{Cite book |title=An East Anglian Odyssey, the story of the DaSilva Puppet company |author=Chris Abbott |publisher=Friends of Wisbech and Fenland Museum |year=2006}}</ref> On 8 September 2005, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the site of the fire.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_newmarket/displayarticle.asp?id=197366 |title="Ceremony to mark tragic blaze" Cambridge Evening News, 13 September 2005 |publisher=Cambridge-news.co.uk |date=28 January 2010 |access-date=13 November 2011}}{{dead link |date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

The ''Ipswich Journal'' of 26 February 1774 reported how "an old man who died recently near Newmarket who just before his death confessed that he set fire to a barn at Burwell, Cambridgeshire on the 8th of September 1727 when no less than 80 persons lost their lives and that having an antipathy to the puppet showman was the cause of him committing the action."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.foxearth.org.uk/1773-1774IpswichJournal.html |title=1773 Ipswich Journal newspaper archive |access-date=2 May 2014}}</ref> That man was Richard Whittaker.

==Governance==
Burwell is a [[civil parish|parish]] and thus has a [[Parish councils in England|parish council]] to deal with matters within the village. These include the maintenance and provision of both [[village hall]]s, the recreation ground, playgrounds, and allotments. The Parish Council convenes at the Jubilee Reading Room on The Causeway.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.burwellparishcouncil.gov.uk/ |title=Burwell Parish Council |publisher=Burwell Parish Council |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref>

Burwell parish lies within Burwell [[Ward (country subdivision)|ward]] and provides three councillors<ref>{{Cite web |author=East Cambridgeshire District Council |url=http://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/search-for-councillors?name=&committees=All&party=All&tid=133 |title=East Cambridgeshire District Council – District Councillors: Burwell Ward |publisher=Eastcambs.gov.uk |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> to [[East Cambridgeshire]] [[Non-metropolitan district|District Council]], which convenes at The Grange, [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]]. A larger Burwell [[Wards of the United Kingdom#England|electoral division]] provides one councillor to [[Cambridgeshire County Council]], convening at Shire Hall in [[Cambridge]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/democracy/elections/elections2009/candidatesandresults/division.htm?division=burwell |title=Cambridgeshire County Council: 2009 Results, Division View, Burwell Ward |publisher=Cambridgeshire.gov.uk |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304172920/http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/democracy/elections/elections2009/candidatesandresults/division.htm?division=burwell |archive-date=4 March 2012}}</ref>

The local government boundary has varied over the years. At parish level, the boundary followed Devil's Dyke through the neighbouring village of [[Reach, Cambridgeshire|Reach]], bisecting it until it was turned into a new parish in 1961.<ref name="BH:B"/> The other boundaries of Burwell parish have also changed slightly over the years, most clearly on the south-eastern edge, where part of it including some of [[Newmarket Racecourse]]<ref>[http://genealogy.stredder.net/geography/maps.htm Stredder Family Genealogy.] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830194158/http://genealogy.stredder.net/Geography/Maps.htm |date=30 August 2010}} Map of Cambridgeshire published 1830 shows "Race courses" partly within the southern edge of Staploe Hundred, in Burwell parish.</ref> passed to Newmarket when the boundary was adjusted to follow the A14 bypass in 1993.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18902 British History: Staploe Hundred] 4th para: ''"At the same time the part of Newmarket Heath at the southern end of Burwell, apparently south of the line of the Newmarket bypass, was also transferred to Suffolk, Burwell's boundary to the north-east of that area being also somewhat straightened."''</ref> The boundaries with Newmarket and Exning parishes follow the boundary between the counties of Cambridgeshire and [[Suffolk]].

As elsewhere in England, a system of [[Hundred (county subdivision)|Hundreds]] covered Cambridgeshire until the 19th century. Burwell included the south-west edge of Staploe Hundred, along with the nearby parishes of [[Chippenham, Cambridgeshire|Chippenham]], [[Fordham, Cambridgeshire|Fordham]], [[Isleham]], [[Kennett, Cambridgeshire|Kennett]], [[Landwade]], [[Snailwell]], [[Soham]] and [[Wicken, Cambridgeshire|Wicken]].

East Cambridgeshire District Council came into being in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. Before the reorganisation, Burwell had lain inside [[Newmarket Rural District]] since 1894. Between 1875 and 1894, this was part of a larger Newmarket [[Sanitary district|Rural Sanitary District]] which also encompassed [[Moulton Rural District]] in neighbouring [[West Suffolk (county)|West Suffolk]].

The boundaries of [[Cambridgeshire]] itself also changed over the years up to 1974. Before [[Huntingdon and Peterborough]] joined the county in 1974, Burwell fell within [[Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely]], covering the southern and eastern parts of today's county. Between 1888 and 1965, the village fell within a smaller [[administrative county]] of Cambridgeshire, covering only the southern part of the present one.

==Geography==
{{Geographic location
|Centre = Burwell
|North = [[Wicken, Cambridgeshire|Wicken]], [[Soham]]
|Northeast = [[Fordham, Cambridgeshire|Fordham]]
|East = [[Exning]], [[Landwade]]
|Southeast = [[Newmarket, Suffolk|Newmarket]]
|South = ''[[Newmarket Racecourse]]''
|Southwest = [[Swaffham Prior]], ''[[Devil's Dyke, Cambridgeshire|Devil's Dyke]]''
|West = [[Reach, Cambridgeshire|Reach]]
|Northwest = [[Upware]], ''[[Burwell Lode]]'', ''[[Wicken Fen]]''
}}

===Climate===
{{Cambridge weatherbox}}

===Clunch quarry===
Until the mid-20th century, a building material known as [[clunch]] – a soft rock which is one type of [[chalk]] limestone – was dug in Burwell. Remains of the open quarry can be seen either side of Bloomsfield. This was worked from 1252 to 1952 and used on many of the houses in Burwell. It remains the name of a local community magazine.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cambsgeology.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Aspects-of-Geological-Interest-in-Burwell.pdf |title=Aspects of Geological Interest in Burwell, Cambridgeshire |website=www.cambsgeology.org|accessdate= 24 August 2021}}</ref>

===Priory Wood===
Burwell has a small area of woodland planted in 1998 as a community project to mark the coming millennium. It is owned and maintained by the [[Woodland Trust]]. The official name comes from an ancient priory, which also gave its name to local roads such as Priory Close and Abbey Close.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/woodfile/683/management-plan.pdf?cb=da2f6c8c51244ec487204cf9449ac0bd |title=Woodland Trust Priory Wood Management Plan 2012-2017 |publisher=[[Woodland Trust]] |access-date=6 October 2015}}</ref>

==Population==
<div class="center">
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; line-height:150%;"
|+Historical population of Burwell<ref group="nb">Figures up to and including 1951 include the part of [[Reach, Cambridgeshire|Reach]] formerly in Burwell parish</ref>
|-
! Year
! 1801
! 1811
! 1821
! 1831
! 1841
! 1851
! 1861
! 1871
! 1881
! 1891
! 1901
|-
!Population
|1,250
|1,324
|1,518
|1,668
|1,820
|2,187
|1,987
|2,106
|1,949
|1,998
|1,974
|-
! Year
! 1911
! 1921
! 1931
! 1941
! 1951
! 1961
! 1971
! 1981
! 1991
! 2001
! 2011
|-
! Population
|2,144
|2,108
|2,257
|<ref group="nb">No census 1941 due to World War II</ref>
|2,364
|2,734
|4,032
|4,257
|4,531
|5,833
|6,309
|-
|colspan="12" style="text-align:center;"|Census: 1801–2001<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historic Census Population Figures |publisher=Cambridgeshire County Council |year=2010 |url=http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C36C6418-DEFD-4ED1-B050-9984100DF110/0/HistCensusEastCambs0106.xls |format=XLS |access-date=9 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609152757/http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C36C6418-DEFD-4ED1-B050-9984100DF110/0/HistCensusEastCambs0106.xls |archive-date=9 June 2011}}</ref> 2011<ref name="2011Census">{{Cite web |title=Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics. Area: Burwell (Parish) |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics|ONS]] |year=2013 |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11121505&c=burwell&d=16&e=62&g=6405480&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1359837185207&enc=1 |access-date=2 February 2013}}</ref>
|}
</div>

===Notable people===
In birth order:
*[[Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex]] (died 1144) was mortally wounded at Burwell in the rebellion against [[Stephen, King of England]].
*[[Edward Fitzball]] (born Ball, 1792–1873), a London playwright specialising in [[melodrama]], was born in Burwell.
*[[William Wickins]] (1862–1933), Anglican Archbishop of Calcutta and [[Honorary Chaplain to the King]], was a curate in Burwell.
*[[Marjory Stephenson]] (1885–1948), a biochemist specialising in [[microbial metabolism]], grew up in Burwell. She became one of the first two women members of the [[Royal Society]] in 1945.
*[[Eric Ennion]] (1900–1981), natural historian and broadcaster, was a [[general practitioner|GP]] in Burwell for 20 years.
*[[Thomas Malcolm Charlton]] (1923–1997), civil engineer and science historian, retired to Burwell in 1979.
*[[John Louis Mansi]] (1926–2010), actor, lived in Burwell in the 1980s.
*[[Lawrence Harvey (footballer)|Lawrence Harvey]] (born 1972), formerly of the [[Turks and Caicos Islands national football team]], has worked in Burwell as a quantity surveyor.


==Culture and community==
===Carnival===
The village hosts an annual carnival in June, which raises money for charity. A parade travels from Margaret Field in the south of the village to the Recreational Ground, where stalls and fairground rides are present.<ref>{{Cite web |author=UK2.NET |url=http://www.burwell-carnival.info/ |title=Burwell Carnival |publisher=Burwell-carnival.info |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref>

===Twinning===
The village is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with [[Lizy-sur-Ourcq]]<ref name="Archant twinning">{{Cite web |url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |title=British towns twinned with French towns |access-date=2013-07-11 |work=Archant Community Media Ltd |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |archive-date=5 July 2013}}</ref> and [[Mary-sur-Marne]] and with a small town, [[Ocquerre]]. All three are situated in France; Lizy is mentioned on signs as you enter the village. Visits from Burwell to the twins are organised by the Burwell Village Twinning Association.

A plate marking the twinning is located on a wall outside the Year 3 classroom at the village primary school, Burwell Village College (Primary).

===Philanthropy===

The villages holds an annual Christmas Eve fund raising event which is run by business executive James Pryor. The annual event raises money for local causes.

==Transport==
[[File:Burwell Station (remains).jpg|thumb|right|Burwell Station in 1963. Closed to passengers in 1962, goods in 1965.]]
Road access to Burwell is mainly along the B1102 Cambridge to Mildenhall road, which runs the length of the village, and the B1103, which links the village with Newmarket. The [[A14 road (England)|A14]] passes along the southernmost edge of Burwell parish on the Cambridgeshire–Suffolk border, but cannot be joined without leaving the parish.

Since May 2025, public transport in the village is provided by bus services to Newmarket, Addenbrookes, Soham and Cambridge City Centre. These services are franchised by the Combined Authority and are run by Stagecoach and A2B Travel respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 May 2025 |title=Welcome to the Tiger Bus Network - Fast, Connected, Convenient |url=https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/tiger-bus-routes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250529094839/https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/tiger-bus-routes/ |archive-date=29 May 2025 |access-date=4 August 2025 |publisher=Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority}}</ref>

Between 1884 and 1965, [[Burwell railway station|railway station]], in the south of the village, was served by the [[Cambridge to Mildenhall railway]]. The station closed to passengers in 1962. Although nothing of it remains, its earlier presence is acknowledged in the names of the streets Railway Close and Station Gate. There was also a [[Exning Road Halt railway station|halt]] on Newmarket Road to the south-east of the village, where the B1103 still goes over a former railway bridge.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.npemap.org.uk/tiles/map.html#558,265,1 |title=OS Map showing Burwell & Exning Road stations, the latter labelled "Halt" |publisher=Npemap.org.uk |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref>

To the north of the village, temporary [[Burwell Tramway|tramways]] provided access from the nearby [[Ipswich to Ely Line]] to the local brickworks, situated near the Lode.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/People/coproliteindustry.html |title=cambridgeshirehistory.com; The Coprolite Industry |publisher=Cambridgeshirehistory.com |access-date=13 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404014640/http://www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/People/coproliteindustry.html |archive-date=4 April 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Burwell Lode]] is navigable up to the edge of the village at Anchor Lane. The Lode joins Reach Lode in the north-west corner of the parish before they flow into the [[River Cam]] at [[Upware]], 5 miles from Burwell.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.waterways.org.uk/waterways/canals_rivers/eastern/river_cam/river_cam |title=Inland Waterways Association: River Cam |publisher=Waterways.org.uk |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20121224081855/http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=S.I.+(All+UK)&searchDay=23&searchMonth=4&searchYear=2010&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&sortAlpha=0&PageNumber=9&NavFrom=0&activeTextDocId=3678245&parentActiveTextDocId=3678179&hideCommentary=0&showProsp=0&suppressWarning=0&showAllAttributes=1 UK Statute Law Database: SCHEDULE 1 TO THE ANGLIAN WATER AUTHORITY ACT 1977] PART 3: 5. (l) applies to Burwell Lode and refers to a [[navigation authority]] which is responsible for keeping the Lode [[navigable]].</ref>

==Education==
Burwell contains a nursery,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cambridgeshire.net/organisation/red-house-day-nursery/8469.aspx |title=Red House Day Nursery |publisher=Cambridgeshire.net |date=8 August 2008 |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006230024/http://www.cambridgeshire.net/organisation/red-house-day-nursery/8469.aspx |archive-date=6 October 2011}}</ref> a [[Montessori method|Montessori]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ofstedgov.com/oxcare_providers/full/(urn)/EY315044/(type)/1,2,3,4,5,30,31,32,33/(typename)/Childcare |title=Spring Close Montessori |publisher=Ofstedgov.com |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130183424/http://www.ofstedgov.com/oxcare_providers/full/(urn)/EY315044/(type)/1,2,3,4,5,30,31,32,33/(typename)/Childcare |archive-date=30 January 2013}}</ref> and a [[Pre-school playgroup|playgroup]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cambridgeshire.net/organisation/burwell-early-learners-/8565.aspx |title=Burwell Early Learners |publisher=Cambridgeshire.net |date=22 September 2010 |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006230122/http://www.cambridgeshire.net/organisation/burwell-early-learners-/8565.aspx |archive-date=6 October 2011}}</ref> for [[pre-school]] children. The old school house on the High Street, a listed building dating from 1864, is now a private residence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Old School House 30 High Street Burwell, Cambs CB25 0HB |url=http://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/listed-buildings/old-school-house-30-high-street-burwell-cambs-cb25-0hb |publisher=East Cambridgeshire District Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818041157/http://eastcambs.gov.uk/listed-buildings/old-school-house-30-high-street-burwell-cambs-cb25-0hb |archive-date=18 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=10 charming converted schools for sale|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/renovatinganddiy/9956470/10-charming-converted-schools-for-sale.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328040935/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/renovatinganddiy/9956470/10-charming-converted-schools-for-sale.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-03-28|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref>

Children attend [[Burwell Village College (Primary)]] up to the age of 11 and then go to secondary schools at either [[Soham Village College|Soham]] or [[Bottisham Village College|Bottisham]].

===Burwell Museum===
The museum shows life through the centuries on the edge of the Cambridgeshire fens. Opened in 1992, it occupies a collection of buildings, some reconstructed from other sites, such as an 18th-century timber-framed barn, and others built in local style mainly with reclaimed materials, such as the wagon sheds/granary display area.

The displays are set out as "scenes" (resembling stage sets) with groups of artefacts making up each, to give an idea of how, where and when items were used. Themes and exhibits cover agriculture, period rooms and household items, military life, a blacksmith's shop, a reconstruction of a Roman potter's workshop, a Victorian school room, and vintage vehicles, carts and farm equipment.

The museum is a regular venue for school trips. Eight local schoolchildren appeared in 2012 in a TV programme about the Cambridgeshire [[fen]]s that was filmed here.

The neighbouring Grade II*-listed windmill, Stevens' Mill, forms part of the museum and opens with it. It was probably built about 1820. It stayed in the Carter family until 1884, when it was sold to George Mason, who had been the tenant miller. By the 1920s, the mill, at one time powered also by steam, was owned by the Stevens family.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1126407 |title=Name: STEVENS MILL List entry Number: 1126407 |publisher= Historic England |access-date= 13 January 2018}}</ref> When Warren Stevens retired in 1955, the mill became redundant and fell into disrepair. The Burwell Museum obtained funding of £400,000 from Heritage Lottery Fund to restore it.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.burwellmuseum.org.uk |title=www.burwellmuseum.org.uk |publisher=burwellmuseum.org.uk |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref>

==Religion==
[[File:Burwell.14.5.05.jpg|thumb|right|200px|St Mary's Church, Burwell]]
Burwell has a large, Grade I-listed parish church in the High Street in the south of the village. Dedicated to [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|St Mary the Virgin]], the church is in [[Perpendicular Gothic]] style and dates back to the 15th century, although some parts are older.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stmarysburwell.org.uk/st-marys-history/ |title=St Mary's Burwell: St Mary's History |publisher=Stmarysburwell.org.uk |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref>

At the northern end of the village, Burwell has a Baptist church.

Located near St Mary's, Trinity is a small church founded by a merger of the Methodist and United Reformed communities in 1988.

The nearest Roman Catholic church is Our Lady and St Etheldreda in Newmarket. The village has a number of former churches converted to other uses. The cemetery in Ness Road has a small non-denominational chapel.

==Sport==
Burwell Swifts F.C. play [[association football|football]] in Division 1A of the ''NMC'' [[Cambridgeshire Football League]], with a reserve team in Division 3B.

Burwell Tigers F.C. play association football in Division 5A of the ''NMC'' [[Cambridgeshire Football League]].

There are two youth football clubs: the Burwell Swallows<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070205053318/http://www.burwellswallows.org.uk/ Burwell Swallows Football Club]}}</ref> and Burwell Tigers.<ref>[http://www.burwelltigers.co.uk/home.htm Burwell Tigers F.C] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061128111039/http://www.burwelltigers.co.uk/home.htm |date=28 November 2006}}</ref>

Burwell [[Cricket]] Club<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://burwell.play-cricket.com/home/home.asp |title=Burwell Cricket Club |publisher=Burwell.play-cricket.com |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710083335/http://burwell.play-cricket.com/home/home.asp |archive-date=10 July 2012}}</ref> is based on Tan House Lane, with a 1st XI in the East Anglian Premier League.

==Media==
The village has a community magazine, ''Clunch'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.burwell.co.uk/clunch/index.asp |title=Clunch |publisher=Burwell.co.uk |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> dealing with news on a village level. The village is in the catchment areas of the ''[[Cambridge News]]'' and ''[[Newmarket Journal]]'' newspapers,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newmarketjournal.co.uk/ |title=Newmarket Journal |publisher=Newmarket Journal |date=8 July 2011 |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> and the radio stations [[BBC Radio Cambridgeshire]] and [[Heart East]]. For television Burwell is in the [[BBC East]] and [[Anglia Television|ITV Anglia]] regions. Among several books on the village is an illustrated ''Memories of Burwell'' by Frank Czucha published in April 2017, available locally.<ref>Bibliography [http://www.burwell.co.uk/history.asp Retrieved 8 September 2017]</ref> Burwell Community Radio started broadcasting in 2020 and serves the village with a number of specialist music, documentary, interviews and community features.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

==See also==
*[[HMS Burwell (H94)]]

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

===Notes===
{{notelist}}

===Sources===
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Burwell, Cambridgeshire}}
*[https://www.burwellparishcouncil.gov.uk Burwell Parish Council]

{{East Cambridgeshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Burwell, Cambridgeshire| ]]
[[Category:Villages in Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:East Cambridgeshire District]]

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Burwell, Cambridgeshire