The villagers were very sad to hear of the retirement of a very well liked and admired vicar, the Rev Allan Kemp. This was over six months ago and unfortunately he has not been replaced. This is a great shame as the Chesterfords have a history of excellent incumbents who played a very important role in the social development of the villages over the centuries e.g. Hyll’s Charity, the Rev Doble’s Chesterford College, the C of E infant and primary schools, the Institute. The Rev Blomfield became a Bishop.

Another sad note was the news that the Great Chesterford  Carnival would not take place this year due to a lack of volunteers. It will hopefully be replaced by a Family Fun Day at the Recreation Ground, and be reinstated in two years time.

The Little Chesterford Fete in June 2007 was very successful, raising £3,500 to be donated to the Church and the Village Hall. The 2008 Fete has already been organised.

The 16th Steam-Up took place on Oct 6th 2007. The weather was kind and a great many people enjoyed the event, being organised for the first time by the Pumfreys of Lt Chesterford. We look forward to the 17th Steam-Up in the streets of Great Chesterford this October.

I have finished an index of the Chesterford Chronicle – a collection of newspaper articles from the Cambridge Chronicle 1776-1901, compiled by Mary Symonds. They give some very interesting insights into life in this period e.g crime, accidents, auctions, deaths, marriages, social events, disease, agriculture, weather.
This index, together with the index of The Times of the Chesterfords, and the RUTH database make it very easy to search for information on many topics. We now have an excellent research facility which can only improve when it goes online.

Due to my success in purchasing items of local interest from Ebay, the internet auction site, and the fact that an important document was lost to us because I was unwilling to spend so much of my own money, the Great Chesterford Parish Council has agreed to grant me up to £200 a year to be spent on acquiring items for the local collection. This is apart from reimbursing me for any stationery costs. Not many councils are as open-minded, or as mindful of the importance of our heritage. They would like the collection to be displayed at some point, and the History Group are considering the possibility of an exhibition along the lines of the excellent Clavering Heritage Exhibition from which we gained a lot of information and useful ideas. Date and venue have yet to be organised.

Churchwardens’ Account Book 1862-1954
This had been thought lost, until someone found it and gave it to the History Society


Chesterford College Prospectus
A photocopy of this very interesting document, complete with photographs of the interior, sent to me by the Rev Doble’s relatives.


British Rail South East Station Sign
Great Chesterford in large letters – can be used for exhibitions and displays by many groups in the village.


Souvenir Plates and Mugs
Most with transfer pictures of either the Church or the Mill House – dating from the late 18th to mid 20th centuries. Chesterford must have been a place to visit. The station made it easily accessible from Cambridge, Saffron Walden and London for people wanting a day out in the country.


Booklets on Church History by Marjorie Deacon
Miss Deacon was one of the first Chesterford local historians. She wrote several booklets on the history of the village, and even more on the history and architecture of All Saints Church. These were donated by a lady who had been born in the village, and whose parents had collected these publications.


National Agricultural Labourers and Rural Workers Union Token
The above lady also found this token in her garden and donated it to the collection. She knew nothing of its significance, and by using the index to the Chesterford Chronicle I was able to show her an article on a rather boisterous meeting of farm labourers and Union officials which took place outside the Crown and Thistle Pub in 1872. The pub is across from her house, so it is possible this token was dropped in the vicinity on that day.


Benjamin Orwell Farthing Token 1667
After some research I discovered that Benjamin Orwell was one of only two people in Gt Chesterford to have produced his own tokens for use in his mercer’s shop. This was due to the shortage of coinage after the Civil War. He was a gentleman of some standing in the community, being a trustee of Hyll’s Charity, and a churchwarden in 1664. His son and grandson, also named Benjamin, both lived in Gt Chesterford. His son seems to have taken over the business, but his grandson died in poverty in an almshouse, living off charity, despite seemingly being a well-read, intelligent and respected scholar. He supplied information on Great Chesterford to William Holman to be included in his History of Essex. Nicholas Jekyll and William Holman exchanged letters about him, expressing their sadness at his death and the fact that all his books would have been scattered to the four winds. The letters are kept at Chelmsford Record Office.
All this from a £6.00 farthing token bought on Ebay.

A list of new additions to the Local Collection has been put onto the village website – www.chesterford.org and will be included in the next issue of the  Chesterford Broadsheet.