Bottisham Second Millennium
Page 6 of 69
and carpenters developed, but for some skills there was
reliance on itinerant craftsmen, such as bee keepers, which
was an imported skill providing the only source of sugar until
the fifteenth century. The structure of the dwellings of the
common man in Bottisham would vary according to the
location of the seven or eight hamlets. Those near the fen edge
would have relied on reed and timber, whilst those further from
the fens incorporated local material from the clays, chalk and
stones. The cost of transporting building material, even
between the hamlets of Angerhale, Lode, Longmeadow and
others, would have restricted movement locally for the poorer
population. No trace of the name ‘Angerhale’ remains but the
name ‘Anglesey’ may have been derived from it.
For some five hundred years after the Conquest the
important unit of local government was the ‘manor’. A manor
was held of the king by a manorial lord. Several of the hamlets
in this rural area were grouped within a manor and were under
its control. The monk Ailric, up until the arrival of the
Normans, was required to give regular reports to the church of
Ramsey. Ailric, a Christian, must have taken an interest in the
religious developments which were taking place at the hamlet
of Angerhale. There is some evidence that in the hamlet of
Bottisham, sited on a chalk spur, there was a Saxon church
(certainly a wooden building) at the place of the present
church, Holy Trinity, and so named by the turn of the first
century. In addition to the fear for the future of their souls, the
locals were also impressed by the use of the mysteries of the
Latin language on religious occasions - something exploited by
Ailric. Following William’s invasion most of the local
population remained mystified when French replaced Latin in
legal documents and in the work of the master masons.
Although life might appear to be insular there was awareness of
life in other hamlets, as demonstrated by the network of green