Welcome to Yaxley

Detail of the Yaxley Village Sign

 

Geakeslea, Iaceslea (10th century); Jacheslei (11th century); Jakeslea (12th - 14th century); Yakesle (14th century) and Yaxley (16h century onwards).

Northmannescros, Normannescros (10th century); Normanescros (11th century); Normancros (13th century) and Norman Cross (Modern).

The village of Yaxley is just over 4 miles south of Peterborough and 15 miles north-east of Huntingdon. It is in the old Norman Cross Hundred of Huntingdonshire. The hamlet of Norman Cross, which gives the Hundred its name, lies across Ermine Street about a mile to the west of Yaxley and north of the village of Stilton.

Yaxley once belonged to the Abbey of Thorney, and at one time had a weekly market and an annual fair. The manor was the property of Colonel Proby in 1910. There was once a small mere on this spot called Yaxley Mere and navigable water between Yaxley, Holme and onwards to the sea at King's Lynn. The peat of the fen here used to be over 10 feet thick with occasional outcrops of Oxford clay, but there is no sand or gravel.

Church of St Peter in Yaxley

The Church dedicated to St Peter is a large cruciform edifice of the Decorated style, with some elements of the late Perpendicular. Both the nave and chancel have clerestories. There are aisles, southern porch and a western embattled tower with pinnacles and an octagonal crocketed spire. The registers date from 1653.

There were also Wesleyan, Congregationalist, Baptist and Methodist Chapels in Yaxley.

Norman Cross Prison Camp

Norman Cross, to the west of yaxley, gives its name to the Hundred. It doubtless became the meeting place of the Hundred Court in quite early days; possibly the actual place of meeting was marked by a large stone or cross, but there is no record of this, and the name seems to been derived rather from the cross-roads than from any structural cross. Indeed, the place appears to have been quite devoid of buildings until 1797, when it became the site of the great military prison erected for the accommodation of the prisoners captured during the Napoleonic wars. The prison was pulled down in 1816, and the materials sold. The house now occupied by J. A. Herbert (1910) was the residence of the Governor. There is a large roadside memorial but of the camp itself nothing visible above ground remains.

Yaxley is one of the parishes of the District of Huntingdonshire, whose administrative centre is Huntingdon, the other principle towns being St Ives home of the Chapel on the Bridge, St Neots the largest town in the County of Cambridgeshire, the Roman town of Godmanchester and Ramsey site of the former Abbey.

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What's HOT in the District?

The box below displays a random selection from the great deals, special offers and/or SALE items that are available from the site members but you may follow this link to view all the current what's HOT in the district.

 

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Are you organising an event in Yaxley?

If you are, then you may use the link just below and add the details directly into the Huntingdonshire Event Diary.