Etton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority

Unitary authority

A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...

 area of the city of Peterborough

Peterborough

Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

, Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...

, in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. For electoral purposes it forms part of Northborough

Northborough, Cambridgeshire

Northborough is a small village near the city of Peterborough in the East of England.It has a pub, a shop, a school and a small castle.Northborough is around seven or eight miles practically due north of Peterborough....

 ward in North West Cambridgeshire constituency. The parish had a population of 158 persons and 58 households in 2001.

Woodcroft is a deserted medieval village

Deserted medieval village

In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convention is to regard the site as deserted; if there are more...

 and site of Woodcroft Castle

Woodcroft Castle

Woodcroft Castle is a converted medieval castle in the parish of Etton, Cambridgeshire, England.-History:Woodcroft Castle was built at the end of the 13th century near the town of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. Named after the Woodcroft family who owned it at around this time, the medieval remains...

.

History

A mysterious neolithic settlement at Etton Woodgate was excavated by Francis Pryor

Francis Pryor

thumb|180px|Francis Pryor discusses the excavation during the filming of a 2007 dig for [[Time Team]] with series editor Michael Douglas ....

 in 1982. He reported that the site was in two halves, with each working building on one side mirrored by an unused 'ritual' copy on the other.

Woodcroft Castle

Woodcroft Castle

Woodcroft Castle is a converted medieval castle in the parish of Etton, Cambridgeshire, England.-History:Woodcroft Castle was built at the end of the 13th century near the town of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. Named after the Woodcroft family who owned it at around this time, the medieval remains...

 was built and moated about 1280. The west range and a corner tower survive in the present farmhouse. During the civil war

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

it fell to Parliamentary troops in 1648.

Peterborough Corporation Water Works opened here in 1907 "to augment the supply of water to the
City of Peterborough."

External links

• Village Signpost