Helpston, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Helpston is an English
village formerly in the Soke of Peterborough
, geographically in Northamptonshire
— subsequently (1965–1974) in Huntingdon and Peterborough
, then in Cambridgeshire
— and administered by the City of Peterborough unitary authority
.
The civil parish of Helpston covers an area of 754 hectares (1,863.2 acre) and had an estimated population in 2005 of 870.
The parish church is dedicated to St. Botolph; the chancel
window was created by Francis Skeat
and depicts "Christ in Majesty
".
The poet John Clare
was born in Helpston in 1793 and was buried in the churchyard at St. Botolph.
The name Helpston is Anglo-Saxon
in origin and means the farmstead (tun) first settled by Help (an Old English personal name).
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...
village formerly in the Soke of Peterborough
Soke of Peterborough
The Soke of Peterborough is an historic area of England that is traditionally associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire...
, geographically in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
— subsequently (1965–1974) in Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgeshire.-Formation:...
, then in 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...
— and administered by the City of Peterborough 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...
.
The civil parish of Helpston covers an area of 754 hectares (1,863.2 acre) and had an estimated population in 2005 of 870.
The parish church is dedicated to St. Botolph; the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
window was created by Francis Skeat
Francis Skeat
Francis Walter Skeat is an English glass painter who has created over 400 stained glass windows in churches and cathedrals, both in England and overseas. Skeat is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters, and a member of the Art Workers...
and depicts "Christ in Majesty
Christ in Majesty
Christ in Majesty, or Christ in Glory, in Latin Majestas Domini, is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership changes over time and according to...
".
The poet John Clare
John Clare
John Clare was an English poet, born the son of a farm labourer who came to be known for his celebratory representations of the English countryside and his lamentation of its disruption. His poetry underwent a major re-evaluation in the late 20th century and he is often now considered to be among...
was born in Helpston in 1793 and was buried in the churchyard at St. Botolph.
The name Helpston is Anglo-Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
in origin and means the farmstead (tun) first settled by Help (an Old English personal name).