The parish boundary north of Hilgay village follows the River Wissey.[2] The only other settlement in the parish is the hamlet of Ten Mile Bank, alongside and near the Great Ouse, which crosses the parish from south to north.
History
The name Hilgay is derived from the Old English to mean 'island or dry ground in a marsh', of the followers of a man called Hytha or Hydla during Anglo Saxon times. Modney Priory, built here by the monks of Ramsey Abbey, was a Benedictine cell.[3]
Hilgay village sits on a raised isle, some 66 feet (20 m) above the surrounding fenland. Its elevation has become more pronounced as the draining of the fenland has caused the ground to shrink. It was notable in Saxon and early Norman times for the large numbers of fish and eels found there. Hilgay Old Bridge still crosses the River Wissey, but the newer A10 road bypass crosses just below it.[4]
The scholar and poet Phineas Fletcher (1580–1650) became chaplain to Sir Henry Willoughby, who presented him in 1621 to the rectory of Hilgay, where he married and spent the rest of his life.
Captain George William Manby, who lived for much of his life in Hilgay, is buried in the churchyard, and his memorial celebrates his invention of the Manby mortar to send a line to ships in distress.[5] He was awarded £2,000 by Parliament, as use of the device had saved 230 lives by 1823.[6]
A Hilgay village sign was erected in 1987. The musical instruments on it are displayed in honour of Hilgay Silver Band, which was still going strong over 100 years after its formation around 1896. Its original members were agricultural workers from the local area. A Manby mortar is also represented. The bridge depicted between the two instruments is Hilgay Old Bridge. The bridge was built in 1899 to transport traffic from the centre of the village over the River Wissey to the north. A small plaque attached to the bottom of the supporting post states the village sign was 'Erected by Hilgay Parish Council 1987'.[7]
In 2018, nine one-metre square test pits were dug as part of an archaeological investigation. The report was published in 2019. [8]
Hilgay is part of the electoral ward of Hilgay with Denver. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 2,409.[10]
Amenities
All Saints, the Church of England parish church, stands south-east of the centre of the village. The Grade II* listed building has some 13th-century masonry; the south aisle was added in the late 14th century, and the west tower was built in brick in 1794. G. E. Street rebuilt the nave and chancel in 1869–1870.[11] A chapel of ease dedicated to St Mark was built at Ten Mile Bank in 1847 and is described by Historic England as "a virtually unaltered example of a simple place of worship".[12] Today, both churches are part of the Ouse Valley benefice, alongside five other churches.[13]
Primary schools at Hilgay and Ten Mile Bank are both run by the Diocese of Ely multi-academy trust.[14] In November 2023, plans were put forward to amalgamate the two schools and close the Ten Mile Bank site, owing to low numbers of pupils.[15]
^"Hilgay". www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
^"Hilgay, a village and a parish in Downham district, Norfolk. The village stands on the river Wissey, 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Ouse, 3 NE of Hilgay fen station, and Market-Downham and has a post office under Downham Market. The parish comprises 7,860 acres (31.8 km2) of which 5,908 are in the Fens. Real property, £13,492. Pop., 1,624. Houses, 365. The property is much subdivided. The hall about ½ a mile from the village, belonged to the abbots of Ramsey, at the dissolution went to James Howe, belonged now to the Jones family and was rebuilt in the Tudor style in 1840."[citation needed]
^Monger, Garry (2021). "George Manby". The Fens. April: 20.
