Offord Cluny | |
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![]() Church at Offord Cluny |
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Offord Cluny shown within Cambridgeshire | |
Population | 502 (2001 Census) |
OS grid reference | TL220673 |
• London | 53 miles (85 km) |
Civil parish | |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | St Neots |
Postcode district | PE19 |
Dialling code | 01480 |
EU Parliament | East of England |
Offord Cluny is a small village 4.9 miles (7.9 km) north of St Neots and 3 miles (4.8 km) south-west of Huntingdon. Offord Cluny is in Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic county of England. Offord Cluny is the twin village of Offord D'Arcy and together they are known as The Offords. At the time of the 2001 census, the population of Offord Cluny was 502 people. Historically both had their own parish councils but these were merged in 2009. Council tax rates are higher in Offord Cluny than in Offord D'Arcy.
The name 'Offord' originates from the name 'Upeforde', which in turn is believed to be derived from the Old English pre 7th Century "uppe", up (stream), and "ford", ford. The name 'Cluny' comes from Cluny Abbey in the Bourgogne region of France, which were granted a manor in Offord by Arnulf de Hesding some time before 1086.
In 1085 William the Conqueror ordered that a survey should be carried out across his kingdom to discover who owned which parts and what it was worth. The survey took place in 1086 and the results were recorded in what, since the 12th century, has become known as the Domesday Book. Starting with the king himself, for each landholder within a county there is a list of their estates or manors; and, for each manor, there is a summary of the resources of the manor, the amount of annual rent that was collected by the lord of the manor both in 1066 and in 1086, together with the taxable value.
Offord Cluny was listed in the Domesday Book in the Hundred of Toseland in Huntingdonshire; the name of the settlement was written as Upeforde in the Domesday Book. In 1086 there was just one manor at Offord Cluny; the annual rent paid to the lord of the manor in 1066 had been £10 and the rent was the same in 1086.