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Getting About
It is easy to forget that much of the area around Somersham was under water only a matter of 400 years ago. The old shoreline can be traced along the road from Somersham through Colne and Earith and then on to Willingham. Places like Ely, Sutton, and Haddenham were islands in the marsh land. The Bishop of Ely, to get from his cathedral to his palace at Somersham came by boat and indeed kept a boat fully ready for his travels out of the island, as we see below.
Item 1
Safe conduct until Easter for the ship which J Bishop of Ely, the Chancellor, has caused to be laden with divers victuals in the parts of the counties of Cambridge and Huntingdon for conveyance to whatever place he may be in for his sustenance and that of the clerks of the chancery, Peter Wodebole of Somersham, the master of the said ship, and the men and mariners on board her.
(Patent Rolls Edward II 17 Nov 1318
Item 2
Nov 30 1341 to Michaelmas 1342
Item: in batello conducto per diuers vic. usque Sumersham Lakynghethe et Chepeye
Likewise for hiring a boat at various times as far as Somersham (from Ely).
(From the list of the Bishop's expenses in the Sacrist Rolls of Ely)
Item 3
Writ to the sherrif of Huntingdon repeating orders to compel payment for repairs of the bridge at Huntingdon from those persons found liable by a former commission, or to warn them to show cause in Chancery in 15 days from Trinity why they should not pay.
The return then states "certain towns so liable are within the abbot of Ramsey's liberty of the hundred of hyrstingstone, namely Somersham with its soke."
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