List of Fairs
Somersham June 22nd and the Friday before November 12th


From the itinerary
Returning to our road, at the distance of nearly six miles from St Ives we pass through the pleasant village of SOMERSHAM principally consisting of one street about three-quarters of a mile in length running east and west, with another but much shorter crossing the former near the upper end.
The Bishop of Ely had a noble palace at this place, the remaining part of which was converted into a good manor house, and was the residence of the late Thomas Hammond Esq. till within these few years when it was entirely pulled down by the Duke of Manchester. The site of the palace which stood at a short distance westwards from the church is partly built upon but the adjacent grounds still retain vestiges of their ancient appropriation.
The church is a noble and spacious building consisting of a nave chancel and aisles, with a substantial tower, embattled at the west end, and two porches now disused at the sides; in the south porch is a large stone basin for holy water. The roofs of the nave and aisles are of timber and leaded above; the corbel supporters displaying a singular mixture of curious and grotesque carved figures. In the south wall near the altar is a double piscine and a triple graduated stone seat separated by light shafts with pointed headed arches above. The whole church is in a good state of repair and with the exception of the chancel is covered over with a thick stucco partly composed of small gravely pebbles.
Here is a good free school to which the Hammond family have been great contributors and a noble school house near the church yard was begun in the year 1782 the front of which is upwards of 54 feet long.
A mineral spring was discovered at this place by the late Doctor Layard but its virtues are now but little noticed.
The population of Somersham according to the late Act was 833, viz 393 males and 440 females; the number of houses was 126 which being mostly whitewashed gives them an air of cheerful cleanliness not often seen.
The manor of the soke of Somersham which includes several of the adjoining parishes, belonged for some years since to the Hammonds of Kent but was afterwards the property of the Duke of Manchester, by purchase from the last Thomas Hammond Esq. who left no children. It has since been bought by Sir Robert Burton who still retains the manorial rights though he has disposed of a considerable part of the estates.
In the year 991 this manor was given to the monastery of Ely by the brave Duke Britnoth with several other manors, on condition that if he should be slain in battle the monks should inter his body in their church.
At the distance of five miles beyond Somersham we arrive at Chatteris Ferry on the river Nen where in the year 1757 several human skeletons were found and about the year 1731, near this place in a piece of fen land belonging to William Thompson Esq. the plough turned up and broke a small urn containing several Roman coins; and Mr Thompson and the Rev. T. Wilson of Ramsey digging near this spot, found another which contained about sixty mostly copper and of the late emperors.

List of Topographical Works
Somersham Spaw which had been neglected for many years was revived and brought into some credit by Dr David Peter layard who published an account of it with rules for the management of it, in 1759 and 1767. His and Dr Moris’s experiments on this water are inserted in the Philisophical Transactions Vol. LVI