Cambridge

Today, Cambridge is best known for being home to the University of Cambridge. However, the city of Cambridge has a long history, and has existed long before the university itself. Cambridge has seen the settlement of the Romans, the Anglo Saxons, and the Normans. The university’s earliest records are from 1209, when students from Oxford came to Cambridge. Cambridge is a central location with many museums and historical sites for anyone to see.

Before Cambridge was called Cambridge, it had the name Grontabricc or Cantebrigie, meaning ‘Bridge on the River Granta,” because the river it stands on was once called the Granta, not the Cam. The change from Grant to Cam is due to Norman Influence. People then probably though thought that if the town was called Cambridge, the river it stood on must be called the Cam, so they decided to call the river that.

There is evidence of settlement in Cambridge during the Bronze age and during Roman Britain. The evidence shows that they settled on Castle hill, a small hill north of the River Cam. After the Romans, evidence shows that the Anglo-Saxons had begun occupying Cambridge. They built St Benet's Church in the early 11th century, and it is supposedly the oldest building in Cambridge. By then Cambridge was a prosperous city, and the river was used to transport goods. There was a mint in the city, which meant that money was being made there.

During the Norman conquest in 1068, the Normans built a castle on Castle Hill in defense against the rebellious Anglo-Saxons. Castle Hill is the highest point of Cambridge and was a great location for fortification. The castle does not exist anymore, but the hill does. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, or the Round Church, is one of only four round Norman churches in England.

Cambridge continued to develop and the university has helped it do so. The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 when Oxford students moved to Cambridge to run from the hostile townspeople. Famous scientists at Cambridge include William Harvey, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Ernest Rutherford.

Cambridge is at the center of Silicon Fen, an area with high-tech industries focusing on software, electronics, and biotechnology. It is called "Silicon Fen" in comparison with Silicon Valley in California, because it lies at the southern tip of the English Fenland. Many start-up companies are born out of the university. More than 40% of the workforce has a higher education qualification, which is more than twice the national average.

Sources

"A Brief History Of Cambridge, England." A History of Cambridge. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2017. http://www.localhistories.org/cambridge.html. "Cambridge History." _Cambridge Online City. _N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2017. http://www.colc.co.uk/cambridge/cambridge/history.htm. "The City of Cambridge: Medieval History." British History Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2017. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/cambs/vol3/pp2-15. "Early Records." University of Cambridge. N.p., 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 09 July 2017. https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/history/early-records.