The Parish

The first recorded use of the name Dullingham was around the year 975 AD when it was used to describe a wood in the area. The name comes from Old English and means “Homestead of the Dullingas, the people named after Dulla.”

The area had been settled many centuries before by successive waves of invaders from continental Europe, but it seems there is no archaeological evidence of earlier habitation in Dullingham itself, or in the other two communities which now form part of the modern village, Cross Green and Dullingham Ley.

Throughout its history Dullingham was an agricultural community and this remained true well into the 21st century; in the recent past the equine industry has become very important and there are now several studs in the parish which are a source of local employment as are the businesses which provide services to the studs.

The village has a beautiful church, two pubs, a village hall and a sports field and pavilion. There is a sense of openness in the village with houses set back from the road, and a network of footpaths, providing easy access to the countryside.

Landscape

The village lies in a shallow stream valley, surrounded by the smooth rolling hills typical of East Cambridgeshire chalkland which traditionally supported mixed stock farming (mostly sheep) and arable farming (mostly cereal and sugar beet).

Most of the chalkland is a landscape of large fields and hedges with relatively few trees, there are however some woods in the parish and the village itself is richly endowed with trees. The traditional field pattern is further subdivided by stud developments these days.