Stilton

[4] The Domesday Book does not explicitly detail the population of a place, but it records that there were ten households at Stilton.

The Domesday Book uses a number of units of measure for areas of land that are now unfamiliar, such as hides and ploughlands.

In different parts of the country, these were terms for the area of land that a team of eight oxen could plough in a single season and are equivalent to 120 acres (49 hectares); this was the amount of land that was considered to be sufficient to support a single family.

[4] The tax assessment in the Domesday Book was known as geld or danegeld and was a type of land-tax based on the hide or ploughland.

It was originally a way of collecting a tribute to pay off the Danes when they attacked England, and was only levied when necessary.

The Roman Ermine Street, which later became the Great North Road, was integral to the development of the village.

By late medieval times the village was a popular posting station and coaching stop.

To try to revive interest, on Easter Monday 1962 Tom McDonald of The Talbot and Malcolm Moyer of the Bell Inn organised the first cheese-rolling race along a course near the post office.

This may be linked with photos of the event showing small logs being rolled, and not actual cheeses.

[8] Listed as Stichiltone or Sticiltone at the time of the 1086 Domesday Book, the name Stilton means "village at a stile or steep ascent".

For Stilton the highest tier of local government is Cambridgeshire County Council which has administration buildings in Cambridge.

[15] Stilton is part of the electoral division of Norman Cross,[13] which is represented on the county council by two councillors.

Stilton lies south of the city of Peterborough, on the old Great North Road, 70 miles (110 km) from London.

Further attempts to achieve this have been made, supported by Shailesh Vara MP, the Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire,[22] but have so far been unsuccessful.

The earliest parts of the present Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene date from that period.

It consists today of a chancel with vestry and organ chamber, nave, north and south aisles, west tower and south porch most of which was built in the 15th century with the nave arcades 13th century.

Village sign in Stilton
Blue stilton