History Of The Dog And Duck and Linton
THE VILLAGE
Linton nestles in an arable landscape nine miles south east of Cambridge. Linton derives its name from two Anglo-Saxon words meaning Flax-Town. The wild flax the Linum Perenne once grew plentifully. The village was recorded in 1008. Early Iron Age remains have been found in the locality and Saxon remains have been found in several places, the most notable in a burial mound on Linton Heath.
The High Street of Linton has a Grade II listing and boasts some fine examples of par getting and medieval housing.
SURROUNDINGS
Next to the Dog & Duck there is a foot bridge first recorded in 1564 as the Great Bridge of Linton and later in 1600 as the Barton Bridge. In the 18th Century it was known as the Westrop Bridge. The bridge was of a wooden construction that had numerous repairs due to flooding and storm damage. It was pulled down in 1867 and replaced by the present bridge at a cost of £717.
HISTORY
The site of the Dog & Duck dates back to the 16th century and has changed very little since this time. It was once two cottages. In 1633 two spinster sisters; Ann and Katherine Ridgewell held them for a rent of one penny a year, which was low no doubt because they were not very desirable residences due to continual flooding. Later on the rent went up to 4d perhaps because the river level was beginning to fall.
In 1777 Joseph Smith, a Saffron Walden victualler, bought the site as a family home. When his widow died in 1800 it became a butcher¡¯s shop and three stalls run by William Peachey of Walden who had married their daughter. It remained with this family until 1851 when Henry Prior, the Linton brewer bought the site and turned it into a public house. He ran the Dog & Duck and several other inns in the village right up until 1905 when a Captain Christmas of the Haverhill Brewery purchased the pub and ran it for 12 years. In 1917 Captain Christmas sold it to The Greene King Pub Company. From 1949 to present day the Dog & Duck has seen seventeen changes in licensees, sadly from 1917 to 1949 there are no records saved anywhere which could divulge names of licencees during these years and their dates of ownership.
THE GREAT FLOODS
The river Granta, a tributary of the Cam meanders north west for three miles through the parish cutting much of it in two. Today it is a small stream but in the past it must have been a real barrier for the steep banks show that it was deep and at times fast moving. It was used for boating and bathing within living memory. It was also very prone to flooding for the land on both sides rises gently to about 300 feet at the boundaries of the parish and the river drains the whole area. Even today after extensive control work in recent years the stream becomes a torrent after protracted rainfall and some of the lower land can still be very wet in the winter season. In the past the river in meadowland must have been often under water and no doubt this is why it was usually common land. In 1779 it is recorded that the land along the river at the end of Meadow Lane by the Dog & Duck was called Noah¡¯s Flood field.
During the last century the lower part of the village, by the Dog & Duck flooded approximately every ten years, however, there was one major flood disaster, known in recent history as the ¡®great flood of Linton¡¯, this was in 1968. Following this disaster the river was widened to allow greater water volume. Surprisingly, it did flood again on 21st October 2001 mainly due to extraordinary rainfall of 100mm in an 18 hour period which was double the October norm. No immediate repair work has been considered necessary to lessen future chances of flooding in the area as the chance of a flood of that magnitude recurring in Linton is 1 in 100 years* . The Dog & Duck was forced to close as the water rose to a height of 39 inches throughout. Following a careful refurbishment the Dog & Duck re-opened its doors to the public again on 28th February 2002. The extensive refurbishment programme uncovered many things, not least 1968 newspapers used to line the inner walls after the last flood, and many wall coverings dating back over the 19th & 20th Centuries. A collage of wallpapers found is displayed in the bar area. A brass plaque indicating water level is also to be found on a post by the bar.
*Environment Agency
LINTON¡¯S PUBLIC HOUSE HISTORY
By the 17th Century Linton had several inns and alehouses. In 1682 eight alehouses were licensed and in 1686 there were beds for twenty nine people and stabling for fifty six horses. The older inns included the Griffin recorded from 1575 to which the manor courts were adjourning in the 1670¡¯s.
Public houses were not only licensed premises during these years, but also meeting places for the Justices and Trustees of the Turnpike. Inquests were also regularly held at these establishments. At the turn of the 19th Century the Dog & Duck was one of thirteen recorded public houses in Linton, which have now reduced to three at the present time.
GOSSIP & LEGENDS
Linton is able to boast some royal visitors; notably Queen Elizabeth I, according to local legend, King Edward 5th visited Linton on a military exercise which is recorded on the front page of the September 20th 1912 issue of the Daily Mail, a copy of which is displayed in the pub for visitors to browse. More recently Prince Charles used to frequent a rather splendid restaurant in the High Street when studying at Cambridge a number of years ago. A few infamous visitors of yesteryear were Dick Turpin who would criss cross the river Granta at Linton in pursuit ¨C again according to local legend, although this is very probably true as his birthplace was just a few miles away in the village of Hempstead and he lived in Thaxted which, although is now in the County of Essex, is not so very far away.
If you should visit the Dog & Duck you will see a number of old pictures of past times displayed throughout the pub and various pieces of historic information are to be found on its walls.
