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Tanyard, Bassingbourn

The history of the Tanyard

Bassingbourn OS 1885 Tanyard area

According to Valory Hurst, The Bassingbourn Tannery, CALH Review no.33 (2025), Francis Docwra began a tannery here in 1616. Francis had been a wealthy tanner in Hertfordshire until the land was given to charity. Then he and his wife Susan moved to Bassingbourn.

Tan House in South End was probably built for the Docwras as they were already wealthy.

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This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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Capturing Cambridge makes accessible thousands of photos and memories of Cambridge and its surrounding villages and towns. It is run by the Museum of Cambridge which, though 90 years old, is one of the most poorly publicly funded local history museums in the UK. It receives no core funding from local or central government nor from the University of Cambridge.

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