Saint Ives, United Kingdom

Little and Werba, writing in 1974, stated that "The site of the ford, of which a trace remains at the bottom of Church Street, was well upstream of the present bridge". This point of view is supported by the foundation of a Saxon church at the location of the present All Saints Church, suggesting that this was then the centre of the settlement. Burn-Murdoch, writing in 2009 argues that the straight track that became London Road "leads straight to the river bank and so must have been going to a river crossing of some kind... so the Saxon river crossing was probably either a ford or a ferry" at the location of the present-day bridge... Upstream at Slepe itself the river is deep and narrow with a muddy bottom, making it very difficult to ford..." He continues, "Crossing the river at Slepe [would have been] only half the battle: you also need to get across the wide expanse of the flood plain. The meadows on the south side of the river still flood regularly and are then impassable for days or weeks afterwards because of the mud left on them..." and there is no evidence of a Saxon causeway there.

Whatever the exact location of the ford, Slepe became important as it was the lowest convenient crossing of the River Great Ouse; it was an important waypoint for traffic between the Eastern Counties and London. River traffic too developed, although navigation on the river was difficult until major improvements were made much later, in the 17th century.

The legend of St Ivo relates that Slepe received a surprising visitation about a century after it had been established. One morning a tall, dignified man carrying a bishop's crozier and accompanied by two companions, forded the river Great Ouse and announced to the villagers that his name was Ivo, and that he was a missionary. He added that he had been ordered by God to travel to Slepe where he was to make his home and preach the gospel in the surrounding area. The eleventh-century chronicler Goscelin of St Bertin wrote that Ivo was a Persian archbishop, and this claim has been repeated in later reports. Ivo remained at Slepe and eventually died there in the seventh century.

In the tenth century, Ramsey Abbey was founded and in 986, the Manor of Slepe, which by that time was an extensive property, was bequeathed to the Abbey. In the year 1001 CE, a peasant ploughing a field discovered a stone coffin containing a complete human skeleton. It was taken back to the church at Slepe, and declared by the Abbot Eadnoth, to be the remains of Ivo. At the time it was a lucrative matter for an Abbey to possess the bones of a saint, as wealthy pilgrims were attracted to the location. The relics were claimed to have healing properties. The editors of the Dictionary of Christian Biography describe the legend of Ivo as utterly improbable, "and the monks of Ramsey must be held responsible for the legend. Their abbey had been newly built and needed relics; a consecrated spot was wanted for a daughter-house [at Slepe]".

Ivo was a Cornish saint. Suggestions of a Persian link came about when Withman, Abbot of Ramsey, heard in the Holy Land of a Persian bishop named Ivo; subsequently the link to the Fenland Ivo was written down by Goscelin of St Bertin. The tradition is completely spurious. There is a seaside town in Cornwall named St Ives. That name derives from a holy woman named Ia of Cornwall and has no connection with the Cambridgeshire town's name.

Nevertheless, Slepe became an important destination for pilgrims, and in time the name used for the settlement became "Saint Ives". The presence of the remains gave Slepe considerable prestige. Ramsey Abbey had been established in AD974 with a charter from King Edgar, and the community at Slepe was made subordinate to Ramsey Abbey. The significance of Ivo's remains meant that the community at Slepe became referred to as St Ives. About 1001 CE Abbot Eadnoth had Ivo's remains moved to Ramsey, but by that time the name St Ives had become the usual name for the town that had originated as Slepe.

Slepe was listed in the Hundred of Hurstingstone in Huntingdonshire in the Domesday Book. It states that

In St Ives, the Abbot of Ramsey had 20 hides to the geld [taxable]. [There is] land for 24 ploughs, and he had land for 2 ploughs in demesne, apart from the aforementioned hides. There are now 3 ploughs in demesne and 39 villains and 12 smallholders who have 20 [or 6?] ploughs. There is a church and a priest, and 60 acres of meadow [and] woodland pasture 1 league and a half broad. Value before 1066 was £20 and now £16. Three of the Abbot's men, Everard, Ingelrann and Pleines, have 4 hides of this land, and 3½ ploughs. 5 villagers and 6 smallholders with 3 ploughs. [They have] the church and the priest. Value 45s. Eustace claims 2½ ploughs. Note: merged from differing translations of the original text in Latin.

Burn-Murdoch explains that "A hide was an area of land, probably about 120 acres. Land "in lordship" was cultivated by the lord of the manor as his own Home Farm.

Villeins and borderers were different kinds of peasant. A league was probably about one and a half miles. The Eustace who claims some of the land was the sheriff of Huntingdonshire.