Melbourn (<!-- Please do NOT change this IPA transcription without discussion first. This represents the Wikipedia IPA used on English Wikipedia and accounts for all major pronunciations of English, including rhotic ones like American, Canadian, Irish, etc. See MOS:RHOTIC. -->) is a large, clustered village in the far south-west of Cambridgeshire, England. Its traditional high street is bypassed by the A10, intersecting the settlement's other main axis exactly northwest of the traditional focal point of Royston, Hertfordshire, the nearest larger settlement. It has over 4,600 inhabitants and is in the South Cambridgeshire district.
The Prime Meridian passes through the south west corner of the parish of Melbourn.
History
The parish has a long history of occupation, stemming from the presence of springs at Melbourn Bury and the several ancient trackways that cross the parish; the Icknield Way runs to the south of the parish and Ashwell Street and the Roman Cambridge-Royston road are also believed to follow prehistoric trackways. Pottery and burial finds show evidence of Bronze Age residents, and a Roman settlement has been found at the north-east edge of the village. Excavations in the 1950s discovered 28 graves from a 7th-century Christian burial site close to Ashwell Street.
Melbourn appears in five entries in Domesday Book.
<!-- ❧ ENTRY 1 ❧<br />
Tenant-in-chief and Lord in 1086: Guy of Raimbeaucourt. <br />
Households: 6 villagers. 18 smallholders. 10 cottagers. <br />
Ploughland: 11 ploughlands (land for). 2 lord's plough teams. 2 lord's plough teams possible. 7 men's plough teams.<br />
Other resources: 2.5 lord's lands. Meadow 6 ploughs. 0.5 mills, value 0.13.<br />
Phillimore reference: 31,2
❧ ENTRY 2 ❧<br />
Tenant-in-chief and Lord in 1086: Abbey of Ely (St Etheldreda), <br />
Households: 6 villagers. 9 smallholders. 3 cottagers. <br />
Ploughland: 5 ploughlands (land for). 1.5 lord's plough teams. 0.5 lord's plough teams possible. 3 men's plough teams. <br />
Other resources: 1.25 lord's lands. Meadow 5 ploughs. 1 mill, value 0.13. <br />
Phillimore reference: 5,34
❧ ENTRY 3 ❧<br />
Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Hardwin of Scales, Lord in 1086: Durand. <br />
Households: 1 villager. 2 smallholders. 3 cottagers. <br />
Ploughland: 1.5 ploughland (land for). <br />
Other resources: Meadow 1 ploughs. <br />
Phillimore reference: 26,31
❧ ENTRY 4 ❧<br />
Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Count Alan (of Brittany). Lord in 1086: Kolsveinn.<br />
Households: 3 smallholders. 1 slave. <br />
Ploughland: 1.5 ploughland (land for). <br />
Other resources: Meadow 0.5 ploughs. <br />
Phillimore reference: 14,33
❧ ENTRY 5 ❧<br />
Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Earl Roger (of Shrewsbury). Lord in 1086: abbey of Saint-Evroult,<br />
Households: 1 villager. <br />
Ploughland: 0.5 ploughlands (land for). <br />
Other resources: Meadow 0.5 ploughs. <br />
Phillimore reference: 13,7
-->
The name "Melbourn" comes from Meldeburn, the "stream of a man named Melde".
Church
thumb|left|Spring blossom and tower of the oldest church in Melbourn, its Anglican church
The finding of a Saxon cemetery shows that Christianity has been present in Melbourn since the 7th century. The village also probably had an 11th-century chapel but the first record of a church is from 1152. The present church, dedicated to All Saints, is Grade II* listed. The font is 11th century. It is a Grade II listed building.
The nearest railway station is , in the neighbouring village, which opened in 1851 on the Cambridge line.