What is a hundred?

From Anglo-Saxon times to the 19th Century a 'hundred' was a unit of 'local government' common south of the river Tees. It was a sub-division of the shire, it corresponded to the "wapentakes" of the Danelaw. It varied in size from area to area, hundreds may have originated from the grouping of a hundred "hides", these emerged as administrative units in the 10th century. Hundred courts, which met every four weeks, had jurisdiction in cases relating to local issues and apportioned taxes.

When the Domesday Book was compiled the land a given village owned was measured in "hides". A "hide" was reckoned at 120 acres.

Chiltern Hundreds

The Chiltern Hundreds consists of three hundreds, Stoke, Desborough and Burnham, in south central England. An MP cannot resign his seat, but if he wishes to retire he may apply for one of two stewardships, the holder of which, since he becomes a paid member of the crown, may not, since 1707, sit in parliament. There were formerly several such stewardships, but since 1957 there have only been two, the Chiltern Hundreds and the Manor of Northstead in Yorkshire. This lead to the phrase "Taking the Chiltern Hundreds".

Cambridge Hundreds

The following is a list of hundreds in 1929 in the county of Cambridgeshire, with the parishes contained in them: