﻿HUKTINODONSHIRE. 



HUNTINQDOKSHIRE. 



M4 



BaotingdoD PoorLaw Union oonUini 33 parube* uid townihipi, with 

 u •!«• of 75,031 acrea, and a nopaUtion in 1851 of 20,99(. 



Tbo town ia ooonaoted with the TiUaga of Qodmanoheatcr by a 

 eauaewar aoroaa tha maadowa, which in Urn* of floodi ars overflowed 

 by the Oom. In tUi oaiuaway are three bridfaa : the principal one, 

 over the main ebannal of the Ooae, ia of atone, and nDcient ; it has 

 aix arcbea. The principal street extends about a uiilo north-west 

 from the bridge orer the Ouae, and oontaius many respectable bouses ; 

 it is lighted with gas and pared. AU SainU church, rebuilt in 1620, 

 is of the Iste perpendicular style, but is much mutilated. SL Mary's 

 church has a fina tower in the porj>en<UcuIar style ; the chanoel ia 

 cariy Knglish. There are places uf worship for Independents, Wesleyon 

 XeUiodists, and Quakers. The niarlcct-placa is tolerably spacious; 

 the town-hall is ajrood brick building, containing court-rooms and an 

 Maemblyroom. There are a county jail and house of correction, and 

 a boroush jaiL Among the old structures must be named Oliver 

 CromweU's house, which ia still designated Cromwell Hooae. The 

 trade of the town ia principally in wool and oom : the market is on 

 Saturd^ ; fairs are held on the Tueaday before Easter, and on the 

 second Tuesday in Hay. Patent bricka and tiles are manufactured. 

 There ore a small theatre, an old bath in a neglected state, and a raoe- 

 oourse ; the races are in the beginning of August. The town has an 

 infirmaiy and dispensary, a savings bank, a literary institution with a 

 muaeum and library, a county library, National and British schools, 

 Walden's Charity school for boys, Fiahbome's Charity school for girls, 

 a Qirla school of Industry, and an Infant school. The Grammar 

 ■cbool, founded about A.D. 120U b^ David, earl of Huntingdon, after- 

 wards king of Scotland, has an inoome from endowment of 100^ a 

 year, with a house for the master. It i>08sesse8 two exhibitions for 

 the Cambridge University. The number of scholars in 1852 was 67. 

 At this school Oliver Cromwell received part of bis education. The 

 Orammar school is attached to St. John's hospital, the master of 

 which is patron of the school The County sonool for boys is sup- 

 ported by voluntary contributions. 



Huntingdon is on the Ermine-street, and stands near the site of a 

 Soman itation. In the year 917 Edward the Elder built, or robuilr, 

 a oastleat Huntingdon, of which traces of the outworks yet remain. 

 In 1645 the king's forces entered Huntingdon after a short resistance, 

 and plundered it Heniy of Huntingdun, one of our ancient chro- 

 niclers, and Oliver Cromwell, were bom in this town. 



HUNTISGDON'SHIKE, an inhmd county of England, situated 

 between 52° 8' and 52° 36' N. lat., 0° 8' E. and 0° 30' W. long. It is 

 bounded N. and N.W. by Northamptonshire, S.W. by Bedfordshire, 

 and on all other sides by Cambridgeshire. The area of the county is 

 ^0,865 statute acres, or 361 square miles. iThe population of the 

 county was 64,183 in 1851. It is in size one of the smallest of the 

 Euglish counties, only Middlesex and Rutland being less. 



Surface, Hydrography, and Communicalxom. — Huntingdonshire has 

 no hi^ hills. An elevated ridge enters the county from tbe south, 

 near Potton in Bedfordshire, and runs northward till it subsides in 

 the valley of the Ouse near Huntingdon. Another elevated tract 

 runs west from the border of Cambridgeshire to Huntingdon, and 

 from thence turns north-west to the valley of the Nene at Wansford, 

 west of Peterborough : to the north and north-east of this ridge tbe 

 county is comprehended in the groat fen district of the lower Ouse, 

 Nene, and WcJland. 



The principal rivers are the Ouae and the None, with their respec- 

 tive tributaries. The Otue touches the border of the county about 

 a mile and a half above St. Neots, and flows past that town along 

 the border to the junction of a stream from the neighbourhood of 

 Higham Ferrers (Northamptoushtre) ; after which it flows in a 

 northerly direction to Huntingdon ; thence in an easterly direction 

 to Holywell, on the border of the county below St. Ives ; and from 

 tbenoe along tbe border of the county to Earith, where it enters 

 Cambridgeanire : its whole length within the county or on the border 

 ia 23 milea, all navigable. There are several feeders of the Ouse, which 

 are all small 



The Nent runs along the border, and baa no part of its course within 

 the county. It firnt touchea the oounty at Elton, below Oundle, whence 

 it flows northward to Wansford ; it then turns eastward to Standgroniid 

 Sluice, a little below Peterborough, where it leaves the ooimty. 'The old 

 channel of the river is only in parts made liie of for the navigation. 

 The Forty-Foot Drain, or Vermuiden's Drain, is a navigable out from 

 the Old Nene, near Ramsey, to the Old Bedford River in Cambridge- 

 ■hire, which belongs to the system of the Ouse. 



The ' Xeraa,' Ramsey, and Ugg, are large pools or lakes. Whittlesea 

 Vera was the largest of this oUsa of lakes, covering an area of several 

 square miles, aflbrding excellent aailing and fishing, and much fre- 

 quented in the summer by parties of pleasure. It lias recently been 

 drained and reclaimed for cultivation. [Bkofobo Letbu] Ramsey 

 Here and Ugg Here are visited by abundance of aquatic wild-fowl. 

 A considerable part of the county is destitute of springs, and is 

 supplied with water from pouds. 



The high north road to E<liu)>urgh enters this county on the south- 

 east side between Caston in Cambridg'uliira and Huntingdon; and 

 paaaing through Huntingdon, Stilton, and Nonnau Cross, quits the 

 eotmty on the north-west side. Another road from London, which 

 I through Bamet and Baldock, unites with the high north road 



at Aloonbuiy Hill, between Huntingdon and Stilton. The Lincoln 

 road turns off from the high north road at Norman Cross, and runs 

 by Peterborough into Linoolnshira. A road which branohaa off from 

 the north road through Baldock, on the border of the oounty, passes 

 through Kimbolton, where one branch leads to Leioester, and another 

 to Nottingham. There are roads from Huntingdon to St. Neots, 

 Cambridge, Ramaey, and other places. The Qreat Northern railway 

 enters the oounty near St Neots, and proceeds through it past 

 Huntin^on, in a northern direction to Peterborough; its whole 

 length m Huntingdonshire being about 25 miles. The Cambridge, 

 St Ivea, and Huntingdon railway runa from the Qreat Northern 

 railway at Huntingdon to the Eastern Conntiea line at Cambritlge. 

 A branch from this line nms from St Ives north-eastward to March. 



Gtoloffieal Ckaraeter. — Huntingdonshire belongs to the oolite system. 

 Tbe south-eastern part of the county is occupied by the iron-sand, 

 which rises into low hills in Huntingdonshire. The rest of the oounty , 

 excepting the Fens, and perhaps a narrow strip on the western side of 

 the connty, is occupied by the Oxford clay, which forms the separation 

 between the middle and lower assemblage of oolites. The thickness 

 of this formation is probably from 600 to 70U feet : its position ia 

 nearly horizontal On the south-eastern border of the county is some 

 greensand. The hills on the oonflnes of Huntingdonshire and 

 Northamptonshire which overhang the valley of the None are of the 

 stonebrasn, or forest marble. 



Climate, Soil, Agriculture. — The climate of Huntingdonshire par- 

 takes of that of the inland counties. The low and flat districts, which 

 are mostly drained feus, are subject to fogs, and not so healthy as the 

 higher parts; but when well drained and cultivated, they become 

 more healthy. Only a very small portion of the surface of the county 

 is unproductive. The soil varies considerably, and may be sud to lie 

 in patches of gravel, sand, and clay, intermixed with muddy alluvial 

 vegetable earUi, wherever the level of the surface is lowest, and the 

 waters have formerly flowed over it, or stagnated upon it Peat ia 

 found in many spots and dug out for fuel The clay predominates 

 generally. 



Although watsr abounds, there are not many springs, but the inha- 

 bitants are supplied from pouds, rivers, and wells. The farms are 

 mostly of considerable extent Wheat, barley, oats, beans, rape, and 

 clover are largely raised. Mustard seed is grown to some extent in 

 this county. On the borders of the Ouse and Nene are some very rich 

 meadows. 



A great part of the county is in pasture. The county of Huntingdon 

 is rather bare of trees. In the mitnihy parts willows grow rapidly, 

 and are profitable. Horses are invariably used for the plough. Tbo 

 cows kept for the dairy are mostly of the Yorkshire or Durham 

 breed of short-horns. The sheep are mostly of the Leicester breed. 

 Tbe hogs are of the Berkshire or Leicestershire breeds, with various 

 crosses. 



Viviiiom, Toums, itc. — The county of Huntingdon is divided into 

 four hundreds as follows : — Norman Cross, north ; Hurstingstone, 

 east ; Leightonstone, west ; Toseland, south. There is one parliamen- 

 tary borough, and county and market-town, Hcntinodom, including 

 the municipal boroughs of Huntingdon and Qodmancbester ; and four 

 other market-towns, Kimbolton, Rasisey, St IVKS, and St Neots. 

 Kimbolton we describe here, the others will bo found under their 

 respective titles. 



kimbolton, is on the western side of the county, 11 miles W. by S. 

 from Huntingdon, and 63 miles N. by VV. from London: population 

 of the parish 1053. The town is pleasantly situated, but is small and 

 unimportant The church baa a tower at the west end surmounted 

 with a lofty spire ; it contains some fine specimens of carved wood. 

 The Moravians, Baptists, and Weslevau Methodists have pUoes of 

 worship. The Orammar and Agricultural school, founded in 1600, 

 had li grammar scholars, and 18 agricultural scholars in 1852; a 

 Boys school and an Infant school are supported by the Duke of Man- 

 chester. Kimbolton CasUe, an ancient stone building, the soat of the 

 Montagues, dukes of Manchester, was the residence of Catherine of 

 Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII., after her divorce : it has since 

 tmdergone many alterations. Some lace is made in Kimbolton. The 

 market is on Friday, and there are two yearly fain. 



The following are some of the mora important villages, with their 

 parish population in 1851, and a few other particulars : — 



Alconbury, 5^ miles N.N.W. from Huntingdon, {lopulation 967, ia 

 situated on the line of the Ermine-street; the church, which is chiefly 

 in the early English style, connista of a chancel and nave, with clere- 

 story and aisles, and has a tower at the west end, sunnounte<l with a 

 spire. There are a cbapel for AVesleyan Methodists, and National 

 schools. Brampton, 2 miles S.W. from Huntingdon, population 1281, 

 is situated on the river Ouse ; the ohuroh is a handsome edifice, partly 

 perpendicular, tbe chancel is decorated, the tower at the west end is 

 of the 17th century. Suctdm, i miles S.VV. from Huntingdon, popu- 

 lation 1172 ; the churob is a fine specimen of perpendicular architec- 

 ture : tbe tower at the west end is surmounted with a handsome spire. 

 Near the church are the remains of the Bishop's PaUoe. The chief 

 part of the edifice waa erected about 1480, by Bishop Rotherham. 

 The Wealeyon and Primitive Methodists have places of worship. There 

 are Endowed, Natiuual, and Infant schools. Some fine residences for 

 lamilies are in the vicinity. JiUon, near the right bank of the river 



