Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a

local government district Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

to the north, Fenland to the north-east,

East Cambridgeshire East Cambridgeshire (locally known as East Cambs) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in the cathedral city of Ely. The district also contains the towns of Littleport and Soham and surrounding rural a ...

to the east,

South Cambridgeshire South Cambridgeshire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district of Cambridgeshire, England, with a population of 162,119 at the 2021 census. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambri ...

to the south-east,

Central Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire is a Districts of England, local government district in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It is administered by Central Bedfordshire Council, a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority. It was created ...

and

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

to the south-west, and

North Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, and was created in 2021. The council is based in Corby, the district's la ...

to the west. Huntingdonshire, along with Peterborough, Fenland and East Cambridgeshire, serves as the area of land between

The Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefords ...

and

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

and is often considered to carry a mixed identity for this reason. It is also sometimes considered an informal county. The district had a population of 180,800 at the 2021 census, and has an area of . After

St Neots St NeotsPronunciation of the town name: Most commonly, but variations that ''saint'' is said as in most English non-georeferencing speech, the ''t'' is by a small minority of the British pronounced and higher traces of in the final syllable ...

(33,410), the largest towns are Huntingdon (25,428), St Ives (16,815), and Yaxley (9,174 in 2011). The district council is based in

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

. Huntingdonshire's boundaries were established in the Anglo-Saxon era. It was divided into four hundreds. The county did not have an independent sheriff, instead being combined with neighbouring Cambridgeshire. Huntingdonshire became an

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until 1973 in Northern Ireland, 2002 in the Republic of Ireland. They are now abolished, although most Northern ...

when they were established in 1889. In 1965 it was merged with the

Soke of Peterborough The Soke of Peterborough is a historic area of England associated with the City and Anglican Diocese of Peterborough, Diocese of Peterborough. It was part of Northamptonshire, but was administered by Soke of Peterborough County Council, its own ...

to form

Huntingdon and Peterborough Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county, administrative and Geographical counties of England, geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgesh ...

, which was in turn merged with

Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely was, from 1965 to 1974, an administrative county, administrative and Geographical counties of England, geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. In 1974 it became part of an enlarged Cambridgeshire. ...

in 1974 to form Cambridgeshire, of which Huntingdonshire is now a district.

History

The area corresponding to modern Huntingdonshire was first delimited in

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

times. Its boundaries have remained largely unchanged since the 10th century, although it lost its administrative function in 1974. On his accession in 1154

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

declared all Huntingdonshire a

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

. H. R. Loyn, ''Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest'' 2nd ed. 1991, pp. 378–382.

Status

In 1889, under the

Local Government Act 1888 The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales. It came into effect ...

Huntingdonshire became an

, with the newly-formed Huntingdonshire County Council taking over administrative functions from the

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts that were traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388; they were extended to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535. Scotland establ ...

. The area in the north of the county forming part of the

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

became instead part of the

, an administrative county in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

. In 1965, under a recommendation of the Local Government Commission for England, Huntingdonshire was merged with the Soke of Peterborough to form

. The Lieutenancy county was also merged. At the same time,

was expanded westwards over the river into

Eaton Ford Eaton Ford is an area in the civil parish of St Neots, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a mainly residential area also containing Riverside Park, a large area of riverside parkland. Much of the housing stock dates from the period of London overspil ...

and

Eaton Socon Eaton Socon is a district of St Neots, in the civil parish of St Neots, in the Huntingdonshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England, 1.4 miles south-west of St Neots town centre. Eaton Socon is a component of the town of St Neot ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

. In 1974, under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, Huntingdon and Peterborough merged with

to form the new non-metropolitan county of

. A Huntingdon district was created based closely on the former administrative county borders, with the exclusion of the

Old Fletton Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

urban district, which became part of the Peterborough district, as did the part of

Norman Cross Rural District Norman Cross was a rural district in Huntingdonshire from 1894 to 1974. It was formed in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894 from the part of the Peterborough rural sanitary district which was in Huntingdonshire (the rest forming part of ...

in Peterborough New Town. The district was renamed Huntingdonshire on 1 October 1984 by a resolution of the district council. Original historical documents relating to Huntingdonshire are held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies at the County Record Office in

Proposed revival of administrative county

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (1992) considered in the 1990s the case for making a Huntingdonshire

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

as part of a general structural review of English local government that led to unitary authorities in two other English counties that had been abolished:

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

and

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

. The draft recommendations envisaged three possible scenarios for structural change in Cambridgeshire: the preferred option and the third option had a unitary Huntingdonshire, whilst the second option would have seen Huntingdonshire combine with

and Fenland to form a "Peterborough and Huntingdonshire" unitary authority. The Final recommendations of the commission for Cambridgeshire recommended no change in the status quo in Cambridgeshire.Local Government Boundary Commission for England. ''Final Recommendations for the Future Local Government of Cambridgeshire.'' October 1994. The districts of Peterborough and Huntingdonshire were referred back to the commission for reconsideration in 1995. The commission recommended the creation of a Peterborough unitary authority, but proposed that Huntingdonshire remain part of the shire county of Cambridgeshire, noting that "there was no exceptional county allegiance to Huntingdonshire, as had been perceived in Rutland and Herefordshire."Local Government Boundary Commission for England. ''Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of: Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin.'' December 1995.

David McKie David McKie (born 1935) is a British journalist and historian. He was deputy editor of ''The Guardian'' and continued to write a weekly column for that paper until 4 October 2007, called "Elsewhere". Until 10 September 2005, he also wrote a sec ...

writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' in October 1994 noted that "Writers-in demanded an independent Huntingdon; but MORI's more broadly based poll showed that most Huntingdonians – that is, most of

rime Minister Rime may refer to: *Rime ice, ice that forms when water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects, such as trees. Rime is also an alternative spelling of "rhyme" as a noun: *Syllable rime, term used in the study of phonology in lin ...

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...

's electors – were content to stay part of Cambridgeshire."

Awareness promotion

After the failure to revive the unitary authority, a Huntingdonshire Society was set up to promote awareness of Huntingdonshire as a historic county and campaign for its reinstatement as an administrative and ceremonial entity. In 2002 it established an annual "Huntingdonshire Day" on 25 April, the birthday of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

. After a campaign by the Huntingdonshire Society, the county flag of Huntingdonshire, a gold and beribboned

hunting horn A horn is any of a family of musical instruments made of a tube, usually made of metal and often curved in various ways, with one narrow end into which the musician blows, and a wide end from which sound emerges. In horns, unlike some other bras ...

on a green field, was registered by the

Flag Institute The Flag Institute is a membership organisation and UK-registered educational charity devoted to the study and promotion of flags and flag flying. It documents flags in the UK and around the world, maintains a UK Flag Registry, and offers advic ...

in June 2009.

Governance

Huntingdonshire District Council's headquarters are located in Pathfinder House in Huntingdon. The council consists of 52 councillors. Until 2018, district council elections were held in three out of every four years, with a third of the 52 council seats coming up each time. Elections since have been held for all seats every four years. The Conservative party had a majority on the council from 1976 until 2022, after which a joint administration took control of the council.

Sports

Huntingdonshire is the birthplace of

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

, now an IOC accepted sport. According to documents from 1813, Bury Fen Bandy Club was undefeated for 100 years. A club member, Charles Tebbutt, wrote the first official rules in 1882 and helped to spread the sport to other countries.

Huntingdonshire County Cricket Club Huntingdonshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor counties of English cricket, minor counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the Historic counties of England, historic county of Hun ...

is taken to be one of the 20

minor counties of English and Welsh cricket The National Counties, known as the Minor Counties before 2020, are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that do not have first-class status. The game is administered by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), which comes unde ...

, but it has never played in the

Minor Counties Championship The NCCA 3 Day Championship or National County Championship is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national counties (previously ca ...

. It has its own Cricket Board and played in the English domestic one-day competition from 1999 to 2003.The county played seven List A matches during this period, with the final List A match it played coming against

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

Media

In terms of television, Huntingdonshire is served by

BBC East BBC East is one of BBC's English Regions covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and parts of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire (including the City of Milton Keynes). It is headquartered in The Forum ...

and

ITV Anglia ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...

broadcasting from the

Sandy Heath Sandy Heath transmitting station is a television and radio broadcasting station in England, located between Sandy, Bedfordshire and Potton near the B1042. It is owned by Arqiva, formerly NTL Broadcast. It was built in 1965, originally broadcas ...

TV transmitter. Radio stations for the area are

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire BBC Radio Cambridgeshire is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Cambridgeshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at the Cambridge Business Park on Cowley Road in Cambridge. The station al ...

Heart East Heart East was a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to the East of England from studios in Milton Keynes. The station launched on 3 June 2019, following a merger of four Heart station ...

Greatest Hits Radio East Greatest Hits Radio East is a regional radio network serving the East of England, as part of Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio network. Stations After acquiring several businesses in early 2019, in May 2020, Bauer announced many of their radio st ...

, Star Radio and HCR FM, a community based station that broadcast from its studios in

. ''The Hunts Post'' is the local weekly newspaper.

Towns and villages

Towns

Godmanchester Godmanchester ( ) is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman roads ...

* Kimbolton *

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Companies *Ramsey (retailer), Turkish clothing retailer People * Ramsey (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Ramsey (surname), including a list of people with the surname * Baron de Ramsey, a title i ...

* St Ives *

Hamlets and villages

Abbots Ripton Abbots Ripton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Abbots Ripton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being an historic county of England. Abbots Ripton lies a ...

Abbotsley Abbotsley is a village and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England.

Alconbury Alconbury is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Alconbury is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being an historic county of England. Alconbury lies approximatel ...

, Alconbury Weston,

Alwalton Alwalton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Alwalton lies approximately west of Peterborough city centre. Alwalton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being ...

* Barham, Bury,

Bluntisham Bluntisham is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,003. Bluntisham lies approximately east of Huntingdon. Bluntisham is situated within Huntingdonshire wh ...

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

, Brington, Broughton, Buckden, Buckworth,

Bythorn Bythorn is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bythorn and Keyston, in Cambridgeshire, England. Bythorn lies approximately west of Huntingdon near Molesworth. Bythorn is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metro ...

Catworth Catworth is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Catworth lies approximately west of Huntingdon. The civil parish covers an area of . Catworth village has two parts, Catworth, at the top of the hill, and Little Catworth, at ...

Chesterton Chesterton may refer to: People *Chesterton (surname) **G. K. Chesterton **A. K. Chesterton **Cecil Chesterton **Frank Chesterton (architect) Places United Kingdom *Chesterton, Cambridge **Chesterton railway station * Chesterton, Gloucestershir ...

Colne Colne () is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. The town is northeast of Nelson, Lancashire, Nelson, northeast of Burnley and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. The ...

, Connington,

Coppingford Coppingford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Upton and Coppingford, in Cambridgeshire, England. Coppingford lies approximately north-west of Huntingdon. Coppingford is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-m ...

, Covington *

Denton and Caldecote Denton and Caldecote – in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England – is a civil parish near Glatton south west of Yaxley. The parish was formed on 1 April 1935 from " Caldecote" and " Denton". In 2011 it had a populat ...

Diddington Diddington is a small village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Diddington lies approximately south-west of Huntingdon, near to Buckden. Diddington is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridge ...

Earith Earith is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Lying approximately east of Huntingdon, Earith is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of E ...

, Easton,

, Ellington,

Elton Elton may refer to: Places England * Elton, Cambridgeshire (formerly Huntingdonshire), a village ** Elton Hall, a baronial hall * Elton, Cheshire, a village and civil parish * Elton, County Durham, a village and civil parish in the Borough of ...

, Eynesbury *

Farcet Farcet ( ''/''ˈfæsət/) is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Farcet lies approximately south of Peterborough city centre, between Yaxley and the Peterborough suburb of Old Fletton. Farcet is situated within Huntingdonsh ...

Fenstanton Fenstanton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, south of St Ives, Cambridgeshire, St Ives in Huntingdonshire, a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and historic counties of England, hist ...

Folksworth and Washingley Folksworth and Washingley is a civil parish near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, England, comprising the villages of Folksworth and Washingley. The parish was formed following the combination of the two separate parishes of Folksworth and of Wa ...

Glatton Glatton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, some south-west of Peterborough, near the villages of Conington, Huntingdonshire, Conington, Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, Yaxley and Stilton. It lies in the non-metropolitan distric ...

, Grafham,

Great Gransden Great Gransden is a civil parish and village in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. In 2001, the parish population was 969, which rose to 1,023 at the 2011 Census. It lies 16 miles (25 km) west of Cambridge and 13 mile ...

, Great, Little and Steeple Gidding,

Great Paxton Great Paxton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. It is in Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic counties of England, historic county of England. The village lies ...

Great Staughton Great Staughton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Great Staughton lies approximately south-west of Huntingdon. Great Staughton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as ...

* Haddon,

Hail Weston Hail Weston is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hail Weston lies approximately south of Huntingdon. Hail Weston is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambrid ...

Hamerton Hamerton is a village in and former civil parish, now in the parish of Hamerton and Steeple Gidding, in Cambridgeshire, England. Hamerton lies approximately north-west of Huntingdon. Hamerton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non- ...

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

Hemingford Abbots Hemingford Abbots is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hemingford Abbots lies approximately east of Huntingdon, and is almost continuous with neighbouring Hemingford Grey. Hemingford Abbots is si ...

Hemingford Grey Hemingford Grey is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hemingford Grey lies approximately east of Huntingdon. Hemingford Grey is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well ...

, Hilton, Holme,

Holywell Holywell may refer to: England * Holywell, Bedfordshire * Holywell, Cambridgeshire * Holywell, Cornwall * Holywell, Dorset * Holywell, Eastbourne, East Sussex * Holywell, Gloucestershire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Ho-Hoo#Hol, location in ...

, Houghton *

Keyston Keyston is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bythorn and Keyston, in Cambridgeshire, England. Keyston lies approximately west of Huntingdon, near Molesworth. Keyston is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metro ...

, Kings Ripton *

Leighton Bromswold Leighton Bromswold (also known as Leighton) is a small village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. It lies approximately west of Huntingdon. Leighton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridges ...

Little Paxton Little Paxton in Cambridgeshire, England is a village and civil parish that lies south of Huntingdon and north of St Neots. It is in the district and historic county of Huntingdonshire. Until the 1970s it was a minor village and the church wa ...

Molesworth Molesworth may refer to: Places *Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, a village in Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, England *Molesworth (crater), a crater on Mars *Molesworth Station, New Zealand's largest farm *Molesworth Street, Dublin, Ireland *Moleswor ...

Morborne Morborne is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Morborne lies approximately south-west of Peterborough, near Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, Yaxley. Morborne is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a n ...

Needingworth Needingworth is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. Needingworth lies approximately east of Huntingdon and just west of the Prime Meridian. Needingworth is in the civil parish of Holywell-cum-Needingworth. Needingworth is situated within Hu ...

Oldhurst Old Hurst is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, approximately north-east of Huntingdon. It is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of Engl ...

Old Weston Old Weston – in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England – is a village near Molesworth west of Huntingdon. In 1870–1872, John Wilson, who was a writer for the ''"Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales:"'' describes the are ...

Orton Longueville Orton is a suburb of the City of Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire, England, about south west of Peterborough city centre to the south of the River Nene. It is located on the route of the A1. It expanded from the villages of Orton Waterville ...

Orton Waterville Orton is a suburb of the City of Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire, England, about south west of Peterborough city centre to the south of the River Nene. It is located on the route of the A1. It expanded from the villages of Orton Waterville ...

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

Pidley Pidley is a small village in Cambridgeshire, England. Pidley lies approximately north-east of Huntingdon. Together with the neighbouring village of Fenton, Pidley forms the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Pidley cum Fenton. Pidley is ...

Ramsey St Mary's Ramsey St Mary's is a village in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, Ramsey civil parish, part of the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the largest parish in Huntingdonshire. The parish comprises 16,969 acres of land. Church During ...

, Ramsey Forty Foot, Ramsey Mereside, Ramsey Heights *

Sawtry Sawtry () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Sawtry lies approximately north of Huntingdon. Sawtry is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as we ...

Spaldwick Spaldwick is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Spaldwick lies approximately west of Huntingdon, near Catworth. Spaldwick is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as ...

Somersham Somersham is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Somersham lies approximately east of Huntingdon and north of St Ives. Somersham is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as ...

, Southhoe and Midloe,

Stibbington Stibbington is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, located approximately west of Peterborough city centre in the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Sibson-cum-Stibbington. It is situated in the far north-west corner of Huntingdonshir ...

Stilton Stilton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about north of Huntingdon in Huntingdonshire, which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic county of England. History There is evidence of Neo ...

Stow Longa Stow Longa is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Stow Longa lies approximately west of Huntingdon and two miles north of Kimbolton. Stow Longa is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cam ...

Tetworth Tetworth is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Waresley-cum-Tetworth, in Cambridgeshire, England. Tetworth lies approximately south of Huntingdon, near Waresley south of St Neots. Tetworth is situated within Huntingdonshire ...

Tilbrook Tilbrook is a village and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, approximately west of Huntingdon and north-west of Cambridge. Though administered as part of Cambridgeshire, the village historically belonged ...

, Toseland,

The Offords The Offords is the name given to the two villages of Offord Cluny and Offord D'Arcy, situated on the east bank of the River Great Ouse between Saint Neots and Huntingdon in west Cambridgeshire. The Offords were both recorded in the Domesday B ...

The Raveleys Great Raveley and Little Raveley are villages near Upwood south of Ramsey. They are located in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England, 3½ miles south-west of Ramsey. The population is shown in the civil parish of Upwood and the R ...

The Stukeleys The Stukeleys is a civil parish in the district of Huntingdonshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, consisting of the villages of Great Stukeley and Little Stukeley, and the new settlement of Alconbury Weald being built on the old RAF Alconbury site ...

* Upton,

Upwood Upwood is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Upwood and the Raveleys, in the non-metropolitan district and historic county of Huntingdonshire, England, although in the administrative county of Cambridgeshire. Upwood lies a ...

* Wansford,

Warboys Warboys is a large village and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire non-metropolitan district, district of Cambridgeshire, England, north-east of Huntingdon. Geology Igneous diorite rocks are located around below ground at Warboys. Disco ...

Waresley Waresley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Waresley-cum-Tetworth, in Cambridgeshire, England. Waresley lies approximately south of Huntingdon and south-east of the town of St Neots. Waresley is situated within Hunting ...

Water Newton Water Newton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Water Newton lies approximately west of Peterborough. Water Newton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being ...

, Winwick, Wistow, Woodhurst,

Woodwalton Woodwalton is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, in Wood Walton civil parish. The village lies approximately north of Huntingdon and just east of the A1. The parish population was 217 at the 2021 census. It is within Huntingdonshire, which i ...

, Woolley, Wyton * Yaxley,

Yelling A scream is a loud/hard vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including humans. A scream i ...

Parishes

The whole district is divided into

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

es. The parish councils for Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Ramsey, St Ives and St Neots take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a

parish meeting A parish meeting is a meeting all the electors in a civil parish in England are entitled to attend. In some cases, where a parish or group of parishes has fewer than 200 electors, the parish meeting can take on the role of a parish council, with ...

rather than a parish council.

Medieval parishes

Chapelries are listed in italics. Parishes are listed by

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

. ¹no record of a church having ever existed ²now in Bedfordshire ³now in Northamptonshire ⁴a chapelry to Broughton in Hurstingstone hundred

Notable people

In order of birth: *Henry of Saltrey, a Huntingdonshire

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monk, wrote ''

Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii ''Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii'' (Treatise on Saint Patrick's Purgatory) is a Latin text written about 1180–1184 by a monk who identified himself as H. of Saltrey. The author is traditionally known as Henry, though this was an inserti ...

'' (Treatise on the Purgatory of St Patrick) in about 1180–1184. *Sir

William Papworth Sir William Papworth (''c''. 1331 – 4 September 1414), of Grafham (then in Huntingdonshire, now Cambridgeshire) and Papworth St. Agnes (Cambridgeshire), was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Cambri ...

(1331–1414) of Grafham and

Papworth St. Agnes Papworth St Agnes is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. The population of the village is included in the civil parish of Graveley It has also been known as Papworth Magna, to distinguish it from the adjoining Papwort ...

was a member of five 14th-century parliaments. *

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...

(1485–1536), previously Queen of England, died in confinement at

Kimbolton Castle Kimbolton Castle is a country house in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. It was the final home of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of ...

. *

Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (18 September 1535 – 14 July 1551), styled Lord Henry Brandon before 1545, was an English nobleman, the son of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, by his fourth wife, Catherine Willoughby. His father ...

and his brother

Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (12 October 1537 – 14 July 1551), known as Lord Charles Brandon until shortly before his death, was the son of the 1st Duke of Suffolk and the ''suo jure'' 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby. His father h ...

, nephews of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, died of

sweating sickness Sweating sickness, also known as the sweats, English sweating sickness, English sweat or ''sudor anglicus'' in Latin, was a mysterious and contagious disease that struck England and later continental Europe in a series of epidemics beginning i ...

Buckden Towers Buckden Towers, formerly known as Buckden Palace, is a medieval fortified house and bishop's palace in Buckden, Cambridgeshire, England. It is now a conference and retreat centre operated by the Claretian missionaries. History The 15th-cent ...

within an hour of each other on 14 July 1551. *

Nicholas Ferrar Nicholas Ferrar (22 February 1592 – 4 December 1637) was an English scholar, courtier and businessman, who was ordained a deacon in the Church of England. He lost much of his fortune in the Virginia Company and retreated with his extended fami ...

(1592–1637), scholar, courtier and cleric, spent the last eleven years of his life at the

Little Gidding community The Little Gidding community was an extended family and religious group based at Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire (now in Cambridgeshire), England, in existence from the middle of the 1620s to the later 1650s. It gained attention in its time becaus ...

, inspiration of the fourth poem in

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

's ''

Four Quartets ''Four Quartets'' is a set of four poems written by T. S. Eliot that were published over a six-year period. The first poem, ''Burnt Norton'', was published with a collection of his early works (1936's ''Collected Poems 1909–1935''). After a fe ...

''. *

Philip Nye Philip Nye (c. 1595–1672) was a leading English Independent theologian and a member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. He was the key adviser to Oliver Cromwell on matters of religion and regulation of the Church. Life Philip Nye was bo ...

(1595–1672),

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

theologian, became the incumbent of Kimbolton and an adviser to Cromwell. *

(1599–1658),

Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') is a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometime ...

of England, Scotland and Ireland 1653–1658, was educated at Huntingdon Grammar School. * Richard Astry (c. 1632–1714) was an English

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

. *

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

(1633–1703), Member of Parliament (MP) and

diarist A diary is a writing, written or audiovisual Memorabilia, memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by Calendar date, date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwriti ...

, attended Huntingdon Grammar School. *William Sparrow (1641–1729), cut the famous

turf maze Historically, a turf maze is a labyrinth made by cutting a convoluted path into a level area of short grass, sod, turf or lawn. Some had names such as Mizmaze, Troy Town, The Walls of Troy, Julian's Bower, or Shepherd's Race. This is the type of m ...

at Hilton in 1660. * Alice and Thomas Curwen were active in the county as Quaker preachers in 1677–1678.Michael Mullett: "Curwen, Thomas (c. 1610–1680)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004
Retrieved 17 November 2015.
/ref> * Ann Jebb (1735–1812), political reformer and radical writer, was born at Kings Ripton. * William Henry Fellowes (1769–1837) of

Ramsey Abbey Ramsey Abbey was a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine abbey in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, Ramsey, Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England. It was founded about AD 969 and Dissolution of the Monasteries, dissolved in 1539. The site ...

, was a longstanding MP for Huntingdon and then Huntingdonshire. * Olinthus Gregory (1774–1841), mathematician and editor, was born at Yaxley. * Robert Fox (1798–1843), antiquary and local historian, was born and died at Godmanchester. *

Charles Bowen Cooke Charles John Bowen Cooke (11 January 1859 – 18 October 1920) was born in Orton Longueville (then in Huntingdonshire) and was Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). He was the first to add superheating t ...

(1859–1920), locomotive engineer, was born at

. *

Henry Royce Sir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet (27 March 1863 – 22 April 1933) was an English engineer famous for his designs of car and aeroplane engines with a reputation for reliability and longevity. With Charles Rolls (1877–1910) and Claude J ...

(1863–1933), pioneering car manufacturer and founder of

Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce Limited was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's good reputation established with his Crane ( ...

, was born in

. * Lucy M. Boston (1892–1990), children's writer, lived in Huntingdonshire from 1937 until her death, and set the ''

Green Knowe Green Knowe is a series of six children's novels written by Lucy M. Boston, illustrated by her son Peter Boston, and published from 1954 to 1976. It features a very old house, Green Knowe, based on Boston's home at the time, The Manor in Hemin ...

'' series there. *

Josef Jakobs Josef Jakobs (30 June 1898 – 15 August 1941) was a German spy and the last person to be executed at the Tower of London. He was captured shortly after parachuting into the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Convicted of espionage und ...

(1898–1941), German spy captured in

Ramsey Hollow Ramsey may refer to: Companies *Ramsey (retailer), Turkish clothing retailer People * Ramsey (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Ramsey (surname), including a list of people with the surname * Baron de Ramsey, a title i ...

, Huntingdonshire in 1941 * Michael Lawrence (born 1943), children's writer, is best known for the ''Jiggy McCue'' series. *

(born 1943), politician and Prime Minister (1990–1997), was MP for

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...

from 1979 to 2001, and still resides in the county at

Great Stukeley Great Stukeley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of The Stukeleys. It is north-west of Huntingdon. Great Stukeley is in Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic coun ...

. * John Butcher (1946–2006), Conservative MP and junior minister, was raised in Huntingdonshire and attended

Huntingdon Grammar School Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

. *

Terry Reid Terrance James Reid (born 13 November 1949), nicknamed "Superlungs", is an English rock vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist best known for his emotive style of singing in appearances with high-profile musicians as vocalist, supporting act and s ...

(born 1949), rock musician, grew up in

. * Chris Morris (born 1962), satirist known for the television series ''

Brass Eye ''Brass Eye'' (stylised as brassEYE) is a British satirical television series parodying current affairs news programming. A series of six episodes aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001. The series was created and presented by ...

'' and ''

The Day Today ''The Day Today'' is a British comedy television show that parodies television news and current affairs programmes, broadcast from 19 January to 23 February 1994 on BBC2. It was created by Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris and is an adap ...

'' * Jason Ablewhite (born 1972) former leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, former

Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner is the police and crime commissioner, an elected official tasked with setting out the way crime is tackled by the Cambridgeshire Constabulary in the English County of Cambridgeshi ...