Huntingdonshire

St Ives, Huntingdonshire submitted by Caroline

Huntingdonshire is now makes up the northern portion of modern day Cambridgeshire and is no longer a county in its own right. Huntingdonshire lies between Northamptonshire to the Northwest & North, Bedfordshire to the Southwest and Cambridgeshire to the East. After Rutland it is the smallest county in England.

The northern part of the county is dominated by the fens, which are below sea level in places. Holme Fen near Ramsey is the lowest point in the United Kingdom. The Rivers Ouse and Nene both flow through the county as does the busy A1.

St Ives boasts the tiny chapel of St Leger. It is one of only four surviving bridge chapels in England. The town of Huntingdon has a fine museum dedicated to Oliver Cromwell, who was both born and educated in the town. Other attractions within the county include Hamerton Zoo, Kimbolton Castle and the Nene Valley Railway.

Well known personalities include Dick Turpin who frequented the George Hotel, Huntingdon when 'working' in the area, Capability Brown the landscape gardener, Henry Royce of Rolls Royce fame, the boxer Joe Bugner whose Hungarian family settled in St Ives, Samuel Pepys who lived in Huntingdon when not in London and John Major, the youngest prime minister of the 20th century who is a resident.

Huntingdon Register Office

Ferrars Road
Huntingdon
Cambs
PE29 3DH

Tel: 01480 375821
Email huntingdonro@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Cambridgeshire, as part of the UKBMD project, has an online searchable BMD database which includes Huntingdonshire records. Full details of the database, certificate applications etc are available on the council website. Online CAMDEX searches information page