Cambridgeshire 
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Nearby Places
Nearby churches
Coveney parish, including the chapelry of Manea and the hamlet of Wardy-hill, contains 8,420 acres ; its population is now about 1,600 souls. The amount of assessed property is £9,670. Among the principal proprietors of the soil are the Earl of Hardwicke and Lord Rokeby. The manor formed part of the ancient possessions of the monks of Ely, and having been for some time wrongfully, withheld from them, was recovered by Bishop Nigell, before the year 1169. It does not appear when it came into lay hands, but Warren-de-Lisle seized it in 1297 and it continued with his descendants for nearly a century. It was afterwards successively in the families of Steward and Drake, from the latter of which it passed in marriage to the Robinsons, and it is now the property of Lord Rokeby, the lineal descendant of the same family. Coveney stands on an eminence, about five miles north-west from Ely, and four miles cast frorn Sutton. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is a small ancient edifice, in which are the old open benches of oak, some of which are richly carved. In the chancel is a double piscina under a single arch. The living is a rectory, with the curacy of Manea, rated in the king's books at £5., but now returned at £809 nett per annum. The patronage is invested in Lord Rokeby. The tithes were commuted in 1844, for a rent-charge of £231 12s. 3d., and there are 31 acres of glebe land. The celebrated Dr. Conyers Middleton was rector of Coveney. Here is a chapel, capable of accommodating about 200, appropriated to the use of a sect, calling themselves "Christian Baptists." The National School, for both sexes, is a neat building near the church.
[A BRIEF HISTORY OF ELY and neighbouring villages in the Isle by J.H. Clements 1868]
The Monumental Inscriptions in the graveyard of St. Peter are recorded in the Cambridge Records Office. These inscriptions are also available on microfiche from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Bookstall.
The Census Records from 1841-1891 can be found in the Cambridge Record Office and at Wisbech Library. In addition the 1851 Census for Coveney is available in full transcript form, on microfiche, from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Bookstall.
"The church of St. Peter ad Vincula is a building of stone, dating from the 13th century, and consisting of chancel, nave, south porch and an embattled western tower containing one bell : in the chancel is a trefoil-headed double piscina, and the north wall of the nave contains an ancient stoup; the splendid reredos of carved wood, presented by Athelstan Riley esq. is probably 15th century North-German workmanship, and the central panel contains a remarkably fine representation of the "Crucifixion," the figure on the rood was carved by peasants at Ober Ammergau : there are some interesting, though rude, carved bench ends, dating from about 1400 : the pulpit, dated 1705, has paintings of Our Lord and the Four Evangelists, and is of Danish origin. The church was restored in 1897, at a cost of £1,000 : a new rood screen, the design of the Rev. C. F. G. Turner, rector 1892-1914, was erected, and the roof, which had previously been thatched with reeds, was recovered with grey Westmoreland slates. There are 160 sittings, free. The register dates from the year 1676."
[Kelly's Directory - 1929]
Coveney, St Peter's: Records of baptisms 1676-1923, marriages 1704-1970, burials 1677-1912 and banns for 1763-1936 reside in the Cambridge Record Office.The Bishop's Transcripts for the years 1600-1640 and 1662-1839 can be found in the Cambridge University Library. Indexed transcripts exist in Cambridge Record Office for marriages 1600-1809.
Primitive Methodist Church: Records exist for the Ely Primitive Circuit of which Coveney is part.
Wesleyan Methodist Church: Records exist for the Ely Wesleyan Circuit of which Coveney is part.
WARDY HILL (or Wady Hill), 1 mile northwest, is a hamlet of Coveney. WAYHEAD, another hamlet, is 1 mile north from the parish church.
MANEA, formerly a chapelry of this parish, but now a distinct parish, is given under a separate heading.
The Coveney War Memorial has been transcribed and researched.
Land Tax: records were compiled afresh each year and contain the names of owners and occupiers in each parish, but usually there is no address or place name. These records reside in the Cambridge Record Office for the years 1750-1948; 1798 is on microfilm at Huntingdon Record Office.
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[Last updated 20 March 2003 Martin Edwards]