Cambridgeshire 
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Nearby Places
Nearby churches
"ORWELL is a parish adjacent to a Roman road, 3 miles north-west from Shepreth station on the Hitchin, Royston and Cambridge line of the London and North Eastern railway, 8 south-west from Cambridge and about 7 north from Royston, in the hundred of Wetherley, petty sessional division of Arrington and Melbourn, union of Caxton and Arrington, county court district of Cambridge, rural deanery of Barton and archdeaconry and diocese of Ely."
The soil is clayey and chalky, and the subsoil clay, gault and limestone. The crops are wheat, barley beans and fruit. The acreage is 2,083 ; the population in 1921 was 469.
[Kelly's Directory - Cambridgeshire - 1929]
The Monumental Inscriptions in the graveyard of St. Andrew are recorded in the Cambridge Records Office for the years 1691-1978. 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. In addition the 1851 Census for Orwell is available in full transcript form, on microfiche, from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Bookstall.
The complete transcription for Orwell of the 1891 Census can be found on the Cambridgeshire FHS website.
"The church of St. Andrew is a building of stone and flint, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower containing a clock and 5 bells: the chancel is Perpendicular and the nave Early English: in the chancel is an effigy of Dr. Jeremiah Radcliffe, one of the 47 translators of the Bible in 1608-11, buried here 4 March, 1611: the church was repaired in 1883, at a cost of £949, under the direction of Mr. William White. architect, of London, when the roof was renewed in oak, part of the old timber being re-incorporated; at the intersections of the ribs in the chancel is an interesting series of shields, bearing the arms of many of the principal county families painted in distemper, but the blazonry being almost obliterated was restored from a record preserved in a manuscript at Wimpole Hall: in 1918 a Roll of Honour, containing the names of the parishioners who fell in the Great War, 1914-18, was erected over the altar on the north side of the church: there are 250 sittings. The register dates from the year 1500."
"There is Wesleyan chapel."
[Kelly's Directory - Cambridgeshire - 1929]
Orwell, St. Andrew: Records of baptisms 1569-1895, marriages 1560-1991, burials 1560-1992 and banns for 1754-1963 reside in the Cambridge Record Office, indexed transcripts exist for baptisms 1569-1895, marriages 1560-1901 and burials 1560-1895, the parish register transcripts, 1653-1895, are available in full transcript form, on microfiche, from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Bookstall.. The Bishop's Transcripts for the years 1599-1642, 1662-65, 1677-96, 1708-16 and 1726-1859 can be found in the Cambridge University Library.
"The Marriage Register of the Parish of Orwell from 1653 to 1837" (transcribed by the Rev R W Whiston and published in 1927) is a very long and detailed document which includes over 600 marriage records with preface and a full alphabetical name index. Many Wimpole names appear among the Orwell records. This has been published on-line by Steve Odell. [Note: This site is currently being moved and is unavailable at present]
The Orwell historical photographic section of the Orwell website contains photographs of Orwell Football Orwell Football Club - league and cup winning teams 1922 - 1947. Orwell People Photographs of Orwell people and Orwell families 1895 - 1921. Orwell School Orwell School group photographs of pupils 1899 - 1906. Orwell Village A selection of images of the village of Orwell 1900-1936. [Note: This site is currently being moved and is unavailable at present]
"WILLESMERE DOWN lies north-east, and Hoback half a mile south-west."
[Kelly's Directory - Cambridgeshire - 1929]
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 1736, 1788, 1795, 1798 on microfilm and 1810-1948.
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[Last updated: 2 April 2005 Martin Edwards]