Huntingdonshire
Contents
Nearby Places
Nearby churches
Acumesberie (xi cent.), Alchmundesbiri, Alcmundesberi (xii cent.), Alkemundesbiy, Acmundebiry, Aucmundebury, Aumondebiry Weston (xiii cent.), Alkunbiri, Alconbury-cum-Weston (xiv cent.), Wode or Wood Weston (xiv-xvii cent.).
Alconbury-cum-Weston was described as one 'vill' in 1316 and is still one ecclesiastical parish. More often referred to as Alconbury with Weston, or as two separate places Alconbury and Alconbury Weston, which remain separate for civil purposes. About half the whole area of the two civil parishes is arable and the rest pasture. The soil is clay and the principle crops are cereal and beans. The Alconbury Brook, a tributary of the River Ouse, runs from the north-west to the south-east, and then turning south-west forms the southern boundary. The land rises from the brook, where it is about 50 ft. above sea-level to about 164 ft. at Alconbury Hill and Common Farm on the north-east side. On the south-west, the rise is more gradual and, except at Weybridge Lodge where it reaches 163 ft, it is mostly low-lying.
The Ermine Street is on the eastern side of Alconbury parish and west of it is the old Great North Road which joined Ermine Street at Alconbury Hill. A modern Motorway (known as the A1(M)) now goes through and over the parish, bypassing it, and also over a tributary of the Alconbury Brook, and a little to the west is the site of Matcham's Gibbet.
The fairly large village of Alconbury lies just west of the modern A1(M) road, and is three-quarters of a mile from Ermine Street; the Alconbury Brook runs through the length of it. The church stands at the north end of the village with, a little to the south-east of it, Manor Farm. There is a long narrow Green in the centre of the village which is mentioned in 1327; the Alconbury Brook flows through the Green and is spanned by a 15th century bridge of four arches. The eastern arch and the south face of the second arch of the bridge have been rebuilt, and the cut-waters on the north side much repaired. Bequests towards the repair of this bridge were made in 1497 and at intervals to 1531. The housing in the village is a mix of building from the 17th and 18th centuries, but much modern housing has been built during the late 20th century.
Weybridge lies to the south of the parish and is the survival of the King's Forest of that name. However there was really only a farm of that name here which stood on a moated site, and was built in the latter part of the 16th century. It was in Weybridge Forest, close to his manor of Woolley, that John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, was captured when hiding from Henry VI in 1470.
Alconbury Weston is about three-quaters of a mile north-west of Alconbury village - see separate page.
There was an inclosure award made to Alconbury-cum-Weston in 1791.
Monumental Inscriptions from the Parish Churchyard (approximately 125 entries - £3.00 inclusive of postage worldwide) are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS Bookstall.
Census information for this parish (1841 - 1891) is held in the Huntingdon Records Office.
The full 1841 Census of Alconbury Parish is available as Fiche Set C81.
The full 1851 Census of Alconbury Parish is available as Fiche Set C31.
A Surname Index of the 1881 Census of the Huntingdon Registration District, in which Alconbury was enumerated (RG11/1602, Folios 29a - 46b), and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as fiche set C3.
A full transcription of the 1891 Census of the Spaldwick sub-District of the Huntingdon Registration District (RG12/1236) in which Alconbury was enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891, has also been produced by the Huntingdonshire FHS (as Fiche C8).
The above mentioned fiche sets are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
OS Grid Square TL 185762.
The church of SS Peter and Paul consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle,
south aisle, west tower and south porch. The walls are of stone rubble, some of
them coursed, and the others mixed with flint; all have stone dressings. The
roofs are covered with lead.
The church is not mentioned in the Domesday
survey of 1086, but the early stones built into the walls indicate a stone
church here in the 12th century. This church probably had a chancel and an
aisled nave, to which a low western tower was added in the 13th century. In
about the middle of this century, the chancel was rebuilt and widened to the
north; soon afterwards the south aisle was rebuilt. The belfry was added to the
tower towards the end of the century and, later still, the spire was
added.
Early in the 14th century, the nave with clearstory was rebuilt
to correspond with the widened chancel. The north aisle was rebuilt around 1330
and, about the same time, the south porch was built. Towards the end of the
15th century, the walls of the chancel were heightened and a new roof put on;
the aisles were also reroofed at this time. The nave was reroofed in the 16th
century.
The church was repewed in 1842, and the whole church was
restored in 1876. The lower part of the tower was rebuilt in 1877 when, after
everything else was finished, the belfry and spire were needled up whilst it
was being done.
Church records include those for Alconbury Weston which has never had a
church of its own.
Baptisms: 1559-1715, 1741-1806,1806-1812,
1813-1832, 1832-1851, 1851-1875, 1875-1914.
Banns: 1806-1812, 1868-1890,
1889-1920, 1920-1951.
Marriages: 1559-1718, 1742-1754, 1754-1805, 1806-1837,
1837-1892, 1892-1944.
Burials: 1557-1707, 1741-1750, 1761-1806, 1806-1812,
1813-1842, 1842-1928.
Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1606 (C & pt M), 1612,
1617-19, 1626, 1660-72, 1674/1675-6, 1679-87, 1690-1, 1693-1702, 1704-7,
1709-19, 1721-50/1751, 1753, 1755, 1758-9, 1762, 1772, 1778, 1783,
1812/1813-17, 1819-23/1824-42/1843-58.
These are available in the Huntingdon Records Office.
The Huntingdonshire Marriage Indexes include marriages from this parish. These are, at present, issued in alphabetical listings in series: 1601-1700, and 1701-1754, and are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS Bookstall.
Alconbury was originally in the Registration District of Huntingdon from 1st July 1837. Subsequently, it came under the Spaldwick sub-District, but once again it is now directly under Huntingdon District.
A GENWEB page on Alconbury is available.
An old map of the parish of Alconbury in the 19th century is available.
The memorial plaque in SS. Peter and Paul has been recorded and details of the men who fell added.
Population in 1801 - 483.
Population in 1851 - 967.
Population in 1901
- 543.
Population in 1951 - 733.
Population in 1971 - 748.
Population
in 1991 - 1342.
The parish of Alconbury was in the Huntingdon Union for Poor Law
administration.
Births and Deaths registered in the Huntingdon Union
Workhouse (1838 - 1949) are available from the
Huntingdonshire FHS Bookstall as Fiche set D10.
The civil parish of Alconbury occupies some 3797 acres of land. (See Alconbury Weston page for the area of that civil parish).
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