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Fletton, Huntingdonshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1932.

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FLETTON:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1932.

[Description(s) transcribed by Martin Edwards and later edited by Colin Hinson ©2010]
[from The Victoria County History series - 1932]

"FLETTON, the parish of Fletton lay to the south of Peterborough (but is now incorporated within it), but it was formerly separated from it by the River Nene, over which there was a bridge in the middle of the boundary. Fletton Spring formed the south-east boundary of this parish. During the 19th century, Fletton became a suburb of Peterborough, and the northern part entirely lost its rural character. The effects of the increasing population resulted in a variety of reorganisations of local civil government. New Fletton, as this urban area had become designated, was incorporated into the Borough of Peterborough in 1874, and the remainder became a separate civil parish in 1894 known as 'Fletton Rural', otherwise known as Old Fletton.

Old Fletton, together with Stanground South and Woodston formed into Fletton Urban District on 1 October 1905, under Section 36 of the Local Government Act of 1894. Fletton Urban District reverted to the name of 'Fletton' in 1938, and subsequently it became an urban ward of Peterborough. The ecclesiastical ancient parish of Fletton, however, continued to serve both civil parishes and their successor local government organisations.

The sub-soil is Oxford Clay, the character of which led to the establishment of large brickworks, and the industrialisation of much of the parish. These works lay alongside the main railway line from London to Edinburgh, which crosses the parish. Scattered in the parish various remains of palaeolithic man have been found, but the most important excavation in the yards of the London Brick Company found the remains of an early Iron Age settlement. Traces of an early Roman settlement have also been found about half-a-mile south of the church. The gravel pits of New Fletton have also yielded Anglo-Saxin remains of some importance.

The ancient parish of Fletton was inclosed by an Act of Parliament in 1760, the award being enrolled on the Close Roll at the Public Records Office."

[Description(s) transcribed by Martin Edwards ©2003 and later edited by Colin Hinson ©2010]
[mainly from The Victoria County History series- 1932]