Huntingdonshire
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Nearby Places
Nearby churches
Cateuuorde (xi cent.), Cattwrda, Catteswyrth, Cateworth (xii cent.).
The civil parish of Great Catworth has, since 1885, included the hamlet of Little Catworth which, for ecclesiastical purposes, remains in the parish of Stow Longa (Long Stow) and, for jurisdictional purposes is partly in the Soke of Kimbolton and partly in the Soke of Spaldwick. The ground rises from the Ellington Brook, forming the northern boundary of the parish, where it is about 100 ft. above sea-level, to about 250 ft. on the southern boundary.
The village lies in the middle of the parish of Catworth, and is on the road from Kimbolton to Thrapston. The church is in the middle of the village and near to it is the Rectory house and the old village school, with some 17th and 18th century hourses about. Indications of a homestead moat a little to the south-west of the church, possibly marks the site of the manor house. Two roads, the northern one of which is called Church Lane to which reference is made in 1545, branch west from the church.
An inclosure Act for Little Catworth was passed in 1780 affecting 800 acres of common fields which were partly in Great Catworth and partly in Stow Longa. Another Act in 1795 for Great Catford affected another 2000 acres. The civil parish of Great Catworth was abolish in 1885 to help create Catworth civil parish, which was formed from Great and Little Catworth.
Monumental inscriptions for this parish have not yet been recorded by the Huntingdonshire FHS.
Census information for this parish (1841 - 1891) is held in the Huntingdon Records Office.
The full 1841 Census of Great Catworth Parish is available as fiche set C87.
The full 1851 Census of Great Catworth Parish is available as fiche set C37.
A surname index of the 1881 Census of the St. Neots Registration District, in which Great Catworth was enumerated (RG11/1612, Folios 4a - 16a), and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as fiche set C5.
A full transcription of the 1891 Census of the Kimbolton Registration District (RG12/1243) in which Great Catworth was enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891 is available, as fiche set C14.
The above mentioned fiche sets are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
OS Grid Square TL 089734.
The church of St. Leonard consists of a chancel, modern organ
chamber and vestry on the north, nave, north aisle, south aisle,
west tower and south porch. The walls of the tower are of
ashlar, and those of the rest of the church are of coursed
rubble with some pebble rubble, and with stone dressings. The
roofs are covered with tiles and lead.
The church is not
mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086, but fragments of an
11th or 12th century tombstone seems to suggest that there was
an early church here. It is evident that by the middle of the
13th century the nave had already reached its present length,
and that it had a south aisle, the greater part of the south and
west walls of which still remain. A considerable rebuilding took
place towards the end of the 14th century when the chancel arch,
the south arcade and the eastern part of the south aisle were
rebuilt; the north arcade and aisle were also rebuilt, and the
tower and porch were added. About 100 years later, the chancel
was rebuilt and widened to the north and the clearstory added to
the nave.
The whole church was restored in 1876 when the
two side walls of the chancel were rebuilt and the vestry added.
The spire was struck by Lightning on 1st July 1914, and was
restored the same year. The north aisle roof was restored in
1925.
Baptisms: 1688-1851 (indexed), 1831-1864.
Banns: 1754-1852
(indexed), 1823-1914.
Marriages: 1683-1851
(indexed).
Burials: 1679-1851 (indexed),
1813-1896.
Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1608, 1610, 1617-19,
1626-7, 1631, 1660-9/1683-1685, 1688, 1691-2, 1694-7, 1699,
1702-3, 1706-11, 1714-15, 1717-28, 1730-46,
1748-1756/1756-1813/1813-24/1825-59.
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.
Great Catworth was originally in the St. Neots Registration District from 1st July 1837. Subsequently it became part of the Kimbolton sub-District, but it is now directly under the Huntingdon District.
A GENWEB page on Great Catforth is available.
An old map of the parish of Great Catworth in the 19th century is available.
The war memorial with detailed information about those who fell is available on the Roll of Honour site for Huntingdonshire.
Population in 1801 - 386.
Population in 1851 -
634.
Population in 1901 - 431.
Although population
figures for Great Catworth should have included those of Little
Catworth from 1885, they were not so included until after
1921.
Population in 1951 - 273.
Population in 1971
- 221.
Population in 1991 - 298.
The parish of Great Catworth (or Catworth) was part of the St
Neots Union (for Poor Law administration).
Births and
Deaths registered in the St. Neots Union Workhouse (1913 - 1952)
are available, as fiche set D11, from the
Huntingdonshire FHS.
The civil parish of Catworth (which includes both Great Catworth and Little Catworth) covers an area of 3094 acres.
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