Huntingdonshire
Contents
Nearby Places
Nearby churches
Rorflea, Roflea, Raflea, Reflea (x cent.), Rauesle, Ravele Major (xiii cent.), Magna Rauele, Great Ravele, Raffleya (xiv cent.).
The parish of Great Raveley is composed mostly of clay land rising from the Great Raveley Fen in the north where the height above ordnance datum is only 3 ft. 6 ins., to 129 ft. at Top Road in the south-western corner of the parish. The greatest part of the parish is high land where wheat and beans are grown; the pasture land covers less than a third of the area. In 1925 there were some 32 acres of woodland but this area is now much reduced.
The village, in which there is no church, is built along a branch road to Woodwalton. At the south-east end, on top of the hill, is the Manor House (now known as Manor Farm) a much altered 17th century building. Near here, facing the Huntingdon road is the pound. Lower down was the Methodist Chapel and the school. There are some 17th century half-timbered cottages and the Three Horseshoes Public House.
The parish was inclosed in 1786. In 1819 the ecclesiastical parish was abolished to create Upwood with Great Raveley ecclesiastical parish. In 1935 the civil parish was also abolished to help create Upwood and the Raveleys civil parish.
There is no cemetery in Great Raveley. The cemetery of Little Raveley or Upwood served this purpose.
Census information for this parish (1841 - 1891) is held in the Huntingdon Records Office.
The full 1841 Census of Great Raveley Parish is available as fiche set C85.
The full 1851 Census of Great Raveley Parish is available as fiche set C35.
A surname index of the 1881 Census of the Huntingdon Registration District, in which Great Raveley was enumerated (RG11/1600, Folios 138a - 142b), and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as fiche set C3.
A full transcription of the 1891 Census of Ramsey Registration District (RG12/1234) in which Upwood was enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891 is available as fiche set C6.
The above mentioned fiche sets are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
There is no church in Great Raveley.
There is a tradition of a church
in the parish but the only evidence of it is a single entry in the Kings
Book of Henry VIII. Nothing has been found to support this
statement.
In the 17th century there was a proposal to unite the parish
with Little Raveley, but this came to nothing.
There are no church records for Great Raveley. The parish church of Upwood provided this function. However the Upwood and Raveley Local History Group are transcribing the Parish Registers for Upwood and Great Raveley, and are willing to perform look-ups. (see below under "Societies").
The parish of Great Raveley was originally in the Registration District of Huntingdon from 1st July 1837. Subsequently it became part of the sub-District of Ramsey. From 1st April 1997, it has, once again, come directly under Huntingdon.
A GENWEB page for Great
Raveley is available.
The Upwood and Raveley Local History Group
have produced a book containing scenes of village life from the Victorian and
Edwardian period through to the Second World War. This illustrated book
includes anecdotes from village people combined with carefully researched
village history. It comprises 64 pages, 23 black and white photographs and is
available from: Deana Hudson, The Old Post Office, 71-73
High Street, Upwood, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE26 2QE. Enquiries only to Liz
Carter on upwoodlhg@btinternet.com.
The
book is also available from the Huntingdonshire
FHS.
Population in 1801 - 108
Population in 1851 - 326
Population in 1901 -
156
Population in 1931 - 162
Separate population figures for Great
Raveley parish were last published in 1931. From 1935, the figures have been
included with Upwood.
The parish of Great Raveley was in the Huntingdon Union for Poor Law
administration.
Births and Deaths registered in the Huntingdon Union
Workhouse (1838 - 1949) is available, as fiche set D10, from the
Huntingdonshire FHS.
Great Raveley covers 1781 acres of land.
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