Huntingdonshire
Contents
Nearby Places
Nearby churches
Lecton (xi cent.), Leghton, Leghton-upon-Brouneswold (Brunneswold) (xiv cent.). The usual civil parish spelling is 'Leighton'; but known as Leighton Bromswold for ecclesiastical purposes.
The parish of Leighton Bromswold is about half arable and half grassland. Salome Wood is the remains of a fairly large plantation in the north of the parish, and there are one or two coppices. The soil is heavy and the sub-soil is Oxford clay. The land is undulating and is watered by two brooks. One flows from the west through the north and middle part of the parish, and the other (the Ellington Brook) flows eastwards through the southern part of the parish forming its boundary for short distances. Between these two brooks is a high ridge of land known as 'the Bromswold'. On this ridge, and also northwards of the northern brook, the land rises to rather over 200 ft. above sea-level; from the ridge it falls to about 100 ft. to the southern brook and to about 70 ft. to the northern. The population was chiefly engaged in agriculture.
The village is about four and a half miles north-east of Kimbolton, and is on the ridge between the two brooks; it contains some 17th century timber-framed and plastered houses. The village street lies along the road to Old Weston, with Sheep Street branching off to the north-east to Duck Lane and Leighton Hill to the south. The church stands at the south-east end of the village, with the Manor Farm (formerly called Church Farm) to the west.
The following place-names occur in local records: Churchestreete, Plowewright (xv cent.), Kudle Hill, Bury lease, Sallam green (xvi cent.). An Inclosure Award was made in 1765-6, and a Tythe Award was made in 1851.
Monumental Inscriptions from the Parish Churchyard (approximately 183 entries) are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
Census information for this parish (1841 - 1891) is held in the Huntingdon Records Office.
The full 1841 Census of Leighton Bromswold Parish is available as fiche set C104.
The full 1851 Census of Leighton Bromswold Parish is available as fiche set C54.
A Surname Index of the 1881 Census of the Huntingdon Registration District, in which Leighton Bromswold was enumerated (RG11/1602, Folios 57a - 66a), 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 Leighton Bromswold was enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891, is available as fiche set C8.
The above mentioned fiche are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
OS Grid Square TL 115753.
The church of St. Mary consists of a chancel, nave, north transept,
south transept, west tower, and north and south porches. The walls are
of coursed rubble with stone dressings except for the tower which is
faced with ashlar. The roofs are covered with tiles and lead.
The
church is not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086. A chancel and
aisled nave were built around 1250, but this chancel was apparently
rebuilt about 1310, and large transepts were added to the nave some 40
years later. Probably the aisles were partly rebuilt and new windows inserted
in them, and perhaps a clearstory added to the nave towards the end of the 15th
century.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the church was in a
ruinous condition and, apparently about 1606 a rebuilding was commenced. The
south arcade and aisle were pulled down and the south wall of an aisle-less
nave and south porch were built. The work, however, was soon stopped for lack
of funds, and for 20 years, the church 'was so decayed, so little and so
useless that the parishoners could not meet to
perform their duty to God in public prayer and praises'. the nave was,
of course, roof-less and it is said that a local barn belonging to the
Duke of Lennox was used for divine services.
Shortly after 1626,
the Rev. George Herbert completed the work by pulling down the north
arcade and aisle and building the north porch. He reroofed the whole
church and put in a pulpit, reading desk, dwarf screen and seating. The west
tower was built by the Duke of Lennox in 1634.
The church was restored
again in 1870.
Baptisms: 1604-1851 (indexed transcriptions), 1813-1876,
1876-1994.
Banns: 1755-1802 (indexed transcriptions), 1806-1811,
1963-1966.
Marriages: 1604-1851 (indexed transcriptions), 1806-1812,
1837-1960, 1961-1986.
Burials: 1604-1851 (indexed transcriptions),
1813-1915, 1915-1991.
Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1618-19,
1627/1813-23, 1827-59.
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.
Leighton Bromswold was originally in the Huntingdon Registration District from 1st July 1837. Subsequently it became part of the Spaldwick sub-District, but it is now directly under the Huntingdon District again.
An old map of Leighton Bromswold 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 - 312.
Population in 1851 - 455.
Population
in 1901 - 287.
Population in 1951 - 222.
Population in 1971 -
159.
Population
in 1991 - 216.
The parish of Leighton Bromswold was in the Huntingdon Union for Poor
Law administration.
Births and Deaths registered in the
Huntingdon Union Workhouse (1838 - 1949) are available, as fiche set D10, from
the Huntingdonshire
FHS.
The parish of Leighton Bromswold occupies 3128 acres of land.
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