Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1932.

LITTLE GIDDING:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1932.

"LITTLE GIDDING, the parish of Little Gidding is bounded on the north-east by the Bullock Road and Sawtry, on the south-east by Steeple Gidding, on the north-west by Great Gidding and on the south-west by the Alconbury Brook, which separates it from Thurning. The parish rises from 112 ft. at the brook to about 200 ft. at the village; it is about half arable and half grass, and the soil is heavy clay.

The village is celebrated as being the residence in the 16th century of Nicholas Ferrar and his family. The ancient manor house where they lived stood between the present Manor Farm and the church. King Charles I is said to have visited the Ferrars there on three occasions: viz. 13th May 1633, 15th March 1642 and, lastly, on 2nd May 1646 on his way to join the Scottish Army. In the following November, Parliamentary soldiers sacked the house and church, and the family fled. However, they returned in July 1647 and remained there until a few years after the Restoration of the Monarchy (1660) when the family finally left the house, although there names continued to be recorded in the parish registers until 1748. The house probably began to fall into ruins when the Ferrars left. Part of it is said to have been taken down early in the 18th century and the remainder in 1798.

An early homestead moat between the church and the road doubtless marks the site of the Engaine's manor house - the family who are first recorded as holding the Manor of Gidding in 1086."