Huntingdonshire
Contents
Nearby Places
Nearby churches
Piddele et Fenton (xiii cent.), Pidel, Puddele, Pydele, Fenton (xiv cent.)
The parish of Pidley with Fenton lies to the west of Somersham and, no doubt, originally formed with it one large parish. The land rises from about 3 ft. above sea level in Warboys Fen in the north to over 100 ft. in the middle and south parts of the parish. In the fenland soil is the usual black peat where the chief crops are potatoes and other vegatables. On the higher ground, clay is found which produces where and barley. Roughly half the parish is arable land, and rather less than half is pasture.There is no woodland in the parish but there are the remains of a few copses - Hill Close Spinney, Stroud Hill Spinney, Dovehouse Close Spinney, where there are the remains of a homestead moat, and Little Wood Spinney - standing on the northern slope of the hill crossing the parish from west to east.
The greater part, if not the whole, of the parish was within the Chase of Somersham and was open country until the inclosures made after the Chase was dischaced at the end of the 18th century. Earlier inclosures seem to have been made by the Hammonds at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries, when they obtained the interests in the lease and the reversion in fee of the Manor and Soke of Somersham.
The village of Pidley stands on the top of a hill along the road from Huntingdon to Chatteris. Church End, with the 19th century church of All Saints, a Baptist chapel and Church End Farm, lie about one-third of a mile off the road on the north side. The houses and cottages in the village are mostly of brick but a few half-timbered cottages also remain.
The hamlet of Fenton is about a mile north of Pidley and lies along the road to Warboys. It consists of some scattered farms and (formerly) a brick works. Fenton House, formerly the Manor House, is an early 18th century building of brick with a tiled roof. In the north-west corner of the parish is Fenton End, which touches the village of Warboys.
Monumental inscriptions for the parish of Pidley-cum-Fenton 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 Pidley-cum-Fenton Parish is included Fiche Set C122 from the Huntingdonshire FHS Bookstall.
The full 1851 Census of Pidley-cum-Fenton Parish is available as Fiche Set C72 from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
A surname index of the 1881 Census of the St. Ives Registration District, in which Pidley (RG11/1606, Folios 84a - 89b) and Fenton (RG11/1606, Folios 89b - 93a) were enumerated, and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as fiche set C4 from the Huntingdonshire HFS.
A full transcription of the 1891 Census of the Somersham sub-District of the St. Ives Registration District (RG12/1239) in which Pidley-cum-Fenton was enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891, has also been produced by the Huntingdonshire FHS (as Fiche C-11). This is available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
OS Grid Square TL327784.
The ancient church of All Saints consisted of a chancel, nave, south porch
and bell-turret of wood at the west end. The south doorway of the chancel and
the north doorway of the nave were of the 12th century; the south doorway of
the nave was late on the same century. The east window was of 14th century and
of three lights. The remaining features were of 15th century date.
This
church was pulled down in 1863, and a new church was erected on the same site
in 1864/5. The present church consists of a chancel with vestry on the north,
nave, west tower and south porch. The walls are of stone faced internally with
brick, and the roofs, including the spire, are covered with tiles. The only
features of the old church which have been preserved are the 14th century
square-headed two-light windows reset in the west wall of the vestry, and a
scratched circular sun-dial in the north wall, but much of the stone facing is
obviously of old material re-used.
Baptisms: 1558-1812 (indexed), Baptisms for 1813-1831 are missing,
1831-1876.
Banns: 1655-1686 (indexed), 1754-1788, 1788-1818,
1824-1890.
Marriages: 1558-1837 (indexed), 1754-1788, 1788-1812.
Burials:
1558-1812 (indexed).
Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1608, 1610, 1612,
1617-19, 1629, 1665-8/1682, 1684, 1690-1700, 1702, 1704-16, 1720, 1724-44,
1746-56/1757-75, 1778, 1780-1805, 1807-13/1813-20/1821-37, 1841-3, 1846-62.
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.
Pidley-cum-Fenton was originally in the St. Ives Registration District from 1st July 1837. Subsequently, it came under the Somersham sub-District. From 1st April 1997, it has come directly under the Huntingdon Registration District.
A GENWEB page on Pidley is available.
An old map of the parish of Pidley 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 - 264.
Population in 1851 - 583.
Population in 1901
- 363.
Population in 1951 - 399.
Population in 1971 - 317.
Population
in 1991 - 340.
Pidley-cum-Fenton was part of the St. Ives Union (for Poor Law
administration).
Births and deaths registered in the St Ives Union
Workhouse (1836 - 1913) are available, as fiche set D9, from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
The parish of Pidley with Fenton comprises 3752 acres of land.
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