Huntingdonshire
Contents
Nearby Places
Nearby churches
Sutham (xi cent.), Sutho, Suho (xii cent. and later), Southogh (xv cent.).
The parish of Southoe is bounded on the east by the River Ouse dividing it from Great Paxton which was reached by a ferry until well into the 20th century. There are a number of sand and gravel pits in the parish some of which have now been converted for leisure facilities. The ground near the river is liable to floods, and nowhere does the parish rise to more than about 150 ft. above sea-level. The soil is gravelly and the chief crops grown are wheat, barley and oats.
The village lies along a by-road just west of the modern main A1 dual-carriageway highway from London to the north, on ground rising westwards from the River Ouse. The church stands near the crossing of two roads, and to the west of it is the old rectory with the Rectory Farm. To the east of the rectory is a homestead moat which probably marks the site of the house of the Lovetot family which they made their chief home when John de Lovetot was born in 1298. The home was said to be in ruins by 1350 and was probably never rebuilt; shortly after, the property went to the Earls of Gloucester who had much other property elsewhere. There are other timber-framed houses and cottages in the village street, at the south end of which is Manor Farm where there is another homestead moat within which probably stood the home of the Ferrars, or Winchester Manor.
The hamlet of Boughton lay partially in this parish and partly in Diddington which adjoins it on the north. However, Boughton was abandoned many years ago and nothing now remains; only Boughton Lodge Farm continues the name.
At the south-east angle of the parish, amongst the sand and gravel pits and bounded by the River Ouse is Wray House. Wrayhouse Farm is across the border in Little Paxton.
Originally for ecclesiastical purposes, Southoe was linked with Hail Weston, being known as 'Southoe with Hail Weston', but this link has now been broken. The civil parish was abolished in 1935 to help create Southoe and Midloe civil parish.
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 Southoe Parish is available as fiche set C108.
The full 1851 Census of Southoe Parish is available as fiche set C58.
The full 1891 Census of Southoe Parish is available as fiche set C13.
A surname index of the 1881 Census of the St. Neots Registration District, in which Southoe was enumerated (RG11/1611, Folios 89a - 89b and 99b-104b), and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as fiche set C5.
The above mentioned fiche are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
OS Grid Square TL 184644.
The church of St. Leonard consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle, south
aisle, tower at the north-west corner and a south porch. The walls are of
pebble rubble, except for the tower and clearstory which are of red brick; all
have stone dressings. The north aisle is of ashlar, and the roofs are of slate
and lead.
The church is not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086
but, in about 1160, a stone church was built here, of which the greater part of
the chancel with the chancel arch remains, and the south doorway which has been
reset in the wall of the south aisle. In the 13th century, the chancel was
lengthened, the nave rebuilt with a south arcade and a south aisle. In about
1500, the north arcade and aisle were added, the south aisle largely rebuilt
and the clearstory and porch added.
Towards the end of the 16th century,
the tower was built on the site of the western bay of the north aisle. The
church was restored in 1859 when the south-west corner of the chancel, the
clearstory, the east respond of the south arcade, the east window of the south
aisle, the west window of the nave and the porch were rebuilt, and the whole of
the roofs, which were mean and modern, were renewed.
Baptisms: 1559-1671/2, 1670-1745/6, 1746-1812, 1813-1892.
Banns:
1755-1812, 1846-1920, 1923-1924, 1930-35, 1948.
Marriages: 1559-1639,
1653/4-1671, 1670-1746, 1746-1754, 1755-1812, 1813-1835, 1837-1960.
Burials:
1558-1642, 1653-1671/2, 1670-1745?, 1746-1812, 1813-1963.
Bishop's
Transcripts: 1604-5, 1607-10, 1612, 1614, 1617-19, 1625-7, 1660-8, 1670-6/1676,
1680, 1686-8, 1695, 1698-1701, 1706-15, 1718, 1720-2, 1724-84, 1790-1802,
1804-12/1813-20/1825-32, 1834-45, 1847-53, 1855-7.
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.
Southoe was originally in the St. Neots Registration District from 1st July 1837, which later became a sub-District. From 1st April 1997 it is now directly under the Huntingdon District.
An old map of the parish of Southoe in the 19th century is available.
Population in 1801 - 234.
Population in 1851 - 307.
Population in 1901
- 213.
Population in 1951 - 267.
Population in 1971 - 269.
Population
in 1991 - 465.
The parish of Southoe 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 parish of Southoe occupies 1487 acres of land, and more than 12 acres of land covered by water.
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