Southoe, Huntingdonshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1932.

SOUTHOE:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1932.

"SOUTHOE, 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."