Huntingdonshire
Contents
Nearby Places
Nearby churches
Slepe, Slepa, le Slepe, Villa Sancti Ivonis de Slepe, Villa Sancti Ivonis (x to xvi cent.), Sleape (xvi cent.).
The borough of St. Ives is of modern date having obtained its incorporation in 1874. It represents the ancient township of Slepe which, late in the 10th century was given by Aethelstan Mannesone (or Mauvessone) to his daughter Alfwen with the remainder, failing her heirs, to the Abbey of Ramsey. Ramsey Abbey thus obtained Slepe, including the neighbouring townships of Woodhurst and Old Hurst, which were included in the Soke of Slepe.
The original settlement was near the present church on the northern bank of the River Ouse, and which is mentoned in 1086. However, the bridge across the River Ouse, which existed as early as 1107, concentrated the traffic at its northern head and became the centre of local trade. A large market place grew up where the ancient traffic flowed because the traffic was complelled to pass through the town.
Outside this small closely-knit community, lay the meadows and common fields to the north covering rather less than the present parish which was enhanced in 1876 by additions from Fen Stanton and Hemingford Grey. More than half this area (viz: 1400 acres) was inclosed by an Act of Parliament in 1801. The low-lying meadows and ozier beds have always been liable to floods.
A greater part of the town was destroyed by fire in 1680, and another fire occurred nine years later. Numerous coaching Inns were built to accommodate travellers who had passed via the bridge. Wharves were also built to accommodate river traffic. Many traders settled in St Ives mostly concerned with cloth, wool and hides; these were supplemented by tailors.
Like most riverside towns, St Ives has its bridgehead at the south-east end of the bridge, originally for protection and for the collection of tolls. The bridge was originally of wood to 1384, being frequently repaired with ash and oak from the Ramsey Manors. By 1414 the present stone bridge was built of Barnack stone. In 1645, at the end of the Civil War, one arch was demolished and replaced by a drawbridge, but the stone bridge was restored in 1716. On the middle pier on the south-east side, is the chapel of St Ledger or St Lawrence, the altar of which was consecrated in 1426.
Monumental Inscriptions from the Churchyard have not yet been recorded by the Huntingdonshire FHS. Those from the St. Ives (Broad Leas) Municipal Cemetery (approximately 1002 entries) are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.. The War Memorial inscriptions for this parish are available on-line.
Census information for this parish (1841 - 1891) is held in the Huntingdon Records Office.
The full 1841 Census of St. Ives Parish is available in fiche format from the Huntingdonshire FHS as Fiche Set C112.
The full 1851 Census of St. Ives Parish is available in fiche format from the Huntingdonshire FHS Bookstall as Fiche Set C62.
A surname index of the 1881 Census of the St. Ives Registration District, in which St Ives (RG11/1608, Folios 4a - 77a), at the St.Ives Union (RG11/1609, Folios 51a-53b) were enumerated, and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as Fiche set C4 from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
A full transcription of the 1891 Census of the St. Ives Registration District (RG12/1234) in which both the St. Ives parish and the St Ives Union Workhouse were enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891, has also been produced by the Huntingdonshire FHS (as Fiche C-12). This is available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
OS Grid Square TL 310715
The church of All Saints
consists of a chancel, nave, north chapel,
north aisle, south aisle, west tower, north and south porches and a
relatively modern (1896) vestry on the north. The walls are chiefly of rubble
with stone dressing, but the tower is of ashlar. The roofs are covered in
lead.
Although the church is mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086,
the earliest existing portion is the 12th century respond, now built into the
north-west respond of the nave which shows that there was an aisled church on
this site at that period. A 13th century arch in the north wall of the chancel
was rebuilt in the 14th century, and the east window of the south aisle is of
the same period. The rest of the church was rebuilt about 1470 when the chancel
walls were raised to correspond. These chancel walls are chiefly of 14th
century date. The north porch is largely modern but contain small portions of
the original 15th century porch.
The spire was blown down in a gale in
1741 and was rebuilt in 1748; it was again rebuilt in 1879. In 1918 it was
knocked down by an aeroplane and was entirely rebuilt of new stone in 1924.
Baptisms: 1561-1653, 1653-1724, 1725-1789, 1789-1839, 1837-1867,
1867-1944.
Banns: 1653-1659, 1754-1799, 1779-1783, 1796-1813,
1754-1774, 1774-1796, 1813-1823, 1823-1899, 1899-1920, 1920-1940,
1940-1956, 1968-1977, 1977-1981.
Marriages: 1561-1652/3, 1654-1734,
1734-1754, 1754-1779, 1779-1796, 1796-1812, 1813-1837, 1837-1864, 1864-1913,
1914-1923, 1923-1934, 1934-1942, 1942-1957, 1957-1968.
Burials: 1563-1641,
1653-1725, 1725-1789, 1789-1839, 1813-1837, 1838-1865, 1865-1908,
1908-1975.
Bishop's
Transcripts: 1603-4, 1605, 1608, 1612, 1617-19, 1625/1686, 1688, 1690-2,
1694-1701, 1704, 1706-16, 1718-20/1721-7, 1733-42/1743,
1745-60/1761-75/1776-82, 1802-13/1813-24/1825-39/1840-2, 1844-55.
These are available in the Huntingdon Records Office.
St. Ives Parish Registers (births, marriages and burials) 1561-1653, on 4 microfiche are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS as fiche set D39.
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.
The parish Sexton's Notebook for the years 1802 - 1843 (HRO 3734/1/39) is available from the Huntingdonshire FHS as fiche set D57.
St Ives parish was in the St Ives Registration District from 1st July 1837 until 1965, when it became a sub-district of Huntingdon. On 1st April 1997, it was abolished and came directly under Huntingdon District.
Philip Grosset has written: St Ives - A
Personal View which includes additional historic photographs and text.
An extract from
Samuel Lewis's Topographical Gazetteer of 1831 regarding St Ives is also
available on GENWEB pages.
An old map of the parish of St Ives 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.
The on-line Newspaper which covers parts of Huntingdonshire (notably Huntingdon, St. Ives, and districts) is the Cambridge Evening News.
Population in 1801 - 2099
Population in 1851 - 3395
Population
in 1901 - 3015
Population in 1951 - 3078
Population in 1971 -
7148
Population in 1991 - 15314
The parish of St Ives was in the St Ives Union for Poor Law
administration.
Births and Deaths registered in the St Ives Union
Workhouse (1836 - 1913) (Fiche D-9) is available from
the Huntingdonshire FHS
The 1891 Census
of the St Ives Union Workhouse is also
available on Fiche C-12 (see "Census" above).
The parish of St Ives covers an area of 2325 acres.
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