Huntingdonshire
Contents
Nearby Places
Nearby churches
S. Neod (xii cent.), Villa Sancti Neoti (xiii century and later).
The parish of St. Neots originally formed part of Eynesbury but when, in 1113, the Priory of St Neots was given the whole Manor in which their Priory was situated (see - Church History), the monks formed their land and tenants into a separate township and the name "St Neots" was given to it. The first recorded use of the new name is in 1156/7, but the final severance was probably not made until 1204 when the ecclesiastical division of the parishes was made. Geographically, the new parish practically cut Eynesbury into two portions.
The sub-soil of St. Neots parish is mainly Oxford clay. The River Ouse forms the western boundary and its tributaries - the Hen Brook and Gallow Brook - form parts of the southern and northern boundaries. The Priory stood on the river a little way to the north but only a few stones now remain.
The original town grew up around the Priory but the chief cause of the town's prosperity was apparently a ford or ferry, and later a bridge, across the Ouse. By letters patent in 1629, the River Ouse was made navigable by Arnold Spencer from St. Ives to St. Neots, and thence towards Bedford. This considerably increased the prosperity of the town, and a river-borne trade in coal, corn and other commodities grew up.
Main roads from Huntingdon, Kimbolton and Bedford converge at this point on the west side of the river, and like roads from Godmanchester, Cambridge and Sandy on the east side. They are all fed by secondary roads from neighbouring villages.
In 1876, the town and parish was placed under a local board, but in 1895 the parish was divided into two new civil parishes known as the Urban and Rural Districts. The Urban District consisted of the the civil parish of St. Neots and the parish of Eynesbury, and the Rural District contained the remaining 2697 acres of land. In 1965, part of the Bedfordshire civil parish of Eaton Socon was added to St. Neots Urban District.
The Monumental Inscriptions of St Neots 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 St. Neots Parish is available as fiche set C113
The full 1851 Census of St. Neots Parish is available as fiche set C63.
The full 1891 Census of St. Neots Parish si available as fiche set C13.
A full transcription of the 1891 Census of the Kimbolton Registration District (RG12/1243) in which the St Neots' Workhouse was enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891 is available as Fiche C-14.
A surname index of the 1881 Census of the St. Neots Registration District, in which St Neots (RG11/1610, Folios 4a - 83b), and the St.Ives Union (RG11/1613, Folios 101a-114b) were enumerated, and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as Fiche C5.
All the above fiche are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
OS Grid Square TL 184602
In 1086, both portions of Eynesbury and its dependency at Caldecote
were served by one church which was attached to the manor of Countess
Judith. Her son-in-law, Simon de St. Liz, Earl of Huntingdon, - with his wife's
consent - gave the church of Eynesbury to the Priory of St Neots before the
year 1111. Two years later one of the Eynesbury Manors was given to the Priory,
and the town of St Neots grew in importance.
The church is not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086, but a church appears
to have existed at that time although nothing of this early date survives. The
church of St Mary consists of a chancel with north chapel,
modern north vestry, south chapel, nave, north aisle, south aisle, west tower,
and north and south porches. The walls are of rubble with stone dressing, but
those of the tower and north chapel are of ashlar. The roofs are covered in
lead.
Parts of the chancel walls are of 13th
century date, and the north vestry is of the 14th century. The rest of the
church appears to have been wholly built in the 15th century, commencing with
the south chapel, then the nave with its aisles, clearstory, porches and north
chapel, and ending up with the west tower completed about 1535. The north wall
of the north aisle and the west end of the south aisle were restored in the
17th century. In 1843, the north porch, formerly of brick, was rebuilt in
stone. In 1846-8, the church was generally restored, the floors lowered and new
seats and a pulpit put in. In 1855-6, the east wall of the chancel was faced
with ashlar and the windows renewed; in 1860 the chancel seats were
made.
In 1880 the pinnacles of the tower were renewed, and in 1883-5 the
sanctus bell-cote was restored and the vestry enlarged. In 1901, the chancel
roof was completely restored.
Stray pages for the register of baptisms for the years
1690-1720.
Births: 1741-1742, 1746, 1749.
Baptisms: L 1691-1720,
1721-1761, 1762-1812, 1813-1834, 1834-1857, 1857-1887, 1887-1920, 1920-1941,
1941-1973.
Banns: 1754-1780, 1780-1812, 1813-1844, 1844-1904, 1904-1953,
1823-1866, 1938-1945, 1945-1959, 1960-1965, 1966-1974, 1974-1982.
Marriages:
1691-1720, 1721-1754, 1754-1780, 1780-1812, 1813-1837, 1837-1861, 1862-1896,
1896-1925, 1925-1938, 1938-1953, 1953-1961, 1961-1969, 1969-1974.
Burials:
1691-1720, 1721-1761, 1762-1812.
Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1608, 1612,
1618-19, 1624-5, 1661-7/1671-79, 1681-4, 1686-8, 1690-3, 1695, 1697-1702, 1705,
1707-10,/1711-16, 1718, 1720, 1722-7, 1729-44, 1746-55/1756-70, 1772,
1774-82/1783-1813/1813-22, 1823-5, 1827-39/1840-53.
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 on fiche..
An indexed list of burials 1604 - 1900 from the Parish Church registers is available as a set of 4 microfiche (fiche set D59).
All the above fiche are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.
St Neots was originally a Registration District of its own, but later it became a sub-district of Huntingdon. Since 1st April 1997, St Neots has been directly in the Huntingdon Registration District, but with a limited local service.
A GENWEB page for St Neots is available.
An old map of the parish of St Neots 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 of St Neots in 1801 - 1752
Population in 1851 -
3157
In 1891 St Neots was divided into St Neots (Urban District)
and St Neots (Rural District)
Population in 1901 - 2789 (Urban) plus 72
(Rural)
Population in 1951 - 4700 (Urban) plus 72 (Rural)
In 1971 the
population of Eaton Socon was added into St
Neots
Population in 1971 - 152094 (Urban) plus 95 (Rural)
Population
in 1991 - 25110 (Urban) plus 93 (Rural)
St Neots parish was in 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 Urban District of St Neots consists of 971 acres of land and 25 acres of land covered by water. The Rural District contains 2697 acres of land.
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