Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a

non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''shire counties'') in a two-tier arrangement. Non-m ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

and a historic county of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The district council is based in

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

. Other towns include St Ives,

Godmanchester Godmanchester ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman road network, the town has a lo ...

St Neots St NeotsPronunciation of the town name: Most commonly, but variations that ''saint'' is said as in most English non-georeferencing speech, the ''t'' is by a small minority of the British pronounced and higher traces of in the final syllable ...

and

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Geography British Isles * Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England * Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England ** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey" * Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...

. The population was 180,800 at the 2021 Census. The Broadway, St Ives - geograph

History

The area corresponding to modern Huntingdonshire was first delimited in

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

times. Its boundaries have remained largely unchanged since the 10th century, although it lost its historic county status in 1974. On his accession in 1154 Henry II declared all Huntingdonshire a

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

H. R. Loyn Henry Royston Loyn (16 June 1922 – 9 October 2000), Fellow of the British Academy, FBA, was a British historian specialising in the history of Anglo-Saxon England. His eminence in his field made him a natural candidate to run the Sylloge of the ...

, ''Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest'' 2nd ed. 1991, pp. 378–382. Ramsey Parish Church - geograph

Status

In 1889, under the

Local Government Act 1888 Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...

Huntingdonshire became an

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...

, with the newly-formed

Huntingdonshire County Council Huntingdonshire County Council was the county council of Huntingdonshire in the east of England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 1965. It was amalgamated with Soke of Peterborough County Council to form Hunting ...

taking over administrative functions from the

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

. The area in the north of the county forming part of the

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

became instead part of the

Soke of Peterborough The Soke of Peterborough is a historic area of England associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire. The Soke was also described as the Liberty of Peterborough, or Nassaburgh hundred, and compr ...

, an administrative county in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. In 1965, under a recommendation of the Local Government Commission for England, Huntingdonshire was merged with the Soke of Peterborough to form

Huntingdon and Peterborough Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative and geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgeshire. Formation The Local Government Act 1888 created fo ...

. The Lieutenancy county was also merged. At the same time,

was expanded westwards over the river into

Eaton Ford Eaton Ford is an area of St Neots, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a mainly residential area also containing Riverside Park, a large area of riverside parkland. Much of the housing stock dates from the period of London overspill during the 1960s an ...

and

Eaton Socon Eaton Socon is a community in south-west Cambridgeshire. Eaton Socon is a component of the town of St Neots, located on its south-west margin. Eaton Socon lies on the west side of the River Great Ouse, and is bounded on the west by the A1 ro ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

In 1974, under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, Huntingdon and Peterborough merged with

Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely was, from 1965 to 1974, an administrative and geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. In 1974 it became part of an enlarged Cambridgeshire. Formation The Local Government Act 1888 created four s ...

to form the new non-metropolitan county of

. A Huntingdon district was created based closely on the former administrative county borders, with the exclusion of the

Old Fletton Old or OLD may refer to: Places * Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

urban district, which became part of the Peterborough district, as did the part of

Norman Cross Rural District Norman Cross was a rural district in Huntingdonshire from 1894 to 1974. It was formed in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894 from the part of the Peterborough rural sanitary district which was in Huntingdonshire (the rest forming part of P ...

in Peterborough New Town. The district was renamed Huntingdonshire on 1 October 1984 by a resolution of the district council. Original historical documents relating to Huntingdonshire are held by

Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies Service (CALS) is a UK local government institution which collects and preserves archives, other historical documents and printed material relating to the modern county of Cambridgeshire, which includes th ...

at the County Record Office in

Proposed revival of administrative county

The Local Government Boundary Commission considered in the 1990s the case for making a Huntingdonshire

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

as part of a general structural review of English local government that led to unitary authorities in two other English counties that had been abolished:

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

and

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

. The Draft Recommendations envisaged three possible scenarios for structural change in Cambridgeshire: the preferred option and the third option had a unitary Huntingdonshire, whilst the second option would have seen Huntingdonshire combine with

and Fenland to form a "Peterborough and Huntingdonshire" unitary authority. The Final Recommendations of the Commission for Cambridgeshire recommended no change in the status quo in Cambridgeshire.Local Government Boundary Commission for England. ''Final Recommendations for the Future Local Government of Cambridgeshire.'' October 1994. The districts of Peterborough and Huntingdonshire were referred back to the commission for reconsideration in 1995. The commission recommended the creation of a Peterborough unitary authority, but proposed that Huntingdonshire remain part of the shire county of Cambridgeshire, noting that "there was no exceptional county allegiance to Huntingdonshire, as had been perceived in Rutland and Herefordshire."Local Government Boundary Commission for England. ''Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of: Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin.'' December 1995.

David McKie David McKie (born 1935) is a British journalist and historian. He was deputy editor of ''The Guardian'' and continued to write a weekly column for that paper until 4 October 2007, called "Elsewhere". Until 10 September 2005, he also wrote a sec ...

writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' in October 1994 noted that "Writers-in demanded an independent Huntingdon; but MORI's more broadly based poll showed that most Huntingdonians – that is, most of

rime Minister Rime may refer to: *Rime ice, ice that forms when water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects, such as trees Rime is also an alternative spelling of "rhyme" as a noun: *Syllable rime, term used in the study of phonology in ling ...

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...

's electors – were content to stay part of Cambridgeshire."

Awareness promotion

After the failure to revive the unitary authority, a Huntingdonshire Society was set up to promote awareness of Huntingdonshire as a historic county and campaign for its reinstatement as an administrative and ceremonial entity. In 2002 it established an annual "Huntingdonshire Day" on 25 April, the birthday of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

. After a campaign by the Huntingdonshire Society, the county flag of Huntingdonshire, a gold and beribboned

hunting horn A horn is any of a family of musical instruments made of a tube, usually made of metal and often curved in various ways, with one narrow end into which the musician blows, and a wide end from which sound emerges. In horns, unlike some other br ...

on a green field, was registered by the

Flag Institute The Flag Institute is a UK membership organisation headquartered in Kingston upon Hull, England, concerned with researching and promoting the use and design of flags. It documents flags in the UK and internationally, maintains a UK Flag Registr ...

in June 2009.

Governance

Huntingdonshire District Council's headquarters are located in Pathfinder House in Huntingdon. The council consists of 52 councillors. Until 2018, district council elections were held in three out of every four years, with a third of the 52 council seats coming up each time. Elections since have been held for all seats every four years. The

Conservative party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

had a majority on the council from 1976 until 2022, after which a joint administration took control of the council.

Sports

Huntingdonshire is the birthplace of

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

, now an IOC accepted sport. According to documents from 1813, Bury Fen Bandy Club was undefeated for 100 years. A club member, Charles Tebbutt, wrote the first official rules in 1882 and helped to spread the sport to other countries.

Huntingdonshire County Cricket Club Huntingdonshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the minor counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Huntingdonshire. The club does not currently compete in either the ...

is taken to be one of the 20

minor counties of English and Welsh cricket The National Counties, known as the Minor Counties before 2020, are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that do not have first-class status. The game is administered by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), which comes unde ...

, but it has never played in the

Minor Counties Championship The NCCA 3 Day Championship (previously the Minor Counties Cricket Championship) is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national cou ...

. It has its own Cricket Board and played in the English domestic one-day competition from 1999 to 2003.county entered teams into the English domestic one-day competition, matches which had List A status. The county played seven List A matches during this period, with the final List A match it played coming against

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

Towns and villages

Towns

* St Ives *

Hamlets and villages

Abbots Ripton Abbots Ripton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Abbots Ripton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being an historic county of England. Abbots Ripton lies ap ...

Abbotsley Abbotsley is a village and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England.Alconbury Alconbury is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Alconbury is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being an historic county of England. Alconbury lies approximately ...

Alconbury Weston Alconbury Weston – in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England – is a village and civil parish, lying just outside of the Fens, having just a few hills, but a significant change to the flat of the Fens. Alconbury Weston is situa ...

Alwalton Alwalton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Alwalton lies approximately west of Peterborough city centre. Alwalton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Camb ...

* Barham,

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

Bluntisham Bluntisham is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,003. Bluntisham lies approximately east of Huntingdon. Bluntisham is situated within Huntingdonshire whi ...

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...

, Brington, Broughton, Buckden,

Buckworth Buckworth is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Buckworth lies approximately northwest of Huntingdon and covers an area of 2,023 acres. It is also a part of the hundred called Leightonstone. Buckworth is situated within ...

Bythorn Bythorn is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bythorn and Keyston, in Cambridgeshire, England. Bythorn lies approximately west of Huntingdon near Molesworth. Bythorn is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metrop ...

Catworth Catworth is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Catworth lies approximately west of Huntingdon. The civil parish covers an area of . Catworth village has two parts, Catworth, at the top of the hill, and Little Catworth, at t ...

, Chesterton,

Colne Colne () is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. Located northeast of Nelson, north-east of Burnley, east of Preston and west of Leeds. The town should not be confused with the unrelated Colne Val ...

, Connington,

Coppingford Coppingford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Upton and Coppingford, in Cambridgeshire, England. Coppingford lies approximately north-west of Huntingdon. Coppingford is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-me ...

, Covington *

Denton and Caldecote Denton and Caldecote – in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England – is a civil parishes in England, civil parish near Glatton south west of Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, Yaxley. The parish was formed on 1 April 1935 from "Cald ...

Diddington Diddington is a small village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Diddington lies approximately south-west of Huntingdon, near to Buckden. Diddington is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridge ...

Earith Earith is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Earith lies approximately east of Huntingdon. Earith is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county ...

, Easton,

, Ellington,

Elton Elton may refer to: Places England * Elton, Cambridgeshire (formerly Huntingdonshire), a village ** Elton Hall, a baronial hall * Elton, Cheshire, a village and civil parish * Elton, County Durham, a village and civil parish * Elton, Derbyshire, ...

, Eynesbury *

Farcet Farcet is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Farcet lies approximately south of Peterborough city centre, between Yaxley and the Peterborough suburb of Old Fletton. Farcet is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non- ...

Fenstanton Fenstanton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, south of St Ives in Huntingdonshire, a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and historic county. Fenstanton lies on the south side of the River Ouse. Known as ''St ...

Folksworth and Washingley Folksworth and Washingley is a civil parish near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, England, comprising the villages of Folksworth and Washingley. The parish was formed following the combination of the two separate parishes of Folksworth and of Was ...

Glatton Glatton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, some south-west of Peterborough, near the villages of Conington, Yaxley and Stilton. It lies in the non-metropolitan district of Huntingdonshire, which is part of Cambridgesh ...

, Grafham,

Great Gransden Great Gransden is a civil parish and village in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. In 2001, the parish population was 969, which rose to 1,023 at the 2011 Census. It lies 16 miles (25 km) west of Cambridge and 13 mile ...

, Great, Little and Steeple Gidding,

Great Paxton Great Paxton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England lying north of St Neots in the Great Ouse river valley. The population was 1,007 in the 2011 census. Despite its name, Great Paxton is much smaller than the neighbouring vi ...

Great Staughton Great Staughton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Great Staughton lies approximately south-west of Huntingdon. Great Staughton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan dis ...

Haddon Haddon may refer to: Places *Haddon, Victoria, Australia, a township *Haddon, Cambridgeshire, England, a village and civil parish * Haddon Hill, Somerset, England, a ridge * Haddon, Gauteng, South Africa, a suburb of Johannesburg *Haddon Townshi ...

Hail Weston Hail Weston is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hail Weston lies approximately south of Huntingdon. Hail Weston is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a ...

Hamerton Hamerton is a village in and former civil parish, now in the parish of Hamerton and Steeple Gidding, in Cambridgeshire, England. Hamerton lies approximately north-west of Huntingdon. Hamerton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-m ...

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

Hemingford Abbots Hemingford Abbots is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hemingford Abbots lies approximately east of Huntingdon, and is almost continuous with neighbouring Hemingford Grey. Hemingford Abbots is situated within Huntingdonshir ...

Hemingford Grey Hemingford Grey is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hemingford Grey lies approximately east of Huntingdon. Hemingford Grey is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well a ...

, Hilton, Holme,

Holywell Holywell may refer to: * Holywell, Flintshire, Wales * Holywell, Swords, Ireland * Holywell, Bedfordshire, England * Holywell, Cambridgeshire, England * Holywell, Cornwall, England * Holywell, Dorset, England * Holywell, Eastbourne, East Susse ...

Houghton Houghton may refer to: Places Australia * Houghton, South Australia, a town near Adelaide * Houghton Highway, the longest bridge in Australia, between Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland * Houghton Island (Queensland) Canada * Houghton Townshi ...

Keyston Keyston is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bythorn and Keyston, in Cambridgeshire, England. Keyston lies approximately west of Huntingdon, near Molesworth. Keyston is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metro ...

, Kimbolton,

Kings Ripton Kings Ripton (traditionally King's Ripton) is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Kings Ripton lies approximately north-east of Huntingdon. Kings Ripton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district ...

Leighton Bromswold Leighton Bromswold (also known as Leighton) is a small village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Leighton lies approximately west of Huntingdon. Leighton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambr ...

Little Paxton Little Paxton in Cambridgeshire, England is a village and civil parish that lies south of Huntingdon and north of St Neots. It is in the district and historic county of Huntingdonshire. Until the 1970s it was a minor village and the church was ...

* Molesworth,

Morborne Morborne is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Morborne lies approximately south-west of Peterborough, near Yaxley. Morborne is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well a ...

Needingworth Needingworth is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. Needingworth lies approximately east of Huntingdon and just west of the Prime Meridian. Needingworth is in the civil parish of Holywell-cum-Needingworth. Needingworth is situated within Hun ...

* Oldhurst,

Old Weston Old Weston – in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England – is a village near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, Molesworth west of Huntingdon. In 1870–1872, John Wilson, who was a writer for the ''"Imperial Gazetteer of England and ...

, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville *

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...

, Pidley *

Ramsey St Mary's Ramsey St Mary's is a village in Ramsey civil parish, part of the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. Church During the 1850s, the need for a church in Ramsey St Mary's was realised, due to an increase in the population of Rams ...

, Ramsey Forty Foot, Ramsey Mereside, Ramsey Heights *

Sawtry Sawtry () is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Sawtry lies approximately north of Huntingdon. Sawtry is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic cou ...

, Spaldwick,

Somersham Somersham is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Somersham lies approximately east of Huntingdon and north of St Ives. Somersham is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as ...

Southhoe and Midloe Southoe and Midloe is a small civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. The parish lies approximately south-west of Huntingdon. The parish comprises the small village of Southoe and the even smaller settlement of Midloe. The two settlements are ...

Stibbington Stibbington is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, located approximately west of Peterborough city centre in the civil parish of Sibson-cum-Stibbington. It is situated in the far north-west corner of Huntingdonshire, which is a non-metropolit ...

Stilton Stilton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about north of Huntingdon in Huntingdonshire, which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic county of England. History There is evidence of Neo ...

Stow Longa Stow Longa is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Stow Longa lies approximately west of Huntingdon and two miles north of Kimbolton. Stow Longa is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Camb ...

Tetworth Tetworth is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. Tetworth lies approximately south of Huntingdon, near Waresley south of St Neots. Tetworth is in the civil parish of Waresley-cum-Tetworth. Tetworth is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a ...

Tilbrook Tilbrook is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Tilbrook lies approximately west of Huntingdon, near Covington. Tilbrook is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as b ...

, Toseland,

The Offords The Offords is the name given to the two villages of Offord Cluny and Offord D'Arcy, situated on the east bank of the River Great Ouse between Saint Neots and Huntingdon in west Cambridgeshire. The Offords were both recorded in the Domesday B ...

, The Raveleys,

The Stukeleys The Stukeleys is a civil parish in the district of Huntingdonshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, consisting of the villages of Great Stukeley and Little Stukeley, and the new settlement of Alconbury Weald being built on the old RAF Alconbury site. ...

* Upton,

Upwood Upwood is a village in the non-metropolitan district and historic counties of England, historic county of Huntingdonshire, England, although in the administrative county of Cambridgeshire. Upwood lies approximately north of Huntingdon, near Bury ...

Wansford Wansford may refer to the following places in England: * Wansford, Cambridgeshire ** Wansford railway station, headquarters of the Nene Valley Railway * Wansford, East Riding of Yorkshire {{Geodis ...

Warboys Warboys is a large village and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, north-east of Huntingdon. Geology Igneous diorite rocks are located around 171–217 meters below ground at Warboys. Discovered in the ...

Waresley Waresley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Waresley-cum-Tetworth, in Cambridgeshire, England. Waresley lies approximately south of Huntingdon and south-east of the town of St Neots. Waresley is situated within Hunting ...

Water Newton Water Newton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Water Newton lies approximately west of Peterborough. Water Newton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being ...

, Winwick, Wistow, Woodhurst, Woodwalton, Woolley, Wyton * Yaxley,

Yelling A scream is a loud vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including humans. A scream is of ...

Notable people

In order of birth: *Henry of Saltrey, a Huntingdonshire

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monk, wrote ''

Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii ''Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii'' (Treatise on Saint Patrick's Purgatory) is a Latin text written about 1180–1184 by a monk who identified himself as H. of Saltrey. The author is traditionally known as Henry, though this was an insertio ...

'' (Treatise on the Purgatory of St Patrick) in about 1180–1184. *Sir William Papworth (1331–1414) of Grafham and Papworth St. Agnes was a member of five 14th-century parliaments. *

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

(1485–1536), previously Queen of England, died in confinement at

Kimbolton Castle Kimbolton Castle is a country house in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. It was the final home of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of t ...

. *

Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (18 September 1535 – 14 July 1551), styled Lord Henry Brandon before 1545, was an English nobleman, the son of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, by his fourth wife, Catherine Willoughby. His father h ...

and his brother

Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (12 October 1537 – 14 July 1551), known as Lord Charles Brandon until shortly before his death, was the son of the 1st Duke of Suffolk and the ''suo jure'' 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby. His father ha ...

, nephews of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, died of

sweating sickness Sweating sickness, also known as the sweats, English sweating sickness, English sweat or ''sudor anglicus'' in Latin, was a mysterious and contagious disease that struck England and later continental Europe in a series of epidemics beginning ...

at Buckden Towers within an hour of each other on 14 July 1551. *

Nicholas Ferrar Nicholas Ferrar (22 February 1592 – 4 December 1637) was an English scholar, courtier and businessman, who was ordained a deacon in the Church of England. He lost much of his fortune in the Virginia Company and retreated with his extended fami ...

(1592–1637), scholar, courtier and cleric, spent the last eleven years of his life at the

Little Gidding community The Little Gidding community was an extended family and religious group based at Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire (now in Cambridgeshire), England, in existence from the middle of the 1620s to the later 1650s. It gained attention in its time because ...

, inspiration of the fourth poem in T. S. Eliot's ''

Four Quartets ''Four Quartets'' is a set of four poems written by T. S. Eliot that were published over a six-year period. The first poem, ''Burnt Norton'', was published with a collection of his early works (1936's ''Collected Poems 1909–1935''). After a f ...

''. *

Philip Nye Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

(1595–1672),

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

theologian, became the incumbent of Kimbolton and an adviser to Cromwell. *

(1599–1658),

Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes ...

of England, Scotland and Ireland 1653–1658, was educated at Huntingdon Grammar School. * Richard Astry (c. 1632–1714) was an English

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

. *

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...

(1633–1703),

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) and

diarist A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...

, attended Huntingdon Grammar School. *William Sparrow (1641–1729), cut the famous

turf maze Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...

at Hilton in 1660. * Alice and Thomas Curwen were active in the county as Quaker preachers in 1677–1678.Michael Mullett: "Curwen, Thomas (c. 1610–1680)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004
Retrieved 17 November 2015.
/ref> * Ann Jebb (1735–1812), political reformer and radical writer, was born at

. *

William Henry Fellowes William Henry Fellowes (15 July 1769 – 23 August 1837), of Ramsey Abbey in Huntingdonshire and Haverland Hall in Norfolk, was a British people, British Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament. Life He was the eldest son o ...

(1769–1837) of

Ramsey Abbey Ramsey Abbey was a Benedictine abbey in Ramsey, Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England. It was founded about AD 969 and dissolved in 1539. The site of the abbey in Ramsey is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Most of the abbey's ...

, was a longstanding MP for Huntingdon and then Huntingdonshire. *

Olinthus Gregory Olinthus Gilbert Gregory (29 January 17742 February 1841) was an English mathematician, author, and editor. Biography He was born on 29 January 1774 at Yaxley in Huntingdonshire, the son of Robert, a shoemaker, and Ann, who also had three you ...

(1774–1841), mathematician and editor, was born at Yaxley. * Robert Fox (1798–1843), antiquary and local historian, was born and died at Godmanchester. *

Charles Bowen Cooke Charles John Bowen Cooke (11 January 1859 – 18 October 1920) was born in Orton Longueville (then in Huntingdonshire) and was Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). He was the first to add superheating ...

(1859–1920), locomotive engineer, was born at Orton Longueville. *

Henry Royce Sir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet, (27 March 1863 – 22 April 1933) was an English engineer famous for his designs of car and aeroplane engines with a reputation for reliability and longevity. With Charles Rolls (1877–1910) and Claude ...

(1863–1933), pioneering car manufacturer and founder of

Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's good reputation established with his cranes, they ...

Lucy M. Boston Lucy M. Boston (1892–1990), born Lucy Maria Wood, was an English novelist who wrote for children and adults, publishing her work entirely after the age of 60. She is best known for her " Green Knowe" series: six low fantasy children's novels p ...

(1892–1990), children's writer, lived in Huntingdonshire from 1937 until her death, and set the ''

Green Knowe Green Knowe is a series of six children's novels written by Lucy M. Boston, illustrated by her son Peter Boston, and published from 1954 to 1976. It features a very old house, Green Knowe, based on Boston's home at the time, The Manor in Hemin ...

'' series there. *

Josef Jakobs Josef Jakobs (30 June 1898 – 15 August 1941) was a German spy and the last person to be executed at the Tower of London. He was captured shortly after parachuting into the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Convicted of espionage unde ...

(1898–1941), German spy captured in Ramsey Hollow, Huntingdonshire in 1941 * Michael Lawrence (born 1943), children's writer, is best known for the ''Jiggy McCue'' series. *

(born 1943), politician and Prime Minister (1990–1997), was MP for

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...

from 1979 to 2001, and still resides in the county at

Great Stukeley Great Stukeley is a village north-west of Huntingdon. Great Stukeley is in Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic county of England. It lies on the old Roman road of Ermine Street. The ...

. * John Butcher (1946–2006), Conservative MP and junior minister, was raised in Huntingdonshire and attended

Huntingdon Grammar School Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

. *

Terry Reid Terrance James Reid (born 13 November 1949) is an English rock vocalist and guitarist. He has performed with high-profile musicians, as a supporting act, session musician, and sideman. Biography Reid was born in Paxton Park Maternity Home, L ...

(born 1949), rock musician, grew up in

. * Chris Morris (born 1962), satirist known for the television series ''

Brass Eye ''Brass Eye'' is a British satirical television series parodying current affairs news programming. A series of six episodes aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001. The series was created and presented by Chris Morris, writte ...

'' and ''

The Day Today ''The Day Today'' is a British comedy television show that parodies television news and current affairs programmes, broadcast in 1994 on BBC2. It was created by Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris and is an adaptation of the radio programme '' ...

'' *

Jason Ablewhite Jason Ablewhite is the former Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire (PCC), representing the Conservative Party. He is also a former Huntingdonshire district councillor for St Ives. He was elected to the PCC post in the 2016 electi ...

(born 1972) former leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, former

Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner is the police and crime commissioner, an elected official tasked with setting out the way crime is tackled by Cambridgeshire Police in the English County of Cambridgeshire. The p ...