MELBOURN
[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2013
"MELBOURN, a parish in the hundred of Armingford, county Cambridge, 3 miles
north-east of Royston, and 10½ from Cambridge. The village, which is large, is
chiefly agricultural. The soil is of various quality. The manufacture of
straw-plait is carried on. An Enclosure Act was obtained in 1839. The
appropriate tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £860, and the
vicarial for £220. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Ely, value
£250, in the patronage of the dean and chapter. The church, dedicated to
All Saints, an ancient structure built by Henry VII., contains several
monuments to the Birch family. The register
dates from 1558. The parochial charities produce about £165, of which £109
goes to Trigg's school, and £7 to Ayloffe's school. There is a school for
both sexes, on the Lancasterian system, also an infant school. The
Independents and Baptists have places of worship. Near the churchyard is an
elm-tree of remarkable antiquity. John Hitch, Esq., and the Dean and
Chapter of Ely, are lords of the manor."
[Transcribed and edited information from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868]
- The Monumental Inscriptions for All Saints old churchyard 1791-1949 and the new churchyard
1850-1993 are recorded in the Cambridge Records Office as are those in the Independent
churchyard 1769-1952. The Monumental Inscriptions are available from the
Cambridgeshire Family History Society Publications list (search)
- The following Churches have their own websites:
- "The church of All Saints is a building of flint in the Perpendicular and Decorated
styles, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, south transept, large south porch with
parvise and an embattled western tower with four crocketed pinnacles and a small
spire and containing a clock and 5 bells: the chancel and nave, as well as the tower,
are embattled: there are monuments to Mary Hatton, 1760; Richard Hitch, 1716; Elizabeth
Hatton, 1720; and Thomas Trigg, 1819; and a memorial window to the Hitch family,
who have been owners of land in the county for upwards of three hundred years: the
organ was presented in 1858, and in 1884 the church was restored at a cost of £2,300,
chiefly furnished by the Late John Hampden Fordham esq. there are 400 sittings. The
register dates from the year 1558."
- "The Congregational chapel, erected in 1866, at a cost of £2,500, on a site given
by the Rev. A. C. Wright, then minister, will seat 800 persons: the old chapel is
retained for Sunday school purposes and public meetings. The Baptist chapel, a spacious
building with school rooms in the rear, and restored in 1868, has 625 sittings. The
Primitive Methodist chapel, built in 1874, is now occupied by the Salvation Army."
[Kelly's Directory - 1900]
- Church of England
- Melbourn, All Saints:
Records of baptisms 1558-1977, marriages 1559-1999, burials 1559-1679, 1697-1977
and banns 1754-1809, 1839-1958 reside in the Cambridgeshire Archives. The Bishop's
Transcripts for the years 1599-1600, 1619-82, 1703-1846 can be found in the Cambridge
University Library. Indexed transcripts exist in the Cambridgeshire Archives for
baptisms, marriages and burials 1558-1851. The parish record transcripts for All
Saints 1558-1851 are available on microfiche from the
Cambridgeshire Family History Society Publications list (search)
- Independent Church
- Melbourn Independent Church:
Records exist for baptisms 1800-41 and burials 1810-1916 (on microfilm). Indexed
transcripts of these records exist for baptisms 1800-37 and burials 1810-37.
- Land Tax:
records were compiled afresh each year and contain the names of owners and occupiers
in each parish, but usually there is no address or place name. These records reside
in the Cambridgeshire Archives for the years 1798 (on microfilm), 1810-1948.
This page is copyright. Do not copy any part of this page or website other than for personal
use or as given in the conditions of use.
If you have any suggestions for links to other sites that may be useful to other researchers,
please use this User Links page
Web-page generated by "DB2html" data-base extraction software ©Colin Hinson 2015