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Cambridgeshire

ORWELL

"ORWELL, a parish in the hundred of Wetherley, county Cambridge, 7 miles north of Royston, and 3 north of Shepreth, its railway station. Arrington is its post town. The village, which is of small extent, is situated near the Roman road, and is wholly agricultural. The soil is of a clayey and chalky nature with a subsoil of gualt, clay, and limestone. The rectorial and vicarial tithes have been reunited under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely, value £313, in the patronage of Trinity College, Cambridge. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, or, according to others, to St. Andrew, is an ancient structure with a tower containing a clock and five bells. There are monuments of Professor Stubbs and Mason, formerly rectors of this parish. The parochial charities produce about £132, of which £50 goes to Colbatch's school. A school-house was erected on the site of the older one in 1853, at which the Sunday-school is also held. There is a place of worship for the Wesleyans. At Malton, anciently a district parish, are remains of a church now used as a barn. Captain Bendyshe is lord of the manor."

[The above was transcribed (and edited) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2023

Cemeteries

• The Monumental Inscriptions in the graveyard of St. Andrew are recorded in the Cambridge Records Office for the years 1691-1978. These inscriptions are also available on microfiche from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Publications list (search)

Census

• The Census Records from 1841-1891 can be found in the Cambridgeshire Archives. In addition the 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871 Census for Orwell is available in full transcript form, on microfiche, from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Publications list (search)

Churches

• The following Churches have their own websites:
  • St. Andrew's Church, Orwell
  • Orwell Methodist Church, Orwell

Church History

• "The church of St. Andrew is a building of stone and flint, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower containing a clock and 5 bells: the chancel is Perpendicular and the nave Early English: in the chancel is an effigy of Dr. Jeremiah Radcliffe, one of the 47 translators of the Bible in 1608-11, buried here 4 March, 1611: the church was repaired in 1883, at a cost of £949, under the direction of Mr. William White. architect, of London, when the roof was renewed in oak, part of the old timber being re-incorporated; at the intersections of the ribs in the chancel is an interesting series of shields, bearing the arms of many of the principal county families painted in distemper, but the blazonry being almost obliterated was restored from a record preserved in a manuscript at Wimpole Hall: in 1918 a Roll of Honour, containing the names of the parishioners who fell in the Great War, 1914-18, was erected over the altar on the north side of the church: there are 250 sittings. The register dates from the year 1500."
• "There is Wesleyan chapel."
  [Kelly's Directory - Cambridgeshire - 1929]

Church Records

• Church of England
  • Orwell, St. Andrew: Records of baptisms 1569-1895, marriages 1560-1991, burials 1560-1992 and banns for 1754-1963 reside in the Cambridgeshire Archives,
  • Indexed transcripts exist for baptisms 1569-1895, marriages 1560-1901 and burials 1560-1895.
  • The parish register transcripts, 1560-1950, are available in full transcript form on CDrom from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Publications list (search).
  • The Bishop's Transcripts for the years 1599-1642, 1662-65, 1677-96, 1708-16 and 1726-1859 can be found in the Cambridge University Library.
  • "The Marriage Register of the Parish of Orwell from 1653 to 1837" (transcribed by the Rev R W Whiston and published in 1927) is a very long and detailed document which includes over 600 marriage records with preface and a full alphabetical name index. Many Wimpole names appear among the Orwell records. This has been published on-line by Steve Odell. [Note: This site is currently being moved and is unavailable at present]

Description and Travel

• The Orwell historical photographic section of the Orwell website contains photographs of Orwell Football Orwell Football Club - league and cup winning teams 1922 - 1947. Orwell People Photographs of Orwell people and Orwell families 1895 - 1921. Orwell School Orwell School group photographs of pupils 1899 - 1906. Orwell Village A selection of images of the village of Orwell 1900-1936. [Note: This site is currently being moved and is unavailable at present]

Gazetteers

• A transcript of the Orwell parish entries from Samuel Lewis's 1835 Topographical Dictionary of England,
• A transcript of the Orwell parish entries from 1929 Kellys Directory of Cambridgeshire

History

• The Local History of Orwell including old wills, recent obituaries, house histories and personal memories.

Military History

• The War Memorial Plaque in the Church has been transcribed and the men researched.

Names, Geographical

• " WILLESMERE DOWN lies north-east, and Hoback half a mile south-west." [Kelly's Directory - Cambridgeshire - 1929]

Taxation

• 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 1736, 1788, 1795, 1798 on microfilm and 1810-1948.