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Cambridgeshire

Nearby places

SHEPRETH

"SHEPRETH, a parish in the hundred of Wetherley, county Cambridge, 6 miles north of Royston, its post town. It is a station on the Great Northern railway. The village, which is of small extent, is situated on a branch of the river Cam, and is chiefly agricultural. Shepreth was formerly held by Chatteriz nunnery. The soil is of a clayey and gravelly nature, upon a subsoil of chalk. The great tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £306, and the vicarial for £91. The impropriate glebe comprises 185 acres, and the vicarial 12 acres. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely, value £97. The church, dedicated to All Saints, contains monuments of the Layer family. The parochial charities produce about £14 per annum, exclusive of allotments. There is a free school for both sexes. The Independents have a place of worship. This parish consists of four manors."

Cemeteries

• The Monumental Inscriptions for All Saints churchyard 1641-1981 are recorded in the Cambridge Records Office. The Monumental Inscriptions are available 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 1851 Census for Shepreth is available in full transcript form, on microfiche, from the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Publications list (search)

Churches

• All Saints Church, Shepreth.

Church History

• "The church of All Saints is an ancient edifice of brick and flint in the Early English style, consisting of nave and a low western tower containing 2 bells: the chancel arch is pre-Norman : there are some monuments to the Layer family (who formerly possessed property here), dated 1730, 1743 and 1760: there is also an ancient font of Barnack stone, and an old oak treasure chest which was unearthed about 1895 : the church was restored in 1870, and affords 120 sittings. The register dates from the year 1569."
• "There is a Congregational chapel, erected in 1901 and seating 120 persons. A stone cross was erected on Pretty Corner in 1920, in memory of the men from this parish who fell in the Great War, 1914-18."
  [Kelly's Directory - 1929]

Church Records

• Church of England
  • Shepreth, All Saints: Records of baptisms 1559-1940, marriages 1559-1935, burials 1566-1968 and banns 1754-1812, 1823-1939 reside in the Cambridgeshire Archives. Indexed transcripts exist in the Cambridgeshire Archives for baptisms 1559-1837, marriages 1559-1836 and burials 1559-1837. The Bishop's Transcripts for the years 1599-1757, 1773-1871 can be found in the Cambridge University Library.
• Congregational
  • Shepreth Congregational Church: Records exist for baptisms 1871-1964.

Gazetteers

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

Military History

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

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 1798 (on microfilm), 1812-1948.