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Huntingdonshire

ALCONBURY

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"ALCONBURY, a parish in the hundred of Leightonstone, in the county of Huntingdon, 4 miles north-west of Huntingdon. It is situated near the British way called Ermine Street and the Eastern Counties railway, and at the foot of Alconbury Hill. Alconbury Brook runs through the parish. It has a course of about 13 miles, rising near Lullington and joining the Ouse at Huntingdon. There is on the hill an ancient chapel dedicated to St. Anne, which commands inexpensive prospect. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely, value with Weston, £162, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. The church is dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul. The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel here. A fair is held on the 21st June. Alconbury Lodge is the principal residence."

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

Cemeteries

• Monumental Inscriptions from the Parish Churchyard (approximately 125 entries - £3.00 inclusive of postage worldwide) are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS Bookstall.

Census

• Census information for this parish (1841 - 1891) is held in the Huntingdon Records Office.
• The full 1841 Census of Alconbury Parish is available as Fiche Set C81.
• The full 1851 Census of Alconbury Parish is available as Fiche Set C31.
• A Surname Index of the 1881 Census of the Huntingdon Registration District, in which Alconbury was enumerated (RG11/1602, Folios 29a - 46b), and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as fiche set C3.
• A full transcription of the 1891 Census of the Spaldwick sub-District of the Huntingdon Registration District (RG12/1236) in which Alconbury was enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891, has also been produced by the Huntingdonshire FHS (as Fiche C8).
• The above mentioned fiche sets are available from the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS.

Churches

• Here are photographs of Churches etc. in the parish:
  • The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Alconbury.
  • The Methodist Church, Alconbury.
• The following Churches have their own websites:
  • The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Alconbury

Church History

• The church of SS Peter and Paul consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle, south aisle, west tower and south porch. The walls are of stone rubble, some of them coursed, and the others mixed with flint; all have stone dressings. The roofs are covered with lead.
• The church is not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086, but the early stones built into the walls indicate a stone church here in the 12th century. This church probably had a chancel and an aisled nave, to which a low western tower was added in the 13th century. In about the middle of this century, the chancel was rebuilt and widened to the north; soon afterwards the south aisle was rebuilt. The belfry was added to the tower towards the end of the century and, later still, the spire was added.
• Early in the 14th century, the nave with clearstory was rebuilt to correspond with the widened chancel. The north aisle was rebuilt around 1330 and, about the same time, the south porch was built. Towards the end of the 15th century, the walls of the chancel were heightened and a new roof put on; the aisles were also reroofed at this time. The nave was reroofed in the 16th century.
• The church was repewed in 1842, and the whole church was restored in 1876. The lower part of the tower was rebuilt in 1877 when, after everything else was finished, the belfry and spire were needled up whilst it was being done.

Church Records

• Church records include those for Alconbury Weston which has never had a church of its own.
• The following are available in the Huntingdon Records Office.
  • Baptisms: 1559-1715, 1741-1806,1806-1812, 1813-1832, 1832-1851, 1851-1875, 1875-1914.
  • Banns: 1806-1812, 1868-1890, 1889-1920, 1920-1951.
  • Marriages: 1559-1718, 1742-1754, 1754-1805, 1806-1837, 1837-1892, 1892-1944.
  • Burials: 1557-1707, 1741-1750, 1761-1806, 1806-1812, 1813-1842, 1842-1928.
  • Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1606 (C & pt M), 1612, 1617-19, 1626, 1660-72, 1674/1675-6, 1679-87, 1690-1, 1693-1702, 1704-7, 1709-19, 1721-50/1751, 1753, 1755, 1758-9, 1762, 1772, 1778, 1783, 1812/1813-17, 1819-23/1824-42/1843-58.
• The Huntingdonshire Marriage Indexes include marriages from this parish. These are, at present, issued in alphabetical listings in series: 1601-1700, and 1701-1754, and are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS Bookstall.

Civil Registration

• Alconbury was originally in the Registration District of Huntingdon from 1st July 1837. Subsequently, it came under the Spaldwick sub-District, but once again it is now directly under Huntingdon District.

Gazetteers

• A transcript of the Alconbury parish entries from Stepehen Whatley's 1750 Topographical Gazetteer of England,
• A transcript of the Alconbury parish entries from 1932 Victoria County Series
• A transcript of the Alconbury parish entries from Samuel Lewis's 1835 Topographical Dictionary of England,

Military History

• The memorial plaque in SS. Peter and Paul has been recorded and details of the men who fell added.

Names, Geographical

• Acumesberie (xi cent.),
• Alchmundesbiri,
• Alcmundesberi (xii cent.),
• Alkemundesbiy,
• Acmundebiry,
• Aucmundebury,
• Aumondebiry Weston (xiii cent.),
• Alkunbiri,
• Alconbury-cum-Weston (xiv cent.),
• Wode or Wood Weston (xiv-xvii cent.)

Poor Houses, Poor Law, etc.

• The parish of Alconbury was in the Huntingdon Union for Poor Law administration.
• Births and Deaths registered in the Huntingdon Union Workhouse (1838 - 1949) are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS Bookstall as Fiche set D10.

Population

• Population in 1801 - 483.
• Population in 1851 - 967.
• Population in 1901 - 543.
• Population in 1951 - 733.
• Population in 1971 - 748.
• Population in 1991 - 1342.