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Huntingdonshire

Nearby places

BUCKDEN

"BUCKDEN, a parish in the hundred of Toseland, in the county of Huntingdon, 5 miles to the north of St. Neot's. Huntingdon is its post town. It is on the west side of the river Ouse, not far from Offord station on the Great Northern railway, and includes the hamlet of Stirtloe. The manor was held in the reign of Henry I. by the abbot of Ely, who granted it to the bishops of Lincoln. The ancient palace of the bishops, a brick edifice partly surrounded by a moat, stands in the centre of the village. It is related of Bishop Barlow (1675) that he never visited Lincoln, but from his constant residence here acquired the title of Bishop of Buckden. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Ely, of the value of £254, in the patronage of the Bishop of Peterborough. The church, a handsome structure with a spire, is dedicated to St. Mary, and contains monuments to several of the bishops of Lincoln. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels in the village. The charitable endowments, consisting partly of bequests for education, produce about £170 per annum. There are several almshouses."

"STIRTLOE, (or Sturtlow), a hamlet in the parish of Buckden, county Hunts, 4 miles south-west of Huntingdon, near the river Ouse.

Cemeteries

• Monumental Inscriptions from the Buckden (St Mary) Parish Churchyard (fiche set M7, consisting of approximately 96 entries), and those of Buckden Municipal Cemetery in Lucks Lane (fiche set M-27 consisting of 582 entries) are both available from the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS.

Census

• Census information for this parish (1841 - 1891) is held in the Huntingdon Records Office.
• The full 1841 Census of Buckden Parish is available as fiche set C86.
• The full 1851 Census of Buckden Parish is available as fiche set C36.
• The full 1891 Census of Buckden Parish si available as fiche set C13.
• A surname index of the 1881 Census of the St. Neots Registration District, in which Buckden was enumerated (RG11/1611, Folios 4a - 31a), and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as fiche set C5.
• All the above mentioned fiche sets are available from the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS.

Churches

• Here are photographs of Churches etc. in the parish:
  • St. Mary's Church, Buckden.
    • Internal view looking down the nave
    • The font
  • The Methodist Church, Buckden.
• The following Churches have their own websites:
  • St. Mary's Church, Buckden
  • The Methodist Church, Buckden

Church History

• OS Grid Square TL 193677.
• The church of St Mary consists of a chancel with a modern organ chamber, and vestry on the north, nave, north aisle, south aisle, west tower and south porch. The walls are of rubble with stone dressing, and the roofs are covered in lead.
• Although mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086, nothing of this date remains; the earliest existing portions being the south doorway of the nave (which is early 13th cent.) and parts of the chancel wall which date from the latter part of the same century. Apparently early in the 15th cent. it was contemplated to rebuild the whole church, widening it towards the north. The east wall of the church was rebuilt to suit the proposed wider church, but evidently the scheme was changed and the earlier north and south walls were retained, but the upper part was rebuilt and new windows formed. Meanwhile the south arcade, south aisle and west towers were built, the latter with its axis to suit the widened church. The north arcade, however, which evidently followed a year or two later, was rebuilt on its former line. The rebuilding of the north aisle, no doubt, followed the completion of the north arcade.
• Considerable repairs to the roofs took place in 1649 and 1665, and large buttresses were added on the north side in the 18th cent. The church was restored in 1840, 1860 and 1884 when the present vestry and organ chamber were built, and again in 1909 when the seating was renewed and the font removed to the tower.

Church Records

• The following are available in the Huntingdon Records Office.
  • Baptisms: 1559-1858 (indexed transcriptions), 1858-1889, 1889-1953.
  • Banns: 1755-1851, (indexed transcriptions) 1832-1896.
  • Marriages: 1559-1851 (indexed Transcriptions), 1837-1920, 1920-1925, 1925-1936, 1936-1945, 1947-1967, 1967-1992.
  • Burials: 1559-1851 (indexed transcriptions), 1813-1902, 1921.
  • Bishop's Transcripts: 1660-3/1720-2, 1724-5, 1731-2, 1734, 1736, 1773-4, 1807-12/1813-14, 1816-24/1825-33, 1835-43/1844-61.
• 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

• Buckden was in the Registration District of St. Neots from 1st July 1837 until 31 March 1997, when that district was disbanded. Since 1st April 1997, it has been in the Huntingdon Registration District.

Gazetteers

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

Military History

• The war memorial with detailed information about those who fell is available on the Roll of Honour site for Huntingdonshire as well as the Buckden Baptist Church Memorial.

Names, Geographical

• Bugedene (xi cent.),
• Bugendena,
• Buggeden,
• Bukeden (xiii cent.),
• Bokeden (xv cent.),
• Bugden (until late xviii cent.)

Poor Houses, Poor Law, etc.

• The parish of Buckden was part of the St Neots Union (for Poor Law administration).
• Births and Deaths registered in the St Neots Union Workhouse (1913 - 1952) are available, as fiche set D11, from the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS.

Population

• Population in 1801 - 869
• Population in 1851 - 1172
• Population in 1901 - 1021
• Population in 1951 - 1057
• Population in 1971 - 2010
• Population in 1991 - 2535