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Huntingdonshire

Nearby places

CONINGTON

"CONINGTON, a parish in the hundred of Norman Cross, in the county of Huntingdon, 9 miles south of Peterborough, its post town, and 3 south of Stilton. It is situated near Conington Fen and Ermine Street. It was possessed by Turkill the Dane in the time of Canute, of whose castle there are yet traces, and afterwards came through the Bruce, Wesenham, and other families, to the antiquary Sir Robert Cotton, who formed that noble collection of MSS. and papers known as the Cottonian Library, now in the British Museum. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely, value £508, in the patronage of J. Heathcote, Esq. The church, dedicated to the holy Cross, and built in the reign of Henry VII, is a noble structure in the later Gothic style of architecture, with tower. It is in good repair, and contains monuments of the Cotton family, and a tablet to Prince David. Here is a girls' school with an endowment of £15 per annum. Not far from the church stands Conington Castle, the seat of J. Heathcote, Esq., who is lord of the manor. Here was discovered, about 6 feet below the surface, the skeleton of a fish measuring 20 feet in length, and in several places in the fens are remains of a submerged forest."

Cemeteries

• Monumental inscriptions for this parish have not yet been recorded by 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 Conington Parish, and which took place on 7th June 1841, is available as fiche set C92.
• The full 1851 Census of Conington Parish, and which took place on 30 March 1851, is available as fiche set C42.
• A Surname Index of the 1881 Census of the Huntingdon Registration District, in which Conington was enumerated (RG11/1601, Folios 15a - 21a), and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available as fiche set C3.
• A full transcription of the 1891 Census of the Sawtry sub-District of the Huntingdon Registration District (RG12/1235) in which Woodwalton was enumerated, and which took place on 5th April 1891, has also been produced by the Huntingdonshire FHS (as Fiche C-7).
• The above mentioned fiche are available from the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS.

Churches

• The following Churches have their own websites:
  • All Saints Church, Conington

Church History

• The church of All Saints consists of a chancel, north chapel, south chapel, nave, north aisle, south aisle, west tower and small north and south porches. The walls are of stone rubble with stone dressings, and the tower is faced entirely with ashlar. The roofs are covered with lead and stone slates.
• The church is mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086, but there is no indication as to the form of this early building or to its later evolution. The whole church was completely rebuit at the latter end of the 15th century. Possibly, the lower parts of the chancel walls may be of the 14th century, but the upper parts are of approximately the same date as the church though slightly earlier. The tower is slightly later than the nave, but this was not the first tower as in 1336 the belfry of the church of St Mary (as it was then known) was rebuilt by the parishioners.
• In 1638, the embattled parapets were restored by Sir Thomas Cotton. The church was again restored and repewed in 1841, and a new east window was inserted in 1852. In 1862 the tower was strengthened with iron girders, and other repairs were undertaken in 1897-99. By the year 2000, the church had been closed and the parishoners were using the neighbouring Holme parish church.
• There are photographs and further information on All Saints Church on Rob's Churches website.

Church Records

• These are available in the Huntingdon Records Office.
  • Baptisms: 1538-1698 (indexed transcriptions), 1660-1900 (indexed transcriptions), 1813-1930, 1930-1975.
  • Banns: 1756-1895 (indexed transcriptions), 1830-1975.
  • Marriages: 1583-1698/9 (indexed transcriptions), 1660-1900 (indexed transcriptions), 1838-1956, 1959-1992.
  • Burials: 1583-1698/9 (indexed transcriptions), 1661-1900 (indexed transcriptions), 1814-1992.
  • Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1608-10, 1612, 1617-19, 1624-7/1683, 1685-8, 1690-3, 1696-7, 1701, 1705-6, 1709-52, 1754-84, 1786-7, 1789-1811, 1812-13/1813-21, 1823-4/1825-38, 1840, 1842-5, 1847, 1849-51, 1853, 1857-9.
• The Conington Parish Registers of All Saints (baptisms, marriages and burials) 1538-1918, on 2 microfiche, are available as fiche set D61 from the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS.
• 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 Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS.

Civil Registration

• The parish of Conington was originally in the Huntingdon Registration District from 1st July 1837. Subsequently it became part of the Sawtry sub-District. Once again, from 1st April 1997, it is directly under the Huntingdon Registration District.

Gazetteers

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

Military History

• The War Memorial inscriptions for this parish are available on-line.

Names, Geographical

• Cunictune (x cent.),
• Cunintone,
• Coninctune (xi cent.),
• Cunyngton,
• Conington (xiii-xiv cent.).

Poor Houses, Poor Law, etc.

• The parish of Conington was in the Huntingdon Union for Poor Law administration.
• Births and Deaths registered in the Huntingdon Union Workhouse (1838 - 1949) are available, at a cost of £1.50, from the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS.

Population

• Population in 1801 - 154.
• Population in 1851 - 319.
• Population in 1901 - 268.
• Population in 1951 - 348.
• Population in 1971 - 247.
• Population in 1991 - 212.