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Huntingdonshire

Nearby places

LITTLE PAXTON

"LITTLE PAXTON, a parish in the hundred of Toseland, county Huntingdon, 2 miles north of St. Neot's, its post town. The village, which is of small extent, is situated on the Great North road and on the river Ouse. There are a flour-mill and extensive paper-mills, giving employment to the chief portion of the inhabitants. The soil consists of clay and gravel, and the surface is level. The tithes were commuted for land under an Enclosure Act in 1812. The living is a curacy annexed to the vicarage * of Great Paxton, in the diocese of Ely. The church, dedicated to St. James, has a square tower. The parochial charities produce about £36 per annum, realised from town lands. There is an endowed free school. Paxton Hall and Paxton Place are the principal residences.

Cemeteries

• Monumental Inscriptions from the Parish Churchyard (approximately 244 entries) are available as fiche set M22 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 Little Paxton Parish is available as fiche set C108.
• The full 1851 Census of Little Paxton Parish is available as fiche set C58.
• The full 1891 Census of Little Paxton Parish is available as fiche set C13.
• A surname index of the 1881 Census of the St. Neots Registration District, in which Little Paxton was enumerated (RG11/161, Folios 84a - 88b and 98a -99a), and which took place on 3rd April 1881, is available, as fiche set D5.
• The above mentioned fiche are available from the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS.

Churches

• Here are photographs of Churches etc. in the parish:
  • St. James's Church, Little Paxton.
• The following Churches have their own websites:
  • St. James's Church, Little Paxton

Church History

• OS Grid Square TL 189627.
• The church of St. James consists of a chancel, nave, south aisle, west tower and modern north porch. The walls are of pebble rubble mixed with ironstone, and with stone dressings. The angle-quorms of the belfry are chiefly of ironstone. The roofs are covered with slates and tiles.
• The church is not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086, but a stone church was standing here towards the end of the 12th century, of which considerable parts of the chancel walls remain, together with the reset south door of the church. The chancel arch has been rebuilt at a later date, and new windows were inserted in the chancel during the 14th century. About 1400, the tower was built and the south aisle, with its arcade, about 1500.
• The north wall is said to have been knocked down during the civil wars of 1642 - 1646, but was rebuilt and much modified in 1849 when the church was completely restored. At the same time that this restoration work was being undertaken, the arcade was rebuilt, the south aisle much modernised, and the south porch pulled down. The present north porch was built a few years later. The chancel was restored in 1890.

Church Records

• The following are available in the Huntingdon Records Office.
  • Baptisms: 1656-1967 (indexed).
  • Banns: 1824-1886 (indexed).
  • Marriages: 1559-1901 (indexed), 1902-1944, 1945-1965, 1965-1972.
  • Burials: 1580-1621 (indexed), 1667-1966 (indexed), 1813-1967.
  • Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1608-9, 1612, 1617-19, 1625-7, 1661-72/1675-6, 1678-80, 1682-3, 1685-8, 1690-1, 1693-1702, 1705-8, 1710-16, 1720, 1723, 1725-87, 1789-1813/1813-24/1825-40, 1844-55, 1857, 1859.
• 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

• Little Paxton was originally in the St. Neots Registration District from 1st July 1837, which later became a sub-District. From 1st April 1997, it is now directly under the Huntingdon District.

Description and Travel

• There is a book available entitled "History of Little Paxton" by David Broad.

Gazetteers

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

Military History

• The roll of honour with detailed information about those who served, and died, in World War 1 is available on the Roll of Honour site for Huntingdonshire.

Poor Houses, Poor Law, etc.

• The parish of Little Paxton 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 - 225.
• Population in 1851 - 224.
• Population in 1901 - 219.
• Population in 1951 - 291.
• Population in 1971 - 1629.
• Population in 1991 - 3195.