Topic Selection

Cambridgeshire Facts
Index of Pages

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Brief Topic Descriptions

  • About the Parishes

  • A list of the parishes that form Cambridgeshire, their map references and poor law/registration district details

  • Agriculture & the Labourer

  • Information about agriculture within the region and the lot of the agricultural labourer so regularily seen on census information for the 19th century.

  • Ancestors from Cambridgeshire

  • These pages are dedicated to various researcher's portraits of their ancestors who were born or lived in from Cambridegshire. If you have a colourful character(s) that might fit why don't you send them in.

  • Burwell & the Fen-Edge Village Life Museum

  • Burwell is a village close to the Cambridgeshire/ Suffolk border. Within the village is a museum dedicated to the Fen life and times.

  • Cambridgeshire - Kelly's 1929


    Details from Kelly's Directory for Cambridgeshire 1929 giving an overview of the area and links to other information

  • Cambs. Baptism, Marriage and Death Stats 1821-30

  • A list by hundred, or major town, of the number of baptisms, marriages and deaths between the years 1821-1830 for Cambridgeshire. (112k)

  • Cambridgeshire Regiments, Militia and Regulars

  • A brief history of the Cambridgeshire Regiment (the Volunteers), the 30th Foot (Cambridgeshires) Regiment and the Cambridgeshire Miltia.

  • 'Captain Swing' and the Reverend Moberley

  • The discontent caused by introduction of the Poor Laws and farm machinery thereby reducing the number of available jobs meant violence became an everyday part of Cambridgeshire life through the early part of the 19th century.

  • Census - Local Listings

  • Beside the National Census there were several local census taken for various areas by other sources. These contain surnames and sometimes ages, baptism dates and birthdates.

  • Census 1901 - Summary

  • Summary of available information about the 1901 census for Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely.

  • Cholera in the 19th Century

  • Like many other areas cholera took the lives of many working people within the Cambridgeshire area during the 19th century. Information is available about the cholera epidemic and other epidemics that took place.

  • The Coprolite Industry

  • Cambridgeshire was also a place of industry, based on farming needs; its oddest industry was coprolite-digging, the extraction of phosphatised clay nodules for fertiliser. Coprolites occurred in a belt from Soham to Barrington and were exhausted in a rush between 1850 and 1890. It was an industry unique in England. Nodules were excavated in trenches, yielding 300 tons an acre.

  • Diary of Dr Katharine Heanley

  • John Starr has kindly supplied a set of diaries written by a Dr. Katharine Heanley (1874 - 1959) who lived at Saxmundham. They cover the period 1898 to 1956. They are personal diaries and contain a lot of miscellaneous material, records of holidays she took with her close friend Gertrude Watson. She was a literate woman with no small skill in art, and he has several small sketches and paintings she made.In 1914 she went to the March area on her own and in 1915 she went with Gertrude to Chatteris. Her parents, John Heanley and Charlotte Katharine, nee Whitling, lived near Chatteris. The 1914 extract of Dr. Heanley's notes and some sketches she made are included here which may prove useful to someone.
  • Ely & the Cathedral

  • Ely has been a stronghold for hundreds of years and the Cathedral has played a major part in this. A synopsis of Ely and the the Cathedral interaction can be found here

  • Ely & Civil War

  • The Isle of Ely has always been a stronghold ideally naturally defended. After Hereward there was still much insurrection as described here.

  • Emigrants: Free or in Chains?

  • From the one day conference held by the Cambridgeshire Family History Society some notes on the talks.

  • Emigrants Links

  • Many Cambridgeshire people left the county for various places overseas, Australia, Canada, USA, New Zealand, etc. These links may help in tracking down these elusive ancestors.

  • Famous Cambridgeshire Men and Women

  • A short description can be found here of various famous Cambridgeshire people.

  • Folklore

  • Every county has its folklores and remedies. Cambridgeshire is no exception and some these are told here.

  • Fortifications and Historic Buildings

  • Descriptions of various fortifications and historic buildings over the centuries, within Cambridgeshire, can be found here.

  • Genealogical & History Societies

  • Details of societies and historical organisations linked with Cambridgeshire.

  • Historical Timeline - Cambridgeshire

  • The history of Cambridgeshire is chronicled here as a time line to see at a glance the events over time within Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely.

  • Huguenots and Walloons

  • Some history behind the Huguenot/Walloon arrival inThorney with contact information, a reading list and various links.

  • Hundreds

  • Since the Domesday book the country has been split into political regions called 'hundreds'; these are the Cambridgeshire hundreds and the towns and villages ecompassed by each.
  • Internet Links

  • The Internet contains a variety of information about Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. Links can be found here to various relevant pages.
  • Littleport Riots - 22nd May 1816

  • After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 England was left in a very poor condition. The rates and taxes raised to pay for the wars had rendered farmers and other employers too poor themselves to pay very much for labour. There were hundreds of people who were not just poor but very poor to the point of starvation. All over the country at this time there was general dissatisfaction. This is the story of the riot that broke out at Littleport as a result.
  • Locations & Buildings

  • There are many buildings throughout Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely with historic backgrounds. Cambridge has its fair share and most of these are well known bcause of it large tourist trade, but what of the other towns and villages?

    There are several Baronial Halls and Houses within Cambridgeshire and details of these can be found in this section.

  • Mayors of Cambridgeshire 1902

  • Details of two of the mayors of Cambridgeshire in office in 1902. Contains details about the municipal area as well. The two towns/cities are Cambridge and Wisbech.
  • Methodism

  • Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely were strongholds of Methodism. Various records exists for the circuits and in various other repositories. This is a guide to Cambridgeshire references and circuits.
  • Peasants Revolt - Ely - 1381

  • The Rising of 1381 - the so-called Peasants' Revolt - provided a short-lived opportunity for the people of Ely to assert their independence. While the revolt inflamed much of East Anglia, the main leaders of the rebellion in Ely were local men - Richard de Leycester of 'Bocherisrowe'; Robert Buk, a fishmonger; and Adam Clymme. This is a description of the revolt.
  • Places in Cambridgeshire

  • A linked list of information about places within Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely from various directories and books.
  • Poor Law Unions

  • To afford Poor Relief various unions were set up within Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely to handle the old and infirm from the parishes. These parishes were assigned to specific unions and these are listed here with the realted parishes.
  • Prickwillow, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire

  • Prickwillow is a small hamlet in the Ely Holy Trinity area which for many years was the life-line to the outlying farms and houses. These pages contain information relating to Prickwillow.
  • Professional Researchers

  • Once you have found a professional researcher then you normally stick by them. These researchers have all been recommended by various subscribers to the Rootsweb mailing list dealing with Cambridgesire (ENGLISH-FENS@rootsweb.com).
  • Railways in Cambridgeshire

  • Some information about the railways, where they ran and their history within Cambridgeshire.
  • Ranks, Professions, Occupations and Trades

  • Definitions from A-Z of Ranks, Professions, Occupations or Trades that may ne encountered when researching your genealogy or local history.
  • Registration Districts
  • For electoral and other reasons the parishes are split up into Registration Districts. If you have acquired a birth, marriage or death certigicate then this will quote a registration district. This is a list of the Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Registration Districts and the parishes that fall within each.

  • Scrapbook of Constance Louisa Porter

  • Reproduced here are the cutouts from local Haddenham newspapers in the early 1900's contained in two scrapbooks. These books were compiled by Constance Louisa Porter, a spinster, daughter of Roberts Knights Porter and Emily Susan Cockle. Constance died in 1938.
  • Society of Friends (Quakers)

  • A short description of the Society of Friends (Quakers) can be found here with details of the various "Meetings" which formed the Cambridgeshire area.
  • Vermuyden, Cornelius - Fen Reclamation
  • Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely are infamous for the fenlands that make of the area. For hundreds of years the area was virtually unusable due to the watery landscape. Indeed Hereward the Wake made use of these areas for his defences. The land was eventually reclaimed to give the now rich, fertile farming land that exists. The main architect of the reclamation in this area was Cornelius Vermuyden, a Dutchman

  • Walloon Names - 1939 Newspaper Article

  • If you are of Huguenot descent, as many in the Cambridgeshire area were, then you may be interested in this newspaper article from 1939 dealing with Walloon names.
  • War Memorials/Rolls of Honour

  • Through out the centuries there have been memorials and rolls of honour for those killed in the the service of their country who were born or lived in Cambridgeshire. These men and women are remembered on various memorials/rolls throughout the county. These pages are the transciptions of various of these memorials/ rolls.
  • Welney the Home of British Ice Skating
  • The flat fenlands were often flooded in winter which froze to form fields of ice. Where better to hold ice skating championships during the 19th century than here.
  • What is.....

    A series of brief definitions covering parishes, hundreds, parish registers, parish clerks. These cover frequently asked questions.
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    Comments and Other Information

    Last Updated on: 30 July 2001
    For comments about this webpage, please email Martin Edwards.
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