HUNTINGDONSHIRE

HUNTINGDONSHIRE, an inland county of England, and, except Rutlandshire, the smallest of the whole. It is bounded on the north-east and east by Cambridgeshire, on the north-west and west by Northamptonshire, and on the south by Bedfordshire. Its greatest breadth is twenty-three miles, and its greatest length thirty miles, and its square contents are 350 miles.

Towns and Population.

It is divided into four hundreds, containing six market towns, and 104 parishes, in which are 7719 houses. At the census of 1811 the number of inhabitants was 42,208, viz. 20,402 males, and 21,806 females. The baptisms of the preceding year were 613 males and 591 females, the burials 446 males and 404 females, the marriages were 357. The number of families were 8808, of whom 5361 were employed in agriculture; 2205 in trade and manufactures; and 1242 in various occupations. The towns containing more than 1000 inhabitants are as follow:

Four members are returned to Parliament, viz. two for the county, and two for the borough of Huntingdon.

The appearance of the county is of three descriptions. In the south-east it is an extensive plain of rich meadow land, the middle varying in its surface with gentle undulations, and without many inclosures or many woods; the higher part was anciently a forest, and still contains a great extent of woodland, whose foliage gives beauty to the scenery. On the north-eastern side a portion of the county is fine land, comprising a part of what is commonly called Bedford level, comprehending nearly one-fifth of the whole county.

The two most considerable rivers are the Ouse Rivers and and the Nen. The Ouse enters from Bedfordshire, and crossing the whole of the county, passes into Cambridgeshire in its way to the German Ocean. It is navigable in its whole extent through Huntingdonshire, and forms an important means of intercourse. The Nen enters from Northamptonshire, and runs to the marshes; it is also navigable the greater part of its course. Besides these, the Cam passes through a part of the county. There are three lakes, viz. Whittlesea mere, Ramsey mere, and Ugg mere; the first of these is the largest, and covers an area of several miles in extent. It affords excellent fishing, and pleasant sailing, which induces many parties of pleasure to visit it in the summer season. Projects for draining this lake have been formed, as the water is not deep, and the soil excellent; but they have not yet been carried into execution.

The county of Huntingdon scarcely contains any Commerce. manufactures, excepting some spinning, performed by the females; but the improvements of machinery in other districts have much diminished that mode of employment. The only trade is that of corn, cattle, and the wool of the few flocks of sheep.

Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the district. Agriculture. The marshes and meadows are highly productive, and many oxen are fattened on them, without any other food than their natural grass. Much of this land is under the plough, and produces most abundant crops of oats and colesed; the mills for making the latter into oil are numerous. The hay from those fens is very considerable, but on the banks of the rivers they are subject to great floods, which sometimes destroy the harvest of the year. Though these lands are very valuable, yet the expence of draining them causes a great deduction from their value.

The soils in the upland parts of the county are various, but consist principally of a tenacious clayey loam, or of a deep gravelly loam with some clay. Much of this is in open common fields, where each occupier is compelled to follow a rotation like that of his neighbours. On the best of these lands the usual course of cropping is a year's fallow, then wheat or barley, next beans, and then barley or wheat. On

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Hydraulics.

the land of a quality somewhat inferior, a three course rotation of fallow, wheat, and peas or beans, is pursued. In those fields that are calculated for turnips, that root is succeeded by barley and wheat, or by wheat and barley. The average produce of the lands is stated at five quarters of barley, four of oats, and three and a half of wheat to the acre. The excellent practice of sowing clover between two corn crops is followed to a very small extent. The farms are generally small, few rentals exceed £200 per annum.

Cattle.

The sheep of Huntingdonshire are a mixed race, composed of crosses of the Lincolnshire and Leicestershire breeds, with the native kinds. They are without horns, of very imperfect shape, but are found profitable from the quantity of wool they produce; their fleeces usually weighing from seven to eight pounds each. The sheep of the original race of the county are much inferior to those produced by the crossing with the better kinds; many of these are still found in the open commons, and their fleeces seldom exceed four pounds in weight. The cows are bred with little attention, and are a compound of many races. Very little butter or cheese is made; the principal object being the suckling of calves to supply veal for the London markets. Many horses are bred in the lower part of the county, but without much attention to their races. From this practice of breeding, it has become very general to execute all the agricultural work with mares.

The remains of antiquity in this county are principally of Roman origin; among them are the vestiges of the three roads, which were constructed by that people across the country. The remains of Ramsey Abbey and Castle, the seat of the family from which Oliver Cromwell, a native of this county, sprung, are of venerable date. The monks who formerly occupied it were highly celebrated for their knowledge of the Hebrew language. The churches of Bluntisham, St Ives, and St Neots, and the Castle of Kimbolton, exhibit marks of high antiquity.

The most remarkable noblemen and gentlemen's seats are, Kimbolton, Duke of Manchester; Bucden Palace, Bishop of Lincoln; Conington Castle, J. Heathcote, Esq.; Elton, Earl of Carysfort; Hinchinbroke, Earl of Sandwich; Overton Longueville, Earl of Aboyne; Gains Hall, Sir James Duberly; Paxton Place, P. Stanley, Esq.; Ramsey, William Henry Fellowes, Esq.; Stirtloe, Launcelot Brown, Esq.; Stoughton, Earl Ludlow; and Upwood, Sir Richard Bickerton.

See Brayley's Beauties of England and Wales.—Stone's General View of Huntingdonshire.—And Population Returns. (w. w.)