Welcome to Alconbury
View over Alconbury Brook and the two bridges in Alconbury, Huntingdonshire
The village and parish of Alconbury in Huntingdonshire.
Alconbury was given by King John to David Earl of
Huntingdon, whose son John gave it to Sir Stephen de Segrave. After
remaining in this family for about a hundred years it passed, by the
marriage of Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of John de Segrave, to
John de Mowbray, circa 1350, and so, by heir-ship, to the Lords
Berkeley. Maurice 5th Lord Berkeley, died seized of it in the 22nd
year of King Henry VII (circa 1507). In the 17th year of King Henry
III (circa 1233) Gilbert Basset, who was an outlaw, attacked and
burnt Alconbury, then the property of his relative, Stephen de
Segrave. John Bedell was Lord of the Manor in 1656, but in 1798 it
was the property of Robert Booth. The present (1910) Lord of the
Manor is G J Rust.
It was in this parish, in the year 1780, that the murder of a
drummer boy by his companion took place, which suggested to Thomas
Barham the poem of “The Dead Drummer of Salisbury Plain.” The site
of the gibbet upon which the murderer was executed in 1786 is still
well known (1910).
Alconbury is a delightful village, with tiny white footbridges
over the brook, white houses with crumpled-up roofs, and an
Elizabethan manor house with dainty gables, it has it its keeping
one of the finest 13th century churches in the county, with a 17th
century farmhouse and an 18th century barn at the gate.
The stately church in Alconbury is famous for its chancel, long and
rather narrow, with stones chiselled in the 12th century in its
rough walls, and a buttress with a fragment fo interlaced carving
thought to be Saxon. Very beautiful are the 13th century lancet
windows. The 15th century roof is carved with bosses and enriched
with eight winged angels, one with a lute thee others with wreaths,
palms and shields. There are traces of original painting on the walls,
and an unusual communion table. A curious incident occurred in
connection with the tower, the belfry and spire which were
thoroughly restored in 1876, but work was scarcely finished when it
was found that the lower part of the tower was unsafe and must be
re-built, and this was accomplished while the upper part was
supported on a stout timber shoring, a circumstance which is now
recorded by a brass in the church.
Alconbury is one of the parishes of the District of
Huntingdonshire, whose administrative centre is
Huntingdon, the other principle towns being
St Ives
home of the Chapel on the Bridge,
St Neots
the largest town in the County of Cambridgeshire, the Roman town of
Godmanchester and
Ramsey
site of the former Abbey.
The box below displays a random selection from the great deals, special
offers and/or SALE items that are available from the
site members but you may follow this link to view all the
current what's HOT in the district.
Forthcoming Events in or around Alconbury
Here are the next five events in the Huntingdonshire Event Diary, the local ones are coloured GOLD and
clicking the title will open links to event detail on this website whilst
following the "Out of Village' events will open in a new window on their
own website. Click 'Show Summary' for exactly what it says,
without going anywhere!
If you are organising an event anywhere if Huntingdonshire then follow this link for information
on how to add a new event and advertise your event on over 50 websites
St Neots Farm and Craft Market Summary
Food and crafts from producers local to St Neots
Event Venue:
- St Neots Market Place
- Address: Market Place, St Neots Road, St Neots.
- Phone: (STD 01480 unless stated otherwise)
Admission:
This event is FREE entry
This event has no compulsory entry charges but may have other fund raising objectives or
or requests for voluntary contributions. Please confirm with the event organiser prior to attendance if
you have any questions.
Ramsey Community Market Summary
Local items from local producers - Ramsey Neighbourhood Trust hold a regular Farmer's and Local Craft Market in Ramsey on the Great Whyte.
Admission:
This event is FREE entry
This event has no compulsory entry charges but may have other fund raising objectives or
or requests for voluntary contributions. Please confirm with the event organiser prior to attendance if
you have any questions.
Huntingdon Street Market Summary
Huntingdons combined Farmers market and Street market
Admission:
This event is FREE entry
This event has no compulsory entry charges but may have other fund raising objectives or
or requests for voluntary contributions. Please confirm with the event organiser prior to attendance if
you have any questions.
Ramsey Community Market Summary
Local items from local producers - Ramsey Neighbourhood Trust hold a regular Farmer's and Local Craft Market in Ramsey on the Great Whyte.
Admission:
This event is FREE entry
This event has no compulsory entry charges but may have other fund raising objectives or
or requests for voluntary contributions. Please confirm with the event organiser prior to attendance if
you have any questions.
Huntingdon Street Market Summary
Huntingdons combined Farmers market and Street market
Admission:
This event is FREE entry
This event has no compulsory entry charges but may have other fund raising objectives or
or requests for voluntary contributions. Please confirm with the event organiser prior to attendance if
you have any questions.