Cambridgeshire History On The Net

Information about St. Ives circa 1900

ST IVES is a municipal borough, head of a union and a parish, on the north bank of the river Ouse and on the road from Huntingdon to Lynn; it was anciently called " Slepe," and appears under that name in Domesday Book, but acquired its present name from Ivo, a Persian bishop, who, it is said, travelled through the land preaching, and at last came here, where he died about the end of the 6th century. It is 59 miles from London, 5 east from Huntingdon, 14 north-east from St. Neots, in the Northern division of the county, hundred and petty sessional division of Hurstingstone, county court district of Huntingdon, rural deanery of St. Ives, archdeaconry of Huntingdon and diocese of Ely. The Midland, Great Eastern and Great Northern railways have a joint station here, and a line from Ely, via Haddenham and Sutton (Cambridgeshire), to St. Ives was constructed and opened for traffic in 1878 by the Great Eastern Company. St Ives was incorporated as a borough in 1874. The corporation consists of a mayor, four aldermen and twelve councillors. The town is lighted with gas by a company from works on the London road, and is supplied with water by the East Huntingdonshire Water Company, from works at Bourne, in Cambridgeshire, from which place pipes were laid down in 1890. By Local Government Board Order 32,254, dated March 26th, 1896, parts of Fen Stanton and Hemingford Grey were added to St. Ives civil parish. The church of All Saints is an edifice of stone in the Norman and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave with clerestory, aisles, north and south porches and a western tower with spire and pinnacles containing 8 bells and a clock with Handel' s chimes: there are several stained windows, and in the south aisle is a double piscina in the Transition Norman style: the spire was rebuilt in 1879 at a cost of £800, defrayed from the town estate and public subscription, under the direction of Sir A. W. Blomfield kt. M.A., A.R.A.: there are memorial windows to the Rev. Yate Fosbroke M.A. vicar 1839-65, erected in 1867 by parishioners; the Rev. Thomas Smith M.A. and Ann, his wife, d. 1802, erected in 1863 by Mary Ann Smith, their only daughter; Thomas Earl, late of this town, d. 1858, erected in 1861 by his widow and children; and to Wright Ingle, d. 1855, and Elizabeth, his wife, d. 1857: there are others to the Houghton and Britton families, to Benjamin Green esq. d. 1860, and the late Dr. Grove: a new organ and rood screen were in 1894, at a cost of £1,000: the church has sittings for 680 persons. A new burial ground, situated at some distance from the church, was opened in 1869. The register of baptisms and marriages dates from 1561; burials, 1563. One of the parish account books contains, under the date 1634, the signature of Oliver Cromwell, then a resident at St. Ives. The living is a vicarage, with Old Hurst and Woodhurst chapelries annexed, joint yearly value £100, including 200 acres of glebe with residence, in the gift of the trustees of the late G. J. and A. B. Ansley esqrs. and held since 1899 by the Rev. Oscar Wade Wilde M.A. of St. John's College, Oxford, and surrogate.

Abbot Ednoth, in the reign of King Edgar, A.D. 970, erected a church on the site where the remains of Ivo, the Persian bishop, afterwards removed to Ramsey abbey, were said to have been found: and in the year 1070 a Benedictine priory was founded here by Earl Adelmar, and colonised by monks from Ramsey. In the year 1207 the church and buildings were burnt, but were rebuilt, and the monastery continued to exist as a cell to Ramsey till after the Dissolution when, in the 36th of Henry VIII. the site was granted to Sir Thomas Audley. A house, now occupied by Mrs. Frederick Warren, was erected on the spot in 1872, and some portions of the walls of the Priory barn still remain in the garden.

The Free church, on the south side of the Market hill, built in 1864-5 at a cost, including site, of £ 6,000, is an edifice in the Decorated style, with a tower and spire 156 feet in height: there are several stained windows, that in front being the gift of John Warner esq. of this town, and a clock has been placed in the tower at the cost of the inhabitants: connected with the church are school-rooms, a lecture-room and committee room.

The Roman Catholic church is on Needingworth road.

The Baptist chapel has 400 sittings and the Wesleyan chapel 500; there is also a Primitive Methodist chapel, erected in 1895, and a Friends' meeting house with 200 sittings. A Wesleyan chapel is now (1903) in course of erection at a cost of £4,000, to seat 500.

The Cemetery, on the northern outskirts of the town, and covering 2 acres, was opened in 1848. The property is vested in a company of shareholders, whose capital, £1,000, was raised in two hundred £ 5 shares and is under the management of a committee chosen annually. St Ives has a market every Monday for cattle, sheep and pigs; it was granted by charter of King Edward I. about the year 1290. The markets are convenient to the railway station and belong to the corporation. Two fairs are held annually on Whit Monday and the 11th October, for the former a charter was granted in 1110 by Henry I. who privileged it to continue from Whit Monday till the Monday following and all that day; these fairs are largely attended, and great quantities of cattle, sheep and general wares are disposed of.

The Corn Exchange, in the centre of the town and erected by a committee of shareholders in 1864, is now the property of the St. Ives Corn Exchange and Public Hall Company Limited; the average attendance of merchants and farmers on market days exceeds 500; the building is also let for theatricals, public meetings and concerts.

A building was erected in 1884 for the purposes of the Petty Sessions, which are held on Mondays and Thursdays; this comprises a lofty room, magistrates' room and a spacious waiting room for witnesses; the work was carried out under the supervision of Mr. R. Hutchinson, county surveyor, at a cost of £600.

The Police Station, situated in Priory road, includes a residence for the inspector.

The Liberal Club, in the Crown yard, and formerly the Public Institution, was erected in 1848, at a cost of £1,000, and has a large hall, 60 feet in length, 30 in breadth and 18 in height.

The North Hunts Constitutional Club, in the Broadway was erected in 1891, at a cost of £1,000, and contains a large Hall and reading and billiard rooms.

The St. Ives Literary Institute in Free Church passage, established many years ago as a Young Men's Christian Association, consists of reading, lecture and billiard rooms, and a good library of 800 volumes; there are now (1903) 186 members.

A bronze statue of Oliver Cromwell, modelled by Mr. F. W. Pomeroy and erected by public subscription on the Market hill, where the Protector resided in the earlier years of his life, was unveiled 23 Oct. 1901, by Lord E. Fitzmaurice M.P.

The stone drinking fountain in the Broadway, erected a t the cost of E. R. Odams esq. of Fenstanton, in commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria in 1897, was presented by him to the town on the coronation day of King Edward VII. 9 Aug. 1902.

The Masonic lodge, No. 2,684, dedicated to St. Ivo, was opened on the Quay on February 16, 1898; it is pleasantly situated on the riverbank, and comprises a fine lodge room, with a raised dais and a dining room, seating about 60; lodge meetings are hel d on the Wednesday nearest the full moon.

Charities:- Thomas Cordell bequeathed £20 and Robert Langley left in 1856 £40, Thomas Sharp devised in 1697 a piece of land, and Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson, his sister, left £20: of these sums, Langley's and Cordell's, producing £ 3 yearly, is distributed am ong the poor, Sharp and Johnson's gifts are included in the town estate, consisting of a messuage in the Sheep market, workshops and drying sheds, six contiguous cottages in Poor Folks lane, an ozier holt, reeds and rush beds near the same, and a piece of land, called " Town Close" 2a. 36p. with the buildings, the Town lea of 1r. 14p. and an allotment in Kingsbrook field of 3a. 2r.; the proceeds of all these, amounting to about £ 57 yearly, are to be laid out for the repairing of the church and the overplus to be divided among the poor: Robert Wild, of Oundle, Northamptonshire, left by will £ 50, the interest of which is for Bibles, to be distributed by the vicar; in connection with this charity is a curious ceremony still carried out in accordance with the provisions of the will, viz.: that six boys and six girls shall cast dice for the Bibles in church during Divine service: Mrs. Proby, widow of Thomas Proby esq. left £15 yearly for the vicarage: Wright Ingle left by will in 1862 £ 200, the interest of which is to be divided on the longest and shortest days between four poor widows; also £ 100, the interest to be devoted to the repairing of the tombs, tablets and memorial windows erected to any member of the Ingle family: the late Gilbert Ansley esq. at his death left a sum of money to provide three great coats and three cloaks annually for old men and women being natives of the parish.

There are four almshouses in East street, erected in 1885 by John Piggott esq. for four persons of either sex.

A great part of the town was destroyed in 1680 by a fire, which broke out at the end of White Hart lane, on the 30th April in that year; the wind being very high it crossed the Sheep market, consuming everything in its way down to the waterside, and laid in ashes houses belonging to 122 families, besides goods, corn and malt, the whole loss amounting to upwards of £13,000.

One of the most ancient and interesting specimens of domestic architecture in the town is the residence of Mr. John Wadsworth, close to the river and bridge; it contains some very fine oak panelling, and with its many gables presents a most picturesque a ppearance.

The lower parts of the town, built directly on the Ouse banks, have been frequently overflowed; this was particularly the case in November, 1823, when a very high flood occurred, in which a considerable quantity of property was destroyed; destructive floods also occurred in 1875, and during the six years following, which have been very detrimental to the trade of the town. Ove r the river is a stone bridge of six arches, said to have been erected by the abbots of Ramsey; two of the arches were rebuilt in 1716 by William, Duke of Manchester, who also widened the wharf in 1724; near the centre, over one of the piers, is an anci en t building the lower part of which was anciently a chapel, but is now used as a dwelling-house; adjoining the bridge on the south side is a brick causeway on arches, erected in 1822, reaching a considerable distance, the arches affording a free passage f or the water during the overflowings of the river.

Slepe Hall, once the residence of Oliver Cromwell, has been taken down and a number of houses built upon its site.

The Duke of Manchester is lord of the manor. Bateman Brown esq. of Bridge House, Hunting don, Mrs. Helen Paine, Mrs. Lawrence, Thomas Coote esq. of Fenstanton, Messrs. Wells and Walker, Messrs. Northrop, George William Brown, Robert Warner, William W. Warner, and the vicar are the chief landowners.

The area of the parish is 2,296 acres of land and 25 of water; assessable value, £11,181; the population in 1901 was 2,910.

Parish Clerk (deputy), Charles Masters, East street.

Sexton, William Gale, Broadway

PLACES OF WORSHIP, with times of Services.
All Saints' Parish Church, Rev. Oscar Wade Wilde M.A. vicar, & Rev. Claude Arthur Everitt B.A. curate; daily, 8 a.m. & 7 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 8, 10, 11.15 a.m. & 3. & 6.30 p.m.

Friends' Meeting House, Chapel street; 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Thurs. 7 p.m.

Free Church, Market place; Rev. John Hutchinson; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 7.30 p.m.

Particular Baptist (Calvinistic), East street, Rev. Samuel Haynes; 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Tues. 7.15 p.m.; Thurs., 7 p.m.

Roman Catholic Church, Needingworth road, Rev. John P. Arendzen D.D., Ph.D. priest; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

Wesleyan Methodist, Waits (St. Ives & Huntingdon circuit), Rev. Arthur R. Humphreys & Rev. T. H. Fenn; 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Mon. 7.30 p.m.; Thurs. 7 p.m.

Primitive Methodist, Rev. John W. Whittaker; 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Tues. 7.45 p.m.; Thurs. 7 p.m.

SCHOOLS.
St. Ives School, at the west end of the town, a public middle-class school; Phillimore H. Copley B.A. head master.

A School Board of 5 members was formed April, 5 1884; William Arthur Watts, Broadway, clerk to the board; Miss Madeleine W. Stevens, East street, attendance officer.

Board School (boys), North road, built in 1845 & since enlarged, for 236 boys; average attendance, 150; Joseph Hazlitt, master.

Board School (girls), Cemetery road, built in 1839 & enlarged in 1895, for 160 girls; average attendance, 125; Miss Jessie Stewart, mistress.

Infants (Board), erected in 1885, for 180 children; average attendance, 115; Miss Sarah Alice Fish, mistress.

NEWSPAPERS.
Hunts County News; R. Winfrey, proptr.; published Fri. for sat.; branch office, The Pavement.

Huntingdonshire Post, Henry Butterfield, publisher & proprietor; pub. Fri. for sat.; branch office, Broadway.

CONVEYANCE.
Railway Station (Great Eastern), George Henry Pollintine, station master.

G.N.R.A. W. Teasel, agent, Station road; Henry Frederick Corbett, cartage agent, East street

G.E.R. (parcels receiving office), T. Cole, agent, GoIden Lion hotel

Foster's Parcel Express, A. Smith, Broadway, agent

Omnibuses meet all trains from the "Golden Lion" & 'Cow & Hare' hotels

Water Carriers & Lightermen, St. Ives Transport Co. Lim. Quay

CARRIERS with the inns they go from & places they call at.

Bluntisham-Day, White Hart,' Mon. Wed & Fri.
Boxworth-Wayman, 'Crown,' Mon. & Fri.
Broughton-East & Sinclair, 'Cow & Hare,' Mon.
Caxton-Simons, 'Crown,' Mon.
Colne-Day, 'White Hart,' Mon. Wed. & Fri.
Conington-Wayman, 'Crown,' Mon. & Fri.
Earith-West, 'Cross Keys,' Mon.
Elsworth-Braybrook,'White Horse,' Mon.; Chandler, 'Crown,' Mon.; Wayman, 'Crown,' Mon. & Fri.
Eltisley-Cousens, 'Crown,' Mon.
Fen Drayton-Wilderspin, 'Robin Hood,' Mon., & Fri.
Fenstanton-Wayman, 'Crown,' Mon. & Fri.
Fenton-Newman, 'Parrot,' Mon.
Hilton-Simons, 'Crown,' Mon.; Charter, 'Dolphin,' Mon.
Huntingdon-Rayner, 'Crown,' Mon.
King's Ripton-Sinclair, 'Cow & Hare,' Mon.
Needingworth-Day, 'White Hart,' Mon. Wed. & Fri.; West, 'Cross Keys,' Mon.
Oldhurst-Ding, 'Hop Bine,' Mon.
Over-Ambrose, 'Cross Keys,' Mon.
Papworth-Simons, 'Crown,' Mon.
PidIey-Newman, 'Parrot,' Mon.
Ramsey-Stacey, 'Hop Bine,' Mon.; Colbert, 'Crown,' Mon.
Somersham-Penn, 'Cross Keys, Mon. & Fri.
Swavesey-Wilderspin, 'Robin Hood,' Mon. & Fri.; Hepher, 'Robin Hood,' Mon.
Upwood-Sinclair, 'Cow & Hare,' Mon.
Warboys-Ashley, 'Cow & Hare,' Mon.; Noble, 'Crown,' Mon. & Fri.
Willingham-Ambrose, 'Cross Keys,' Mon.; Lack, ' White Hart,' Mon.
Wistow-Squares, 'Crown,' Mon.
Woodhurst-Ding, 'Hop Bine,' Mon.; Reynolds, 'Crown,' Mon. & Fri.

* Kelly's Directory of Huntingdonshire 1903 (London: Kelly's Directories Limited, 1903), pp.47-48.