page_title: History of St Neots
section_title: Norman and mediaeval history
hierarchical_section_title: History of St Neots / Norman and mediaeval history
caption_attribution_description: English: Freeman's Jewellers, 42 High Street, St Neots, Cambridgeshire (formerly Huntingdonshire).The 16th-century timber framing was discovered behind brick facing and restored. I took this photo myself – Chris Jefferies 10:23, 20 Jun 2004 (UTC)
context_page_description: St Neots is the largest town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town originally developed next to a medieval priory in the form of market stalls. These were replaced over the years by permanent structures, which eventually defined the boundaries of today's Market Square. There is some evidence of pre-Roman and Roman activity in the area, but the main story of the town begins with the founding of St Neots Priory in medieval times.
  This history article covers the modern suburban area of St Neots which includes Eaton Ford, Eaton Socon and Eynesbury.
context_section_description: Initial control of the area by the Normans was from Bedford and Huntingdon with the river forming the boundary between the two. There were two manors in Eynesbury in the Barony of Huntingdon, and another in Eaton in the Barony of Bedford.
  Around the year 1080, major changes were initiated in the affairs of the Priory. At the instance of Richard fitz Gilbert and his wife Rohese Giffard to whom the manor of Eynesbury had been given by William the Conqueror, it was refounded as a dependency of the abbey of Bec in Normandy, thus separating it from the Abbey at Ely. Anselm, Abbot of Bec and soon to be Archbishop of Canterbury, visited the town shortly afterwards and took away a small relic of St Neot At the hands of the de Clares, the Priory, which may have been much further west near the Foxbrook, was completely rebuilt near the river by 1110. On her husband's death, Rohais gave her entire manor to the Priory and its monks at the re-dedication ceremony in 1113. It consisted of a church with the bell tower, a refectory, a dormitory, a chapter house, a central cloister area, as well as kitchens, a cellarium for food storage and outbuildings including stables, storage barns, workshops and pigsties. The priory remains are very incomplete, but attempts have been made to draw a plan based on what has been found. Apart from foundations and column bases, other finds include glazed floor tiles, painted wall plaster, fragments of stained glass, and pieces of carved masonry. The gatehouse survived until 1814. Some idea of what it may have looked like can be seen by visiting Binham Priory in Norfolk.
   A castle was built on the riverbank at Eaton (modern Eaton Socon) around 1140, apparently without permission of the monarch. It was probably of timber construction and may never have been completed, but the earth mound still exists and can be seen from the path along the opposite bank. The castle was demolished about 15 years later by order of Henry II.
  St Neots Priory was now holding a weekly market, a right given by charter around 1130. The market stalls were set out next to the Priory, in the area where today's Market Square still stands. A wooden bridge was built to replace the old ford, and a system of tolls was set up. By the end of the 12th century, the infant town of St Neots was a busy, prosperous place; almost a twin of the older settlement at Eynesbury.
  Around 1200, a new parish church was built in St Neots, possibly on the site of the original Priory, while had moved to a stone structure by the river to the north of the Market. Meanwhile, Eynesbury and Eaton Socon parish churches were rebuilt around the same time. The Priory became highly respected and extremely wealthy during this period, and the settlements of Eynesbury, St Neots, and Eaton Socon were prosperous too. This was partly due to the presence of the Priory and partly due to river and road traffic, especially along the Great North Road between London and central England.
  There was a small settlement called Sudbury based around the manor owned by the de Sudbury family (now Crosshall, part of Eaton Ford). The manor fell into disrepair in the early 14th century, but traces of the old fields still remain. These are typical of the open field system of that time, the town was surrounded by field strips and areas of common land, with water meadows and reed beds close to the river. These would have provided most of the food and materials necessary for the local population, timber would have been taken from the abundant woodland on the higher ground.
  Because the Priory was an 'alien house', that is, it belonged to a French order, it suffered from intermittent confiscations during the Hundred Years' War from 1338, as well as the payment of an annual fee which amounted to over half their annual income. In addition, it was ostracised by pilgrims and travellers cutting off another source of income.
  The Black Death struck St Neots in 1348, spreading very quickly and resulting in the deaths of about 35% of the population. In 1378, only seven monks remained in the Priory, and three 
caption: 15th century building in St Neots
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