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.

The county has four hundreds, with six market-towns, and 104 parishes, the total population of which amounted in 1801 to 37,568, in 1811 to 42,208, in 1821 to 48,771, and in 1831 to 53,100. The occupiers of land employing labourers were 857, of land employing no labourers 397, of labourers employed in agriculture 5967, of persons employed in manufactures 290, of those employed in retail trade and handicraft 3488, of capitalists, bankers, &c. 401, of labourers not agricultural 971, of male servants 454, other males twenty years of age 649, and female servants 1941.

The principal towns, and their population, are,— H un tin gdon 3267

St Ives 3314

Ramsey 3006

St Neots 2617

Godmanchester 2146

Kimbolton 1584

The county returns two members to the House of Commons, the voters are about 3200, and the places for poling are Huntingdon and Stilton. The borough of Huntingdon also returns two members.

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 enclosures or many woods; the higher part was anciently a forest, and still contains a great extent of woodland, the foliage of which 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 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 Northamp [7:11:758]tonshire, and runs to the marshes; it is also navigable along 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 U gg-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 cen carried into execution.

The county of Huntingdon scarcely contains any 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. 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 cole-seed; the mills for making the latter into oil are numerous. The hay produced from these 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 expense 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 the land of a quality somewhat inferior, a three-course rotation of fallow, wheat, and peas or beans, is pursued. In those fields which 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 L.200 per annum.

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, and 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; amongst 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 Bluntishara, 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; Connington 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.)