Huntingdonshire | |
|---|---|
 Huntingdon, the historiccounty town of Huntingdonshire | |
 Huntingdonshire shown within Cambridgeshire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | East of England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Cambridgeshire |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Huntingdon |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Huntingdonshire District Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet |
| • MPs | Ben Obese-Jecty Sam Carling |
| Area | |
• Total | 352.3 sq mi (912.5 km2) |
| • Rank | 34th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 190,619 |
| • Rank | 109th(of 296) |
| • Density | 541.0/sq mi (208.9/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 12UE (ONS) E07000011 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TL1900381334 |
| Website | huntingdonshire |
Huntingdonshire (/ˈhʌntɪŋdənʃər,-ʃɪər/; abbreviatedHunts) is alocal government district inCambridgeshire, England. The district had a population of 180,800 at the2021 census, and has an area of 354.3 square miles (918 km2).[2] The largest towns areSt Neots (33,410),Huntingdon (25,428), andSt Ives (16,815). The district council is based in Huntingdon.
Historically a county in its own right, Huntingdonshire's boundaries were established in the Anglo-Saxon era. Huntingdonshire became anadministrative county in 1889. In 1965, it was merged with theSoke of Peterborough to formHuntingdon and Peterborough, which was in turn merged withCambridgeshire and Isle of Ely in 1974 to form Cambridgeshire, of which Huntingdonshire is now a district.
The area corresponding to modern Huntingdonshire was first delimited inAnglo-Saxon times. Its boundaries have remained largely unchanged since the 10th century, although it lost its administrative function in 1965. On his accession in 1154Henry II declared all Huntingdonshire aforest.[3]
In 1889, under theLocal Government Act 1888 Huntingdonshire became anadministrative county, with the newly-formedHuntingdonshire County Council taking over administrative functions from theQuarter Sessions. The area in the north of the county forming part of themunicipal borough ofPeterborough became instead part of theSoke of Peterborough, an administrative county inNorthamptonshire.In 1965, under a recommendation of theLocal Government Commission for England, Huntingdonshire was merged with the Soke of Peterborough to formHuntingdon and Peterborough. The Lieutenancy county was also merged. At the same time,St Neots was expanded westwards over the river intoEaton Ford andEaton Socon inBedfordshire.
In 1974, under theLocal Government Act 1972, Huntingdon and Peterborough merged withCambridgeshire and Isle of Ely to form the new non-metropolitan county ofCambridgeshire. A Huntingdon district was created based closely on the former administrative county borders, with the exclusion of theOld Fletton urban district, which became part of the Peterborough district, as did the part ofNorman Cross Rural District in Peterborough New Town. The district was renamed Huntingdonshire on 1 October 1984 by a resolution of the district council.[4]
Original historical documents relating to Huntingdonshire are held byCambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies at the County Record Office inHuntingdon.
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (1992) considered in the 1990s the case for making a Huntingdonshireunitary authority as part of a general structural review of English local government that led to unitary authorities in two other English counties that had been abolished:Rutland andHerefordshire.
The draft recommendations envisaged three possible scenarios for structural change in Cambridgeshire: the preferred option and the third option had a unitary Huntingdonshire, whilst the second option would have seen Huntingdonshire combine withPeterborough andFenland to form a "Peterborough and Huntingdonshire" unitary authority. The Final recommendations of the commission for Cambridgeshire recommended no change in the status quo in Cambridgeshire.[5] The districts of Peterborough and Huntingdonshire were referred back to the commission for reconsideration in 1995. The commission recommended the creation of a Peterborough unitary authority, but proposed that Huntingdonshire remain part of the shire county of Cambridgeshire, noting that "there was no exceptional county allegiance to Huntingdonshire, as had been perceived in Rutland and Herefordshire."[6]
David McKie writing inThe Guardian in October 1994 noted that "Writers-in demanded an independent Huntingdon; but MORI's more broadly based poll showed that most Huntingdonians – that is, most of [Prime Minister]John Major's electors – were content to stay part of Cambridgeshire."[7]
Ahead of the government's simplification of local government to only unitary authorities, Huntingdonshire District Council has been developing a business case for reviving Huntingdonshire as a standalone unitary authority.[8]
After the failure to revive the unitary authority, a Huntingdonshire Society was set up to promote awareness of Huntingdonshire as a historic county and campaign for its reinstatement as an administrative and ceremonial entity. In 2002 it established an annual "Huntingdonshire Day" on 25 April, the birthday ofOliver Cromwell.[9][10] After a campaign by the Huntingdonshire Society, thecounty flag of Huntingdonshire, a gold and beribbonedhunting horn on a green field, was registered by theFlag Institute in June 2009.[11]
Huntingdonshire District Council's headquarters are located in Pathfinder House in Huntingdon. The council consists of 52 councillors. Until 2018, district council elections were held in three out of every four years, with a third of the 52 council seats coming up each time. Elections since have been held for all seats every four years.[12] TheConservative party had a majority on the council from 1976 until 2022, after which a joint administration took control of the council.
Huntingdonshire is the birthplace ofbandy, now an IOC accepted sport.[13] According to documents from 1813, Bury Fen Bandy Club was undefeated for 100 years. A club member,Charles Tebbutt, wrote the first official rules in 1882 and helped to spread the sport to other countries.[14]
Huntingdonshire County Cricket Club is taken to be one of the 20minor counties of English and Welsh cricket, but it has never played in theMinor Counties Championship. It has its own Cricket Board and played in theEnglish domestic one-day competition from 1999 to 2003.The county played seven List A matches during this period, with the final List A match it played coming againstCheshire.[15]
In terms of television, Huntingdonshire is served byBBC East andITV Anglia broadcasting fromSandy Heath transmitting station.[16]
Radio stations for the area areBBC Radio Cambridgeshire,Heart East,Greatest Hits Radio East,Star Radio andHCR FM, a community based station that broadcast from its studios inHuntingdon.[17]
The Hunts Post is the local weekly newspaper.[18]
The whole district is divided intocivil parishes. The parish councils for Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Ramsey, St Ives and St Neots take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have aparish meeting rather than a parish council.[19]
Chapelries are listed in italics. Parishes are listed by the fourHundreds of Huntingdonshire.
1no record of a church having ever existed;2now in Bedfordshire;3now in Northamptonshire;4a chapelry to Broughton in Hurstingstone hundred
In order of birth:
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