History of St Neots

St Neots is a town in Cambridgeshire, England, originally developing next to a mediaeval 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 mediaeval times.

This history article covers the modern suburban area of St Neots which includes Eaton Ford, Eaton Socon and Eynesbury

Contents

1 Pre-Roman 2 Roman 3 Anglo-Saxon and Viking Period 4 Norman and Mediaeval History 5 Tudor 6 Stuart and Civil War Period 7 Reference

Pre-Roman

There is evidence for Iron Age and earlier settlement in the vicinity of St Neots, mainly in the valley of the River Great Ouse where soils are easily cultivated.

The first settlements in the valley were in Neolithic times. A hearth from this period was uncovered in Eaton Socon, and there have been isolated flint tools and hand axes. There is rather more evidence from the Bronze Age (pottery, polished stone axes, burial mounds), and from the Iron Age a timber structure (possibly a temple) and several small, Iron Age settlements.

This pre-Roman activity would have altered the natural landscape quite markedly, mostly through the felling of timber to clear fields and construct buildings.

Roman

During the Roman period from the mid 1st century CE to the mid 5th century, the nearest large settlement was at Godmanchester with another at Sandy. A Roman road joined the two and passed close to present-day St Neots, and there are traces of other roads as well. Apart from two villas and some earthworks, only scattered Roman remains exist from St Neots itself, mostly coins and pottery in Eynesbury.

There is no evidence of large scale settlement in Roman times, the area around St Neots was certainly used for farming and was crossed by roads and tracks. Romans and Britons lived and worked here, but not in a town.

Anglo-Saxon and Viking Period

There is some documentary evidence from this period, and also ample archaeological remains, mostly in and around Eynesbury (Ernulf's Burgh), Eaton Socon (Eatun) and the western part of Eaton Ford (Sudbury). The Anglo-Saxon names are in brackets.

Everyday objects have been found such as the clay weights used in weaving, broken pieces of pottery, a quern-stone, a plough share, and an iron axe. Burials from the period contained other objects such as a sword, spears, pagan brooches, and a knife.

A number of buildings have been discovered, some of them substantial; one or two had wooden floors, a sign of some wealth at a time when most people made do with beaten earth. There were a number of settlements in the area that is now St Neots. One of these would have been the early Priory which may not have been on the riverside site of the later, Norman, Priory.

The Angles and Saxons divided the country into administrative areas called hundreds. St Neots and Eynesbury were in the Toseland Hundred while Eaton was in the Barford Hundred.

Following St Augustine's mission to Britain in 597 CE, a mother church was built in Eaton to serve as a focus for a large area on the west bank of the Great Ouse, while at Great Paxton on the east bank, another church served an area including St Neots and Eynesbury. Later in Saxon times Eynesbury built its own church. A little later, the first St Neots Priory was dedicated in 974 CE, and the bones of St Neot brought from Cornwall as holy relics for the new foundation.

The Vikings first brought their longships up the River Great Ouse as far as St Neots in the late 10th Century and St Neot's bones were sent to Lincolnshire for safe-keeping, being restored again by 1020 CE. The Danes seem not to have settled in large numbers in or near St Neots, certainly not displacing the Anglo-Saxons completely.

Norman and Mediaeval History

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 which had been completely rebuilt near the river by 1110. 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.

A castle was built on the riverbank at Eaton (modern Eaton Socon) around 1140 CE, 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 CE. 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 CE a new parish church was built in St Neots, while 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 1300s, but traces of the old fields still remain. These are typical of the strip-farming 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.

The Priory was managed by French monks and belonged to the Norman Abbey of Bec. During the Hundred Years War (from 1338) it was heavily taxed by the crown and avoided by local people and by many of the travellers who would otherwise have lodged there.

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 of these returned to France. An English Prior was appointed in 1409 and the French connection finally broken. By the 1340s the Priory was reported to be semi-derelict with lax discipline, but by 1507 it seems that it had been repaired and was once again thriving.

The parish churches of both St Neots and Eaton Socon were rebuilt in the 1400s, including the tower of St Neots church, still prominent in the town today. Eynesbury church had already been rebuilt in the 1200s. A few non-ecclesiastical buildings remain from the late mediaeval period, though the timber frames were often covered by more recent 'improvements'. One of the best of these buildings was discovered and restored quite recently and is now a jewellery shop. It is pictured on the right.

Tudor

Henry VIII became King in 1509, and when he severed the connection with the Roman Catholic Church, he dissolved and physically destroyed most of the country's monasteries. St Neots Priory was no exception and was forced to close in 1534, the remaining 12 monks being pensioned off. Eight years later the buildings and land were sold while the manor was given to the King's daughter Elizabeth, later to become Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1591 there were 879 people living in Eaton Socon; as Eynesbury and St Neots may both have been a similar size, this suggests a total population of at least 2000. St Neots Grammar School was in existence by 1556 when the schoolmaster was a Mr Faucet. The Priory buildings fell into a state of disrepair, but were still at least partly standing in 1584.

In 1588 a new bridge was built, mainly wooden but with masonry piers in the river. Possibly some of this stone was salvaged from the ruins of the Priory.

Stuart and Civil War Period

The bridge mentioned above was replaced again, probably in 1617, but this time entirely in masonry. The bridge was clearly of great importance as it allowed river traffic to pass without hindrance, and also carried road traffic between the town and the Bedfordshire villages across the river. Other improvements in the same period included sluices downstream towards St Ives and works to make the river navigable upstream to Bedford.

St Neots Manor passed from royal ownership under James I to Sir Sidney Montague. In the Civil War he supported the Royalist or Cavalier cause although his nephew, Edward, supported Parliament. As in most parts of the country, loyalties were mixed, but St Neots was firmly in Parliamentary hands and a detachment of Roundhead troops guarded the town. However, the King passed through the town in 1645 and gathered willing recruits from local people.

In 1648 a small battle took place when a group of 300 Royalists camped in the Market Square overnight. They were surprised and defeated by a smaller group of Roundheads advancing across the bridge, most of them being taken prisoner. A detailed account of the battle can be found in the entry for Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, the leader of the captured Royalist force.

Many of the older buildings in St Neots and Eynesbury were constructed in the years following the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. There were 543 houses in the town in 1674 when records were taken for the Hearth Tax (though some of these may have been in nearby villages). Eynesbury Church was allowed to fall into disrepair during this period, until in 1684 the spire collapsed, causing serious and extensive damage. The building was repaired and the current tower built in 1687.

Reference

Young, Rosa (1996). St Neots Past, Phillimore and Co Ltd. ISBN 1-86-077025-8