Sawtry, Hertfordshire

Historical Description

Sawtry, a town in Herts, situated on the Great North Road, 4 miles SW from holme station on the G.N.R., and 8 NNW from Huntingdon. It formerly consisted of the three parishes of All Saints, St Andrew, and St Judith, but in 1886 the parishes of All Saints and St Andrew were amalgamated into one now known as Sawtry All Saints and St Andrew. Area of the parish of Sawtry All Saints and St Andrew, 3341 acres; population, 989; of Sawtry St Judith, 2932 acres; population, 174. There is a parish council for All Saints and St Andrew consisting of eleven members. The town has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Peterborough. A Cistercian abbey was founded here by the Earl of Northampton in 1147, which lasted until the dissolution of monasteries, but which has since wholly disappeared. Many Roman coins have been found. The manor, which includes the two parishes, belongs to Lord Chesham, who owns much of the land. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely; net value, £230 with residence, in the gift of the Duke of Devonshire and Viscount Valentia alternately. There were formerly two churches-one dedicated to All Saints and one to St Andrew-but these were pulled down in 1880, and the materials were used for the erection of the new church of All Saints, which is a building in the Early Decorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, and western bell-turret. It has a brass of 1404. The parish of Sawtry St Judith has no church, the inhabitants attending the church of All Saints. There is a Wesleyan chapel.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Sawtry from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Sawtry (St. Judith))

Land and Property

A full transcript of the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Hertfordshire is online.

Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Hertfordshire newspapers online:

• Hertford Mercury and Reformer
• Herts Guardian, Agricultural Journal, and General Advertiser
• Watford Observer

Visitations Heraldic

The Visitations of Hertfordshire, 1572 and 1634. Edited by Walter C. Metcalfe, F.S.A. is available on the Heraldry page.