Bluntisham (St. Mary)
BLUNTISHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of St. Ives, hundred of Hurstingstone, county of Huntingdon, 4½ miles (N. E. by E.) from St. Ives; containing, with Earith township, 1457 inhabitants, of whom 740 are in the township of Bluntisham. This parish, which is bounded for nearly three miles on the south by the navigable river Ouse, contains two portions; the larger forms part of the manor and soke of Somersham, and the smaller a considerable manor belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Ely. In 1741, the place suffered from a dreadful hurricane, which threw down sixty barns and twelve dwelling-houses, and did much damage to other kinds of property. The living is a rectory valued in the king's books at £32. 16. 0½.; net income, £1010; patron, the Bishop of Ely. There is a place of worship for Particular Baptists. Thomas Skeeles, in 1703, devised about 62 acres of fen land, now let for £32 per annum, for the endowment of a school; and the Rev. Samuel Saywell bequeathed 14 acres of pasture land, now let for £55. 10., also for the instruction of children. Lands yielding a considerable rental are also held in trust for the benefit of the poor, amongst whom the produce of other bequests is likewise distributed.
Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.