Buckden (St. Mary)

BUCKDEN (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of St. Neot's, hundred of Toseland, county of Huntingdon, 4 miles (S. W. by W.) from Huntingdon; containing 1209 inhabitants. In the reign of Henry I., the manor was granted by the abbot of Ely to one of the bishops of Lincoln, whose successors always resided here, till this part of the diocese was transferred to the see of Ely: the episcopal palace is a venerable structure, still standing. The parish is situated on the great north road, and bounded on the east by the navigable river Ouse; it comprises 3039 acres, the surface of which is in general flat. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8; net income, £171; patron, the Bishop of Lincoln. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1813; the glebe contains 76 acres, with a glebe-house. The church has a tower surmounted by an elegant spire, and contains the remains of Bishops Barlow, Sanderson, and Green. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. William Burberry, in 1558, bequeathed property now producing £120 per annum, for distribution among the poor.