Welcome to St Neots

St Neots is the largest town in Cambridgeshire, and since 1113 when the Priory of St Neots came into being has been an important bridge-head over the River Great Ouse. It is this bridge, and the convergence of the main roads from Huntingdon, Kimbolton and Bedford, around, which the prosperity of the town of St Neots has developed. The town of St Neots had its origin in the foundation of a small monastery, by Earl Alric and his Countess Ethelfleda about the year 974. This was burnt by the Danes in 1010, but was re-founded as a cell of the Monastery of Bec, in Normandy, in 1078 by Richard Clare and Rohais his wife. In 1409 the House was made an indigenous priory, and so remained until the Dissolution, when the site of the Priory and its demesne lands were granted to Sir Richard Cromwell. Round this little monastery the town of St Neots sprang up upon the land which really formed part of Eynesbury; it quickly, however obtained the name of Neotsbury, from which its present name has been evolved. It has a very fine market place, and an ancient bridge (1910) over the River Ouse. The manor was granted by James I in 1620, to Richard Lucy, by whom it was sold in 1631, to Sir Sidney Montagu, ancestor of the Earl of Sandwich, who is now Lord (1910).

 

Eynesbury

 

Eynesbury belonged at the time of the Domesday Survey, to the Countess Judith, from whom it passed to her son-in-law, St de Liz, whose daughter appears to have brought it in marriage to Saher de Quincy, who however, held it as of the Honour of Huntingdon. On the death of Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester, in 1264, two thirds of the manor passed to his eldest daughter, Margaret, wife of William Ferrers, Earl of Darby, from whom they descended to the Lords Ferrers of Chartley, in which family it remained until 1548. The other third part of the Manor passed to Roger’s second daughter, Elena, wife of Alan la Zouche, of Ashby de la Zouche, and so came to Maurice Berkeley.

 

The sub-manor of Eynesbury Berkeleys, was given to Thomas Lord Berkeley, on his marriage with Joan, daughter of William de Ferrers and Margaret Quincy, and it remained in his family until 1538. Eynesbury Cressener’s was a sub-manor held in the 15th century from the Lords of Ferrers of Chartley by the Cressener family. Eynesbury Buckley derives its name from the Buckleys who held it in the 16th century.

All the above four manors were held by the Dyers, of Great Staughton, from about 1590 to 1621, about which time they were sold to Sir Oliver Luke, and after some changed of ownership, came by purchase to Sir Sidney Montague, ancestor of the present Lord, the Earl of Sandwich (1910).

 

James Toller “the young English giant,” was born in Eynesbury in August 1798. At the age of eighteen he stood 8 feet 1 ½ inches in height, his feet measuring 15 inches each in length. He lived only about twenty years, and was buried in the church.

 

St Neots today has thrown off the dismal overcoat of the 20th Century and in recent years transformed itself into a "town in a garden". St Neots is one of the five principal towns in the District of Huntingdonshire, the others being Huntingdon, St Ives and Ramsey site of the former Abbey and the Roman town of Godmanchester. Realising that it has some of the best assets any town could wish for; the huge Riverside Park with the River Great Ouse running through it, the old industrial and commercial buildings of the 19th Century most of which have now been tastefully transformed into vibrant modern shops, offices or apartments to die for, an enormous Market Place that provides not only parking in the middle of town - now there's a rare novelty - but also still fulfils its role as a proper market place but best of all on a couple of occasions each year it can all be cleared for a fun fair or other special public event.

 

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