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In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Huntingdonshire like this:
Huntingdonshire, Huntingdon, or Hunts, inland co., South Midland District, England; is bounded W. and N. by Northamptonshire, E. by Cambridgeshire, and S. by Bedfordshire; greatest length, N. and S., 30 miles; greatest breadth, E. and W., 23 miles; 229,515 ac.; pop. 59,491. About a fourth of the co. ...
(in the NE.) forms a portion of th e great "fen" district, the remainder consisting of a succession of gentle hills and dales. Huntingdonshire is almost wholly devoid of trees, and may be described as an agricultural and pastoral co. Scientific farming has of late greatly stimulated the productiveness of the soil, and the arable farms of the upland districts are peculiarly noted for superior grain. Green crops, also of excellent quality, are obtained, while market gardening and cattle rearing form profitable employments. Willows are the chief product of the fen district. (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix.) The Nen, in the N. and NW., annd the Ouse, in the interior, are the chief rivers; both are navigable for barges. The geology of Huntingdonshire belongs to the Oolite system: many fossils are found, and the hills on the W. abound with stone brash, or forest marble. With the exception of papermaking and the preparation of parchment, there are no mfrs. of more than local importance. The co. is almost entirely in the diocese of Ely. It conntains 4 hundreds; 103 pars., with parts of 6 others; the mun. bors. of Huntingdon, Godmanchester, and St Ives; and a part of the city of Peterborough. For parliamentary purposes the county is divided into 2 divisions - viz., Huntingdon or Southern, and Ramsey or Northern - each returning 1 member.
Vision of Britain presents long-run change by redistricting historical statistics to modern units. However, none of our modern units covers an area close to that of Huntingdonshire. If you want trends covering a particular location within the county, find it on our historical maps and then select "Tell me more".
How to reference this page:
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Huntingdonshire | Map and description for the county, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/17255
Date accessed: 07th February 2026
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Huntingdonshire".
