INTRODUCTION TO THE VILLAGE OF STUNTNEY

STUNTNEY HISTORY

The name Stuntney is said to have been derived from two Anglo-Saxon words meaning "the steep island"

Ely was once surrounded by water and a causeway connected Stuntney to the
cathedral town. The floods shown here give some idea of the conditions in past centuries.

The population of Stuntney in 1841 was 220, not much different today.
Before the course of the River Ouse was straightened by the Bishops of Ely in the 12th century it came right up the edge of the island on which the village stood, and Stuntney docks existed on what is now rich agricultural land. Medieval remains, including a large stone coffin, have been unearthed showing that an early civilisation existed near here. The coffin can now be seen in Ely Museum.

The 'Gazeteer & Directory of Cambs 1851' has been the source of the following notes about Stuntney's history:

"Stuntney was one of the oldest possessions of the church of Ely, having ben given by Wolstande Delham, sheriff of Cambridgeshire to the secular clerks who inhabited the monastry before its restoration by King Edgar. On the partition of the estates of the church by Bishop Hervey, Stuntney was one of those assigned for the maintenance of the office of cellarer. After the dissolution, it was not granted with the other possessions of the monastry to the dean and chapter, but granted in 1540 to Sir Edward North. It soon after came into the possession of the Steward family with which it continued until about the year 1723, when it was in the possession of Robert Lightfoot, Esq. It was aftewards in the possession of Francis Bagge, the last of the chief baliffs for the Isle of Ely, and is now (1851) the property of Wm.Harlock, jun., Esq., of Ely. The Stewards were lessees, under the church of Ely, of the rectory of Ely, called the Sectary, and of the tithes of both parishes in Ely. On the death of Sir Thomas Steward in 1636, this estate passed to his nephew, Oliver Cromwell, who in the same year took possession of the rectory-house (now the residence of Mr. Rushbrook, brewer), where he resided much of his time, until he was chosen M.P. for Cambridge in 1640. 'Whilst he resided at Ely,' says the Magna Britannia' he was a warm opponent of the schemes for draining the fens; and it is said that his mind was then at the highest pitch of enthusiasm, absorbed in melancholy, and disgusted both with the religious and civil establishments of the kingdom. He occasionally retired to Ely after the commencement of the war, and being resident there in the month of January 1644, by his personal authority ordered the cathedral service to be discontinued: he first wrote to the 'clergy-vicar' to request that he would desist from using it, but finding that his request was disregarded, he entered the cathedral with a party of soldiers, and with his sword drawn, ordered the vicar 'to leave off his fooling;' and drove the whole congregation from the cathedral.

The village of Stuntney, which is small, is situate on an acclivity commanding an excellent view of Ely. As has been seen from a preceding page, Stuntney, before the drainage of the fens, was a detached island. The manor-house, Stuntney-hall (now a farm-house), which stands on an eminence, was the ancient residence of the Stewards, and afterwards of Oliver Cromwell, who inherited it from them. Several hillocks in the vicinity of the hall are supposed to have been thrown up by the latter, when he was preparing to level his cannon against the cathedral.
Quaney farm, in this township, is also very ancient: the hall, now a farm-house, is supposed to have been once a cell or grange to the abbey. The lord of the manor of Stuntney has in his possession a manorial quit rent and fine book from the year 1735 in an excellent state of preservation."

As can be gathered from these extracts from the 1851 Gazeteer, Stuntney has connections with Oliver Cromwell. Stuntney Old Hall, set in a commanding position just to the north of the Stuntney by-pass, is the manor/farm-house referred to, and Steward Close Stuntney is a reminder of that link.
Today the present owner, local landowner Anthony Morbey, is completing a reconstruction of the building that has already taken 13 years since the plans were first drawn up.

Up to World War II Stuntney depended heavily on agriculture as it had for centuries, with the majority of the male population working on the land or associated trades. The landowners Cole Ambrose Estates, used Shire heavy horses to work the land right up to the nineteen seventies. Shire horses are still kept in the village but they no longer have to work for a living and are kept for breeding and to maintain a long tradition.
For a brief history of Cole Ambrose Estates select here

Stuntney school, which was situated close to the Church, closed in 1983, when it had only 14 pupils. The building is now a private residence. For a history of the origins of Stuntney School and a comprehensive list of names of pupils attending between 1868 and 1901 go to the well researched website run by Sharon Walker of Ely select here

Stuntney had two pubs up to the latter half of the twentieth century. Both are now private residences.
The pictures show the buildings as they are today. Left "The Anchor", right "The Lord of the Manor".

Copies of all photographs lent by local people are available in the Cambridgeshire Local Collection in the Lion Yard Library Cambridge. These may be seen during library opening times. It is intended to show some of these pictures on this page in due course.

Family History and Genealogy Many people these days have an interest in tracing their family roots but this can be a very painstaking and time consuming pastime. We are indebted to Debbie Byrne of Stuntney who has had several years experience of researching this subject and gives this advice:

www.ancestry.co.uk a brilliant site through which you can access all the England and Wales censuses from 1841-1901, the Scottish censuses of 1841 & 1851,and all the civil registrations of birth death and marriages in England and Wales from 1837 to the 1900s. It is a pay per view site but they do offer a 14 day free trial during which you get unlimited access to the records. There are various payment options (I currently pay about £10 per month for unlimited access). Very easy to use. and I've found it invaluable.

www.1837online.com Again this is a pay per view site which gives access to all the civil registrations in England and Wales from 1837 to the 1900s and the 1861 & 1891 England and Wales Censuses. It is not so easy to use as ancestry .co.uk and it is easier to waste money looking at the wrong details. It is, however, the site you must use to order birth marriage and death certificates which are often vital to identify the parents of ancestors and so get back another generation. This site also has a lot of military records including births and marriages of forces serving overseas dating back to the 1800s.

www.familysearch.com Another good site and this time it's free! It gives access to the International Geneaological Index compiled from parish records around the world. The details go back, in some cases, to the 1500s and up to about 1840 and show christening dates with the names of parents and marriage dates with the names of spouses. There is also free access to the 1881 England and Wales census

There are other sites such as GENUKI which give details of the area of interest and links to other sites such as family history societies. The sites above, though, are great for getting the basics of who lived when and where. The only problem wiith family history is that not everyone got married or had their children christened and it wasn't compulsory to register births, deaths and marriages until 1870. However, the later generations can usually be found on the censuses.

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