Scandal in Littleport and the tragic end of the Vicar in India

Scandal in Littleport and the tragic end of the Vicar in India

The son of a wealthy Huntingdonshire attorney who later moved to Ely, George Peacock was well educated, eventually entering Queen’s College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a B.A. degree in 1734. He was ordained a priest in 1736 at Lincoln and was given a curacy in Norfolk. Whilst in Norfolk he met and fell in love with a butcher’s daughter, much to the displeasure of his father who thought the girl ignorant and below his…

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The Littleport Society’s Roger Rudderham tells us about the Great Shire Horses of Littleport

The Littleport Society’s Roger Rudderham tells us about the Great Shire Horses of Littleport

The English Shire Horse is not a native breed to this country, it was imported by the Normans after their conquest of England in 1066. Its massive size and strength made it an ideal war horse for the steel-clad knights, as well as for pulling heavily laden carts and wagons. This huge horse was, primarily black in colour, was a distinct European breed and was generally referred to as the “old black horse,” a name…

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Littleport Riots!

Littleport Riots!

Between the 22nd and the 24th of May 1816 Littleport rioted against the injustice of so many of its people starving! There had been a very hard winter and spring hadn’t alleviated the spiralling costs of staple foods. There was little work to be found in and around the farms in the area. Therefore the fact that it is on record that average wages were about 8 to 9 shillings (£31 – £35) a week…

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Spotlight on the Littleport Society

Spotlight on the Littleport Society

Since March The Littleport Society has been unable, due to the Covid-19 pandemic to hold any open meetings, or committee meetings, and the Archive & Collection at the Barn has also remained closed. However, the Society has continued to function. We have continued to produce our quarterly magazine, keep our website and Facebook page updated, fulfil book orders, and answer enquiries, and we are pleased to announce a new 2021 Then & Now Calendar will…

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The Littleport Society

The litleport Society’s Roger Rudderham tells us about Littleport’s Fishing History! And some medieval poaching stories! The Littleport Society cancelled all its meetings and events due to the advice given during the pandemic, and the Archive & Collection was also closed to visitors. The work of the Society, nevertheless continued and goes on. We are busy with answering many queries coming in via e-mail, preparing the Summer edition of the Magazine, and we have also…

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The Littleport Society

The Littleport Society

Caring for our heritage, our present and our future. What is The Littleport Society? A group of people who voluntarily work together in the interests of the community of Littleport. Founded in 1987 it is a non-political, non-sectarian organisation whose membership is open to residents and non-residents of all ages. Membership is open to anyone who has connections with, or an interest in, Littleport – wherever they might live! We have members as far afield…

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Littleport’s Phoney War – A Period Exhibition and Film Show

Littleport’s Phoney War – A Period Exhibition and Film Show

Preparing for Invasion The old Blockhouse near the edge of a field on the left as you travel beside the river towards Queen Adelaide from The Swan on the River, formerly The Black Horse pub, is a reminder of what was going on all over East Anglia and the South East of England eighty years ago. From September 1939, in ports all along the northern coast of mainland Europe, Hitler was massing barges full of…

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From the Littleport Society: Your Village Heritage – Can you help?

From the Littleport Society: Your Village Heritage – Can you help?

The Littleport Society is looking for volunteers to help on Tuesday afternoons at The Barn and/or to join the Committee. We have a fabulous collection of thousands of objects, photographs, film, family history records and an archive, all relating to Littleport. Our volunteers help with cataloguing, exhibitions, social media, admin, databasing, family history research, helping visitors at The Barn, digitising, publications, and looking after the collection. Whatever your interest in your heritage you will be…

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A Tribute to Sister Joyce Louisa Rawkins

A Tribute to Sister Joyce Louisa Rawkins

Joyce died on Wednesday the 12th June 2019 after a few days in Addenbrookes Hospital, and she will be so sadly missed by everyone who knew her and that is a vast number of people. This includes so many of the folk that read this publication as well as countless others in many parts of our country. I recall that whenever I showed slides of my long walks in various parts of our country she…

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Spotlight on the Littleport Society – Treasured Memories

Spotlight on the Littleport Society – Treasured Memories

‘The poetry of history lies in the fact that once, on this earth, once, on this familiar spot of ground, walked other men and women, as actual as we are today, thinking their own thoughts, swayed by their own passions, but now all gone, one generation vanishing into another, gone as utterly as we ourselves shall shortly be gone, like ghosts at cockcrow.’ – G.M. Trevelyan This famous historian’s quote underlines the importance of preserving…

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