Circular Walk to Godmanchester

On our September 2022 visit to Huntingdon, England, we did a short circular walk to the town of Godmanchester, just over the River Great Ouse. We did the walk in the late afternoon/early evening, midweek. The weather was perfect.

We started by walking across the Old Bridge, which is a medieval stone bridge along the Roman Road known as Ermine Street. A Roman settlement called Durovigutum existed here at Godmanchester from around 43 AD to the 400s AD.

On the banks of the River Great Ouse at Huntingdon, with the Old Bridge and Riverside Mill (now residential units) in the background

We walked down the Godmanchester high street for a bit then veered west on Mill Yard towards the famous Chinese Bridge (a wooden pedestrian bridge). This area was so peaceful! We also found it to be a lot more picturesque and safer for pedestrians than Huntingdon, which has a busy ring road ‘round the town center.

The Post House caught my eye - interesting shape

Thatched roofs and swans - what more can you ask for?

My husband resting at Godmanchester Chinese Bridge

We then headed back to Huntingdon via Portholme meadow, the largest floodplain meadow in England! It is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Conservation Area, and it has a footpath which everyone can use. Public footpaths are a foreign concept in the United States, but one of my favorite parts of traveling in England. Instead of having to go all the way around a field, you can just cut through!

Portholme Meadow was so large and so flat that its expansiveness felt a little frightening at first. We were also nervous to walk among the cows, as this is just not something we do on a regular basis, but we made sure not to get too close to them. We arrived on the other side of the meadow unscathed and treated ourselves to dinner and a pint.

Crossing Portholme Meadow, looking back towards Godmanchester

My Huntingdon ancestors probably did this walk many times. It was neat to follow in their footsteps!

Back in Huntingdon, which is probably (hopefully) the only town with an Oliver Cromwell rubbish bin.

William Beresford, bricklayer and billet master

My 4th great-grandfather William Beresford (1786-1855) was a bricklayer in Huntingdon, England. He had 5 children with his first wife Mary Anne Callow: Two boys who died in infancy (William and Henry) and three girls who survived to adulthood (Mary Ann, Sarah, and Rhoda). I don’t have any photographs of William, but I’ve been able to find quite a lot of information on him through online research, which I supplemented with an in-person visit to the Huntingdonshire Archives in September 2022. 

William’s signature and seal from his will, signed in 1852

Bricklayer

William contributed to the construction and maintenance of numerous buildings in Huntingdon. The following is a list of projects for which William was paid or reimbursed, according to the Huntingdon Borough records (Corporation Accounts) held at the Huntingdonshire Archives:

1814: Bricklaying for Walden’s Charity School

1817: Mending floor at Guard House

1838: Bricklaying, fixing chimney at Town Hall 

1841: Bricklaying at Station House

Huntingdon Town Hall, September 2022

Constable

Around 1830 William took on a side job: He was appointed parish constable for St John’s parish, Huntingdon. This was basically police duty for the northern end of town and was not a full-time position, but it may have been quite time-consuming on occasion. For example, in the summer of 1837, after Queen Victoria ascended to the throne, William received £2.4.0 for “constable expenses re: proclamation of the Queen” (Huntingdon Borough Records, Corporation Accounts). I’m very curious what these duties entailed, but the records do not go into any details.

In 1833, William helped catch a thief named William Douse, aged 24, who was wanted for burglary and for previously escaping from the county gaol (spelling variant of jail). William Beresford’s court testimony on his pursuit and capture of Douse appeared in the local paper. Douse was found guilty and initially sentenced to death but was later transported as a convict to Australia.

William Beresford’s witness testimony reported in the 16 March 1833 issue of the Huntingdon, Bedford, and Peterborough Gazette

As parish constable William was also in charge of quartering troops. He is referred to in Huntingdon Borough Records as “billet master” and in 1841 he received £2 as “½ yrs salary for billeting soldiers.” Based on the Third Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, I’m going to assume this wasn’t an enjoyable task, but at least he received some compensation.

Landlord

In later years William is referred to as a “proprietor of houses” (i.e., landlord) and “yeoman” (land owner) of Huntingdon. His will, written in 1852, mentions five freehold properties in the area of Priory Lane and St Germain Street and four freehold properties in St Mary’s Lane, all occupied by renters. He also refers to a leasehold property in the North End as his own dwelling.

I really wanted to figure out the exact location of William’s house and see if the building is still standing, but I didn’t get very far without a proper address. In his 1841 and 1851 Census records, his location was simply recorded as “The North End.” I walked around the area and looked at a few houses that might have been his.

One of many buildings on Huntingdon’s “North End”

Linens ‘n Things

William died at age 69 of a stroke (death record obtained from the General Register Office, 1855 D Quarter in Huntingdon, Volume 03B, page 153). The Huntingdonshire Archives holds the inventory of his estate, which I have transcribed, word for word, as follows:

Inventory and valuation of household furniture and effects belonging to the late Mr. Wm. Beresford of Huntingdon taken 21 December 1855.

Seven pairs of sheets

Eight pairs pillow cases

Eighteen towels

Six tablecloths

Two counterpanes

Two silver tablespoons

Twelve teaspoons

Two plated sugar bowls

Wainscot bureau 

Ditto dining table

Ditto dressing table

Oval mahogany table

Two elbow chairs

Three chairs

Piece of carpet and rug

Pair window curtains

Two tea trays and waiter

Wheel barometer

Chimney glass

Two pictures and roll blind

Three table cloths

Fender and fire irons

Eight beakers and one decanter

Twelve wine glasses

Two pitchers and crockery ware

Tin broiler etc.

Set of tea china

Six elm chairs

One elbow ditto

Thirty-hour clock

Small round table

Round deal table

Square ditto

Tea tray and waiter

Fender and shovel

Five [can’t decipher] and ten plates

Flat iron and candlestick

Three saucepans etc.

Sundry courseware

Painted double chest of drawers

Four post bedstead and furniture

Mattress

Feather bed bolster and two pillows

Four blankets and quilt

Night conveniency

Mahogany chest of drawers

Three painted chairs

Five pieces carpet and rug

Dressing table and glass

Baton stand

Oak chest

Window curtain and blind

Four post bedstead and curtains

Mattress

Feather bed bolster and two pillows

Four blankets and quilt

Three chairs

Piece of carpet

Window curtain and blind

Oak chest of drawers

Dressing glass

Stair carpet

Large family Bible

Wearing apparel

All the above effects are valued at the sum of twenty-nine pounds fifteen shillings and six pence (£29.15.6) by me George Morris Fox, Licensed appraiser, Huntingdon

A leasehold brick and slated dwelling house situate at the North End of the Borough of Huntingdon thirty-eight years unexpired [i.e., built in 1817] at a ground rent of one pound ten shillings per annum valued at fifty pounds (£50.00) by me George Morris Fox, Licensed appraiser, Huntingdon

It sounds as though William Beresford lived comfortably, in a house with at least two bedrooms, some nice furniture, and plenty of linens. I would love to have seen his decanter, the clock, the wheel barometer, and everything else listed! I have no clue what happened to the family Bible. Maybe it has sadly disintegrated by this point or ended up in a charity/resale shop. But I enjoyed reading the inventory of his household, picturing how the interior might have looked, and gaining more insights into this ancestor.