Soham Roots - The History of Soham and district.

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SOHAM PARISH
Genealogy and Local History, East Cambridgeshire.

Local History
In and around the Soham parish.

The fires in Soham in the 1840's.

Below are three very interesting reports and trials reported in the Cambridge Chronicle during the time of the many fires that were being started deliberately in Soham during the 1840's, more will be added as we find them.

Fire in Hall Street on the 28th June 1846.
Those on trial were Richard Peacock, Philip Radford, Robert Scarrow, William Norman and Edward Thoroughgood.

The Great fire destroying much of Hall Street on the 5th July 1846.
Those on trial were Cornelius Harvey and his nephew James Harvey.

Fire on the property of John Owers on the 31st December 1846.
On trial Josiah Munson.

17th century trade tokens for Soham.
Hovell Joanes, Thomas Trowell, Mary & John Kent, Nathaniell Stearne
& Rob Crow.

Archaeological finds in the Fordham Road Cemetery.
Including what is thought to be a bronze girdle hanger shown on the left.

King Canute at Soham in the 11th century.
Based on the narrative of the Liber Eliensis, is told in Mr. Millers interesting book entitled "The Camp of Refuge".
A copy of this book is held in the Soham Roots collection.

A riot in the fens at Burwell near Soham in 1851.
As reported on the 8th March 1851.

Looking back compilations: Soham, by Mike Petty.
These stories relating to Soham appeared in the Cambridge daily newspapers.

The Cholera epidemic in the Soham area in the mid 19th century.
The first cholera epidemic in the British Isles started in Sunderland in the autumn
of 1831, the first victim was Ellen Hazard a 12 year old girl.

Soham described and Freeholders by Edmund Carter of Cambridge in 1753.
Mr. Edmund Carter was a schoolmaster in Cambridge then afterwards at Chelsea.

Saint Felix of Burgundy in Soham, the first Bishop of the East Angles.
St Felix was brought from the Burgundian territory by Sigebert an East Anglian King in the 7th century, and founded a monastery in Soham around AD 630.

Particulars concerning the Manor of Soham.
The following has been abstracted from deeds found in the old vicarage,
St Andrews House.

The ancient practise of perambulation of bounds.
Walking the parish boundaries of Soham in 1601.

Supergrass in Soham in 1822.
A CHARIVARI or skimmington was one way in which a community could show disapproval of anti social or deviant behaviour.

The Railway in Soham.
The need for a railway in Soham was being discussed by the businessmen of Soham in the early 1840's.

Ancestors in the news.
Abstracts from newspapers from the 18th century onwards containing articles on past residents of the Soham parish and surrounding area.

Election of the Knights of the Shire in 1722.
Names of those that voted in the Soham parish, extracted from the Soham Parochial Magazines held in the Soham Roots collection.

Seats of the Nobility and Gentry in Cambridgeshire in 1851.
From the History Gazetteer & Directory of Cambridgeshire & the Isle of Ely.
Published by Robert Gardener in 1851. signed by John Drage Camps of Haddenham in 1864. The above publication is held in the Soham Roots collection.

Hearth Tax for Soham.
For the years 1662 and 1664.

Soham Cemetery Inscriptions.

This Record of the Monumental Inscriptions at the Fordham Road Cemetery, Soham, was made by Tim and Julie Webb of Soham between 2004 and 2010 as time permitted. This electronic version comprises the full text of the transcript, with the addition of photographs of the graves as well as purchase and burial details taken from the original purchase and burial registers.

Safe for all ages.

Quakers of Cambridgeshire
and the Isle of Ely.

This is a very interesting book that we have extracted the Cambridgeshire part from, the full title of the book is, A Collection of the Sufferings of the People called Quakers, and was published in 1753, but gives accounts as far back as 1653, has many names from this area and details of what became of them including their punishments because of their Faith, is an absolutely fascinating read.

Cambridgeshire and
Huntingdonshire Leaders.

A great resource for anyone with interest in the political and social history of both Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire

Cures for Beasts.

This is a little handwritten book dated 1817 in our possession, that once belonged to a local Live Stock Farmer, it is unique and is a book of recipes of old fashioned Cures for all manner of disorders in Cattle, Sheep and Horses, you can read how they cured these things with local ingredients, some sound pretty hair raising. Only available from us.

CREDITS