History of St Neots
There is evidence for Iron Age and earlier settlement in the vicinity of St Neots, mainly in the valley of the River Great Ouse, where soils are easily cultivated.
The first settlements in the valley were in Neolithic times. A hearth from this period was uncovered in Eaton Socon, and there have been isolated finds of flint tools and hand axes. There is rather more evidence from the Bronze Age (pottery, polished stone axes, burial mounds), and from the Iron Age, a timber structure (possibly a temple) and several small Iron Age settlements.
This pre-Roman activity would have altered the natural landscape quite markedly, mostly through the felling of timber to clear fields and construct buildings.
Anglo-Saxon and Vikings
The Anglo-Saxon period left substantial archaeological evidence across St Neots, particularly in Eynesbury, Eaton Socon and Eaton Ford, with excavations uncovering everyday objects and burial goods. The first St Neots Priory was dedicated in 974 with the bones of St Neot brought from Cornwall as holy relics.
Remains of the Norman castle
A castle was built at Eaton Socon around 1140 but was demolished 15 years later by order of Henry II – the earth mound still exists today. St Neots Priory received a charter for a weekly market around 1130, and by the end of the 12th century, the town was prosperous, benefiting from its location on the Great North Road.
St Neots Museum
The Museum was opened in 1995, in what was the Old Court – a former police station and law court building on New Street.
The museum presents the history of the busy market town of St Neots on the River Ouse, from prehistoric times onwards and includes the original early 20th-century gaol cells where prisoners were detained.
Learn about the life of St Neot himself, the medieval priory that once thrived here, and the Civil War battle of St Neots. Discover the story of the Great North Road and the coaches that made St Neot’s such an important staging post, and how the town changed with the coming of the railroad in 1851.
Victorians and industrialisation
Industrialisation began in St Neots in the 18th century, with the town making notable contributions to paper making when the Fourdrinier brothers’ continuous roll process was first implemented at St Neots Mill in 1808. Brewing became more industrial, with the Priory Brewery owned by John Day from 1814, who demolished the Priory Gatehouse for brewery access and provided the town’s first street lamps. St Neots also became known for gas appliances through George Bower’s foundry. By the late 20th century, de-industrialisation affected the town with the loss of major employers including Courtaulds, Samuel Jones and Paine’s Brewery, while new housing developments expanded the town between the 1985 bypass and the railway.
History buff?
If you’re curious about the town’s past, original documents are preserved at the Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies Centre at the County Record Office in Huntingdon.
