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Grafham
Grafham maps
Historic maps of Grafham and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Grafham maps
Grafham photos
We have no photos of Grafham, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Ellington| Buckden| Spaldwick| Brampton| Great Staughton| Offord Cluny| Kimbolton| Offord D'arcy| Huntingdon| Godmanchester| St Neots| Eaton Socon| Hartford| Old Weston| Abbots Ripton
Grafham area books
Displaying 1 of 10 books about Grafham and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Grafham
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Cambridgeshire memories
Spaldwick Windmill & The Belton Family
The Belton family has a long association with Spaldwick as millers, witnessed by a hill being in the family name, (O.S. map 153), just north of the village.
My mother's sister Violet Bass, from nearby Kimbolton, was married to John Belton.
John, my uncle, inherited the windmill as well as a further windmill at Alconbury and a *water driven mill at Houghton, now owned by the National Trust. The Belton family had a very healthy corn milling business in this area of Huntingdonshire, (sad that it had to be gobbled up by Cambs.). I have documents associated with the business as well as John's 'verge' pocket watch, which formerly belonged to a "Charles" Belton, (father?). I have also, letters written to John's mother when he was in France in WW1 and a number of French embroidered postcards which were popular with soldiers.
Why 1955? Well it was around this time that I visited the mill as a teenager and was saddened to see it in its dilapidated state. The... Read more
The Cooper Family
My family, the Coopers, lived in Spaldwick from 1800-1900 if not before.
My great-great-grandfather, Daniel Cooper, was a baker, corn seed merchant and the registrar for births, deaths and marriages in the Spaldwick area.
There are stained glass windows in Spaldwick church dedicated to him and his wife, Susan Jellis, and their children and four very prominent gravestones in the churchyard.
His son married Ann Horsford in 1881. Her father, James, a land owner, had a brother John who married Ann Belton.
In the 1857 census there was a three-year-old John Belton living with my great-great-great-grandfather John Horsford and his wife Ann Griffin. It was their son John who married Ann Belton.
John Belton
John Belton who wrote the postcards was the son of John (Horsford) Belton who was master at Spaldwick mill in the 1901 census, he was my G.G.G Uncle. John H was the son of my G.G.G.Grandfather Benjamin Belton who's father was Charles and he had a brother Charles he was born in Spaldwick approx 1818. I have lots more details. G.Chandler111@btinternet.com
Ghosts in Spaldwick!
I only lived in Spaldwick for about 6 months from December 1968 to May 1969. Just married, with a baby, we rented a farm cottage to the west (?) of the village green, the lane leading to the church was next to it. One night in January or February all was quiet on a very cold and frosty night. We were both fast asleep until my wife woke me and said "Someone's knocking on the back door!". We both crept downstairs and indeed there was a loud knocking on the door. I picked up a poker and moved to the door,I was more angry than scared and as quick as I could I threw the bolt and opened the door, there was nothing there. I went out and had a good look round but there was not a sign of anyone. Our garden backed onto the cemetery! I cannot explain this at all and it never occurred again while we were there but I never forgot! I think about this... Read more
The 'Valet' Shop in Brampton in The 1960s
Does anyone remember the 'Valet' shop that used to be near the High Street entrance to the Village Park? It was sort of a haberdashers but the lady also used to take in dry cleaning and shoe mending. It was a portakabin type building and there was one lady who used to run it. I wish we'd taken a photo. We moved to Brampton around 1965 and I remember it being around for a while after that.
My Great (x3) Grandad Was Olivia Sparrows Footman
This memory relates to the late 1830s and early 1840s. My great x3 grandfather, William Makepeace, was Olivia Bernard Sparrow's Footman. A number of his children, including my great-great-grandmother Louisa Makepeace who became Louisa Hornshaw, were born at Brampton Park, as also was my great x3 Aunt Lucy who died in Bradford, West Yorkshire and used to live in her older years at 7 Athol Road, Manningham, Bradford. They were actually born in the big house, Brampton Park, that burned down in 1907.
Staty Fair.
The Staty Fair is really called 'The Statute Fair' as it is held one night only but the high street is actually blocked off for 48 hours.
My family have lived in Kimbolton for over 500 years, my grandad had the butchers shop in the high street 'Whitemans', and my nan had the 'Saddle' public house. During the war they lived at number 40 and had doctors and nurses staying with them.
All my family return to Kimbolton and are buried in the cemetery.
