Upper Dean memories
Here are memories of Upper Dean and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Upper Dean or a Upper Dean photo.
Childhood Days
My name is Peter Warner. I spent many holidays at Upper Dean in the 1930s. My uncle was a farmer at Top Farm. I was also evacuated to Dean during the Second World War and attended Dean school. It remains to this day my favourite place with all its happy memories. In searching my family history I find that my ancestors all originate from Upper Dean. They were the Allen family and reach back to the 1600s. I intend to add much more of my times there at a later date.
Peter Warner
Memories of Cambridgeshire
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.
Kimbolton/Alcombury
My father was stationed at Alcombury and we were lucky to live with the Hunt family in a manor house. Mr. Hunt worked at the school. I went to school in Bedford as a weekly boarder. The Hunts' daughter was my friend and we use to explore all over the village. The 2 big things I remember as a 9 year old was the sweet shop and the smells of the fish and meat on High Street. I loved living there. Wish I could find the Hunts.
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
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