RECORDS OF THE ARCHDEACONRY OF HUNTINGDON HITCHIN DIVISION

Apart from wills and Act Books, there are few records of the Hitchin Division of this archdeaconry of before 1700. In their account of the Records of the Archdeaconry of Huntingdon, compiled in 1921, the Rev. W. Mackreth Noble and S. Inskip Ladds describe something of the working of the archdeaconry, situated as it was by several day's riding from Lincoln.

In compiling this list a similar but not identical form of classification has been used to that employed for the records of the Archdeaconry of St. Albans. For similar types of record to those appearing in that list, no general explanatory notes have been added; these will be found under the corresponding class of the ASA list.

Classification and Reference Scheme

ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS

AHH1 Induction Mandates

AHH2 Sequestration Bonds

AHH3 Glebe Terrier

AHH4 Registrars' Working Papers

COURT RECORDS - GENERAL

AHH5 Act Books

AHH6 Cause Papers

AHH7 Citations

COURT RECORDS - VISITATION

AHH8 Visitation Processes

AHH9 Visitation Minutes

AHH10 Churchwardens' Presentments

AHH11 Inventories of Church Goods

AHH12 Church Repair-Injunctions and Certificates

AHH13 Excommunication and Absolution

AHH14 Testimonials

AHH15 Transcripts of Parish Registers

AHH16 Returns of Parish Registers under the 1812 Act

AHH17 Visitation Accounts

COURT RECORDS - NON-CONTENTIOUS

AHH18 Dissenters' Meeting House Certificates

AHH19 Faculty Papers

AHH20 Marriage Bonds and Allegations

COURT RECORDS - PROBATE

AHH/HW Filed Wills and Administrations

AHH/HR Registers of Wills

AHH21 Calendars of Wills and Administrations

AHH22 Inventories

AHH23 Administration bonds and accounts

AHH24 Probate and Administration Act Books

AHH25 Miscellaneous Probate Papers

<p>Kathleen Major's Handlist of Lincoln Diocesan Records (1953) will also be found to refer to a few classes of records from this archdeaconry.</p>

Hitchin was the centre from which the Hertfordshire parishes were administered, and it was from the offices of the Hitchin solicitors, Messrs. Hawkins, whose earlier partners had been the Archdeacons' Registrars and Officials, that most of the records came. The first group came in the 1930s, soon after the Hertfordshire Record Office had been appointed Diocesan Record Office in 1934, and further records were added as they came to light. A large group of probate records were transferred from Somerset House in 1955. Bishops' Transcripts were transferred from the Lincoln Diocesan Registry in 1952, after another large group had been sorted which came from Messrs Hawkins.

In 1954, the then Archdeacon of Huntingdon, Canon Royle, deposited at Hertford a further collection of records of the Hitchin Division of the archdeaconry which had been found in his Library, and a detailed list of these is available in the Search Room. Other Hitchin Division papers were amongst a deposit made by the St. Albans Archaeological Society in 1951. Mr. Reginald Hine, who was himself a partner in the firm of Messrs. Hawkins, deposited several other items in 1949; these were listed earlier and cross-references to them have been made in this list.

Provenance

AHH1/1 Hawkins

AHH1/2 Archdeacon Royle

AHH1/3 Somerset House

AHH2/1 Archdeacon Royle

AHH2/2 Somerset House

AHH3/1-2 St. Albans Archaeological Society

AHH4/1 Somerset House

AHH4/2 Acc. 1283

AHH4/3 Somerset House

AHH5/1-3 Somerset House

AHH5/4 Archdeacon Royle

AHH5/5-24 Somerset House

AHH5/25 Archdeacon Royle

AHH5/26-27 Somerset House

AHH6/1 Somerset House

AHH6/2-6 Archdeacon Royle

AHH7/1-2 Archdeacon Royle

AHH7/3 Somerset House

AHH8/1 Archdeacon Royle

AHH8/2 Hawkins

AHH9/1 Hawkins

AHH10/1-2 Hawkins

AHH11/1 Hawkins

AHH12/1-2 Archdeacon Royle

AHH13/1-2 Archdeacon Royle

AHH14/1-2 Archdeacon Royle

AHH15/1-179 Hawkins via Mr. Penn & St. Albans Archaeological Society; Lincolnshire Record Office; Archdeacon Royle

AHH16/1 Hawkins

AHH17/1-2 Archdeacon Royle

AHH18/1 Hawkins

AHH19/1 Archdeacon Royle

AHH19/2-3 Hawkins

AHH20/1-87 Hawkins & St. Albans Archaeological Society

AHHHW Somerset House

AHHHR Somerset House

AHH21/1-5 Somerset House

AHH22/1-26 Somerset House

AHH23/1-43 Somerset House

AHH24/1-5 Somerset House

AHH25/1 Somerset House

INTRODUCTION

The Archdeaconry of Huntingdon first became a separate entity around the year 1110, when the Diocese of Ely was formed. At that date the county of Cambridge was removed from it, but the part of Hertfordshire which was then included within it, remained part of the archdeaconry until 1845. Although in 1837 the county of Huntingdon had been removed to the Diocese of Ely, the Hertfordshire part of the archdeaconry remained, as before, in the Diocese of Lincoln. This situation finally changed in 1845, when the Archdeaconry of St. Albans was reconstituted to include the whole of the county of Hertfordshire. Thus, for most purposes, 1845 is the terminal date for this archive.

PARISHES AND CHAPELRIES COMPRISING THE ARCHDEACONRY OF HUNTINGDON, HITCHIN DIVISION, BEFORE 1845

Parish Deanery

Aldbury Berkhamsted

Aldenham Berkhamsted

Ardeley Baldock

Ashwell Baldock

Aspenden Baldock

Aston Baldock

Ayot St. Lawrence Hertford

Ayot St. Peter Hertford

Baldock Baldock

Bayford (a chapelry of Essendon) Hertford

Bengeo Hertford

Benington Baldock

Great Berkhamsted Berkhamsted

Little Berkhampstead Hertford

Bovingdon (a chapelry of Hemel Hempstead) Berkhamstead

Bramfield Hertford

Bygrave Baldock

Caldecote Baldock

Clothall Baldock

Cottered with Broadfield Baldock

Datchworth Hertford

Digswell Hertford

Essendon Hertford

Flamstead Berkhamsted

Flaunden (a chapelry of Hemel Hempstead) Berkhamsted

Great Gaddesden Berkhamsted

Little Gaddesden Berkhamsted

Graveley with Chivesfield Hitchin

Harpenden (a chapelry of Wheathampstead) Berkhamsted

Hatfield Hertford

Hemel Hempstead Berkhamsted

Hertford, All Saints with St. John's Hertford

Hertford, St. Andrews with St. Mary's and St. Nicholas Hertford

Hertingfordbury Hertford

Hinxworth Baldock

Hitchin, including Minsden Chapel Hitchin

Ickleford (a chapelry of Pirton) Hitchin

Ippollitts Hitchin

Kelshall Baldock

Kensworth (part of Hertfordshire until 1897, now Beds.) Berkhamsted

Kimpton Hitchin

Knebworth Hitchin

King's Langley Berkhamsted

Letchworth Hitchin

Lilley Hitchin

Long Marston (a chapelry of Tring) Berkhamsted

North Mimms Berkhamsted

Great Munden Baldock

Little Munden Baldock

Northchurch, alias Berkhamsted St. Mary Berkhamsted

Offley Hitchin

Pirton Hitchin

Puttenham Berkhamsted

Radwell Baldock

Rushden Baldock

Sacombe Hertford

Sandon Baldock

Shenley Berkhamsted

Stapleford Hertford

Stevenage Hitchin

Tewin Hertford

Therfield Baldock

Throcking Baldock

Totteridge (a chapelry of Hatfield) Hertford

Tring Berkhamsted

King's Walden Hitchin

Walkern Baldock

Wallington Baldock

Watton-at-Stone Hertford

Welwyn Hertford

Westmill Baldock

Weston Baldock

Wheathampstead Berkhamsted

Wigginton Berkhamsted

Willian Baldock

Great Wymondley Hitchin

Little Wymondley Hitchin