Editing Huntingdon and Peterborough

{{short description|Former county in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}
{{infobox historic subdivision|
   |Name=              Huntingdon and Peterborough
   |HQ=                [[Huntingdon]]
   |Government=        [[Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council]]
   |Status=            [[Administrative county]]
   |Start=             1965
   |End=               1974
   |Replace=           [[Cambridgeshire]]
   |Map=               [[File:EnglandHuntingdonshirePeterborough.png|Huntingdon and Peterborough shown within England]]
   |Civic=             [[File:Arms of Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council.svg|150px|The Arms of The Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council]]
   |Motto=             Cor Unum (One Heart)
   |PopulationFirst=     202,622
   |PopulationFirstYear= 1971
   }}

'''Huntingdon and Peterborough''' was a short-lived [[administrative county|administrative]] and [[Geographical counties of England|geographical county]] in [[East Anglia]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of [[Cambridgeshire]].

==Formation==
The [[Local Government Act 1888]] created four small neighbouring administrative counties in the east of England: Cambridgeshire, [[Isle of Ely]], [[Huntingdonshire]], and the [[Soke of Peterborough]]. Following the [[Second World War]], a [[Local Government Boundary Commission (1945–1949)|Local Government Boundary Commission]] was formed to review county-level administration in England and Wales. The commission was of the opinion that counties needed to have a population of between 200,000 and one million in order to provide effective services. Accordingly, they recommended the amalgamation of all four counties into a single entity.<ref>[[Local Government Boundary Commission (1945–1949)]], ''Report for the Year 1946'', 3 April 1947 and ''Report for the Year 1947'', 11 March 1948</ref><ref>Gilbert, E. W. ''The Boundaries of Local Government Areas'' in ''The Geographical Journal'' vol. 111 nos.4–6 (pp.172–198) April–June 1948</ref> The commission's recommendations were not carried out, however.

The reform of local government was returned to in 1958, with the appointment of a [[Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967)|Local Government Commission for England]]. The four counties were included in the East Midlands General Review Area, and the LGCE made its draft proposals in 1960. The commission identified particular problems in the administration of the Soke of Peterborough, where 80% of the population of the county lay within the City of Peterborough, which was itself seeking [[county borough]] status. The LGCE concluded that the Soke was too small to continue as a separate county, and needed to become part of a larger authority. Accordingly, the draft proposals were to combine the Isle of Ely, Huntingdonshire and the Soke of Peterborough with Cambridgeshire (less the City of Cambridge).<ref name="hansard">{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1964/mar/09/local-government-east-midlands |title=Local Government (East Midlands) HC Deb 09 March 1964 vol 691 cc170–211 |access-date=2008-06-05 |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date=1964-03-09 }}</ref>

There was considerable opposition to the draft proposals, and the LGCE instead opted in its final report in 1961 to create two counties: Huntingdon and Peterborough, and [[Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely]]. The Huntingdon and Peterborough Order was made on 14 February 1964, and placed before the [[United Kingdom House of Commons|House of Commons]] on 9 March 1964. The amalgamation was welcomed by [[David Renton]], the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|member of parliament]] (MP) for [[Huntingdonshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Huntingdonshire]], who felt that "The new county will have very good communications and a great community of interest. It will be a compact and convenient local government unit." The order was approved by 143 votes to 83.<ref name="hansard"/>

The new county was formed on 1 April 1965 from the areas of the administrative counties of Huntingdonshire and Soke of Peterborough (with minor boundary changes) and [[Thorney Rural District]] from the [[Isle of Ely]]. As well as becoming an administrative county, Huntingdon and Peterborough also became a county for other statutory purposes. Accordingly, the [[Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire]] became [[Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdon and Peterborough]], with Peterborough ceasing to be part of the geographical county of Northamptonshire. A [[high sheriff]] was also appointed to the new county, and a single commission of peace and court of quarter sessions established.<ref name="hansard"/><ref>The Huntingdon and Peterborough Order 1964 (SI 1964/367), see [[Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967)]], ''Report and Proposals for the East Midlands General Review Area'' (Report No.3), 31 July 1961 and ''Report and Proposals for the Lincolnshire and East Anglia General Review Area'' (Report No.9), 7 May 1965</ref>

The county's population, as recorded at the ten-yearly census, was 202,622 in 1971.<ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10107374 A vision of Huntingdon and Peterborough] ''A vision of Britain through time'' Great Britain Historical GIS Project, University of Portsmouth, Department of Geography (retrieved 8 May 2007)</ref>

===Emergency services===
On the creation of the county, an order under the [[Police Act 1964]] came into force creating the [[Mid-Anglia Constabulary]] by merging the Cambridge City Police, Cambridgeshire County Constabulary, Isle of Ely Constabulary, Huntingdonshire Constabulary, and the [[Peterborough Combined Police]] Force (created in 1947 from the [[Liberty of Peterborough Constabulary]] and the [[Peterborough City Police]]). On further local government reform in 1974, the present [[Cambridgeshire Constabulary]] was formed with the same boundaries.<ref>[http://www.theera.free-online.co.uk/index.htm Cambridgeshire Constabulary History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106131901/http://www.theera.free-online.co.uk/index.htm |date=6 November 2007 }} The Badgers Lair (retrieved 11 December 2005)</ref>

The Huntingdon and Peterborough Fire Brigade was formed on the same date by the merger of Huntingdonshire Fire Brigade and the Soke of Peterborough Fire Brigade. Since 1974 this has formed part of [[Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service]].

==Districts==
The county was divided into thirteen local government districts: three [[municipal borough]]s, three [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]]s and seven [[rural district]]s. Each of these existed as subdivisions of the predecessor counties.

{| class="wikitable"
! District
! Area (acres) 1961
! Population 1961
|-
| [[Peterborough|City of Peterborough]] MB‡
| 10,023
| 62,340
|-
| [[Huntingdon and Godmanchester]] MB†
| 7,057
| 8,821
|-
| [[St Ives, Cambridgeshire|St Ives]] MB†
| 2,326
| 4,082
|-
| [[Old Fletton Urban District|Old Fletton]] UD†
| 3,029
| 11,677
|-
| [[Ramsey, Cambridgeshire|Ramsey]] UD†
| 15,980
| 5,697
|-
| [[St Neots]] UD†
| 1,390
| 5,554
|-
| [[Barnack Rural District|Barnack]] RD‡
| 15,256
| 4,426
|-
| [[Huntingdon Rural District|Huntingdon]] RD†
| 69,937
| 12,494
|-
| [[Norman Cross Rural District|Norman Cross]] RD†
| 35,795
| 8,738
|-
| [[Peterborough Rural District|Peterborough]] RD‡
| 28,186
| 7,992
|-
| [[St Ives Rural District|St Ives]] RD†
| 45,912
| 15,358
|-
| [[St Neots Rural District|St Neots]] RD†
| 52,559
| 7,503
|-
| [[Thorney Rural District|Thorney]] RD¶
| 22,895
| 2,159
|}

† Formerly in Huntingdonshire
‡ Formerly in Soke of Peterborough
¶ Formerly in Isle of Ely

Source: Vision of Britain<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp;jsessionid=753916DD8531BA7E5FFF04CBF7065D15?u_id=10107374 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224080854/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp;jsessionid=753916DD8531BA7E5FFF04CBF7065D15?u_id=10107374 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-12-24 |title=Relationships / unit history of Huntingdonshire and Peterborough |access-date=2008-06-05 |publisher=Vision of Britain }}</ref>

==Coat of arms==
Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council was granted [[coat of arms|armorial bearings]] by the [[College of Arms]] on 3 April 1965. The blazon was as follows:

''Barry argent and azure on a fess embattled vert a cornucopia between two garbs or; and for a crest issuant from a mural crown or a demi lion gules gorged with a collar flory counterflory and supporting a staff or, flying therefrom a banner vert charged with two keys in saltire or; mantled azure, doubled argent. And for supporters on the dexter side a pikeman of the [[New Model Army]] supporting with the exterior hand a pike, and on the sinister side a mitred abbot in processional vestments for St Peter's Day supporting with the exterior hand a crosier and sudarium all proper. Badge: Two keys in saltire surmounted by a buglehorn or the strings azure interlaced with the keys.''<ref>Briggs, Geoffrey ''Civic and Corporate Heraldry: A Dictionary of Impersonal Arms of England, Wales and N. Ireland'' Heraldry Today, London, 1971</ref>

The arms and crest were a combination of the arms previously used by Huntingdonshire and Soke of Peterborough County Councils. To these were added [[supporters]]: a pikeman of the New Model Army for the [[Oliver Cromwell|Cromwellian]] associations of Huntingdonshire, and a [[mitred abbot]] for the origins of the Soke as territory administered by [[Peterborough Cathedral|Peterborough Abbey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/obs_county.html#huntingdon%20and%20peterborough%20cc |title=Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council |access-date=2008-06-05 |publisher=Civic Heraldry of England and Wales }}</ref>

The [[Latin]] [[motto]] adopted by the council – ''Cor Unum'', or ''One Heart –'' was formerly that of the Soke.

==Abolition==
The county had only a nine-year existence. In 1974 the [[Local Government Act 1972]] completely reformed administrative structures throughout England and Wales excluding [[Greater London]]. A system of [[metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties]], each divided into districts, was introduced.  Huntingdon and Peterborough was merged with neighbouring Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely to form the new enlarged [[non-metropolitan county]] (and [[Lieutenancy area|lieutenancy]]) of Cambridgeshire, first proposed in 1947. [[City of Peterborough|Peterborough]] and [[Huntingdonshire|Huntingdon]] became two of the county's six districts; in 1984, following a resolution of the council, the latter district was renamed Huntingdonshire.<ref>[[wikisource:The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972]] (SI 1972/2039) Part 5: County of Cambridgeshire, see [[Local Government Boundary Commission for England (1972)|Local Government Boundary Commission for England]]</ref>

==Legacy==
There is now a [[Hunts & Peterborough County Rugby Union]] that takes all the teams from each area and has representative teams for Youth rugby.

==See also==
*[[Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdon and Peterborough]]
*[[Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)]]
*[[Huntingdonshire (UK Parliament constituency)]]
*[[Local government in Peterborough]]
*[[Huntingdonshire local elections]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{England counties/1889}}

{{coord|52.3500|N|0.1833|W|source:wikidata|display=title}}

[[Category:History of Huntingdonshire]]
[[Category:History of Peterborough]]
[[Category:Politics of Peterborough]]
[[Category:Counties of England established in 1965]]
[[Category:Counties of England disestablished in 1974]]
[[Category:Local government in Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:Politics of Huntingdonshire]]

[[it:Soke of Peterborough]]