Huntingdon and Godmanchester
Encyclopedia
Huntingdon and Godmanchester was a municipal borough
in Huntingdonshire
(and then Huntingdon and Peterborough
) from 1961 to 1974.
It was formed in 1961 by the merger of the boroughs of Huntingdon
and Godmanchester
. In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972
the borough was abolished, and a successor parish
formed within Huntingdon District
, in the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire
. The parish had the status of a town, by resolution of the parish council.
The borough was granted a coat of arms
in 1963, which illustrated the union of the two towns. The shield was divided horizontally in a dovetail pattern to show the joining of two municipalities. At the top of the shield were two hunting horns for Huntingdon, and at the base a fleur-de-lis from the common seal of Godmanchester. The supporters on either side of the shield were described as a "medieval huntsman" and a "medieval oxherd", and they stood upon a representation of the old bridge at Huntingdon that linked the two towns. The motto was United We Advance.
In 1982 the union of the two towns ended, with the formation of two separate civil parishes of Huntingdon and Godmanchester, each governed by a town council.
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
in Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
(and then Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgeshire.-Formation:...
) from 1961 to 1974.
It was formed in 1961 by the merger of the boroughs of Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
and Godmanchester
Godmanchester
Godmanchester is a small town and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, in England. It lies on the south bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the larger town of Huntingdon, and on the A14 road....
. In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
the borough was abolished, and a successor parish
Successor parish
Successor parishes are civil parishes with a parish council created by the Local Government Act 1972 in England. They replaced, with the same boundaries, a selected group of urban districts and municipal boroughs that were abolished in 1974. Most successor parish councils exercised the right to...
formed within Huntingdon District
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
, in the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. The parish had the status of a town, by resolution of the parish council.
The borough was granted a coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
in 1963, which illustrated the union of the two towns. The shield was divided horizontally in a dovetail pattern to show the joining of two municipalities. At the top of the shield were two hunting horns for Huntingdon, and at the base a fleur-de-lis from the common seal of Godmanchester. The supporters on either side of the shield were described as a "medieval huntsman" and a "medieval oxherd", and they stood upon a representation of the old bridge at Huntingdon that linked the two towns. The motto was United We Advance.
In 1982 the union of the two towns ended, with the formation of two separate civil parishes of Huntingdon and Godmanchester, each governed by a town council.