Cottenham Information Pages

I’m Ralph Carpenter I came to Cottenham in 1953 when my parents took ‘The Chequers’ I went to school at the Margett Street school & then went to the Village College for my last year (the year it opened) Although I do not live in Cottenham now, I work in Cottenham and have done since I started work in 1964, one of my hobbies is local history, mainly Cottenham, I like old diaries, documents & photo’s, because I’m interested, people bring me things to read & copy for the future generations.

I was bought 23 letters written by Freeman Taylor to his father in Cottenham, Freeman was born in Cottenham in 1814, when he was a young man he went to London where he worked for Truman’s brew house, he then became a policeman and was stationed at Isleham, Sawston & Cottenham & then in the 1850’s he took his family to America where he died in 1866, I produced a booklet from these letters.

I was then lent Elizabeth Gautrey’s diaries which span the years 1906 to 1911, in which she records The suffragettes storming the House of Commons in 1908, Bliriot’s crossing of the channel in a monoplane in 1909, the first motor bus service from Cottenham to Cambridge in 1910 and much much more, Elizabeth was a member of the Woman’s Liberal Federation, The British Temperance Association and the Ebenezer Chapel, this was the second booklet I produced.

I was then lent Horace Gautrey’s diaries, Horace was a Cottenham farmer & seed merchant who lived at Manor House Farm which was demolished to built Cottenham Village College. His diaries run from 1903 to 1914 in which several entries were made each month, they started again in 1932 until 1958, from 1932 there are daily entries made by Horace and his wife Ida. The diaries are I think quite unique from a farming point of view, in 1903 all the work was done by man & horse power and in 1958 it was done by tractor & combine, there are also lots of entries about Cottenham & they give a ‘as it happens’ view of life in Cottenham in the first half of the 20th century, he records the weather each day, when he heard the first cuckoo, see’s the first swallow & much more. Because Horace’s diary is so vast (I’ve typed up to 1948 so far, almost ½ a million words) I’m producing booklets in Parts, Part 1 1903 to 1914, and Part 2 1932 to 1935 are already out & I’m working on Part 3. These booklets are available from the Cottenham Village Society or by ringing me on 01954 250502, they are £4 per copy, (£2 to cover my costs & £2 goes to Cottenham Village Society) The Cottenham Village Society also has many other publications about the village for sale. See their web site for details of books & meetings. I think it is important that our history is recorded for future generations, the big events will be recorded, it’s the history of the ordinary everyday folk going about their everyday struggle from birth to death and still making light of it, that needs recording. Our history, good or bad is one of the few things we have left that can’t be taxed or taken away from us.

So if you have any family history ‘if it be’ (that’s Cottenham) documents or photo’s that you don’t mind sharing, give me a ring on the above number.