Church History

• OS Grid Square TL 089734.
• The church of St. Leonard consists of a chancel, modern organ chamber and vestry on the north, nave, north aisle, south aisle, west tower and south porch. The walls of the tower are of ashlar, and those of the rest of the church are of coursed rubble with some pebble rubble, and with stone dressings. The roofs are covered with tiles and lead.
• The church is not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086, but fragments of an 11th or 12th century tombstone seems to suggest that there was an early church here. It is evident that by the middle of the 13th century the nave had already reached its present length, and that it had a south aisle, the greater part of the south and west walls of which still remain. A considerable rebuilding took place towards the end of the 14th century when the chancel arch, the south arcade and the eastern part of the south aisle were rebuilt; the north arcade and aisle were also rebuilt, and the tower and porch were added. About 100 years later, the chancel was rebuilt and widened to the north and the clearstory added to the nave.
• The whole church was restored in 1876 when the two side walls of the chancel were rebuilt and the vestry added. The spire was struck by Lightning on 1st July 1914, and was restored the same year. The north aisle roof was restored in 1925.

Church Records

• These are available in the Huntingdon Records Office.
  • Baptisms: 1688-1851 (indexed), 1831-1864.
  • Banns: 1754-1852 (indexed), 1823-1914.
  • Marriages: 1683-1851 (indexed).
  • Burials: 1679-1851 (indexed), 1813-1896.
  • Bishop's Transcripts: 1604-5, 1608, 1610, 1617-19, 1626-7, 1631, 1660-9/1683-1685, 1688, 1691-2, 1694-7, 1699, 1702-3, 1706-11, 1714-15, 1717-28, 1730-46, 1748-1756/1756-1813/1813-24/1825-59.
• The Huntingdonshire Marriage Indexes include marriages from this parish. These are, at present, issued in alphabetical listings in series: 1601-1700, and 1701-1754, and are available from the Huntingdonshire FHS.

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/HUN/GreatCatworth/index.html