Cambridgeshire Archives Service

21/08/2026

Would you like to see what an archivist’s dream looks like?! 😱

We recently received this fascinating accession, a trunk full of material relating to the families who lived at Conington Hall in Cambridgeshire. These records have been carefully handed down the generations before being generously given to us to take care of. The trunk is packed full of deeds, letters, photos and genealogical notes. Some items have already been passed to our conservator for some special attention, such as the great seal of George IV attached to one of the documents, and a beautiful piece of a shawl apparently given to the owner “by the Sultan of Albania” in 1801.

Our cataloguing archivist is really looking forward to getting stuck into this collection!

18/08/2026

A mystery indeed!

At Cambridgeshire Archives, we have the original framed photograph of Peak and a modern account of his disappearance (Ref:1360/OC/6/1)

On this day in 1855, Cambs officer PC Richard Peak was last seen alive.

The ‘village bobby’ for Wicken, in East Cambridgeshire, 171 years ago had been policing a crop auction at the Red Lion Inn and was last seen by the pub landlord at about 3.15am.

PC Peak, who joined the force in 1851 aged about 20, failed to report for duty in Burwell that same morning and despite a search, he was never found.

Skeletons were found in Wicken and Burwell but neither of these remains were shown to be that of PC Peak.

07/08/2026

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲, 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐧!

On this day in 1205, King John (yes, that 'bad King John' of Robin Hood fame) granted Huntingdon its royal charter, giving the town the right to govern its own affairs and marking an important milestone in our history.

The original charter is preserved in the Cambridgeshire Libraries archives at Huntingdon Library, while a translation can be viewed at Huntingdon Town Hall.

21/07/2026

13/07/2026

Cambridgeshire Archives History Fair is just one week away! No booking is necessary for the event or tour. If you have any questions, please email: [email protected]

10/07/2026

Ahead of England’s World Cup Quarter-Final match against Norway tomorrow night, we’ve found this notice from 1889 that playing football was banned on Parker’s Piece over the spring and summer months. Fortunately nowadays this ban is no longer in place!

It is argued that Parker’s Piece in Cambridge is where the original rules for the game were developed, leading to many calling Cambridge the birthplace of modern football ⚽️

07/07/2026

TOMORROW! Join us and uncover the stories of Huntingdonshire that span life from the cradle to the grave. Discover stories of disease and death, unusual burials, local working life, and truthful wedding advice.

We're pleased to announce our event for the Huntingdonshire History Festival! Our event 'Cradle to the Grave' will feature a variety of intriguing documents and photographs that represent life in Huntingdonshire from the cradle to the grave.
WEDNESDAY 8TH JULY
DROP IN EVENT 3:30PM - 6:30PM

01/07/2026

Come and join us for our History Fair on Monday 20th July, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
See the attached poster for details.
Please note, those who receive Elyi magazine there is an error with the dates on the ‘What’s On’ page. The date should say 20th July.
We looking forward to welcoming as many visitors as possible.

01/07/2026

We recently had a very special visitor to our Huntingdon office, where a familiar face posed for this photo with our staff. We were all very excited! Any guesses as to who it might be?

The answer will be revealed, all in good time!