Sawtry History
If you are new to the village of Sawtry or are just passing through you probably aren't aware of the medieval history of Sawtry. Huntingdonshire was an important county in those times and even further back into Anglo Saxon History. Conington was once the ancestral home to the Earl of Huntingdon, an Anglo Saxon lord named Waltheof Sigwardsson who was captured at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Rather than have him executed, the King, knowing that he was a major land owner in England, with Viking lands Waltheof inherited from his father at Northumberland, Nottingham, Hallam near Sheffield and Northampton, William the Conqueror arranged for his niece Countess Judith De Lens, whom St Judith's Lane is named after, to be married to Waltheof knowing that sooner or later , being an Anglo Saxon, Waltheof would eventually betray the Norman king. This happened in 1076 when Waltheof supported a Earl's Revolt against the crown in that year. Waltheof was arrested, tried for treason, found guilty and executed at Winchester. He was buried in Crowland Abbey, a Benedictine Abbey believed to have been founded by his father Sigward Sigwardsson. During their time together Waltheof and Judith had three daughters, Matilda, Adelise and Judith and after Waltheof's death King William tried to arrange another marriage for the widow Judith to one of his loyal knights, Simon De Senlis who was injured fighting for William at the Battle of Hastings. When Judith refused, this angered the king and he took away all her lands and privileges she had attained upon the death of her husband Waltheof. The king gave the lands and the earldom of Huntingdonshire to her eldest daughter Matilda. He also arranged Matilda's marriage to Simon De Senlis, which, upon this marriage gave Simon the title of the Earl of Huntingdon. They had at three children, Simon De Senlis ll, Waltheof of Melrose and Maud De Senlis. Simon died as a result of long term ill health due to his battle injuries. His wife Matilda or Maud as she was more well known, married again, this time to David Canmore Prince of Scotland, the brother in law of Henry 1st of England, this marriage was to bring together the kingdoms of England and Scotland. David became Earl of Huntingdon upon his marriage to Matilda and later became King of Scotland on the death of his elder brother Alexander. He and Maud now Queen of Scotland, went on to forge a dynasty of Scottish kings. Maud's son Simon De Senlis ll from her first marriage became the Earl of Huntingdon upon David's ascent to the scottish throne. At this time a breakaway group of monks from the Benedictine order were establishing themselves in France. Calling themselves Cistercians or white monks they came to England and started building beautiful Abbeys many of which were later destroyed by Henry Vlll and Thomas Cromwell. Simon De St Liz, Matilda's grandson, gave a large parcel of land in the fens for the Cistercian monks to build an Abbey here at Sawtry. Known as The Cistercian Abbey of St Mary it was started in 1147 and took 90 years to build. It was finally consecrated in 1238. It was the only Cistercian Abbey in Huntingdonshire and the wider county of Cambridgeshire. As Matilda was still the principle landowner of Waltheof's land, Conington and Holme then became part of the Scottish crown. Many generations later Scottish kings including the Bruces, the most famous being Robert the Bruce, inherited the land at Conington and Holme. Robert the Bruce's grandmother Isabella was buried at Sawtry Abbey as well as others from the Bruce Family. Many centuries later the land came into the possesion of Ralf Beville who was from an aristocratic family in the Sawtry
area and who was also an Abbott at Sawtry Abbey and later by Sir Robert Cotton, a local dignitary and MP for Huntingdonshire and a friend and confidante of King James II. He was an Antiquarian, that is, a collector of antique documents and manuscripts. He was the collector of some of the country's most important historical documents such as the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, the only copy of the old English poem Beowulf written between the 8th & 10th centuries, one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta, another of which can be seen in the Capital Building in Washington DC. Sir Robert Cotton built Conington Castle. You can find more information on Sawtry Abbey,The Beville Family, Sir Robert Cotton and Conington Castle by clicking on the links below.
Local History Articles/Sawtry Abbey
Sir Robert Cotton