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History of the Borough

Huntingdon was a royal borough from at least the tenth century right through to 1974, when borough status across England was abolished.

Huntingdon always claimed to be "a borough time out of mind, to which the memory of man runs not to the contrary" - in other words, it did not have to prove it was a borough, but its opponents had to try to prove it was not. No one ever legally challenged the claim.

You can discover more about the history of the borough by clicking on the links below. We have split the story into seven chapters:

  1. What was a borough? This page describes the value and purpose of borough status, and the role played by the burgesses.
  2. The beginnings: Huntingdon under the Danes and the Normans.
  3. The 1205 Charter: the importance of King John's charter.
  4. From 1205 to 1630: the growth of the town and its government until the reign of Charles I.
  5. The crisis of 1630: the Fishborne Affair and the shutting down of Huntingdon's elections.
  6. From 1835 to the modern day: the later development of Huntingdon's borough council.
  7. The borough seal: what the old town seal looked like, and what it meant.