Kelly Directory 1853

CHATTERIS, a parish and railway station, erected into a market town 1834, is in the Hundred of North Witchford, in the Isle of Ely, 71 miles north from London by road, and 83 by railway, 13 1/2 south from Wisbeach harbour, 25 1/2 north- by-west from Cambridge, 10 3/4 north-by-east from St. Ives, and the like distance north-west from the City of Ely by road, but 26 1/2 by railway.

It is near Vermuyden's Drain, and is a place of considerable antiquity. In Domesday Book it is written Cetriz and Cateriz — by some old authors Chateriz—and Camden writes it Cheaterizt.

A convent of Benedictine Monks was founded here about the year 980, by Alwina, niece to King Edgar, and wife of Alhelstan, Earl of the East English; in the reign of Henry I., the nunnery was annexed to the Church of Ely, and wholly put down in 1538.

The Manor House, an old building, stands upon the site of the nunnery.

There have been many antiquities dug up here in excavating for gravel; not many years since part of the skeleton of an elephant was found, ten feet below the level of the ground, and in 1824 an earthen jar, holding about 1,000 copper coins, was ploughed up, about 2 miles from the village; they were mostly Roman, of the emperors Constantius and Constantine.

Several other curious relics of the Romans have been found at several times hereabout, also celts and a double-edged sword, the hilt embossed with figures of men fighting; this interesting antique was, when found, in a perfect state of preservation.

In several parts of the fen lands, large oak trees have been brought to the surface from a great depth.

The trade of Chatteris is almost wholly in furnishing necessaries to its own inhabitants, but it is a place of great thoroughfare, this being a direct road from Norfolk to Huntingdon and the western country, and also situate on a fine line of road, good at all times of the year, between Peterborough and Newmarket.

The principal inn is the George, a well-conducted posting and commercial house.

The Bishop of Ely is lord of the manor, and a court leet is held by him on St. Matthias's day, when constables are appointed ; petty sessions are also held on the first and third Tuesday in each month.

The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is a handsome one, with a square tower ; the benefice is a vicarage, of which the Rev. Michael Augustus Gathercole is vicar; there are places of worship for Baptists, Quakers, Independents, Methodists, &c., and two Free schools, one upon Dr. Bell's system, the other on the plan of the British and Foreign Schools Society.

The land around here has lately been rendered very productive by the operation of draining, and a process termed gaulting.

The market day is Friday, and there are two fairs.

Population of parish in 1831, 4,177; in 1841, 4,813; In 1851, 5,138; acreage 15,090.

Here are gasworks, bank, brewery, malting, foundry, a literary institution, county court, petty sessions, police station, &c. The Wisbeach and St. Ives branch of the Eastern Counties railway passes close to the town, and a very hundsome station has been built.

LANGWOOD, WENNY END and SEVERALS, SUBBATONS and HORSELY are in the neighbourhood