Travel Eaton Socon Map

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Eaton Socon tourist guide map of landmarks & destinations by Walkfo

Eaton Socon history

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Early history

There were probably a few scattered settlements around Eaton Socon in the Neolithic period. The majority of the population were pagan, and the Pope sent Augustine in 597 AD, to impose Christianity. Augustine’s work was successful and a hundred years later most of East Anglia was Christian.

The Norman Conquest

In 1066 AD William, Duke of Normandy launched an invasion of southern England, and defeated English forces at the Battle of Hastings. The resulting subjugation of the Anglo-Saxon indigenous people is referred to as the Norman Conquest. At Eaton the local chieftain was Ulmar, a thegn (or thane) and he was superior to two sokemen. In time the area became known as Soka de Eton by 1247 AD. In 1645 it was known as Eton cum Soca, and in the nineteenth century this had become Eaton Socon.

Eaton Socon Castle

Hugh de Beauchamp built a castle in present-day Eaton Socon around 1140. It was probably of timber construction with earthworks and may never have been completed, but the earth mound still exists. Castle was built during a period of civil war over succession to the throne.

Turnpikes and stage coaches

The roads that were adequate for static populations in the sixteenth century were becoming a hindrance to the commercial progress. By 1700 a few turnpikes had been set up: a turnpike was a toll road: the toll income was used to improve and maintain the road surface. By 1754 coaches were travelling from London as far as Edinburgh. At the height of stagecoach activity there were 20 coaches passing through Eaton Socon daily, some going straight up the Great North Road.

The Cock Inn

The Cock Inn stood to the north of Eaton Socon Green, between the church and the corner of Peppercorn Lane. It was a well-known hostelry in the 18th century, with a reputation for good food. Lord Torrington, writing in his diary in 1794, was very complimentary about it.

Reference in Nicolas Nickleby

In Dickens’ novel Nicolas Nickleby, Squeers and some boys are making their way from London to Yorkshire by stagecoach. They stop at a place named Eton Slocomb, evidently a pseudonym for Eaton Socon.

The Great North Road in 1794

John Byng travelled in the county and wrote a description of his travels: Sandy Field exhibits the same shew of fertility. To the right, upon the hill, amidst woods, stands the new built seat of Mr. Pym; to the left, over the river, the village of Blunham, the beautiful steeple of its church, and the pretty house of Mrs. C—. The village of Wroxston is on the other side of the river; to which there is a Ford passable when the water is down.

Impact of railways

On 7 August 1850, a railway opened to the public through St Neots. The Great Northern Railway opened its line from a temporary station in London, Maiden Lane, to Peterborough. In succeeding years the company opened throughout from Kings Cross to Doncaster. The railway enabled the transport of goods and minerals: manufactured goods outward, and heavy commodities inward.

  

Eaton Socon map & travel guide with history & landmarks to explore

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Tourist Guide to Eaton Socon Map

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