Editing Huntingdonshire (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Huntingdonshire}}
The area corresponding to modern Huntingdonshire was first delimited in [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] times. Its boundaries have remained largely unchanged since the 10th century, although it lost its administrative function in 1974. On his accession in 1154 [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] declared all Huntingdonshire a [[Royal forest|forest]].<ref name="Loyn">[[H. R. Loyn]], ''Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest'' 2nd ed. 1991, pp. 378–382.</ref>
===Status===
[[File:Gray1824.hunts.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Map of Huntingdonshire, 1824]]
In 1889, under the [[Local Government Act 1888]] Huntingdonshire became an [[administrative county]], with the newly-formed [[Huntingdonshire County Council]] taking over administrative functions from the [[Quarter Sessions]]. The area in the north of the county forming part of the [[municipal borough]] of [[Peterborough]] became instead part of the [[Soke of Peterborough]], an administrative county in [[Northamptonshire]].
In 1965, under a recommendation of the [[Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967)|Local Government Commission for England]], Huntingdonshire was merged with the Soke of Peterborough to form [[Huntingdon and Peterborough]]. The Lieutenancy county was also merged. At the same time, [[St Neots]] was expanded westwards over the river into [[Eaton Ford]] and [[Eaton Socon]] in [[Bedfordshire]].

In 1974, under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], Huntingdon and Peterborough merged with [[Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely]] to form the new non-metropolitan county of [[Cambridgeshire]]. A Huntingdon district was created based closely on the former administrative county borders, with the exclusion of the [[Old Fletton]] urban district, which became part of the Peterborough district, as did the part of [[Norman Cross Rural District]] in Peterborough New Town. The district was renamed Huntingdonshire on 1 October 1984 by a resolution of the district council.<ref>Name change. ''The Times'', 27 April 1984.</ref>

Original historical documents relating to Huntingdonshire are held by [[Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies]] at the County Record Office in [[Huntingdon]].

===Proposed revival of administrative county===
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (1992) considered in the 1990s the case for making a Huntingdonshire [[unitary authority]] as part of a general structural review of English local government that led to unitary authorities in two other English counties that had been abolished: [[Rutland]] and [[Herefordshire]].

The draft recommendations envisaged three possible scenarios for structural change in Cambridgeshire: the preferred option and the third option had a unitary Huntingdonshire, whilst the second option would have seen Huntingdonshire combine with [[City of Peterborough|Peterborough]] and [[Fenland District|Fenland]] to form a "Peterborough and Huntingdonshire" unitary authority. The Final recommendations of the commission for Cambridgeshire recommended no change in the status quo in Cambridgeshire.<ref name=final_cambs>Local Government Boundary Commission for England. ''Final Recommendations for the Future Local Government of Cambridgeshire.'' October 1994.</ref> The districts of Peterborough and Huntingdonshire were referred back to the commission for reconsideration in 1995. The commission recommended the creation of a Peterborough unitary authority, but proposed that Huntingdonshire remain part of the shire county of Cambridgeshire, noting that "there was no exceptional county allegiance to Huntingdonshire, as had been perceived in Rutland and Herefordshire."<ref name=cooksey>Local Government Boundary Commission for England. ''Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of: Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin.'' December 1995.</ref>

[[David McKie]] writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'' in October 1994 noted that "Writers-in demanded an independent Huntingdon; but MORI's more broadly based poll showed that most Huntingdonians – that is, most of [Prime Minister] [[John Major]]'s electors – were content to stay part of Cambridgeshire."<ref>"Commentary: Hatred of Harlow and bad thoughts about Basildon", David McKie, ''The Guardian'', 31 October 1994.</ref>

===Awareness promotion===
[[File:Flag of Huntingdonshire.svg|thumb|The flag designed to represent Huntingdonshire, registered with the Flag Institute in 2009]]
After the failure to revive the unitary authority, a Huntingdonshire Society was set up to promote awareness of Huntingdonshire as a historic county and campaign for its reinstatement as an administrative and ceremonial entity. In 2002 it established an annual "Huntingdonshire Day" on 25 April, the birthday of [[Oliver Cromwell]].<ref>''And you're from where?'' The Times. 20 April 2002.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/730574/Cambridgeshire-Cromwells-own-county.html |title=Cambridgeshire: Cromwell's own county |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=19 June 2004 |author=Gavin Bell |access-date=12 January 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301095305/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/730574/Cambridgeshire-Cromwells-own-county.html |archive-date=1 March 2016}}</ref> After a campaign by the Huntingdonshire Society, the [[Flag of Huntingdonshire|county flag of Huntingdonshire]], a gold and beribboned [[hunting horn]] on a green field, was registered by the [[Flag Institute]] in June 2009.<ref name=flaginstitute>{{Cite web |title=UK Flag Registry – Huntingdonshire |url={{Flag Institute |Huntingdonshire}} |publisher=The Flag Institute |date=25 June 2009 |access-date=28 October 2017}}</ref>