Welcome to Southoe and Midloe

View over Alconbury Brook and the two bridges in Southoe, Huntingdonshire

Sutham (11th century); Sutho, Suho (12th century and later); Southogh (15th century) and Southoe (Modern).

Middelhoo, Mydelhoo (12th-16th century); Medlowe (16th century) and Midloe (Modern).

The village of Southoe and tiny hamlet of Midloe is situated along the A1 a mile or so north of St Neots. The parish extends to the west from the River Great Ouse and the deserted Medieval village of Boughton the site of which is just the the northwest of Boughton Lodge Farm.

Southoe was the head of the Barony of Lovetot; Eustace de Lovetot was Sheriff of Huntingdonshire in the time of Domesday and had a large estate in this county and elsewhere. Southoe was settled upon Nigel Lovetot, second son of William, son of Eustace. Nigel’s grandsons died without heirs, and the property was divided between their three sisters; Rose, married to Elias de Amundeville, Amicia, married to Hubert de Braunford, whose heirs took the name of Lovetot, Margeria, wife of William Patric.

Southoe came to the Braunfords, who, under the name of Lovetot, held it for some 200 years. Probably a small part went to Amundeville, and in 1428 the whole was in the hands of the Earl of Stafford, successor of Margaret one of the co-heirs of Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, who was killed at Bannockburn, probably descendants of younger sons holding their estates in fee, residing in the place, at a much later date. This property seems to have come to the family of Rous, and about 1660 was owned by Sir Henry Pickering, of Whaddon, Cambs.

An entirely distinct property in Southoe and Hail Weston was held in the time of Domesday by Robert Fafiton. Later on, it belonged to Saher de Quincy, and passed, like much of his property, to the Lords Ferrers of Chartley. A property which was probably this was purchased by William Chaderton, Bishop of Lincoln (1596–1608), and descended by heir-ship to Samuel Fortrey

There is a Norman church in Southoe, dedicated to St Leonard, in the centre of the village which has one of the most highly-ornamented Norman doorways in the county and a square embattled tower containing a clock and four bells. There is no church in Midloe, which itself only consists of a 16th century grange farmhouse and a scattering of cottages.

Southoe and Midloe is one of the parishes of the District of Huntingdonshire, whose administrative centre is Huntingdon, the other principle towns being St Ives home of the Chapel on the Bridge, St Neots the largest town in the County of Cambridgeshire, the Roman town of Godmanchester and Ramsey site of the former Abbey.