The ownership, of what by now had become a town, by the Abbey at Ramsey was to end in 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved the abbeys and monasteries. Both the Abbey and the Priory at St. Ives were destroyed. The Prior of St. Ives was allowed to live in the chapel on the bridge and was even given a small pension.

Life went on much the same until the 1630's when Oliver Cromwell moved in from Huntingdon. He lived in the town for about six years until fate took him on to other things.

Today St. Ives marks the residence of Oliver with a statue in Market Hill in the centre of the town. It is the only one in the whole of England which was purchased and erected by public subscription.

Book about Oliver Cromwell and/or the Civil War

Refresh you page for a different selection