If you were to visit Eltisley today, you might notice the swathes of well-trimmed grass or the pavilion with its thatched roof. You are likely to stop for a pint and a bite to eat at the popular local pub.

This village to the east of St Neots is quintessentially British, complete with a Women's Institute and a medieval church. However, around 230 years ago, Eltisley and its church made a very different impression on one man.

Far from a quaint, peaceful village, John Byng described a place characterised by poverty after his 1794 visit. According to Byng, this was a "place so deplorable as I hope to be unmatched in Britain".

He also reported meeting "two male human beings – whose nakedness was not concealed by rags," walking around "the wretched church-yard".

The Elitsley pub serves

See Full Page