Bottisham

Cambridge District Scout Archive

  • 12th Cambridge District (Bottisham) 1913 – 1922
  • 59th Cambridge( Bottisham) 1933 – 1934
  • Bottisham 1935 – 1937
  • Bottisham Village College 1937 – ?
  • 59th Cambridge (Bottisham Village College) 1947 – 1951
  • Bottisham 1969

12th Cambridge District (Bottisham) 1913 – 1922

First mentioned in the 1912/13 Annual report as 12th Cambridge District a starting date of May 1913 is given.  They met at ‘The School’, Bottisham with SM H E King and ASM G Wheaton. They survived the Great War under Mrs. Hinton but stopped in 1922. 

59th Cambridge( Bottisham) 1933 – 1934

Restarting in 1933 under the new naming protocol they were 59th Cambridge.  Census returns were given for 1933 and 1934. At this point the large Cambridge District split and they moved into what , after two name changes, became Mid-Cambridgeshire. All the groups dropped the Xth Cambridge and used location names alone, 1st Bottisham or just Bottisham. These records are lost to Cambridge District Archives.

1st Bottisham or Bottisham 1935 – 1937 HQ number 15313

Records of East/ Mid Cambridgeshire are lost and the next mention is when Mid Cambs. was re-absorbed into Cambridge District, again as the 59th in 1946.

Bottisham Village College 1937 – HQ number 18684

Bottisham merged with the old 63rd Cambridge (Great and Little Wilbraham) in 1937 to become Bottisham Village College. It is like to have stopped ahead of the return to Cambridge District in 1944, prior to the full re introduction in 1948.

59th Cambridge (Bottisham Village College) 1948 – 1951 HQ number 26642

Thee are two registration dates one in 7/9/46 and a second on 7/10/1948. It is recorded as revived c.1947/48 in the book Scouting in Bottisham; whether this refers to a low ebb or more completely stopped is not stated; whether from 1946 or before is also unclear. Records that did not mention their presence suggest a pre 1944 hiatus. Unlike other Mid Cambridgeshire groups they did not return census numbers for 1948 ahead of the return to Cambridge numbering system. The returns, for Scouts only not Cubs, ran between 1949 and 1951 when it closed.

SM W L Maxwell

One leader and eight Scouts. Sponsored

1st Bottisham 1969 –

Once again it was started in 1969. No census returns are recorded in Cambridge District records for the 59th or a 1st Bottisham. Bottisham is now in Newmarket District. It is not certain when this change occurred from records held by Cambridge District. On founding or re-founding a Group it is not unusual to negotiate boundary edges between adjoining Districts. It is not clear if the 1969 Group has continued since 1969 without a break.

See      12th Cambridge District

            59th Cambridge

JWR Archivist May 2022