COBBETT'S GEOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY. BEDFORDSHIRE. AN INLAND COUNTY of England, bounded on the North by Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire, on the East by Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, on the South by Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, and on the West by Bucking. hamshire. It is in an irregular somewhat oval form, and is about 34 miles long and 19 broad. The area, or superficial measure, of it, is 463 square miles, or 296,320 statute acres. The country is generally level, and the land very good: a large proportion is pasture land; but the arable is, on an average, much better than that of the average of England; and some part of it is finer, it is supposed, than any other land in England. It is sufficiently wooded, is rich in pasture and in all sorts of cattle and agricultural produce, and has very little waste or poor land.-It has no large manufactories; but a part of the women and children are employed in the making of lace and of straw-plat; though these are not in amount sufficient to prevent us from calling this a purely agricultural county. Its RIVERS are the Ouse and the Ivel, the former of which divides the county into two parts, and is navigable as far as the borough of Bedford, which is the capital of the county.-The PRODUCTS of Bedfordshire are, corn, meat of all sorts in very great abundance, butter; and all of the finest quality. This county is in the PROVINCE OF CANTERBURY; in the DIOCESE OF LINCOLN, and in the NORFOLK CIRCUIT.-It is divided into nine hundreds; namely, Barford, Biggleswade, Clifton, Flitt, Manshead, Red bornestoke, Stodden, Willey, Wixhamtree. There are 131 PARISHES and TOWNSHIPS, and with distinct parochial jurisdiction; and 10 MARKET-TOWNS ; namely, Ampthill, Bedford, Biggleswade, Dunstable, Harrold, Luton, Leighton Buzzard, Potton, Shefford, Woburn. Bedford town sends 2 members to parliament; and its 2 members, with the 2 for the county, are all that this county is permitted to send.-Before the Protestant "Reformation," or devastation, there were 18 monastic establishments at the following places: Bedford, Biggleswade, Bissemede, Caldwell, Chicksand, Dunstable, Eaton-Socon, Elstow, Farle, Grovesbury, Harwood, Melchbourn, Market-Street, Newenham, Northill, Warden, Woburn; under the names of which places a particular account of these establishments is given.— There are 24 PUBLIC CHARITIES in this county, mostly very ancient. Of the 131 PARISHES which the county contains, there are 6 which have less than 100 inhabitants each; 10 which have no parsonage houses; 39 which have parsonage houses, which, in a return inade to parliament in 1818, the incumbents represent as unfit for them to live in; and, in the whole county, there are 124 churches; there being 7 parishes and townships with no churches. The poor-rates of the county amounted annually, agreeably to a return made to parliament in 1818, to 80,638l. 1s. 54d.; the number of PAUPERS was 7,030; the ANNUAL RENTAL of all the real property of the county amounted to 343,682). 195. B 10d.; the POPULATION, by return of 1821, was 83,716; and the number of houses 15,412. So that the poor-rates amounted to a fourth part, within a fraction, of the whole of the rental; and there were, on an average, 1 pauper to every two houses throughout the county. According to the same return of 1818, the annual poor-rates of this whole county amounted, in 1776, to only 16,310l. There are, in this county, on an average, 181 persons to each square mile, which is about 4 acres of land to every person; and there are, within a fraction, 18 acres of land to every inhabited house, including the most miserable houses in town and country, and not excepting alms-houses.-The male population of the county is 40,385. The return states 10,754 families to be employed in agriculture; 4,827 families in trade and handicraft; and 1,792 families to consist of all other descriptions of persons. The male agricultural population must, therefore, be 25,000 all but a fraction. Of these we must allow one half to be children, men past labour, or men infirm: there then remain, including the farmers themselves, 12,500 agricultural labourers; that is to say, one labourer, on an average, to every 234 acres of land. AMPTHILL, 45 miles N.W. from London. Popula. 1527. Market, Thurs. Fairs, May 4, Nov. 30, for cattle. ARLSEY, 26 miles S.E. from Shefford. Popula. 562. ASPLEY GUISE, 2 miles N.E. from Woburn. Popula. 848. ASTWICK, 4 miles S.E. from Biggleswade. BARFORD (Great), 5 miles N.E. from BEDFORD, the county town of Bedford- porate town, having a mayor, recorder, deputy recorder, two bailiffs, two chamberlains, thirteen common-councilmen, and an uncertain number of alder'men, and sends two members to parlia. ment. At or near this place there were, an Hospital of St. Leonard's Hospitalers, founded in the reign of Edward IV., by a townsman, whose yearly revenue was 16l. 6s. 8d. in 26 Henry VIII.; now worth 3261. 13s. 4d. A Franciscan Friary, founded by Mabilea de Plateshull, in the reign of Edward II., valued yearly at 51., now worth 100l.; granted, 31 Henry VIII., to John Gostwyke; at Caldwell, an Augustine Priory, founded in the reign of John, by Robert of Houghton. Revenue 148l. 15s. 10d., now worth 2,975l. 16s. 8d.; granted, 5 Elizabeth, to Thomas Leigh; and at Newenham, a Monastery of Augustine Canons, founded in the reign of Henry II., by Simon Beauchamp. Yearly revenue 343l. 15s. 5d., now worth 6,8751.8s. 4d.; granted, 32 Henry VIII., to Urian Brereton. Popula. 5446. Market, Mond., Tues. and Sat. Fairs, first Tues. in Lent, Apr. 21, July 5, Oct. 11, Dec. 19 for cattle of all sorts. BEESTON, in Sandy parish, and popula. included therein. 3 miles N.W. from Biggleswade. BIDDENHAM, 2 miles W. from Bedford. Popula. 393. BIGGLESWADE with Holme and Stratton, seated on the river Ivel, 45 miles N.E. from London. Popula. 2778. Market, Wed. Fairs, Feb. 14, Sat. in Easter week; Whit-Monday; Aug. 2, Nov. 8. At this place there was a Chantry; revenue 71., now worth 1401. BILLINGTON, in Leighton-Buzzard parish, and popula, included therein. 2 miles S. from Leighton-Buzzard. BLETSOE, 6 miles N. from Bedford. Popula. 383. BLUNHAM, 44 miles N. from Biggleswade. Popula. 945. BOLNHURST, 5 miles N.E. from Bedford. Popula. 264. BROMHAM, 3 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 298. BROOK-END, in Northill parish, and popula. included therein. BROOM, in Southill parish, and popula. included therein. 1 mile from Biggleswade. BUDNOR, in Northill parish, and popula. included therein. CALDICOTTS (Upper and Lower), in Northill parish, and popula. included therein. CAMPTON with Shefford, 1 mile S.W. from Shefford. Popula. 1,028: CARDINGTON, 4 miles S.E. from Bed- EGGINTON, in Leighton-Buzzard parish, ford. Popula. 1,194. CARLTON with Chellington, 7 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 429. CHALGRAVE, 34 miles N.W. from Dunstable. Popula. 710. CHELLINGTON with Carlton, 7 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 121. CHICKSANDS, (Extra Pa.) Popula. 56. At this place there was a Priory of Nuns of St. Gilbert, founded in the year 1150, by Pain de Beauchamp and his wife. Yearly value, 230l. 3s. 44d., now worth 4,6031. 7s. 6d. Granted, 31 Henry VIII., to R. Snow. CLAPHAM, 2 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 204. CLIFTON, 1 mile N.E. from Shefford. Popula. 483. CLOPHILL, 2 miles N.E. from Selsoe. COCKAYNE-HATLEY, 24 miles E. from COPLE, 44 miles S.E, from Bedford. Popula. 524. COTTON-END, in Cardington parish, and popula. included therein. and popula. included therein. 14 miles E. from Leighton-Buzzard. ELSTOW, 2 miles S.W. from Bedford. Popula. 548. Fairs, May 14, 15, Nov, 5, 6, cattle of all sorts. At this place there was an Abbey of Benedictine Nuns, founded by Judith, niece to the Conqueror, and wife to Waltheof, Earl of Huntington. Yearly value 3251.28.14d., now worth 6,5021. 2s. 6d. Granted, 7 Edward VI., to Sir Humphrey Radcliff. EVERSHOLT, 2 miles S.E. from Woburn, Popula. 870. EVERTON with Tetworth, 2 miles N.W. from Potton. Popula. 334. EYWORTH, 3 miles N.E. from Biggles swade. Popula. 111. FARNDISH, 11 miles N.W, from Bedford, Popula. 73. FELMERSHAM, 6 miles N.W. from Bed. ford. Popula. 390. FENLAKE, in Cardington parish, and popula. included therein. FLITTON.-See Selsoe. FLITWICK, 24 miles S. from Ampthill, Popula. 489. GOLDINGTON, 14 miles N.W, from Bedford. Popula. 426. GRAVENHURST (Lower), 2 miles S.E. from Selsoe. Popula. 63. CRANFIELD, 54 miles N.W. from Ampt-GRAVENHURST (Upper), 24 miles E. hill. Popula. 1,153. DEAN (Nether and Upper), 12 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 479. DUNSTABLE, 34 miles N.W. from London. Popula. 1,831. Market, Wed. Fairs, Ash-Wed. and May 22 for horses, Aug. 12, Nov. 12 for cattle. At this place there was a priory of Augustine Canons, founded by Henry I. Yearly value 402l. 14s. 74d.; now worth 8,0541. 12s. 6d. Granted to Sir Leonard Chamberlayne. DUNTON with Millo, 3 miles S.W. from Biggleswade. Popula. 332. EAST-COTTS, in Cardington parish, and popula. included therein. EATON-BRAY, 3 miles S.W. from Dunstable. Popula. 816. At this place there was a College, or Guild. Yearly value 71. 16s., now worth 1561. EATON-SOCON with Wyboston, 2 miles S.W. from ST. NEOTS, in Huntingdonshire. Popula. 2,039. EDWORTH, 3 miles N.E. from Biggleswade. Popula. 87. from Selsoe. Popula. 291. GRITFORD.-See Sandy. HARLINGTON, 5 miles N.E. from Dunstable. Popula. 398. HATCH, in Northill parish, and popula. included therein. HARROLD, 7 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 939. Market, Tuesd. Fairs, Tues. before May 13, Tues. before July 6, Tues. before Oct. 11, cattle of all sorts. At this place there was a Priory of Augustine Nuns, founded, in the reign of Stephen, by Sampson le Forte. Yearly value 471. 3s. 2d., now worth 9431. 3s. 4d. Granted to William Lord Parr, 35 Hen. VIII. HARROWDEN, in Cardington parish, and popula. included therein. 2 miles from Bedford. HAYNES, 34 miles N.E. from Selsoe. Popula. 775. HEATH, in Leighton-Buzzard parish, and popula. included therein. 1 mile N. from Leighton-Buzzard. 1 10d.; the POPULATION, by return of 1821, was 83,716; and the number of houses 15,412. So that the poor-rates amounted to a fourth part, within a fraction, of the whole of the rental; and there were, on an average, 1 pauper to every two houses throughout the county. According to the same return of 1818, the annual poor-rates of this whole county amounted, in 1776, to only 16,310l. There are, in this county, on an average, 18 persons to each square mile, which is about 4 acres of land to every person; and there are, within a fraction, 18 acres of land to every inhabited house, including the most miserable houses in town and country, and not excepting alms-houses.-The male population of the county is 40,385. The return states 10,754 families to be employed in agriculture; 4,827 families in trade and handicraft; and 1,792 families to consist of all other descriptions of persons. The male agricultural population must, therefore, be 25,000 all but a fraction. Of these we must allow one half to be children, men past labour, or men infirm: there then remain, including the farmers themselves, 12,500 agricultural labourers; that is to say, one labourer, on an average, to every 234 acres of land. AMPTHILL, 45 miles N.W. from London. Popula. 1527. Market, Thurs. Fairs, May 4, Nov. 30, for cattle. ARLSEY, 26 miles S.E. from Shefford. Popula. 562. ASPLEY GUISE, 2 miles N.E. from Woburn. Popula. 848. ASTWICK, 4 miles S.E. from Biggleswade. BARFORD (Great), 5 miles N.E. from BEDFORD, the county town of Bedford- porate town, having a mayor, recorder, deputy recorder, two bailiffs, two chamberlains, thirteen common-councilmen, and an uncertain number of alder'men, and sends two members to parliament. At or near this place there were, an Hospital of St. Leonard's Hospitalers, founded in the reign of Edward IV., by a townsman, whose yearly revenue was 16l. 6s. 8d. in 26 Henry VIII.; now worth 3261. 13s. 4d. A Franciscan Friary, founded by Mabilea de Plateshull, in the reign of Edward II., valued yearly at 51., now worth 100l.; granted, 31 Henry VIII., to John Gostwyke; at Caldwell, an Augustine Priory, founded in the reign of John, by Robert of Houghton. Revenue 148l. 15s. 10d., now worth 2,975l. 16s. 8d.; granted, 5 Elizabeth, to Thomas Leigh; and at Newenham, a Monastery of Augustine Canons, founded in the reign of Henry II., by Simon Beauchamp. Yearly revenue 343l. 15s. 5d., now worth 6,8751.8s. 4d.; granted, 32 Henry VIII., to Urian Brereton. Popula. 5446. Market, Mond., Tues. and Sat. Fairs, first Tues. in Lent, Apr. 21, July 5, Oct. 11, Dec. 19 for cattle of all sorts. BEESTON, in Sandy parish, and popula. included therein. 3 miles N.W. from Biggleswade. BIDDENHAM, 2 miles W. from Bedford. Popula. 393. BIGGLESWADE with Holme and Stratton, seated on the river Ivel, 45 miles N.E. from London. Popula. 2778. Market, Wed. Fairs, Feb. 14, Sat. in Easter week; Whit-Monday; Aug. 2, Nov. 8. At this place there was a Chantry; revenue 71., now worth 1401. BILLINGTON, in Leighton-Buzzard parish, and popula, included therein. 2 miles S. from Leighton-Buzzard. BLETSOE, 6 miles N. from Bedford. Popula. 383. BLUNHAM, 44 miles N. from Biggleswade. Popula. 945. BOLNHURST, 5 miles N.E. from Bedford. Popula. 264. BROMHAM, 3 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 298. BROOK-END, in Northill parish, and popula. included therein. BROOM, in Southill parish, and popula. included therein. 1 mile from Biggleswade. BUDNOR, in Northill parish, and popula. included therein. CALDICOTTS (Upper and Lower), in Northill parish, and popula. included therein. CAMPTON with Shefford, 1 mile S.W. from Shefford. Popula. 1,028: CARDINGTON, 4 miles S.E. from Bed-| EGGINTON, in Leighton-Buzzard parish, ford. Popula. 1,194. CARLTON with Chellington, 7 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 429. CHALGRAVE, 34 miles N.W. from Dunstable. Popula. 710. CHELLINGTON with Carlton, 7 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 121. CHICKSANDS, (Extra Pa.) Popula. 56. At this place there was a Priory of Nuns of St. Gilbert, founded in the year 1150, by Pain de Beauchamp and his wife. Yearly value, 2301. 3s. 44d., now worth 4,6031. 7s. 6d. Granted, 31 Henry VIII., to R. Snow. CLAPHAM, 2 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 204. CLIFTON, 1 mile N.E. from Shefford. Popula. 483. CLOPHILL, 2 miles N.E. from Selsoe. COCKAYNE-HATLEY, 23 miles E. from COPLE, 44 miles S.E, from Bedford. Popula. 524. COTTON-END, in Cardington parish, and popula. included therein. CRANFIELD, 54 miles N.W. from Ampthill. Popula. 1,153. DEAN (Nether and Upper), 12 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 479. DUNSTABLE, 34 miles N.W. from London. Popula. 1,831. Market, Wed. Fairs, Ash-Wed. and May 22 for horses, Aug. 12, Nov. 12 for cattle. At this place there was a priory of Augustine Canons, founded by Henry I. Yearly value 402l. 14s. 74d.; now worth 8,0541. 12s. 6d. Granted to Sir Leonard Chamberlayne. DUNTON with Millo, 3 miles S.W. from Biggleswade. Popula. 332. EAST-COTTS, in Cardington parish, and popula. included therein. EATON-BRAY, miles S.W. from Dunstable. Popula. 816. At this place there was a College, or Guild. Yearly value 71. 16s., now worth 1561. EATON-SOCON with Wyboston, 2 miles S.W. from ST. NEOTS, in Huntingdonshire. Popula. 2,039. EDWORTH, 3 miles N.E. from Biggleswade. Popula. 87. and popula. included therein. 14 miles E. from Leighton-Buzzard. ELSTOW, 2 miles S.W. from Bedford. Popula. 548. Fairs, May 14, 15, Nov. 5, 6, cattle of all sorts. At this place there was an Abbey of Benedictine Nuns, founded by Judith, niece to the Conqueror, and wife to Waltheof, Earl of Huntington. Yearly value $251.28.14d., now worth 6,5021. 2s. 6d. Granted, 7 Edward VI., to Sir Humphrey Radcliff. EVERSHOLT, 2 miles S.E. from Woburn, Popula. 870. EVERTON with Tetworth, 2 miles N.W. from Potton. Popula. 334. EYWORTH, 3 miles N.E. from Biggles swade. Popula. 111. FARNDISH, 11 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 73. FELMERSHAM, 6 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 390. FENLAKE, in Cardington parish, and popula. included therein. FLITTON.-See Selsoe. FLITWICK, 24 miles S. from Ampthill, Popula. 489. GOLDINGTON, 13 miles N.W, from Bedford. Popula. 426. GRAVENHURST (Lower), 2 miles S.E. from Selsoe. Popula. 63. GRAVENHURST (Upper), 24 miles E. from Selsoe. Popula. 291. GRITFORD. See Sandy. HARLINGTON, 5 miles N.E. from Dunstable. Popula. 398. HATCH, in Northill parish, and popula. included therein. HARROLD, 7 miles N.W. from Bedford. Popula. 939. Market, Tuesd. Fairs, Tues. before May 13, Tues. before July 6, Tues. before Oct. 11, cattle of all sorts. At this place there was a Priory of Augustine Nuns, founded, in the reign of Stephen, by Sampson le Forte. Yearly value 471. 3s. 2d., now worth 9431. 3s. 4d. Granted to William Lord Parr, 35 Hen. VIII. HARROWDEN, in Cardington parish, and popula. included therein. 2 miles from Bedford. HAYNES, 34 miles N.E. from Selsoe. Popula. 775. HEATH, in Leighton-Buzzard parish, and popula. included therein. 1 mile N. from Leighton-Buzzard. |