Campton Bedfordshire Family History Guide
CAMPTON is a small village and parish, 10 miles south east from Bedford, and one mile south west from Shefford, in the hundred of Clifton, union and county court district of Biggleswade, rural deanery of Shefford, archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely1.
Other places in the parish include: Shefford.
Alternative names: Campton cum Shefford, Camelton
Parish church: All Saints
Parish registers begin:
- Parish registers: 1558
- Bishop’s Transcripts: 1602
Nonconformists include:
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
Parish History
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
CAMPTON, a village and a parish in Biggleswade district, Beds. The village stands on the river Ivel, 1¼ mile W of Shefford r. station, and 6 SW of Biggleswade; and has a post office under Biggleswade. The parish includes also the township of Shefford. Acres, 1,120. Real property, £4,406.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales 1851
Campton, a parish in the hund. of Clifton, union of Biggleswade, county of Bedford; 3½ miles north-east of Silsoe, on the river Ivel. Living, a rectory with Shefford, formerly in the archd. of Bedford and dio. of Lincoln, now in the dio. of Ely; rated at £11 9s. 7d.; gross income £427; nett income £374. Patron, in 1835, Sir George Osborne, Bart, Pop., in 1801, 316; in 1831, 449. Houses 220. Acres 1,120. A. P. £1,526. Poor rates, in 1837, £310.
Source: The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales; A Fullarton & Co. Glasgow; 1851.
Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales 1850
Campton, 1 m. S.W. Shefford. P. 1390
Source: Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales; Second Edition; C. W. Leonard, London; 1850.
A Topographical Dictionary of England 1848
CAMPTON (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Biggleswade, hundred of Clifton, county of Bedford, 6 miles (S. W.) from Biggleswade; containing 1390 inhabitants, of whom 889 are in the town of Shefford.
The manor in which the small village of Campton, formerly called Camelton, is situated was anciently possessed by the noble family of Lisle: the manor-house is now occupied as a school. The parish is watered by the river Ivel, and comprises 1350 acres, about three-fourths of which are arable, and the rest pasture and wood; the surface is in general flat, and the soil runs through the several varieties of sand, gravel, and clay.
Many females are engaged in making straw-plat, which is sold at Shefford market on Fridays, for the manufacturers of bonnets at Luton and Dunstable; a few hands are also engaged in making pillow lace. Fairs for cattle, pigs, sheep, &c., are held on Jan. 23rd, March 25th, and May 19th; and a pleasure-fair on October 11th.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s books at £11. 9. 7.; net income, £374; patron, Sir J. Osborne, Bart. The tithes were commuted for land and corn-rents in 1797; the glebe contains 65 acres, with a glebe-house. The church is in the later English style.
The chapel of ease at Shefford, dedicated to St. Michael, was enlarged about twenty years ago; the late rector, the Rev. Edmond Williamson, contributing £600, the Incorporated Society £200, and the Duke of Bedford £50: there are 600 sittings, all free.
The Roman Catholics have a chapel, and there is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A national and infant school was erected in 1840, by the Misses Williamson, the Rev. Dr. Williamson, master of Westminster school, and the Rev. W. Williamson, tutor of Clare Hall, Cambridge; by whom also it is entirely supported.
Robert Bloomfield, author of the Farmer’s Boy, died at Shefford, in August 1823, and was buried at Campton, where a neat stone was erected to his memory by Archdeacon Bonney.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis 1848
Parish Registers
London Marriage Licences and Allegations 1521 to 1869
The following have been extracted from London Marriage Licences 1521 to 1869.
Abbreviations. — B. Bishop of London’s Office; D. Dean and Chapter of Westminster; F. Faculty Office of Archbishop of Canterbury; V. Registry of the Vicar-General of Canterbury.
Willoughby, Thomas, of St. Gregory, London, milliner, and Sarah Ringsall, of St. Mary Mounthaw, London, spinster, daughter of John Ringsall, of Campton, co. Bedford,
yeoman — at St. Peter, Paul’s Wharf, London. 9 June, 1623. B.
Hill, William, rector of Compton-cum-Sheford, Beds, bachelor, 30, and Mary Buckley, of St. Giles-in-the-Fields, Middlesex, spinster, 24, her parents dead — at St. Giles aforesaid, 26 Jan. 1685/6. F.
Wilford, John, of St. Anne and Agnes, Aidersgate, London, merchant taylor, and Joan Parker, of St. Michael-le-Quern, London, spinster, daughter of John Parker, of Shifford, in parish of Compton, co. Beds, yeoman, gen. lic, 17 Dec. 1595. B.
Source: London Marriage Licences 1521 to 1869; Edited by Joseph Foster; London 1887
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Bedfordshire Historical Directories
Directory Transcriptions
The Post Office Directory of Bedfordshire 1869
CAMPTON is a small village and parish, 10 miles south east from Bedford, and one mile south west from Shefford, in the hundred of Clifton, union and county court district of Biggleswade, rural deanery of Shefford, archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely.
Parish Clerk Jonas Heathfield
Best Rev William BA rector
Osborn Lady Campton Manor house
COMMERCIAL
Balls Joseph market gardener
Cheshire Edmund miller
Clark George butcher
Crane Thomas Mrs shopkeeper
Crouch George farmer & brick maker
Dickson William Gibson commercial traveller
Dilley Joseph market gardener
Jordan George beer retailer
Lamb Sarah Mrs farmer
Rowlett William market gardener
Stanbridge Frederick New inn
West William farmer
Wilson George shoe maker
Wilson Wm White Hart & butcher
Source: The Post office directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire By Kelly’s directories, ltd 1869
Maps
Administration
- County: Bedfordshire
- Civil Registration District: Biggleswade
- Probate Court: Court of the Archdeaconry of Bedford
- Diocese: Pre-1837 – Lincoln, Post-1836 – Ely
- Rural Deanery: Shefford
- Poor Law Union: Biggleswade
- Hundred: Clifton
- Province: Canterbury
1. The Post office directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire By Kelly’s directories, ltd 1869