Bolnhurst Bedfordshire Family History Guide

Bolnhurst is an Ancient Parish in the county of Bedfordshire.

Parish church: St. Dunstan

Parish registers begin:

• Parish registers: 1571
• Bishop’s Transcripts: 1602

Nonconformists include:

• Baptist
• Independent/Congregational

Adjacent Parishes

• Wilden
• Ravensden
• Thurleigh
• Keysoe
• Pertenhall
• Colmworth

Bolnhurst Parish Registers

Search online registers of baptisms, marriages, banns and burials including digitised images of original records and registers and indexed transcriptions.

Baptism Records

These records include indexed transcriptions of parish register baptisms.

Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire Baptisms, 1602-1812

Marriage and Banns Records

These records include indexed transcriptions of parish register marriages and banns.

Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire Marriages, 1603-1837

Death and Burial Records

These records include indexed transcriptions of parish register deaths and burials.

Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire Burials, 1879-1879

Bolnhurst Parish Registers 1602-1812

The Bolnhurst Parish Registers 1602-1812 are available free to read online, with options to download the pdf for personal research

Bolnhurst Parish Registers 1602-1812 Bedfordshire Parish Registers Edited by F. G. Emmison, Clerk of Records, Bedfordshire. Published under the auspices of the County Records Committee of the Bedfordshire County Council, and of the Ven. the Archdeacon of Bedford. Volume XI. Bedford: County Record Office, Shire Hall. 1935.

Marriage Licences and Allegations

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.

Adams, John (Addams), of St. Olave, Southwark, Surrey, bachelor, 25, and Elizabeth Holden, of Bowlehurst, Beds, spinster, 16, her parents dead, with consent of Joseph Holden, her uncle and guardian — at Bowlehurst aforesaid. 23 Nov. 1680. 

Gates, William, of Bolenhurst, Beds, clerk, bachelor, about 30, and Mrs. Annah Dyer, of Fen Stanton, co. Hurrtingdon, spinster, about 23, and at own dispose — at St. Edward, St. Michael, or St. Mary, in town or co. Cambridge, or St. Ives, co. Huntingdon. 12 Nov. 1673. V. 

Source: London Marriage Licences 1521 to 1869; Edited by Joseph Foster; London 1887

Parish History

The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870

BOLNHURST, a parish in the district and county of Bedford; 5 miles E by S of Sharnbrook r. station, and 6½ NNE of Bedford. Post Town, Wilden, under Bedford. Acres, 2,160. Real property, £2,088. Pop., 348. Houses, 67. The property is divided among a few. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely. Value, £159. Patron, the Rev. F. M. Harvey. The church is good. An endowed school has £12.

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

Bolnhurst, a parish in the hund. of Stodden, union and county of Bedford; 6½ miles north by east of Bedford. Living, a rectory, formerly in the archd. of Bedford and dio. of Lincoln, now in the dio. of Ely; valued at £9; gross income £173. Patron, in 1835, the Rev. H. W. Gery. The great and small tithes, the property of the clerical rector and lay-impropriator, were commuted in 1778. There is a day and Sunday school in this parish, supported by endowments. Pop., in 1801, 225; in 1831, 300. Houses 50. Acres 2,130. A. P. £1,968. Poor rates, in 1837, £238.

Source: The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales; A Fullarton & Co. Glasgow; 1851.

A Topographical Dictionary of Great Britain and Ireland 1833

Bolnhurst, co. Bedford.

P.T. Bedford (50) 7 m. N b E. Pop. 264.

A parish in the hundred of Stodden; living, a rectory in the archdeaconry of Bedford and diocese of Lincoln; valued in K. B. 9 l.; church ded. to St. Dunstan; patrons (1829) W. M. Willett, Esq. and others.

Source: A Topographical Dictionary of Great Britain and Ireland by John Gorton. The Irish and Welsh articles by G. N. Wright; Vol. II; London; Chapman and Hall, 186, Strand; 1833.

Historical Directory Transcriptions

The Post Office Directory of Bedfordshire 1869

BOLNHURST is a straggling village and parish, situated on the Bedford and Kimbolton main road, 7 miles north from the former, 6 south from the latter, and 7 west from St Neots, in the hundred of Stodden, union county court district of Bedford, rural deanery of Eaton, archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely.

Parish Clerk Frederick Luck

Edwards Rev John Cox curate

COMMERCIAL

Adams John farmer

Breary James farmer
Breary Stephen Fox & Hounds

Church George farmer

Daniels Joseph farmer
Draper Robert blacksmith

Fensom Thomas farmer

Green Samuel farmer Crowhill
Green Samuel jun farmer Backnoe end
Green William farmer

Harrison Stephen farmer
Hartop Samuel farmer
Hawkins Jabez farmer
Houghton Thomas miller

Sharman James farmer
Sharman Joseph farmer
Sharman Sarah Mrs farmer
Swales John Plough & farmer
Whitmee John Dickens farmer

Source: The Post office directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire By Kelly’s directories, ltd 1869

Historical Maps

View detailed 19th-century Ordnance Survey maps from the National Library of Scotland Maps – includes OS 25 inch 1892-1918 maps, a vast range of other historical OS maps and land use maps. These maps reveal old street layouts, parish boundaries, and landmarks long since vanished.

Administration

• County: Bedfordshire
• Civil Registration District: Bedford
• Probate Court: Court of the Archdeaconry of Bedford
• Diocese: Pre-1837 – Lincoln, Post-1836 – Ely
• Rural Deanery: Eaton
• Poor Law Union: Bedford
• Hundred: Stodden
• Province: Canterbury