Little Barford Bedfordshire Family History Guide
Little Barford is an Ancient Parish in the county of Bedfordshire.
Alternative names: Bereford (xi cent.), Berkeford (xii–xvi cent.), Little Berkford (xvii–xviii cent.).
Parish church: St. Denys
Parish registers begin:
- Parish registers: 1661
- Bishop’s Transcripts: 1602
The earliest registers preserved date from 1653, and are extracts in a MS. book. The first original book now left begins with a loose sheet of entries 1661–70, and there are consecutive entries from 1678.
Nonconformists include:
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
- Roxton
- Eynesbury Huntingdonshire
- Eaton Socon
- Waresley Huntingdonshire
- Everton with Tetworth
- Tempsford
Parish History
Little Barford is a small parish of 1,200 acres on the Huntingdonshire borders. The western boundary is formed by the River Ouse, and the land here is liable to floods; the south-east is given up to agriculture. The soil and subsoil of the upper part of the parish is clay, and of the lower part gravel. Little Barford contains 608 acres of arable land, 630 of permanent grass, and 17 of woods and plantations. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats, beans, and market produce.
The high road from Tempsford to St. Neots runs from south-west to north-west of the parish, approaching the village from the south. The rectory lies on the east side, and beyond it on the same side stands Rowe’s Cottage, where Nicholas Rowe, the dramatic poet, was born in 1673. It is a simple two-story building, which has recently received a complete coat of pebble-dash, and shows little trace of age. A picturesque row of low thatched cottages lines the road on the east opposite the entrance to Little Barford House, the seat of Mr. Julius Alington, the present lord of the manor.
The church of St. Denis stands in the grounds at some distance from the road and to the west of the house, which is comparatively modern and of no architectural interest. South-west of the church is an isolated building now divided into three cottages, and probably of some antiquity, though possessing no features of much interest.
The land lies low, and near the church has been worked for gravel, as the broken surface shows, though now again covered with grass. The church itself stands on slightly higher ground near the river bank. The Great Northern main line passes through Little Barford; the nearest station is St. Neots, 3½ miles off. The parish was inclosed by agreement before 1778, when an Act of Parliament was obtained to confirm it. There is a public elementary school, built in 1873.
Source: Extracted from Victoria County History of Bedford: Volume 2 1908.
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
BARFORD (Little), a parish in the district of St. Neot’s and county of Bedford; on the river Ouse, and on the Great Northern railway, at the verge of the county, 3 miles S of St. Neot’s. Post Town, St. Neot’s. Acres, 1,188. Real property, £1,251. Pop., 91. Houses, 26. The property is all in one estate. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely. Value, £254. Patron, W. Allington, Esq. The church is old but good. Charities, £7.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales 1850
Barford (Little), 5m. N.W. Potton. P. 190.
Source: Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales; Second Edition; C. W. Leonard, London; 1850
The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales 1840
Barford (Little), a parish in the hund. of Biggleswade, union of St. Neots, county of Bedford; 2 miles south-west from St. Neots, Hants. Living, a rectory in the archd. of Bedford and dio. of Lincoln; rated at £13 16s. 3d.; gross income £256. Patron, in 1835, J. Alington. Tithes of this parish, the property of the clerical rector, were commuted in 1778. There is a daily school here. Charities connected with the parish produce £6 15s. per annum; the greater part is allotted to the education of poor children. Pop., in 1801, 80; in 1831, 176. Houses 25. Acres 1,190. A. P. £1,260. Poor rates, in 1837, £47
Source: The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales; A Fullarton & Co. Glasgow; 1840.
Parish Registers
Little Barford Parish Registers 1602-1812
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.
Hooke, Robert, of St. Matthew, Friday Street, goldsmith, bachelor, 27, son of Samuel Hooke, of Barkford, co. Beds, gent., who consents, and Dorothy Hutchens, of St. Clement Danes, 24, widow of Mr. Randall Hutchens, priest, parson of West Tilbury, Essex, who died about fifteen months ago — at Christchurch, Newgate. 28 March, 1605. B.
Source: London Marriage Licences 1521 to 1869; Edited by Joseph Foster; London 1887
Population
| Date | Population |
|---|---|
| 1801 | 80 |
| 1818 | 73 |
| 1831 | 176 |
| 1861 | 91 |
Schools
1818 Digest of Returns to Circular Letter from the Select Committee on Education of the Poor, &c.
Schools – The Rev. Mr. Bamford, who died 1720, left 3l. per ann. to the minister, church wardens and overseer of the parish, to teach 6 poor children to read and write, which has not been executed for several years past, and the income has accumulated to 35l. for which the present rector pays 5l. per cent interest.
A school has lately been established, in which all the children who are of sufficient age receive instruction three evenings in the week and on Sundays; the numbers amount at present to 20.
Observations – The poor are generally desirous that their children should be educated.
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Bedfordshire Historical Directories
Directory Transcriptions
The Post Office Directory of Bedfordshire 1869
LITTLE BARFORD is a village and parish, 10 north east from Bedford, and 2 south from St Neots, bounded on the west by the river Ouse, in the hundred of Biggleswade, union and county court district of St Neots, rural deanery of Shefford, archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely.
Parish Clerk William Parker
Alington Rev Charles BA
Alington William esq
Royds Rev Nathaniel MA rector
Jarvis Phillip shopkeeper
Stratton Edward beer retailer & farm bailiff to William Alington etq
Source: The Post office directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire By Kelly’s directories, ltd 1869
Maps
OS Grid Reference: TL1801757091 (all-numeric format: 518017 257091)
Administration
- County: Bedfordshire
- Civil Registration District: St Neots
- Probate Court: Court of the Archdeaconry of Bedford
- Diocese: Pre-1837 – Lincoln, Post-1836 – Ely
- Rural Deanery: Shefford
- Poor Law Union: St Neots
- Hundred: Biggleswade
- Province: Canterbury