Nearby Places

Nearby churches

ARLESEY

ARLSEY, a parish in the hundred of CLIFTON, county of BEDFORD, 4¾ miles (N. W. by W.) from Baldock, containing 562 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, to which the rectory of Astwick was united in 1764, in the archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Lincoln, rated in the king's books at £8, and in the patronage of R. Houston, Esq. The church is dedicated to St. Peter. This place is recorded in Domesday-book as a market town, and its market, in 1270, was confirmed to Stephen Edworth, then lord of the manor, to be held on Wednesday, with a fair on the festival of St. Peter and St. Paul, both of which have been long discontinued. At Etonbury, near the road to Baldock, is an ancient entrenchment, the site of the castle of the manor.

[A Topographical Dictionary of England - Samuel Lewis - 1831]

The 1851 Census Index for Arlesey can be found in the 1851 Index to Census of Bedfordshire, Volume 3, Book 3 available from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Church History

Church of England

The church of St.Peter is a plain edifice, of stone, in the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, south chapel, south porch and a massive western tower of stone, pebbles and cement, erected in 1877 and containing 5 bells: the font has an octagonal basin, the sides of which are richly panelled and carved, and below are figures of cherubim; there are two stained windows, in the chancel, and one at the west end: the church contains some fine marble monuments to the Brown and Edwards families. The register of baptisms dates from 1538; marriages and burials 1559.

[Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]

Non-conformist

The Wesleyan chapel, erected in 1850, will seat 300, and there is, a Primitive Methodist chapel, erected in 1875.

[Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]

Church Records

Church of England

The parish record transcripts for St Peter are available on microfiche for the period 1538-1812 from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Gazetteers

• Transcript of the Arlesey entry from Imperial Gazatteer of England & Wales, 1866-9, can be found on Craig Pickup's GENOOT site

Military History

• The BFHS Project in conjunction with Roll of Honour contains the Arlesey War Memorial transcription for WW1 and WW2 with details of the men found on it.

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[Last updated 4 June 2003 Martin Edwards]