Bedfordshire 
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LEIGHTON-BUZZARD, a parish in the hundred of MANSHEAD, county of BEDFORD, comprising the market town of Leighton-Buzzard, and the chapelries of Billington, Eggington, Heath with Reach, and Standbridge, and containing 4421 inhabitants, of which number, 2749 are in the town of Leighton-Buzzard, 20 miles (W. S. W.) from Bedford, and 42 (N. W.) from London. The adjunct to the name is either derived from Bosard, the name of a family in the county, who were knights of the shire in the reign of Edward III., or from Beau desert, the prevailing opinion being in favour of the latter. It is believed to be the Lygean burgh of the Saxon chronicle, which was taken from the ancient Britons in 571, by Cuthwulph, the brother of Ceawlin, King of Wessex. The town is situated on the eastern bank of the river Ouse, and consists of one wide street branching off to the right and left at its upper extremity, and neither paved nor lighted, the inhabitants are supplied with water from wells. Near the market house is an ancient and elegant cross of pentagonal form, and in the later style of English architecture; the entire height, from the base to the top of the vane, is thirty-eight feet: the upper story is divided into five niches, each of which contains a statue, the most perfect of which are a bishop, Christ and the virgin, and St. John the Evangelist: this structure, said to have been erected more than five hundred years, was repaired, in 1650, by means of a rate of fourpence levied upon each of the inhabitants.
A considerable trade is carried on in timber, iron, lime, brick, corn and &c.; and several females are employed in making lace and straw-plat The Grand Junction canal, which passes near the town, and is navigable for vessels of eighty tons, affords the means of communication with the northern counties. The market, which is one of the oldest in the county, is on Tuesday, and is amply supplied with cattle, corn (which is toll-free), lace, straw-plat, &c. Fairs are held, February 5th, the second Tuesday in April, Whit-Tuesday, July 26th, October 24th, and the second Tuesday in December; the first of these is remarkable for an extensive sale of horses. The town is under the jurisdiction of the county magistrates, who meet on the market day, in a room over the market-house. Courts leet and baron are held at Whitsuntide and Michaelmas, by the lessee of the manor, under the Dean and Canons of Windsor. The living is a vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction and patronage of the Prebendary of Leighton-Buzzard in the Cathedral Church of Lincoln, rated in the king's books at £15. The church, which is dedicated to All Saints, was formerly collegiate: it is a large cruciform structure, principally in the early style of English architecture; with various additions and insertions of a later character, and has north, south, and west porches, together with a fine massive tower, surmounted by an octagonal stone spire, rising from the intersection: the western door is a curious specimen of iron-work: within the church are several ancient monuments, and a portion of good screen-work. There are places of worship for Baptists, the Society of Friends, and Wesleyan Methodists. A Lancasterian school, for an unlimited number of children of both sexes, is supported by voluntary contributions. In 1704, the Hon. Charles Leigh bequeathed a rent-charge of £10 for the education of ten poor boys : this benefaction has been long discontinued; but instead of it a commodious brick building was erected, in 1790, at the expense of the Hon. Mrs. Leigh, for the use of a Sunday school to which she also gave an annual donation of £20, the charity being further supported by subscription. In 1630, almshouses for eight poor women were founded and endowed by Edward Wilkes, Esq., and an additional endowment was bequeathed by Matthew Wilkes, Esq., in 1692: the estates belonging to this charity produce about a £200 per annum, from which the alms-women receive weekly stipends of four shillings each, besides money for firing and clothing; and the surplus is bestowed in premiums to poor children, on beginning their apprenticeship, or going to service. In the time of Henry II. there was an Alien priory at Grovebury, in this parish, subordinate to the abbey of Fontevralt in Normandy; also a house of Cistercian monks, a cell to Woburn abbey. About half a mile from the town are the remains of an extensive circular camp, supposed to be of Roman origin.
[A Topographical Dictionary of England - Samuel Lewis - 1831]
The 1851 Census Index for Leighton Buzzard can be found in the 1851 Index to Census of Bedfordshire, Volume 6, Book 1 available from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.
Church of England
The church of All Saints, formerly Collegiate, is a spacious cruciform embattled structure, principally of the Early English period, and consisting of chancel with an ancient vestry on the north, nave, aisles, transepts, north, south and west porches, and a central tower with pinnacles and octagonal spire, containing 8 bells : the windows, nine of which are stained, are nearly all Perpendicular, and some have very good tracery : the chancel retains its stalls, and there is some good screen work, and an eagle lectern of wood, with traces of colour, and a chain for a padlock attached ; the western door is ornamented with wrought ironwork, the work of John de Leighton ; the font, an early example, has a circular bulging basin, on a short round columnar base, surrounded by four shafts, the capitals of which are level with the rim of the basin : there are monuments to William Jackman, gent. 1592; Francis Willis, gent 1646, and his wife Margaret (Saunders), and Catherine, wife of Richard Whitlock, gent. 1649: the church was thoroughly restored in 1842 and 1852, and again in 1885-6, at a cost of over £3,000, and was re-opened July 10th, 1886; in 1893 the spire was re-pointed, the vane repaired and a new lightning conductor erected. The register dates from the year 1562, and includes the earlier registers of Billington, Eggington, Heath and Roach, and some part of Stanbridge.
The church of St. Andrew, erected in 1866-7 as a chapel of ease, at a cost of £3,800, and consecrated July 11, 1867, is a building in the Early Decorated style, with some French details, and consists of chancel, nave, aisles, vestry, organ chamber and a tower 110 feet high, with an octagonal belfry, surmounted by eight perforated gablets, terminating in trefoil heads : the church will seat 600 persons.
[Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]
Non-conformist
The Baptist Chapel in Hockliffe street, was erected in 1892 at a cost of £4,000 and affords 700 sittings. The Primitive Methodist chapel in North street, an edifice of brick and stone in the Gothic style, was built in 1890 at a cost of £2,342, and will seat 500. The Wesleyan chapel in Hockliffe street, erected in 1864 at a cost of £5,000, has 1,500 sittings and two stained windows, one of which and six tablets are memorials to former ministers; there is mother Baptist chapel in Lake street and a meeting house, with cemetery attached, for the Society of Friends.
[Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]
The parish record transcripts for All Saints are available on microfiche for the period 1562-1812 from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.
Kevin Quick has provided a transcription of the Domesday Book entry for Leighton Buzzard
Kevin Quick has provided the following transcriptions on his Leighton Buzzard pages:
- Pigot's Directory 1830 Leighton Buzzard
- Post Office Trade Directory 1864 of Leighton Buzzard
- Kelly's Directory 1890 Leighton Buzzard
Transcripts of the Eggington entries can be found on Craig Pickup's GENOOT site for
The BFHS Project in conjunction with Roll of Honour contains the Leighton Buzzard War Memorial transcription with details of the men found on it; also within the same project are the Cedars School Memorial, Beaudesert School Memorial, Commerical Memorial and Salavation Army Memorial.
Kevin Quick has provided a description of the origins of the name Leighton Buzzard.
The new town of Leighton Linslade has a coat of arms as described on Kevin Quick's web site.
There is an index being compiled by Barbara Quick (barbara@thequicks.freeserve.co.uk), and is an on-going project. The index, so far, covers the first Leighton Buzzard Observer, published 1st January 1861, and covers the earliest surviving paper and is an ongoing project with the index being updated regularly.
Rosalind Dunning has kindly provided transcripts of the list of apprentices who came from Leighton Buzzard that has been extracted from Guildhall Library London.
Kevin Quick has provided population statistics for Leighton Buzzard for the period 1801-1891
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[Last updated 26 May 2003 Martin Edwards]