Bromham Pound

Bromham Pound in 1936

Pounds were enclosures into which the officials of the Lord of the Manor would put animals which had strayed. In other words they were impounded. The owner then had to pay a fine for their release. Only a few of these simple structures now survive in the county and Bromham's is not one of them.

In 1936 Bedfordshire Historical Record Society published Volume III in its Survey of Ancient Buildings series. This included a survey of pounds conducted by J. Steele Elliott. He wrote of Bromham: "1652. In the Wingfield deeds is included one [WW15] relating to "a Farm house ... abutting upon Church Lane there on the South and upon the Town Greene and pound there on the North". In 1724 the Terrier of the Church lands included "3 little Houses by the Pound 1 acre, 1 rood". The Pound measures 18 feet 6 inches by 17 feet overall and 5 feet high. What remains of it nowadays stands opposite the three cottages above mentioned at the foot of the lane leading out of the North-West corner of the Green".

In 1975 [CRT130Bromham5] the Bedfordshire County Council Conservation Officer wrote to an enquirer: "I visited the site last Friday. The three cottages referred to are still standing but the Pound seems to have disappeared. I did notice the foundations of a stone wall along the base of a garden hedge. This might possibly be the remains of the Pound but otherwise I could find no trace. I have been unable to ascertain when the Pound was destroyed. It may have been when an approach road was made to a new shopping area nearby".

The lane described by Steele Elliott in 1936 is Molivers Lane. The three cottages mentioned are 9 to 11 Molivers Lane and the site of the pound lies on the right side of the drive leading to Avoca House.

9 and 11 Molivers Lane March 2012