Community Histories
Welcome to our Community Histories section which is intended to give a brief overview of the history of each Bedfordshire settlement.
We hope, eventually, to have full sections for each town, village or hamlet in the county and we will be regularly adding pages. Although most of the pages currently available were compiled by archives staff, we are very keen to receive contributions from members of the public. If you would like to carry out research and contribute to this site we would be delighted to hear from you.
Click on the map below to explore Bedfordshire and find index pages for each community. For towns and villages where we have not yet been able to provide a community history, you will find a list of resources for researching that area, including significant collections held here at Bedfordshire Archives.
For each community we aim to provide an introduction to the area and its history, extracts from historic maps, photographs, historical details of public houses and beerhouses, places of worship, schools and buildings and people of interest unique to the particular place. The pages also include a Roll of Honour for the Bedfordshire Regiment during the First World War. We hope that they will be of use to Bedfordshire residents, schools, local historians, and anyone with a special interest in a Bedfordshire location.
Please be aware that the pages are not designed to be the last word on any particular subject. They are a taster, designed to give basic information and to whet the appetite of the reader to come and visit us and find out more. Many of the pages include references to items we hold in the archives to give a starting point for further research.
You can also access the individual community histories through the links below: