Early Nonconformity in Higham Gobion

Higham Gobion seems to have been too small to ever attract a nonconformist meeting. Visitations by the Bishop of Lincoln to Bedfordshire in the early 18th century give some idea as to the number of nonconformists in each parish from returns made by the vicar or rector. Former County Archivist Patricia Bell has compiled returns from 1706 to 1720 for the Bedfordshire Historical Records Society (Volume 81, published 2002); information for Higham Gobion includes the following:

• 1706: the parish "consists of but 7 families, among which there are but 2 Dissenters, both Quakers. No papists or reputed Papists".
• 1709: "Families 7, Souls 46. Of these 1 family of Quakers".
• 1712: "Families 9, of which two are Quakers".
• 1720: "Six families one of them Quakers".