Maulden Church
St Mary the Virgin is the parish church of Maulden. It stands on the Greensand Ridge to one side of the village main road. The church is believed to date from around the 13th century with other parts of the church dating from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Until 1837 it was in the Diocese of Lincoln, but by this date the Archdeaconry of Bedford was incorporated into the Diocese of Ely. In 1914 the Archdeaconry became part of the Diocese of St. Albans which was founded in 1887.
Maulden Church [ref: Z1306/77/14]
In the churchyard stands a 17th-century mausoleum and crypt known as the Ailesbury Mausoleum (pictured). The original mausoleum was built by Thomas, Earl of Elgin, in memory of his second wife Diana, daughter of the Earl of Stamford. The mausoleum and crypt are sometimes open to visitors during the summer months. On 6 August 2008, lead was stolen from the roof of the mausoleum, causing at least £10,000 worth of damage.
The registers begin in 1558.
Advowson
The advowson of Maulden is mentioned in the Victoria County History, Vol. III, 1912. It states that the advowson of Maulden belonged to the abbey of Elstow. The value of the church in 1291 was £4 13s. 4d., and at the Dissolution £15 9s. 6d. At the Dissolution the advowson followed the same descent as the manor until 1738, when, on alienation of the latter to the Duke of Bedford, the former was retained by Charles Lord Bruce, and is vested in his descendants at the present day.
Ecclesiastical Census
On Sunday 30th March 1851 a census of all churches, chapels and preaching-houses of every denomination was undertaken in England and Wales. The local results were published by Bedfordshire Historical Records Society in 1975 as Volume 54, edited by D. W. Bushby. The return for Maulden church noted the following pieces of information:
- The church had 484 sittings (333 free, 151 other)
- The general congregation had been 94 in the morning, 211 in the afternoon.
- Sunday scholars had been 124 in the morning, 159 in the afternoon