Baptists in Milton Bryan

Anabaptists, as Baptists were sometimes known, are recorded in replies to queries sent to parishes before an episcopal visitation in the early 18th century in Milton Bryan. In 1706 there were three families, as there were in 1709 and 1712. In 1717 the three families had inspired converts because some members of two other families were now Anabaptists. These converts, presumably, converted the rest of their respective families because by 1720 there were five whole families as well as four or five in other families. The Rector commented: "No Meeting House, I thank God!”

It is possible that the registrations of meeting houses in either 1798 or 1818, or both, were Baptist meetings but this is not certain. The first known Baptist meeting in the parish was registered in 1834 in a room occupied by John Dytom [ABN1/2 and ABN2/286] - those registering were Dytum himself, William Wood and Thomas Creamer. Two years later Creamer, Wood (now noted as being of Toddington and being the minister) and William Walker registered William Walker's house in the village [ABN1/2 and ABN2/315] and in 1839 Wood, Joseph Parry and John Powell registered a room occupied by John Wright [ABN1/2 and ABN2/345]. Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service has no further records of the Baptists in Milton Bryan.

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. There is no return for a Baptist meeting in Milton Bryan.