Brief Guide to Family and Estate Collections

This map provides a guide to the distribution of estate collections around the county of Bedfordshire and indicates which collections are likely to be particularly relevant for each parish.  

Click to view larger version 

List of collections and key to references 

Please note that not every collection appears on the map. A more detailed list which includes a note of the type of documents each collection includes and its geographical coverage is available for download here. 

AL:  ALEXANDER of Pavenham Bury 

AN:  ALINGTON of Little Barford 

B:  BRANDRETH of Houghton Regis 

BD:  BARNARD of Bedford and Cople. Includes papers relating to Barnard’s Bank 

BW:  BROWNLOW of Ashridge (Hertfordshire) 

C:  CRAWLEY of Stockwood Park, Luton 

CH:  CHESTER of Chicheley (Buckinghamshire) 

D:  DOYNE DITMAS of Wootton. See this article for further information about the Doyne Ditmas archive. 

FN:  FRANCKLIN of Great Barford and Bolnhurst 

G/DDA:  BUTE ESTATE of Luton Hoo (see also LHE) 

GY:  GERY of Bushmead. Includes documents relating to Bushmead Priory. 

H/DE:  DELME RADCLIFFE of Holwell (Hertfordshire) 

HE: HANDSCOMBE of Shillington 

HG:  LONGUET HIGGINS of Turvey 

HI:  HIGGINS of Turvey 

HW:  HOW of Aspley Guise. Includes Quaker material. 

H/WS:  WILSHERE of Welwyn (Hertfordshire). See also PM/W 

HY:  HARVEY of Ickwell Bury, Northill 

J:  ST JOHN of Bletsoe 

JN:  Herbert JANES of Luton. Includes business records 

KK:  KROYER KIELBERG of Stockgrove (Leighton Buzzard) 

L: LUCAS of Wrest Park Silsoe. Very extensive collection including papers of the Grey family.

LHE:  LUTON HOO ESTATE (see also G/DDA) 

LJ: LAWSON JOHNSTON of Odell and Melchbourne 

LL:  LYALL of Flitwick Manor 

MH:  MACINTOSH of Colmworth 

MN:  MACNAMARA of Eaton Bray 

O:  OSBORN of Chicksands 

OR:  ORLEBAR of Hinwick. Includes parliamentary election material. 

PH:  PHILLPOTTS of Bedford. Includes personal papers of James Surtees Phillpotts, headmaster of Bedford School 1874-1903. 

PO:  POLHILL of Howbury, Renhold 

PM:  PYM of Hassells Hall, Sandy 

PM/Pr:  PREEDY of Everton 

PM/W:  WILSHERE of Welwyn (Hertfordshire) 

PR:  PRESTON of Little Staughton 

R:  RUSSELL of Woburn Abbey, Dukes of Bedford. A very large collection of Bedford Settled Estates administration records. Family records, records relating to estates in London, Scotland and elsewhere, and modern records are all held at Woburn Abbey. 

RO:  RUSSELL (OSSORY) of Ampthill 

S:  STEWART of Sandy Lodge 

S/AM:  ASHBURNHAM of Ampthill 

SA:  SAUNDERSON of Haynes Park 

SL:  SHUTTLEWORTH of Old Warden. Includes papers relating to administration of Shuttleworth College. 

SM:  SMYTH of Sharpenhoe 

SQ:  SQUIRE of Basmead 

SY: STAREY of Milton Ernest 

T:  PAGE-TURNER of Battlesden 

TB:  TREVOR of Tingrith and Chellington 

TW:  TREVOR WINGFIELD of Biddenham and Bromham. Mainly archives of the BOTELER family of Biddenham. (See also WW) 

TY:  TWEEDY of Kempston 

UN:  COLWORTH Estate in Sharnbrook. Received from Unilever Ltd., includes Antonie family papers and correspondence. 

V:  VORLEY of Felmersham 

W: WHITBREAD of Southill. Extensive collection relating both to estate matters and local and national affairs. The Whitbread family retains its own archive of family papers. 

WA:  WADE of Dean Grange 

WW:  TREVOR WINGFIELD of Biddenham and Bromham. Deposited by Messrs Warrens on behalf of Captain G T Wingfield. Mainly later deeds. (See also TW) 

WY:  WYNNE of Tempsford. Includes Penn family documents and items relating to the early history of Pennsylvania.