GenUKI Contents

Bedfordshire

BOLNHURST

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"BOLNHURST, a parish in the hundred of Stodden, in the county of Bedford, 6 miles to the north of Bedford, its post town. The living is a rectory (with parsonage and glebe) in the diocese of Ely, of the value of £159, in the patronage of the Rev. H. W. Gery. The church is dedicated to St. Dunstan. The charitable endowments of the parish, including £12, the income of the free school founded in 1791, produce about £15 per annum."

[The above was transcribed (and edited) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2023

The following information was transcribed by Craig Pickup from Kelly's Bedfordshire Directory, 1940

• "MAVOURN, a farm house in the parish of Bolnhurst, county of Bedfordshire, 2½ miles south west of Bolnhurst. This house is on the site of a moated Manor House."
• "PARK END, a small hamlet in the parish of Bolnhurst, county of Bedfordshire, 3 miles south west of Bolnhurst."

Census

• The 1851 Census Index for Bolnhurst can be found in the 1851 Index to Census of Bedfordshire, Volume 1, Book 1 available from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Churches

• Here are photographs of Churches etc. in the parish:
  • St. Dunstan's Church, Bolnhurst.
• There are photographs and a description of St Dunstan's on the Bedfordshire Parish Churches website.

Church History

• Church of England
  • The church of St. Dunstan is a building of stone in the Early Decorated and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave, porch, vestry and a tower containing 4 bells, the 2nd and 3rd are each dated 1587 and the tenor 1618, with an inscription. The late Mrs. Wade-Gery, to whose memory the stained east window was inserted, was interred in the vestry: the church contains monuments and stained windows to the Francklin and the Harvey families: in the nave is a marble tablet to the Francklin family, dated 1707: a beautiful carved screen divides the nave and chancel, and on one of the walls is a fresco of St. Christopher bearing the infant Christ: the chancel was completely restored and the roof re-covered with oak and lead in 1884; the walls and porch were also repaired. The register dates from the year 1685. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]

Church Records

• Church of England
  • The parish record transcripts for St Dunstan are available on microfiche for the period 1685-1812 from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Gazetteers

• A transcript of the Bolnhurst parish entries from Samuel Lewis's 1831 Topographical Dictionary of England,
• A transcript of the Bolnhurst parish entries from Samuel Lewis's 1835 Topographical Dictionary of England,
• A transcript of the Bolnhurst parish entries from The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1866-9

Military History

• The BFHS Project in conjunction with Roll of Honour contains the Bolnhurst St Dunston War Memorial transcription for WW1 with details of the men found on it.