GenUKI Contents

Bedfordshire

FELMERSHAM

.

.

"FELMERSHAM, a parish in the hundred of Willey, county Bedford, 3 miles east of Harrold, and 7 north west of Bedford, its post town. The Sharnbrook station on the Midland railway is about 1½ mile north of the village. It includes the hamlet of Radwell, where there is a bridge across the river Ouse. The living is a vicarage (with parsonage and glebe) in the diocese of Ely, value £169, in the patronage of Trinity College, Cambridge. The church is a stone edifice, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, and contains a brass. There is also the district church of Pavenham, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, value £200. The parochial charities produce about £12 per annum. There is a chapel belonging to the Methodists in the parish, and a National school. Crewe Alston, Esq., is lord of the manor. The principal residence is the Grange."

• "RADWELL, a hamlet in the parish of Felmersham, hundred of Willey, county Bedford, 6 miles north west of Bedford, on the river Ouse. The Wesleyan Methodists have a place of worship."

[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

• "FELMERSHAM HARDWICK, a single house in the parish of Felmersham, county of Bedfordshire, 2 miles south west of Felmersham."
• "MOOR END, a small hamlet in the parish of Felmersham, county of Bedfordshire, 1 mile east north east of Felmersham."

Census

• The 1851 Census Index for Felmersham can be found in the 1851 Index to Census of Bedfordshire, Volume 1, Book 2 available from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.
• The 1851 Census Index for Radwell can be found in the 1851 Index to Census of Bedfordshire, Volume 1, Book 2 available from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Churches

• There are photographs and a description of St Mary's on the Bedfordshire Parish Churches website.
• The following Churches have their own websites:
  • St. Mary's Church, Felmersham

Church History

• Church of England
  • The church of St. Mary is a noble cruciform structure of stone, chiefly in the Early English style, furnishing a most interesting example of that period, and consisting of chancel, clerestoried nave of four bays, transepts, aisles, south porch and a central embattled tower with turret, containing 5 bells and a clock : the western entrance is very fine, and exhibits a richly-moulded west doorway, on either side of which is a panelled arch, inclosing two others ; over this is an Early English arcade, and above this a triplet : the clerestory, which is lofty and embattled, is Perpendicular, to which date also belongs the upper part of the tower : the chancel is separated from the nave by an ancient and celebrated oak screen, richly painted : it is of Perpendicular date, and was erected, as appears by the inscription upon it by Richard King and Annete his wife : the east and west windows are stained, and there are many other stained windows in this church, some of those in the north aisle containing early fragments : the chancel retains a double piscina : the organ was introduced in 1872 at a cost of £323 : the church was restored in 1853-5, at the cost of the late Mr. I Payne esq. and further improvements were made in 1867-9, by the Rev. Richard Rawle M.A. then vicar : since 1889 the bells have been rehung, a reredos of alabaster erected, a vestry built, the old font repaired, and other improvements effected at a cost of about £300 : there are memorials to John Leach, 1687, William Leach, 1735, Rev. H. D. Ward M.A. 19 years rector, 1846 ; and to the families of Duppa, Rands, Ferth, Aspin and others : in the nave is a monument to Richard Otway, 1621, and in the south aisle a tablet to the Rev. Thos. Orlebar Marsh, vicar of Steventon, 1749-1831, and others of his family : there are 300 sittings. The register dates from 1660. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]
• Non-conformist
  • RADWELL is a large hamlet, about one mile east, near the river Ouse, over which them is a bridge of four arches. Here is a Primitive Methodist chapel, built 1807. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]
• A transcript of List of Incumbents of Felmersham St Mary since 1235.

Church Records

• Church of England
  • The parish record transcripts for St Mary are available on microfiche for the period 1660-1812 from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Community Websites

• Felmersham.net. This site covers the villages of Felmersham and Radwell.

Gazetteers

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

Genealogy

• If your ancestors came from Felmersham or Radwell, there is an interesting website online called www.felmersham.net that includes history and photographs among other items.

Military History

• The BFHS Project in conjunction with Roll of Honour contains the Felmersham & Radwell War Memorial transcription for WW1 and WW2 with details of the men found on it.