GenUKI Contents

Bedfordshire

FLITTON

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"FLITTON, a parish and township in the hundred of Flitt, county Bedford, 3 miles south east of Ampthill, and 10 south east of Bedford. It is situated on the river Ivel, and includes the township of Silsoe, its post town. The soil is a sandy loam, and is divided between arable and pasture. In this parish is Pullox Hill, where a goldmine was discovered in the last century, but was abandoned as being unproductive. The living is a vicarage (with parsonage and glebe) in the diocese of Ely, value £234, in the patronage of Christ Church, Oxford. The church is a handsome Gothic structure, dedicated to St. John, and contains tombs and monuments of the De Greys and other families; also four brasses, one of which is a figure in brass of Thomas Hill, who died in 1601 at the age of 128 years. There is also a district church at Silsoe, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, (with parsonage and glebe) value £150. The parochial charities produce over £70 per annum. Earl De Grey is lord of the manor. The tithes were commuted for land and corn rents under an Enclosure Act in 1809."

• "SILSOE, (or Wrest), the park of Earl de Grey, in the parish of Flitton, county Beds, 4 miles south west of Shefford. It is situated near the river Ivel, and contains a collection of historical portraits.

[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

• "GREENFIELD, a hamlet in the parishes of Flitton and Pulloxhill, county of Bedfordshire, ¾ mile south west of Flitton."
• "WARDHEDGES, a hamlet in the parish of Flitton, county of Bedfordshire, ½ mile east of Flitton."
• "WORTHY END, a single house in the parish of Flitton, county of Bedfordshire, 2 miles south west of Flitton."

Census

• The 1851 Census Index for Flitton can be found in the 1851 Index to Census of Bedfordshire, Volume 4, Book 3 available from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Churches

• There are photographs and a description of St John the Baptist on the Bedfordshire Parish Churches website.
• The following Churches have their own websites:
  • The Church of St. John the Baptist, Flitton

Church History

• Church of England
  • The church of St. John the Baptist is a building of sandstone in the Late Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles and an embattled tower containing 5 bells : here is the mausoleum of the De Gray family, containing many splendid monuments, dating from the 16th century. The register dates from the year 1583. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]
• Non-conformist
  • There is a Wesleyan chapel at Greenfield. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]

Church Records

• Church of England
  • The parish record transcripts for St John the Baptist are available on microfiche for the period 1583-1812 from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Gazetteers

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

Military History

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