GenUKI Contents

Bedfordshire

RIDGMONT

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"RIDGMONT, (or Ridgmount), a parish in the hundred of Redbornstoke, county Bedford, 2 miles north east of Woburn, its post town. The village, which is chiefly agricultural, is situated on the road to Bedford, and on the North Western railway. The parish is said to have derived its present name from the red colour of the sandy hill on which formerly stood a castle called Ruggemount, or Rougemount. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment under an Enclosure Act, in 1796. The living is a vicarage (with parsonage and glebe) in the diocese of Ely, value £84. The church is dedicated to All Saints. The parochial charities produce about £53 per annum. There is a place of worship for Baptists; also a National school for both sexes. Brogborough House, which is the principal residence, is a square brick-built mansion, situated on rising ground.

[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

• "SEGENHOE, a village in the parish of Ridgmont, county Bedfordshire, 1 mile east of Ridgmont. The manor of Segenhoe is part of this small village. The church here is now in ruins (2010)."

Census

• The 1851 Census Index for Ridgmont can be found in the 1851 Index to Census of Bedfordshire, Volume 5, Book 1 available from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Churches

• Here are photographs of Churches etc. in the parish:
  • All Saints Church, Ridgmont.
  • The Wesleyan Church, Ridgmont.

Church History

• Church of England
  • The church of All Saints, erected and consecrated in 1854-5, is an elegant edifice of stone, with dressings of Bath stone, in the Decorated style, from designs by the late Sir George Gilbert SScott R.A. and consists of chancel, nave of four bays, aisles and a fine western tower with spire containing one bell: the stained east and west windows were the gift of Lady Charles Bentinck: the alabaster font was presented by the Rev. Henry Joshua Lomax M.A. vicar 1892-6, in memory of his daughter, Annie Ruth, who died Jan. 29th, 1893 ; the lych gate was also presented by him : there are sittings for 396 persons, all free. The register dates from the year 1539. The ancient church at Segenhoe is now used as a mortuary chapel, the old churchyard being maintained as a burial ground. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]
• Non-conformist
  • There is a Wesleyan chapel, and a Baptist chapel, with minister's residence attached, built in 1811. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]

Church Records

• Church of England
  • The parish record transcripts for All Saints are available on microfiche for the period 1539-1812 from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

Description and Travel

• A wood carving and carpentry class for agricultural labourers is carried on here under the superintendence of Miss Crouch, of Segenhoe Manor, in connection with the County Council Technical Education Scheme. The County Council Farm School, established in Jan. 1896, for instructing 20 boys in agricultural work, comprises a farm of 273 acres, with house and buildings, given by the Duke of Bedford. The charities amount to about £65 yearly, for the repairs of the church, the maintenance of the National school and the relief of the poor. Segenhoe Manor, formerly the property of the Maqueens, now belongs to the Duke of Bedford, and for the last 60 years has been occupied as a farm by the Crouch family. The Duke of Bedford is lord of the manor and principal landowner. The soil is part sand and part clay; the subsoil, sand and clay. The chief crops are wheat, barley and beans. The area is 2,308 acres ; rateable value, £2,911 ; the population in 1891 was 658. [Extracts from Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]

Gazetteers

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

Military History

• The BFHS Project in conjunction with Roll of Honour contains the Ridgmont War Memorial transcription with details of the men found on it.