Mostly from 'A History of Biggleswade'
Abel Harold Smith - 1900 to 2000
(plus additional material from a variety of sources)
12,000 – 10,000 BC |
Stone arrow heads from Paleolithic period found here suggest that the district was inhabited from early times; they can be seen in the Bedford Museum. There is also a stone age tool found at Dunton in the Museum. |
Late 1st century BC |
Gold, silver, copper and brass coins have been found minted by Taseiovanus, chief of a Celtic tribe from the now present St Albans. |
43 – 411 AD |
The ‘White Way’, a Roman loop road, ran via Baldock past Stratton and Sandy to join the Ermine Way at Godmanchester. The 1959 Town Guide says Stratton, Drove Road, along what is now a footpath on the Common to Sandy. It also says a Roman by-road has been traced going westward towards Old Warden. The 1954 O.S. map shows Hill Lane as a Roman Road. The road started from near the site of the old Sewage Works. A Roman ceremonial dish and an oculist's stamp has been found here. Oculist stamps were used to mark on a seal of a salve or lotion, the purpose thereof (now in the British Museum) |
477 – 495 on |
Saxon Invasions – The Saxon "Gifle's" settled here and gave their name to the Ivel River and North–ill and South-ill. The Brits were probably driven westward. There was a watch hill at Old Warden |
800 on |
Danish invasions |
878 |
The district formed part of Danelaw under the Peace of Wedmore. |
917 |
Danes defeated at major conflict at Tempsford. There were some Danes left in the area, the place named Holm" is Danish but it was a Saxon who lived by a ford who gave his name to the settlement and later to the Hundred of Biggleswade – Biceil – Anglo Saxon personal name; Waed – Saxon for ford. |
1066 |
The Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury held the manor of Biggleswade from the King. |
1089 |
Domesday Book Ralph de Insula held the manor under the Crown. There were no woods and no market. Apart from gentry and clergy there were twenty men in Biggleswade; 27 in Stratton and 15 in Holm. (Miss Godber says 34 men; Miss Bell about 50). Each present worked some days for the Lord of the Manor but each had about 30 acres which he hired from his master. There were 1,200 acres of arable land in Biggleswade (less than Holm and Stratton) also 240 acres of meadow and 13 mills in the Hundred of Biggleswade. Two mills were in Biggleswade itself (two mills means two water wheels under one roof); value £2/7/-, per annum, this was probably the site of a mill where the present mill stands. First place above ford with sufficient fall of water. |
1132 |
Henry I granted Bishop Alexandra of Lincoln (in whose diocese it was) the manor of Biggleswade with Holm to help endow the Cathedral. The bishop to have church, meadows, mills and fishing rights in return for yearly offering of a gown lined with sable. |
c1163 |
The bishop made Biggleswade a Prebend and the church a Peculiar. A Peculiar had certain rights and need not send records to the Archdeacon; thus some Biggleswade church records are missing. A Prebendary did not usually reside in his parish. There is still a stall in Lincoln Cathedral marked Bigleswade (yes with one 'g'!). |
c1200 |
The bishop made an attempt at town development. Small plots of land were made at available at 1/- per year; burgage. A shilling was a large amount in those days. The holder did not have to do the customary work for his holding but could build a house or shop, ply his trade and travel. |
18 Nov 1200 |
Miracle at Biggleswade. Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln died in London and his body rested at Biggleswade. A woman with a broken arm touched the body and it is reported that she was healed. The wax tapers in the procession stayed alight and St Hugh was canonised in 1220. |
1212 |
"The men of Biggleswade and the men of the Episcopal fee of Biggleswade" appealed against Robert de Braybrook who had "put part of the fen of Kynmondewick under ban and carried off hay by force". Biggleswade men claimed "they have and ought to have common in that fen". |
1227 |
Market. Biggleswade has been granted a market by King John (1199 – 1216). This was confirmed in 1227 by Henry III. (Peck says confirmed to Bishop Hugh, who Rutt says died 1220). Monday was market day. |
1228 |
Fairs were held before this date but in this year the Bishop altered the day from 15th August to 14th September, Holy Cross Day. |
1247 |
1. Henry de Suqual drowned in Mill Pit. 2. Sanctuary was taken in the church. A felon could remain 40 days and was then deported. 3. House burgled. The Hue and Cry was raised but Biggleswade did not pursue. When the cry was raised all who heard were supposed to help. |
1276 |
Walter Justice, first known vicar. Thomas de Northfeet was Prebend. Bishop Gravesend instituted the living; the vicar to have house, offering, tithes, donations put in church chest at Biggleswade and chapel at Stratton. |
1280 |
King Edward I at Biggleswade. About this time Biggleswade claimed to be a Borough through the ‘Burgage’ system. |
1294 |
Biggleswade people claimed the right to leave their burgage tenements by will. Bishop Oliver Sutton ordered an investigation. Bishop Sutton was in Biggleswade several times and it seems the Bishop often stayed here; a convenient place. Local rumour says they had a residence in Palace Street; hence the name. |
1297 |
Taxation List for this year shows dredge corn, rye, hay and straw were grown. There were some cows and sheep. Only the Bishop had a cart. Tenants had to attend the manor court. Villein worked on the lord’s land. The lord’s steward regulated tillage. Biggleswade area shows three villages with an average of more than five sheep to each man taxed. |
c1300 |
Biggleswade prosperous. There was a fullio. There were weaving, tanning and drying industries (Miss Bell). |
1302 |
First Bridge here across the River Ivel . Bishop Dalderby granted an indulgence to those who contributed towards building the bridge. |
1309 |
Hugo de Hostwyke was the Tax Collector |
1309 - 1332 |
Decline in tax payers:in 1309 there were 37 with a value of £6 by 1332 declined to 19 with a value of £5. |
1313 |
Richard de Gostwyke set on at Biggleswade by a band of men who assaulted him and carried away his goods. A commission of 'Oyer e Ferminer' appointed to enquire. |
1317 |
Thomas de Northfleet, Prebend of Biggleswade left money to repair chapel at St Mary, Stratton. |
1330 |
John Whitbread, Tax Collector |
1340 |
Church dates from 1340 – L. Maynall: Portrait of Bedford |
1349 |
Wool weavers known in Biggleswade |
1369 |
Another vicar died in the Black Death |
1370 |
Three Biggleswade tanners fined for selling hides at Shefford market at an excessive price |
1379 |
Vicar John had eight chaplains and six clerks to assist him. Note there were chapels at Stratton and Holm |
1403 |
Thomas of Walsingham writes, "Strange portents were seen at daybreak and midday at Biggleswade when mysterious figures dressed in colours as men of war could be seen emerging from a wood. They engaged in combat but on getting closer they became invisible". |
1442 |
John Enderby, MP of Biggleswade; Thomas Stratton, Clerk of the Peace and six others from the town were part of a representation to the King’s Council on behalf of Sir Thomas Wauton. |
1467 |
Church restoration started by John Rudying, Archdeacon. |
1475 |
The King granted a licence to the Bishop and Archdeacon John Rudying and others to found the Fraternity of the Holy Trinity. They must pray for the King and could acquire land, rents, etc. (See article in Part III) |
1481 |
Church restoration completed. There is a memorial brass to John Rudying in the church. |
1484 |
Thomas Easton, Lord of the Manor of Holm. |
1490 |
John Hoywood left 66s 8d to Fraternity to buy lamb that it may continue for ewes. |
1508 |
Edward Pound left his son John 60 sheep, 10 hives with bees, 2 swine and 30 quarters of malt. |
1508 |
Katherine Vincent left her house to the Fraternity on condition that they pray for her soul. |
1508 |
Bishop of Lincoln estate record shows 123 burgages paying 1s each. Rent from assize £136. |
1516 |
Richard Caston; Lord of the Manor, Holm. |
1528 |
Bishop obtained the right to hold two more fairs, 3 days each on 22nd July (St Mary Magdeline) and 2d 6d St Simon & St Jude. |
1529 |
Simon Mathew of Biggleswade was a delegate to determine the legality of Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. A book of his is in the British Museum. |
1535 |
Vicarage worth £10 |
1538 |
Grant by John, Bishop of Lincoln to Henry Lawson. "Mylneo of Bykellswade of all his myllneo being under one Roofe". He paid £17 a year for the mills and £2 14s 4d for 20 acres of land, floodgates etc. 21 years lease. |
1547 |
Bishop Holbeche surrendered the Manor of Biggleswade to Edward VI in exchange for other lands. The canon leaves the market and received toll from produce sold. |
1548 |
|
1550 |
Roads bad. Tempsford road called "Soul Slough". |
1557 |
|
1565 |
|
1567 |
Walter Fisher of the Bell had a great carved chest wainscoted. |
1567 |
Customers from Cardington, Hitchin and around had clothes from Thomas Adcock, a tailor, but they did not always pay. |
1575 |
A well-to-do man, John Ratchford had 100 sheep, 18 beasts but only 3 chairs. |
1583 |
Vicar of Langford left 5s towards repair of sears in Holm School. |
1598 |
Holm schoolmaster was John Bond. A 7-year old pupil was Henry Piggott who boarded near. |
1604 |
Fire destroyed a great number of dwellings. |
1607 |
Holm School bequest. Benjamin Piggott of Nether Gravenhurst, left the 'chapel' at Holm to be used as a schoolhouse. |
1611 |
Bill for 'Biggleswade Highway' rejected by Parliament. |
1622 |
Another bill for road from Biggleswade to Baldock rejected. |
1628 |
Biggleswade paid subsidy £10 |
1631 |
|
1639 |
|
1643 |
Fowler, in 'History of Gamlingay' writes, "When Sir John Burgoyne was raising troops at Biggleswade; he was apparently in great difficulty as Cromwell calls men of Biggleswade 'slow fellows and dormice'". |
1649 |
Parliament confiscated manor; sold to Thomas Margetts, a Bedford burgess, MP and Judge-Advocate. He changed market day to Wednesday instead of Monday. |
C1650 |
Tokens issued as change; ½d piece taken by the overseers of the poor. John Boddington, draper and John Bray of 'The Swan'. |
1661 |
22nd July; Samuel Pepys left Huntingdon at 4 a.m. wearing only thread stockings (and other clothes I hope - H.S.). Bought a pair of coarse warmer woollen ones at Biggleswade. |
1663 |
|
C1660 |
The manor returned to the Crown after Restoration; in possession of Queen Mother Henrietta Maria |
1668 |
Vicar Thomas Miles reported to Bishop for refusing to pray for new born Prince of Wales (Old Pretender) |
1671 |
|
1673 |
John Yardley, miller, fined 20s for refusing to provide the customary cakes for manor court jury. |
1674 |
Manor leased to the Carterets; who had settled in England from Jersey. |
1676 |
William Pope; when fishing, bought stolen sheepskin for 9d. Sold it for 1s2d. Pope accused of theft. |
1677 |
Men stole wheat from Parsonage barn, malt from malthouse and lifted barn door off hinges to steal peas. |
1679 |
George Norris of Buckingham went to Biggleswade fair to sell horses. With others went to the 'Wrestlers Arms' to drink. Played 'All Fours' (H.S. didn't know what this was but details can be found here) and lost. Claimed his money was stolen. Followed men to 'Kings Lynn'. Case tried at Bedford. |
1693 |
A visitor on the way to St Neot's via Biggleswade, April, 1693 |
1696 |
Old Warden; Samuel Ongley, draper, director of East India Co, bought Palmeo property. |
1700 |
Market Town had wheelwright, grocer, malster, tanner, glazier, ploughwright, saddler, schoolmaster, attorney, innkeepers, victuallers, cornhandlers, carters, etc. Inns were: White Horse, Cross Keys, Bell, White Hart, Crown, Kings Arms, Red Lion, Royal Oak, Wrestlers, Sun, Swan. |
1711 |
Vicarage built behind Goldthorpe's. |
1707 |
About this time no clergy at Langford, Biggleswade vicar had to serve both parishes. |
1715 |
Baptists had 300 members - Baptist Old Meeting |
1717 |
246 Conformist families - 27 non-conformist |
1720 |
250 Conformist families - 20 non-conformist |
1720 |
Church tower rebuilt out of grey aslar. |
1720 |
Stevenage/Biggleswade road Act passed, reached only the south end of town (Godber. says 1730, but Turnpike map shows 1720). |
1725 |
Biggleswade/Alconbury road; map agrees. |
1724-26 |
Daniel Defoe: 'Good inns, pleasant place on Ivel, one of greatest barley markets in England but droves of cattle in winter made road repair difficult'. |
1731 |
Sir John Cotton left money to found Stratton School |
1735 |
Mr Rudd of Bigglesward, Steward of Duchess of Marlborough, wanted to employ Thomas Monk. Another, unnamed man, wanted job, murdered Monk. |
|
1746 |
Tablet on church wall to Curtiss Barnett, commander-in-chief on the Coromandel coast |
1750 |
|
1753 |
Thomas Hughes stole pig from market square and drove it home. |
1755 |
|
1755 |
Sir Roger Burgoyne besieged in the 'Sun' by 1500 men who objected to the rumour that they were to be sent to fight in America. The rumour was false, 28th August. |
1756 |
Plan for River Ivel Navigation |
1757 |
Justices besieged by a mob at the Sun Inn in fear that militia men could be sent overseas to fight for the colonies in America and India |
1758 |
River Ivel opened for traffic
from the Great Ouse to Biggleswade. There were five locks. |
1761 |
Wesley preached at Road Farm, Potton Road, Biggleswade. |
1762 |
Boswell at Biggleswade 17 Nov (Dr Johnson) |
1763 |
Mr Pepper of Biggleswade, clockmaker, charged John Blundell 2/6 for cleaning clock. |
1764 |
|
1764 |
Cotton family, who in previous century, had obtained Stratton by marriage with an Anderson heiress sold it to the Barnet family. |
1770 |
George Fletcher is proprietor of Sun Inn |
1771 |
|
1772 |
|
1776 |
December - Ivel blocked by ice and snow for three weeks. |
1780 |
Ivel Navigation debts paid off. |
1773-95 |
John Pedly of Great Barford brought wool to Biggleswade, often came to Biggleswade, hired chaise from the from the 'Cab'. See Diaries in B.H.R. also G.360 |
1779 |
The Hitchin Tolls sold to Biggleswade man. |
1785 |
The 'Great Fire' - much of Biggleswade destroyed. See 'Famous Fires'. |
1786 |
Vicar Gibson helped 'Blind Jack' over Ivel |
1789 |
John Chalkly Taylor, brought up as a Quaker, moved to Biggleswade. Appealed against rates; seems an odd character. In 1795 signed a Nonconformist Meeting House Certificate. |
1791 |
The Sugar Strike - Biggleswade people refused to buy sugar because of high price. Penalty £5 |
1792 |
Earthquake shock lasted several seconds. 25th February. Felt as far as York and Doncaster. Several houses demolished; rebuilt in brickwork - some of these still remain. No deaths. |
c1790-4 |
John Byng (Viscount Torrington) stayed at the 'Sun' several times. Read Torrington Diaries for account of theatre, church, fishing, etc. |
1794 |
|
1795 |
Miss Harvey built Wesleyan Chapel |
1796 |
'The Bridge at Biggleswade was rebuilt with stone from the quarry at Sandy under the inspection of Sir Phillip Monnoux'. From Lyons Magna Britannia 1806. |
1797 |
Miss Godber and Arthur Mee say that the bridge was built in this year and before that it was wooden. (Note something odd about this; see 1758 and the 'The Stone Bridge Mystery' - perhaps there were two bridges. H.S.) |
1801 |
Census - 298 houses, 3 uninhabited, 241 families, 1,650 population |
1801-31 |
Biggleswade population increased by 80%. |
1806-7 |
Merchandise unloaded at Biggleswade Wharf into carts for Shefford, etc. increased by 389; 1/6 toll on 7,000 tons would bring in £500 p.a. |
1807 |
Carl Granville's lease of the Biggleswade Manor expired. The Manor was sold by public auction by the Crown at Carroways Coffee House to Sir Francis Wiles for £2,180. |
|
1824 |
Ivel Navigation extended to Shefford. |
|
1834 |
Methodist church built in Shortmead Street |
|
1835/6 |
Workhouse built in London Road |
|
1844 |
Town Hall Built in High Street |
1850 |
Great Northern railway opened, Biggleswade is the first town in Bedfordshire to have a mainline station. |
|
1860 |
Dan Albone born |
|
1867 |
Drove Road cemetery chapel built. |
|
1876 |
Ivel Navigation Trust brought to an end by an Act of Parliament |
|
1880's |
Dan Albone, the racing cyclist, establishes the Ivel Cycle Works |
|
1884 |
Seven light east window of St Andrew's church is installed |
|
1888 |
Fire Station built in Church Street, then Brewery Lane, previously Back Lane |
|
1891 |
First issue of the Biggleswade Chronicle on October 10, 1891 |
|
1906 |
Francis Frederick Lovell, Lord of the Manor, died 1st August. |
|
1943 |
The Avenue Club opened on 6th November, funded by the War Relief Society of America. |
1953 |
Chancel roof of church burnt, restoration work resulted in the discovery of the stone slab to John Rudding, 1481, archdeacon of Bedford |
|
1950s |
Horse Fair of 14th February lapsed |
1954 |
Aerial photography reveals a hitherto unknown castle site. |
|
1960 |
New Fire Station opened on 21st May |
|
1961 |
Cincinnati Milacron established on taking over the Weatherly Oil Gear site in Dells Lane |
|
1972 |
Workhouse in London Road demolished |
|
1974 |
Biggleswade & District History Society formed |
|
1984 |
Biggleswade History Society is formalised and sets out on the route to become a Registered Charity. |
|
1996 |
Acorn Business Centre in Lawrence Road opened |
|
1997 |
New swimming pool at Saxon Gate opened |
|
1998 |
Trinity Methodist Church, Shortmead Street - Weekend of Rededication - 9-11 January |
|
1998 |
Refurbished Town Centre opened |
|
2006 |
Town Hall moves from a 3 bedroom detached house in Chestnut Avenue to the old Magistrates Court in Saffron Road |
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