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Bedfordshire Historical Record Society (BHRS) was established in 1912 as a focus for the study of Bedfordshire history.

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94 results in Publications Bedfordshire Hist Rec Soc

Page 2 of 5

Bedford Prison 1660-1877
  • Edited by Eric Stockdale
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • This history of Bedford Prison is told through the story of the family of gaolers who ran it for many years and the contributions of five men closely associated with the prison.

    To the account of John Bunyan's trial and imprisonment is added a chapter on others in the prison at the same time.

    After John Howard discovered the appalling conditions in which prisoners were kept, his investigation into prison conditions went far beyond the county and led to his book 'The State of the Prisons' and his advocacy of penal reform. The meeting between John Howard and Jeremy Bentham is recounted in the latter's words. After the former's death, Samuel Whitbread II carried forward plans to build a new prison in Bedford. The Rev. Philip Hunt was rector of St Peter's Bedford and deeply involved in local affairs, including the prison and the house of correction. Lord John Russell, son of the 6th Duke of Bedford, was a politician and Home Secretary 1835-1839, during which period the national system of prison inspectors was set up.

    The connections of family, friendship, religion and political alliance amongst these five men is drawn out.

    There is also much about the prison itself, the buildings and their rebuilding; and the inmates, their lives and punishments including transportation. This is not merely an institutional history but much more a history of the people, outside and inside, who affected or were affected by the prison.

Law and Local Society in the Time of Charles I
  • Bedfordshire and the Civil War
  • Ross Lee
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • Although Bedfordshire did not feature significantly in the battles of the Civil War, local families were drawn into the conflict and life for the whole community was affected by events on the national scene. This volume explores the evidence of those subtler trends and publishes some of the sources in extenso including Sir William Boteler's carefully balanced addresses to the grand jury at Quarter Sessions in 1643-7, inventories of the belongings of 'Royalist delinquents' and lists of Catholic recusants of the time.

Printed Maps and Town Plans of Bedfordshire 1576-1900
  • Edited by Betty Chambers
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • Widely regarded as a model of its kind, this book, which took eighteen years to prepare, catalogues the printed County maps of Bedfordshire from Christopher Saxton (1576) to the Ordnance Survey of 1901. It also describes the town plans for Bedford, Leighton Buzzard and Luton for the same period. The complex history of different editions of maps is discussed and explained, making the book an indispensable work of reference for collectors, dealers and local historians. One of the most detailed maps discussed, Jeffery's map of 1765, has been reprinted by BHRS.

The Minutes of the First Independent Church (now Bunyan Meeting) at Bedford 1656-1766
  • Edited by H. G. Tibbutt
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • These are the administrative records of the Bunyan Meeting, dealing with admissions, expulsions and discipline as well as spiritual matters. The book includes membership lists for 1650-1735, 1741, 1754 and 1761; and deaths 1681-1688.

Bedfordshire Wills Proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1383-1548
  • Edited by Margaret McGregor
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • The Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) was the highest court in which wills were proved, usually indicating that testators held land in several diocese or were wealthy.

    These 130 PCC wills of Bedfordshire people have been abstracted in great detail. Irrespective of the testators' affluence, their wills show their last concerns - for family, the disposition of treasured household items and for their souls. Additional biographical information is provided for many testators and there is a glossary of unusual terms.

Bedfordshire Chapels and Meeting Houses
  • Official Registration 1672-1901
  • Edited by Edwin Welch, James Collett-White
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • Edwin Welch has created an invaluable list of the licenses which were obtained from the Bedford Archdeaconry or Quarter Sessions for places for nonconformist religious worship. Arranged alphabetically by place, the list names the person seeking the license, the building and often its owner or occupier, and the denomination. The book is generously illustrated.

The Inhabitants of Cardington in 1782
  • Edited by David Baker
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • The author and purpose of the document entitled 'The General Account of the number of persons in each house on January 1st, 1782' in Cardington, Fenlake, Harrowden and Cotton End & Pastors is unknown, although David Baker suggests that it was compiled by Cardington's schoolmaster, James Lilburne.

    The transcription of the document itself, the first page of which is illustrated on the frontispiece, has been supplemented from other categories of demographic sources including overseers' accounts, wills, parish registers, tombstones, land tax documents and material created in the course of the 1784 parliamentary election. The result is a reconstitution of Cardington's households in 1782, sixty years before the first surviving census.

    It is preceded by a detailed introduction which examines the demography of the parish.

The Education and Employment of Girls in Luton, 1874-1924
  • Widening Opportunities and Lost Freedoms
  • Anne Allsopp
  • Edited by Martin G. Deacon
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • This book, based on the author's PhD thesis, examines the education of Luton girls and the relationship with employment opportunities. The acknowledged independence of spirit to be found in Luton was especially noticeable among its female population who enjoyed considerable economic power within the traditional hat-making industry.

    In spite of this, there is evidence to show that girls' education was biased towards their roles as wives and mothers. However, by the early twentieth century, the effects of compulsory education and the introduction of new industries into the town meant that their status and expectations had changed.

    Sunday schooling was important to children from the labouring classes and the contribution of these schools has been assessed. Specific themes include half-time schooling and the granting of labour certificates which allowed children to leave school before the statutory age.

    The contribution of the home and independent organisations, the training of teachers, the character of rural schools and the introduction of technical and secondary education have also been considered. While emphasis is on the education of girls from the lower social classes, the middle classes have not been ignored.

Law and Order in Georgian Bedfordshire
  • Eric Stockdale
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • These five essays on issue of law and order grew out of the author's earlier research on local crime for his book on Bedford Prison (BHRS vol. 56).

    The first essay recounts the riots following the enactment of the Militia Act 1757.

    The second is a short biography of the Rev. Philip Hunt, rector of St Peter's Bedford from 1799, who accompanied firstly Lord Elgin to Greece, and secondly the 6th Duke of Bedford to Ireland as his secretary and chaplain. Following his appointment as a justice of the peace in Bedfordshire, Hunt concerned himself with the running of Bedford prison and penal reform.

    Samuel Whitbread II is the subject of the third and fourth essays. Appeals to him from prisoners awaiting transportation leads to a discussion of the conditions in the hulks. The unfortunate consequences of his attempts to raise the level of literacy of militiamen is also recounted.

    Finally, there is a brief account of local law and order in the 1830s which led to the establishment of the county police force in 1840.

Inventories of Bedfordshire Country Houses 1714-1830
  • Edited by James Collett-White, Chris Pickford
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • This is an edition of household inventories which list in detail the contents of sixteen Bedfordshire country houses. Among them are lesser known houses such as the Hasells and the Prebendal House at Leighton Buzzard as well as mansions such as Wrest Park and Southill. The volume includes a general introduction, an account of each of the houses covered, contemporary illustrations and indexes of names and subjects.

Bedfordshire Muster Lists 1539-1831
  • Edited by Nigel Lutt, Chris Pickford
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • The volume contains the surviving lists of Bedfordshire men who were liable for military service between 1539 and 1831: they are held at either The National Archives or Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (open in new windows) Many lists have not survived and the coverage for the county is uneven.

    Militia lists must not be accepted as lists of men who served. The introductions to the volume and each record provide guidance on whether the men in each list were eligible or whether they served. The editor notes that the lists raise many other question. What proportion of the men balloted to serve in the militia did so? How many found substitutes? Where did substitutes come from? How long did recruits stay with militia units? When and why did they leave? Indeed, one document from the Civil War period lists men who ran away before they were clothed or armed.

Strawopolis
  • Luton Transformed 1840-1876
  • Stephen Bunker
  • Edited by Chris Pickford
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • This volume, based on the author's PhD thesis, traces the transformation of Luton from a market town to a manufacturing centre during the mid-nineteenth century. Its development was built on the straw hat industry. While this trade, from which the title of the book is taken, is examined in Chapter 1, the aim of the book is to elucidate the cottage economy antecedents of a modern engineering town. This involves a consideration not only of its industrial base but also the distinctive nature of the local economy, the challenges posed by unrestricted urban growth, religion, education, politics and institutions such as the Board of Health.

    Above all, however, this book is about the people of Luton who created the town's transformation. Fittingly, the book concludes with biographical notes on some of the people of mid-nineteenth century Luton.

The Bedfordshire Schoolchild
  • Elementary Education before 1902
  • Edited by David Bushby
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • Amongst the documents from which extracts are taken are: the record of schools in the Bishop of Lincoln's Visitations 1717 and 1720; the returns to the Select Committee on Education of the Poor 1818; the 1833 education returns; grants to National and British schools 1835-1843; a report in 1844 of the HM School Inspector; the Church of England's enquiry into schools in 1846/7; the education census of 1851; Union workhouse schools; reports on child employment 1843-1867/8; extracts from school logbooks; the report on elementary education made under the Education Act 1870; and extracts from the minutes of school boards 1870-1903.

Court of Augmentations Accounts for Bedfordshire
  • Volume 63, Part 1
  • Edited by Yvonne Nicholls
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • On the dissolution of the smaller monasteries in 1536, the Court of Augmentations was set up to administer their property until such time as other arrangements, such as sales, could be arranged. Commissioners made an inventory of their property: local men rented and administered them and paid the income into the Court of Augmentations. This volume and volume 64 contain the accounts for the property of Bedfordshire religious houses and the property in Bedfordshire of religious houses in other counties. The accounts are very thorough and include, for example, the names and rents of copyhold tenants and descriptions of the acreage, fields, crops or livestock on many properties.

    The volume contains a tribute In Memoriam to H. Gordon Tibbutt (1913-1982).

Samuel Whitbread's Notebooks, 1810-11, 1813-14
  • Edited by Alan F. Cirket
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • The notebooks kept by Samuel Whitbread II of Southill (1764-1815) are a rare survival, recording in detail the cases he handled in his capacity as a Justice - or Magistrate - for the County. The original notebooks are difficult to read, but Alan Cirket's edition makes their contents available for all to study. This volume conveys a lively picture of social and economic conditions in the closing stages of the Napoleonic wars.

Court of Augmentations Accounts for Bedfordshire
  • Volume 63, Part 2
  • Edited by Yvonne Nicholls
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    03 August 2023
  • On the dissolution of the smaller monasteries in 1536, the Court of Augmentations was set up to administer their property until such time as other arrangements, such as sales, could be arranged. Commissioners made an inventory of their property: local men rented them and paid the income into the Court of Augmentations. This volume and volume 63 contain the accounts for the property of Bedfordshire religious houses and the property in Bedfordshire of religious houses in other counties. Volume 64 also includes accounts of the Honour of Ampthill.

    This careful edition of the accounts of Crown revenues gives a picture of the wealth of these foundations at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. They are very thorough and include, for example, the names and rents of copyhold tenants; descriptions of the acreage, fields, crops or livestock on farms; and locations of town properties.

Knights of the Shire for Bedfordshire
  • Edited by Margery Bassett
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    20 July 2023
  • The body of the book is a biographical dictionary of the men who represented Bedfordshire in Parliament as knights of the shire between 1274 and 1495. It is preceded by a list of Parliaments and Bedfordshire’s representatives, taken from official returns. The work for this volume was undertaken for the Committee on the History of Parliament, forerunner of the History of Parliament Trust. The biographical entries and the introduction give a flavour of the type of men who represented the county.

The Cartulary of Bushmead Priory
  • Edited by G. Herbert Fowler, Joyce Godber
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    19 July 2023
  • The documents in the cartulary deal with the Priory's property and privileges. They are transcribed in Latin and accompanied by brief summaries in English. There is an extract from the Valor Ecclesiasticus setting out the assessment of the Priory in 1535.

    A map shows the extent of Bushmead Priory's property in 1347. Field names are mentioned in the text.

    The volume begins with tributes In Memoriam to Samuel Howard Whitbread (the President) and George Herbert Fowler (the Secretary and General Editor).

The Oakley hunt
  • Edited by Joyce Godber
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    18 July 2023
  • The development of hunts in Bedfordshire is recounted in the introduction and through transcriptions of documents from several collections in Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service. The documents relate to private hunts (1708-1797) and to the Oakley hunt (1795-1920). They include the hound book of Richard Orlebar of Hinwick House (1708-1727); private correspondence (Orlebar, William Lee Antonie, Samuel Whitbread II); extracts from magazines and books; and circulars; etc.. While the topics in these documents concentrate on horses, hounds, hunting and several detailed accounts of particular hunts, some correspondence also deals with local matters and politics. An early account of a hunt saboteur is reprinted from a book of reminiscences. He seems to have been a resident of a lunatic asylum in Bedford - but the account may be apocryphal.

    There is a list of masters of the Oakley hunt from 1798 to 1915. A map, taken from J. and C. Walker's county map of the north and west of Bedfordshire and neighbouring Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, shows the places of meeting of the Oakley Hunt in 1850.

The Publications of the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society
  • Volume 18
  • Henry L. L. Denny
  • Edited by F. G. Emmison, Margaret Emmison, G. Herbert Fowler
  • Published by:
    Boydell & Brewer
    Published online:
    18 July 2023
  • Includes 'The Civil War Papers of Sir Will. Boteler, 1642-1655', edited by G. Herbert Fowler (Calendar).

    'The Ship-money Papers of Henry Chester and Sir Will. Boteler, 1637-1639', edited by F. G. and Margaret Emmison (Assessments, lists of arrears, and correspondence for Bedfordshire.).

    'Notes on the Family of Coke, of Newbury, co. Beds', by Sir Henry L. L. Denny, bart (1480-1664).

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