Hundred of Willey | |
---|---|
Hundred | |
Map of Hundred Willey, published 1872 | |
Location within the United Kingdom | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Parishes | Biddenham, Bletsoe, Bromham, Carlton, Chellington, Farndish, Felmersham, Harrold, Odell, Pavenham, Podington, Sharnbrook, Souldrop, Stagsden, Stevington, Thurleigh, Turvey |
The Hundred of Willey is a historical land division, a hundred in the northwest corner of Bedfordshire, England. Its northwestern boundary is the county border with Northamptonshire, and its southwestern boundary the border with Buckinghamshire. Some of its parishes and settlements lay on the River Great Ouse which flows through the hundred.
The hundred of Willey was formed after King Edward the Elder subdued the Vikings of Bedford in 915 and constructed two burhs on each side of the River Ouse in Bedford. Willey, Barford, Stodden and the half-hundreds of Buckelow and Bedford were created to support the north Bedford burh. [1] Willey consisted of 105 hides, which were situated in the following vills: Carlton, Chellington, Farndish, Felmersham with Radwell, Harrold, Odell, Podington with Hinwick, Sharnbrook, Thurleigh, Turvey, and Wymington. [2] The name of the hundred is derived from Old English wēoh ‘an idol, a shrine’ and lēah ‘clearing, clearing in a wood’, denoting a clearing or grove with a pre-Christian shrine or temple. [3]
The areas of these hundreds were intermingled - so Thurleigh was separated from the rest of the hundred by Bletsoe in the Buckelow half-hundred and Milton, Clapham and Milton Ernest (three vills within Stodden hundred) were separated from the rest of their hundred by Thurleigh and Bletsoe. This is taken as supporting the formation of these hundreds together as a unit of support for the same burh. [1]
It appears that the hundred of Willey and half-hundred of Buckelow were administered together, with Hugh de Willey recorded as the keeper of the bailiwick of Wilie and half bailiwick of Bukkelowe. At his death in 1278 his son Roger succeeded him; making the title appear hereditary. In the 17th century, the half-hundred of Buckelowe, comprising the vills of Biddenham, Bletsoe, Bromham, Pavenham, Stagsden, and Stevington, was formally merged with the hundred of Willey. [4] Other parish combinations have included the parishes of Carlton and Chellington merging in 1934, and Farndish being absorbed into Podington with Hinwick parish.
Although there are many small settlements the majority of land in the hundred remains rural and is still used for farming. There is a railway line running close to the northeast border, however some stations on this line are now closed such as Sharnbrook closed in 1960. Today the area of the Hundred of Willey is within the Borough of Bedford.
The hundred contained the following parishes: [5]
Biddenham, Bletsoe, Bromham, Carlton, Chellington, Farndish, Felmersham, Harrold, Odell, Pavenham, Podington, Sharnbrook, Souldrop, Stagsden, Stevington, Thurleigh, Turvey
Bedford, or the Borough of Bedford, is a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. The council is based in Bedford, the borough's namesake and principal settlement, which is the county town of Bedfordshire.
Bromham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, situated around 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Bedford town centre.
Bedfordshire is an English ceremonial county which lies between approximately 25 miles and 55 miles north of central London.
Odell is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, north Bedfordshire, England, approximately 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Bedford town centre, near the villages of Harrold, Felmersham, Sharnbrook and Carlton.
North East Bedfordshire was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2024.
Turvey is a village and civil parish on the River Great Ouse in the Borough of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, about 7 miles (11 km) west of Bedford town centre. The village is on the A428 road between Bedford and Northampton, close to the border with Buckinghamshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,225.
Bletsoe is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is on the A6, and about eight miles north of Bedford. The village has a small park, the former site of Bletsoe Castle and a church. Nearby places are Sharnbrook, Milton Ernest, Riseley, Thurleigh, Odell, Souldrop, and Swineshead. The nearest town to Bletsoe is Bedford.
Pavenham is a small village and civil parish on the River Great Ouse in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, about 6 miles (10 km) north-west of Bedford. Village amenities consist of St Peter's Church, a pub, Village hall, tennis Club, Cricket Club and golf club. The village is home to many clubs and societies including an active WI.
Felmersham is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, on the River Great Ouse, about 7 miles (11 km) north west of Bedford. As a civil parish, it includes the hamlet of Radwell, and is sometimes known as Felmersham with Radwell, and has a population of about 800, and is circumscribed by the Great Ouse on the north, east and south. Other nearby places are Sharnbrook, Odell, Pavenham and Milton Ernest. Felmersham with Radwell was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a parish within the Hundred of Willey. John de Burnham, later Lord High Treasurer of Ireland, was parish priest here in the 1330s.
Carlton with Chellington is a civil parish in the historical Hundred of Willey in Bedfordshire, England, and is within the Borough of Bedford. The parish is situated on the South bank of the River Great Ouse, from Harrold, and includes the villages of Carlton and Chellington.
Carlton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Carlton and Chellington, in the Bedford district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The River Great Ouse runs just to the north of the village. Nearby places are Chellington, Harrold, Pavenham, Turvey, Lavendon and Odell. In 1931 the parish had a population of 340.
North Bedfordshire is a county constituency in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.
Sharnbrook Academy, formerly Sharnbrook Upper School until 2017, is a large, rural academy school located in Sharnbrook, a village in the English county of Bedfordshire. Built in 1975, the school now has over 1900 students and around 300 staff, and includes a large sixth form founded in 1978 of around 650 students.
Podington is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom. The village is within the electoral ward of Harrold in the Borough of Bedford. Podington lies around 16 km (9.9 mi) northwest of Bedford and is about 2 km (1.2 mi) east of the county border with Northamptonshire.
Hinwick is a hamlet in northwest Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom; it is around nine miles north west of Bedford and is about 1 km (0.62 mi) east of the county border with Northamptonshire which is also the postal county. The hamlet is in the parish of Podington, which is sometimes called "Podington and Hinwick" and this parish was within the Hundred of Willey. Hinwick was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Haneuuich, also spelt Heneuuiche or Henewich and has also been recorded as Henewic and Hynewyk from the 13th century. In 1086, the population consisted of 19 households under six owners.
Stevington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in northern Bedfordshire, England. It is on the River Great Ouse four to five miles northwest of Bedford. Nearby villages include Bromham, Oakley, Pavenham and Turvey. West End lies northwest of the village, and forms part of the same civil parish.
Harrold is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in Bedfordshire, England, nine miles north-west of Bedford on the north bank of the River Great Ouse, close to the county boundaries of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire. An ancient bridge links the village with Carlton with Chellington on the south bank. Immediately to the east of the village is Odell.
The Hundred of Stodden is a historical land division, a hundred, in the north of Bedfordshire, England. It borders Northamptonshire to the north, Huntingdonshire to the east and the Bedfordshire hundreds of Willey and Barford to the south. Three vills - Oakley, Clapham and Milton Earnest - are separated from the rest of the hundred by the parishes of Beltsoe and Thurleigh, which are part of the half-hundred of Buckelow and hundred of Willey respectively.