Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue

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Reference
L13
Title
Shillington
Date free text
1533-1822
Production date
From: 1533 To: 1822
Admin/biog history
Shillington A small group of documents relating to the manor (13/1-3) does not appear to relate to the Wrest estate. The documents are not originals but copies, and the copies may have been made at the same time as those of documents of similar date relating to the manor of Over Stondon (see the endorsement on 14/5), made at the time of a Chancery suit. The manors of both Shillington and Over Stondon were Rotherham property in the early 16th century; thus documents of the former may have been inadvertantly brought into court with those of the latter, and similarly copied for the Earl of Kent. Nos. 13/4-20 relate to leasehold property. The first relates to a rood taken into Wrest Park in 1732, and is notable for the small plan attached of that part of the park. The remainder relate to Shillington rectory and tithes, the property of Trinity College, Cambridge; Trinity College formerly leased these to John Francis, and finally, in 1820, to Amabel, Countess De Grey (no.13/17). The relevance of nos. 13/21-24 has not been traced. They may be connected with the complicated transactions preceding the purchase of land in Shillington and Over Stondon from Thomas Whitehurst in 1770, which follows. Shillington and Over Stondon In 1770 (no. 13/139) a purchase was made from the Rev. Thomas Whitehurst of property in Shillington and Over Stondon. Whitehurst had acquired this a few years previously in two purchases:- one in 1759 from Kynaston; and one in 1765 from skegg. The previous history of this property is as follows:- Nos. 88-140: a farmhouse in Over Stondon and Shillington, 2 orchards, croft close, Groves closes, Hall's croft, Great Acre, Millers balk, and 17 ac. This property originally belonged to Laurence, 1654 (88); passed to Walker in 1656, then to Robert Lucas of Meppershall, (89); it was aquired in 1710 by James Gazeley (106-7), then by Towers Ashcroft (116); then by Daniel Austin in 1723 (118). Nos. 29-51: a group of small properties, some copyhold. Small plots in Windmill Field and Chibley Field (29), and in East Field and Home Field (21) were acquired by Whitbread from Green and Answell. He also occupied 3 ac. of the manor of Shillington rectory (29,33-4,40), and 1 ac. of the manor of Apsleybury (30-1). These were acquired by Daniel Austin in 1730 (34-5, 38-40, 49-50), after which they followed the same course as the property above. Another small group was bought by Austin, 1728 (49). Nos. 52-70: 2 cottages, and land in Bury and East Fields. This property of the Beamonds of Edwath (probably the family of the Agnes Beaumont connected with John Bunyan) was acquired by Daniel Austin in 1730 (69). Nos. 122-140: all the above properties. In 1736 (122) Daniel Austin mortgaged all the above properties. They were sold to Thomas Kynaston in 1742 (131), and by him to Thomas Whitehurst in 1759 (135). Thomas Whitehurst's purchase of 18 ac. from Skegg is in 71-87. This group has another history, from Alleyn to Samm, 1656 (71), and Thompson, 1711 (78), who in 1740 left th reversion to Sarah Hawkins (82), who bequeathed it to Thomas Skegg, 1765 (84); who thereupon sold it to Whitehurst (85). All this property was sold by Thomas Whitehurst to the Duke of Kent's executor in 1770 (139). Much later is a small acquisition from Wilshere, 1 acre in 1814 (141).
Level of description
sub-fonds

Keywords
SHILLINGTON