Scope and Content
The 'Act for the Improvement of the Town of Bedford ... and for Rebuilding the Bridge over the River Ouse in the said Town' (27 July 1803) commenced by saying that 'the Town or Borough of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, is a populous trading Town, and Public Markets have for Time immemorial been held there on certain Days in every Week, and a public fair at divers Times in every Year, and whereas the present Guildhall of the said Town is in a ruinous and decayed State, and the present Market Places and Butchers Shambles are inconveniently situated for the Purposes of the Market, and the Passage along the public Streets is greatly obstructed and rendered inconvenient to Passengers and Travellers by the Number of Stalls placed therein on Market Days and great Nuisances are frequently committed by slaughtering Sheep and Cattle in the said public Streets, or in Places open thereto'. The preliminaries went on to say that the streets were ill paved and ill lit, and insufficiently cleansed, and that 'the Bridge over the River Ouze, in the said Town of Bedford, called Bedford Bridge, is very ancient, narrow, inconvenient, and dangerous for the passing of Persons, Carriages and Cattle, over the same, and the Piers of the said Bridge are so constructed as to impede the Current of the said River in Time of Flood, to the great Injury of the Inhabitants of the said town'. The Mayor and Commonalty of Bedford were responsible for repairs to the bridge, but had no funds to rebuild it, and it would be to the benefit of the town if 'the present Guildhall Market Places, and Butchers Shambles were taken down, and a new Guildhall, and new Market Houses and Butchers Shambles, with proper Shops, Sheds, Stalls, Slaughter Houses, and other Buildings and Conveniences, were erected ... and if the Streets ... were properly paved, repaired ... and regulated ... and also if the said Bridge over the said River Ouze was taken down and rebuilt ...
The Act set up a body of 'Commissioners for the Improvement of the Town of Bedford', being the Mayor, Recorder, and Representatives in Parliament for the town (for the time being) and 35 named townspeople. These were vested with the Guildhall in the parish of Bedford St Paul, and the building in the same parish called The Butter Market House, and all the public market places in Bedford. They were also empowered to purchase properties (listed in a schedule) and demolish the Guildhall, Butter Market House and other properties, sell the materials 'and to cause such Streets or Communications leading to the intended Guildhall, and Market Place or Market Places to be opened and made of such Width and dimensions, and with such convenient Footways on each Side thereof, as the said commissioners shall think proper and necessary'. They were then authorised to erect a 'new and more commodious Guildhall, and also such new Market House or Market Houses, and proper and convenient Butchers Shops, Sheds, Shambles, Stalls, Standings, and other Shops' as they thought proper, and they were also to build proper Slaughter Houses. In due course all of these premises were to be handed over the Mayor and Commonalty of Bedford. The financing of this programme was to come from the bridge tolls, from rates and the commissioners could also borrow money, either as a mortgage on the Rates, or by annuities charged on the rates, or to borrow money at interest to be paid by the Bridge Tolls. When the borrowed capital had been repaid the tolls were to cease.
The properties as listed in the Schedule, lay either in the High Street; in Stone House Lane (the road on the north side of St Paul’s Square); in the Butcher row, Church Alley and the Fish Market (all on the island site in the present St Paul's Square); in Vines Corner otherwise Vines Street (where the High Street joins the road along the south side of St Paul's Square) and one property was across the river in St Mary's to help in the rebuilding of Bedford Bridge.
Theed Pearse, the clerk to the Improvement Commissioners, noted in the margin of his copy of the Act which of the properties had been purchased by the year 1810, and not all in the schedule had been used. Purchases between 1803 and 1807 covered a site to the north of Stone House Lane where new Slaughter Houses were erected: and the site of the new Butchers Row, which went up in the area previously occupied by the old Butchers Row or Shambles, the old Guildhall, and Church Alley, which lay to the north of St Paul’s churchyard.
However, the main task was to rebuild Bedford Bridge, and it was soon clear that this would strain the financial resources of the Commissioners, and that they needed to be relieved from some of their obligations in the 1803 Act.
Thus in 1810 they procured an amending act (50 Geo III cap lxxxii: 18 May 1810). This said that the Commissioners' funds were inadequate for the building of a new Guildhall, and under the amending act the clause requiring the Commissioners to erect a new Guildhall was repealed, and also their obligation to provide the Borough with an alternative meeting house until the new Guildhall was up. Instead, the Mayor bailiffs burgesses and commonalty of Bedford were to receive immediately the ground where the old Guildhall once stood: and the Market House, the Butchers Shops and Shambles and the Slaughter Houses and the ground of all the market places.
With the help of the 1810 Act the old bridge was pulled down and the new bridge built, but there was a great burden of debt. The question of purchasing properties in the fish Market came up in 1832, but there were no funds, and an appeal for subscriptions produced insufficient, in the view of the Commissioners, for any large scale scheme to be undertaken. Instead they envisaged another act of parliament granting them further powers. This was strongly resisted by a body of townspeople, and these independently of the Commissioner and led by the Mayor, Dr Witt, set up a subscription, and bought up much of the remaining built-up part of the island site for £3696. They then demolished the buildings and handed over the site to the commissioners, and further appeal was made for £2000 to complete the programme. The last house purchased in this way was in 1837, the house of Mr William Jones, for which he was willing to accept £450.
When the Improvement Commission was amalgamated with the Borough Council in 1860 the policy continued, and these deeds are among the ordinary series of Borough Deeds (see BorBE 4 etc). The Improvement Commissioners' series of title deeds is not complete, and properties for which no documents have been found, or have been listed elsewhere, are set out below.
See also BorBE 4/12–22 which appears to be a purchase by George Witt and T.G. Elger for the Improvement Commission relating to a messuage in the Fish Market bounded East by the common passage way and West by St Pauls Churchyard.
Properties without Title Deeds
1. Corporation Properties
The Improvement Commissioners show that the Corporation had 8 tenements or shops, which were valued at £25 each, and on 2 Dec 1803 it was reported that the Corporation agreed to the offer of £200. However, a ninth property was required, and on 3 February 1804 it was ordered that £225 being the full compensation for ... 9 shops or other erections in the Butchers Row and church Alley adjoining be paid to the Chamberlains of the Corporation, on their giving a receipt and specifying the several premises. The Commissioners' Bank Book shows that on 6 February 1804 the Corporation received £225.
2. Sir William Long's Estate
Among the properties listed in the schedule to the first Improvement Act and situated in Stonehouse Lane are 'Three messuages or tenements with the yards and outbuildings thereto belonging, now or late the property of James Whittingstall and William Long, and in the respective occupations of John Woodcock, Ann York, widow and Thomas Coles.' A marginal note describes them as north of Stonehouse Lane, where the new Slaughter Houses were to go.
The Commissioners' Minutes show that in December 1803 William Long agreed to sell for £350, provided the Commissioners purchase some ground of Mr Maitland’s on the north of Stonehouse Lane and convey it to Long for building on, and provided that he can move the licences of the two public houses to be taken down. This was not agreed to, and the case went to a jury. At the meeting on 3 February 1804 it was agreed that Mr Long be offered:
- £110 for the Black Horse
- £110 for the assignment of the lease of the Saracen's Head held by him under St John's Hospital for the unexpired term
- £100 for three shops in the Butcherrow
To which Long agreed. In May 1804 the Commissioners asked for the conveyance to be expedited, and the bank book shows that the £320 was paid on 16 August 1804. The Rector of St John's Church was offered £100 in console for his and his successors' interest in the Saracen's Head, which he accepted, according to the minutes of 6 July 1804. At a meeting on 2 October 1807 the Clerk was ordered to take the necessary measures for the immediate purchase of the Quit Rent due to the Crown for the premises purchased of William Long esquire.
3. Shops in Butcher's Row belonging to William Smith, grazier
The commissioners' minutes show that Mr William Smith, grazier, was offered £45 for two shops in Butchers Row, which offer he accepted, and the Bank Book shows that on 10 November 1804 Mr W. Smith, grazier, was paid £45 (see BorBE 3/44).
4. Alexander Maitland's piece of ground on the North side of Stonehouse Lane
The schedule of the 1803 Act lists in Stonehouse Lane 'a small piece of ground, now or late the property of Alexander Maitland, esquire. Now unoccupied'. From the Commissioners' Minutes we learn that the ground lay between the Bell public house and the Dolphin premises, and was valued at £50. By January 1804 the commissioners were thinking that this purchase was unnecessary, but at the meeting on 3rd February 1804 it was ordered 'that so much of the ground belonging to Alexander Maitland esquire, situate on the north side of Stonehouse Lane as lies Westward of a line to be drawn from the North East corner of the Bell Public House to the Fence bounding the Scalding Yard to the North, be purchased, and that Alexander Maitland be offered £10'.
On the 6th October 1804 the Commissioners agreed to give £10. 10s. to Alexander Maitland for his slip of ground on the North side of the new Slaughter House and on the South of premises of William Stapleton, being 39 feet long and 8feet wide, and the Bank Book shows that this payment was made on 10th November 1804.
5. Four tenements belonging to the parish of Bedford St Paul
The Schedule to the 1803 Act listed:
In Stonehouse Lane (a marginal note says 'South side') - One messuage or tenement, with the Yard and Outbuildings thereto belonging, now or late the property of the churchwardens of the parish of St Paul, Bedford, and in the occupation of William Smith.
In Butcher Row - One tenement or shop with the outbuildings now or late the property of the churchwardens of the said parish of St Paul and now in the occupation of Philip Thompson.
In the fish market - Three messuages or tenements with the outbuildings now or late the property of the churchwardens of the said parish of St Paul, and in the respective occupation of Mary Kaye, widow, John Heartwell and Charles Tingay.
The minutes show that on 4th November 1803 the Commissioners offered the parish of St Paul £25 each for their 4 tenements or shops. On 2nd December it was reported that St Paul accedes to the offer of £50 for 2 tenements or shops, as the other two, supposed to belong to the parish, belong one to the Corporation and other to John Ames and his wife. On 3rd February 1804 the parish was offered £30 (raised to £50) compensation for their interest in the Butcher's Arms in Stonehouse Lane let by the parish to Messrs Fowler. (The title deeds show that George Fowler received £75 for his leasehold interest in the property).
The Bank Book shows payments to the churchwardens of St Paul’s: 2 Aug 1805 - £30; 5 Sept 1805 - £30; 3 Jan 1806 - £40.
6. Woodroffe cottage at Vines Corner
Among the premises in the Schedule to the 1803 act is 'Vines Corner, otherwise Vines Street. One messuage or tenement with the outbuildings now or late the property of William Eastwell Woodroffe and in the occupation of Martha Hayworth.'
Mr Woodroffe was offered £60 for the property, and on 3rd August 1804 it was reported that he had agreed to sell for £75, but had subsequently died. However proceedings continued and on 19 October 1807 the materials were to be sold by public auction. On 3rd December 1811 it was reported that John Woodroffe, having attained the age of 21 years, had applied for payment of the sum of £75 being the purchase money of the cottage taken down at Vines corner which had been agreed to be purchased of his grandfather on 3 August 1804, with £13. 15s. interest from that date, and it was ordered that the purchase money and interest be paid on the execution of the conveyance.
7. Mr Webb's tenement in Church Alley
Among the premises in the Schedule to the 1803 Act is:
Church Alley - One tenement now or late the property of Thomas Webb and in the occupation of Stephen Jakins.
The Improvement Commissioners show that Mr Webb was offered £40, but in reply he said he would sell for £50. At the meeting on 28 Dec 1803 this figure was considered reasonable, and on 5 October 1804 it was ordered that Mr Thomas Webb be paid £50 for his tenement in Church Alley. The Bank Book shows that the sum was paid on 11 October 1804.
8. Mr Langley's premises adjoining the Bridge
John Langley had three messuages and outbuildings in High Street adjoining the Bridge. On 2 October 1810 the Commissioners decided to offer him £1000, and Langley's son said his father wished for £1100. The matter was put to a jury who decided the value to be £1450, and on 11 Dec 1810 the commissioners ordered that this sum be paid for the premises. Buildings were demolished and the materials sold; a Toll House for the Bridge Tolls was built on part of the premises, and in July 1813 it was agreed that any part of the property not needed for the bridge or for improvements should be sold to Mr Barnard.