Astwick, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Astwick, a parish in Beds, on the river Ivel, 2½ miles ENE of Arlesey station on the G.N.R., and 4 N by W of Baldock, which is the post town and the money order and telegraph office. Acreage, 665; population, 54. The living is a rectory annexed to the vicarage of Arlesey, in the diocese of Ely; joint net yearly value, £300. Population of the ecclesiastical district, 2162. The church is a building of stone in the Decorated style.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Bedfordshire | |
Ecclesiastical parish | Astwick St. Guthlake | |
Hundred | Biggleswade |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1564.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Astwick: Baptisms 1564-1981, Marriages 1564-1981, Burials 1564-1982, Banns 1755-1926. Transcripts in either book or microfiche form for registers prior to 1813 can be purchased from the BLARS (see website for details).
Churches
Church of England
St. Guthlac (parish church)
The parish church of St. Guthlac is a building of stone in the Decorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch and western tower containing one bell: and in the church are monuments to the Cockayne and Fossey families: there are 140 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Astwick was in Biggleswade Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Astwick from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Astwick (St. Guthlake))
- Kelly's Directory of Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Northamptonshire, 1914
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Astwick are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Bedfordshire papers online:
- Bedfordshire Times and Independent
- Biggleswade Chronicle
- Luton Times and Advertiser
- Luton News and Bedfordshire Chronicle
Poor Law
Astwick was in Biggleswade Poor Law Union. For further detailed history of the Biggleswade Union see Peter Higginbotham's excellent resource: Poor Law Union and Workhouse.
Visitations Heraldic
A full transcript of the Visitations of Bedfordshire 1566, 1582, and 1634 is available online.