Billington, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Billington, a parish in Beds, on the river Ouse, 2 miles SE of Leighton-Buzzard, and 1½ mile W from Stanbridge Ford station on the L. & N.W.R. Post town, Leighton-Buzzard, which is the money order and telegraph office. Acreage, 1209; population, 350. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely; net value, £278 with residence. Patrons, the inhabitants. The church is a small building chiefly in the Late Decorated style, and there are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels. The country seat of Billington Manor stands in this parish.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Bedfordshire | |
Civil parish | Leighton Buzzard | |
Hundred | Manshead | |
Poor Law union | Leighton-Buzzard |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The existing parish register dates from the year 1653; the earlier registers form part of those of Leighton Buzzard.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Billington: Baptisms 1653-1989, Marriages 1661-1984, Burials 1835-1990, Banns 1842-1988. 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. Michael (parish church)
The church of St. Michael is a small oblong building, of the Late Decorated period, with some Perpendicular portions, and consists of chancel, nave and a western turret containing one bell: the chancel retains a trefoil-headed piscina.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Billington was in Leighton Buzzard Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Billington from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Billington)
- 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 Billington 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
Billington was in Leighton Buzzard Poor Law Union. For further detailed history of the Leighton Buzzard Union see Peter Higginbotham's excellent resource: Leighton Buzzard Poor Law Union and Workhouse.
Visitations Heraldic
A full transcript of the Visitations of Bedfordshire 1566, 1582, and 1634 is available online.