Eggington, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Eggington, a hamlet and a parish in Beds, 1½ mile SW from Hockcliffe, and 3 miles E from Leighton Buzzard station on the L. & N.W.R. There is a post office under Leighton Buzzard; money order and telegraph office, Hockcliffe. Acreage, 1372; population, 268. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely; net value, £197 with residence. Patrons, the Parishioners. The church is an ancient building in the Early English and Early Decorated styles. It was restored in 1883. There are Congregational and Wesleyan chapels.
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 | |
| Diocese | Ely | |
| Hundred | Manshead |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The earlier parish register is included in that of Leighton Buzzard, and dates from the year 1653, but there is a separate register for the parish, of marriages from 1844; baptisms, 1813, and burials, 1835.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Eggington: Baptisms 1813-1939, Marriages 1844-1984, Burials 1813-1981, Banns 1866-1946, 1955-1983
Churches
Church of England
St. Michael (parish church)
The church of St. Michael is a small building of the 13th century, in the Early English and Early Decorated styles; consisting of chancel and nave and a small western turret, containing 2 bells, and there is a trefoiled Decorated piscina in the south wall and another in the chancel: the church was entirely restored in 1883, at a cost of £1,200, when a memorial east window was erected to the Rev. Thomas L. J. Sunderland M.A.. formerly curate of the parish and rector of Tilsworth, 1833: the font dates from the 12th century: the church will seat 140 persons.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Eggington was in Leighton Buzzard Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Eggington from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Eggington)
- 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 Eggington 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
Eggington 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.