Flitwick, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Flitwick, a village and a parish in Beds, on the river Flitt, 2½ miles S by W of Ampthill, with a station on the M.R. There is a post office under Ampthill; money order and telegraph office, Ampthill. Acreage, 2165; population, 900. Flitwick Manor House is a mansion of brick. situated in a beautiful park. A small priory, a cell to Dunstable Abbey, was founded at Rokesac here in 1170 by Philip de Sannerville. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely; net yearly value, £207 with residence. The church is a small building of stone in the Gothic style. There is & Wesleyan chapel.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Bedfordshire | |
| Diocese | Ely | |
| Ecclesiastical parish | Flitwick St. Peter and St. Paul | |
| Hundred | Redbornestoke |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1661.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Flitwick: Baptisms 1622-1999, Marriages 1661-1996, Burials 1661-2001, Banns 1967-1994. 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
SS. Peter and Paul (parish church)
The church of SS. Peter and Paul is a small edifice of stone, in the Gothic style, restored and enlarged in 1858, and further improved in 1867, under the direction of Mr. W. Butterfield, architect: it consists of chancel, nave, aisles and an embattled tower containing 5 bells, which were rehung in 1909: on the north side is a Norman doorway: there are four memorial windows, one of which was erected in 1880 to the late Mrs. Brooks, another was placed in 1885 by E. Jenkins esq. to his wife, a third in 1898 to the Rev. F. Ashpitel, vicar 1880-94, and a fourth in 1901 to the Rev. Frederick Bell Lipscomb M.A. vicar 1894-9: the oak reredos, erected in 1897, is a memorial to Mrs. J. H. Brooks: the organ was presented by the late Mrs. Brooks: the chancel was new-roofed in 1888 at the expense of the late Major John Hatfield Brooks D.L., J.P. (d. 1907).
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Flitwick was in Ampthill Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Flitwick from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Flitwick (St. Peter and St. Paul))
- 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 Flitwick 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
Flitwick was in Ampthill Poor Law Union. For further detailed history of the Ampthill Union see Peter Higginbotham's excellent resource: Ampthill Poor Law Union and Workhouse.
Visitations Heraldic
A full transcript of the Visitations of Bedfordshire 1566, 1582, and 1634 is available online.