RIP Captain Sir Tom Moore (1920-2021)
Marston Mortaine, Bedfordshire
(Marston Morteyne)
Historical Description
Marston Moretaine, a village and a parish in Beds. The village stands near the river Ouse, 1 mile W of the Bedford and Bletchley branch of the L. & N.W.R., and 3½ miles NW of Ampthill; was once a market-town, and has a station called Millbrook on the railway, and a post office under Ampthill; money order office, Lidlington; telegraph office, Cranfield. The parish comprises 4290 acres; population, 1047. The parish council, under the Local Government Act, 1894, consists of thirteen members. The principal manor belongs to the Duke of Bedford. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely; net value, £620 with residence. Patron, St John's College, Cambridge. The church, a large and ancient building, comprises Later English nave and aisles, Early English chancel, and a massive detached tower; contains two brasses of the 15th century, and a fine marble monument in the south aisle chancel chapel to Sergeant Snagge, Speaker of the House of Commons in the time of Elizabeth; and was repaired in 1865. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels.
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 | Marston-Moretaine St. Mary | |
| Hundred | Redbornestoke |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish registers date from the year 1653.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Marston Moreteyne: Baptisms 1653-1941, Marriages 1653-1971, Burials 1653-1946, Banns 1879-1977. 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. Mary the Virgin (parish church)
The church of St. Mary is a large and ancient edifice, in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, and a massive detached tower, standing about 50 feet from the church, and containing 5 bells: in the chancel are brasses to the Snagge family: there is a fine marble monument in the south aisle chancel chapel to Sir Thomas Snagge, Speaker of the House of Commons in the reign of Queen Elizabeth; the interior has been restored and will seat 600 persons.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Marston Moretaine was in Ampthill Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Marston Mortaine from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Marston-Moretaine (St. Mary))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Marston Mortaine 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
Marston Moretaine 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.