Maulden, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Maulden, a village and a parish in Beds. The village-stands 1½ mile E by S of Ampthill, 2½ miles from Ampthill station on the M.R., and 4¼ E by S of Ampthill station on the L. & S.W.R., is a considerable place, and carries on some manufacture in straw plait and lace. It has a post office-under Ampthill; money order and telegraph office, Ampthill. The parish comprises 2605 acres; population, 1243. The manor belonged once to the poet Pomfret, and belongs now to the Duke of Bedford. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely; gross value, £318 with residence. Patron, the Marquess of Ailesbury. The church was rebuilt on an enlarged scale in 1859, is in the Decorated English style, retains the old tower in well-restored condition, and comprises nave, aisles, and chancel, with S porch. There are Congregational,. Primitive Methodist, and Wesleyan chapels, and a town estate worth £30 a year.
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 | Maulden St. Mary | |
| Hundred | Redbornestoke |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1558.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Maulden: Baptisms 1558-1986, Marriages 1558-1987, Burials 1558-1984, Banns 1823-1979. 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 (parish church)
The church of St. Mary, rebuilt, with the exception of the tower and part of the north wall, and enlarged in 1858-9, under the direction of Mr. Benjamin Ferrey, architect, is an edifice of local brown sandstone, in the Decorated and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave of four bays, aisles, south porch and a western tower with angle turret: the east window is filled with subjects from the history of our Lord; there are two other small stained windows in the chancel and one in the tower, called The Children's Window, the result of subscriptions raised entirely by the children of the parish.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Maulden was in Ampthill Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Maulden from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Maulden (St. Mary))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Maulden 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
Maulden 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.