Millbrook, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Millbrook, a village and a parish in Beds. The village stands on an eminence, 1¼ mile W of Ampthill, and 1¼ S of Millbrook station on the L. & N.W.R., 1 W from Ampthill station on the M.R., and 7½ miles S by W from Bedford, and commands a fine view of the vale of Bedford. Post town and money order and telegraph office, Ampthill. Acreage of parish, 1784; population, 227. The manor belongs to the Duke of Bedford, who is sole landowner. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely; gross value, £226 with residence. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church, which stands upon an eminence, is a building in the Perpendicular style. A Benedictine priory once was here.
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 | Millbrook St. Michael | |
| 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 Millbrook: Baptisms 1558-1981, Marriages 1558-1987, Burials 1558-1899. 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 and All Angels (parish church)
The church of St. Michael and All Angels, standing upon an eminence, and commanding a fine view of the vale of Bedford, is a building in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles and a tower containing 2 bells: the church contains busts of Lord and Lady Holland, by Westmacott, and a handsome monument to their daughter; there is also a memorial window to Hugh Sharpin, son of the Rev. F. L. Sharpin rector 1888-1910, who was killed in South Africa in 1902: the church was restored in 1857, and in 1890 was new-roofed, at a cost of £700.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Millbrook was in Ampthill Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Millbrook from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Millbrook (St. Michael))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Millbrook 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
Millbrook 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.