Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Milton Ernest, a village and a parish in Bedfordshire. The village stands on the river Ouse, 2 miles N of Oakley station on the M.R., and 4½ NW by N of Bedford, and has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Bedford. The parish comprises 1581 acres of land and 18 of water; population, 413. Milton Ernest Hall is a fine modern mansion of stone in the Domestic Gothic style. The Oakley subscription hounds are kennelled here. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely; net value, £130 with residence. The church is an ancient building of stone chiefly in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, with traces of older Norman work; was restored in 1865 at a cost of about £2000; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with a tower containing five bells; and contains some ancient monuments to the Rolts and the Tumors. There are a Wesleyan chapel, and six endowed almshouses.
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 | Milton-Ernest All Saints | |
| Hundred | Stodden |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1538.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Milton Ernest: Baptisms 1538-1991, Marriages 1538-1984, Burials 1539-1984, Banns 1754-1825, 1832-1950. 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
All Saints (parish church)
The church of All Saints is an interesting building of stone, in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave with clerestory, aisles, south porch and an embattled tower with clock and 6 bells, 5 of which were re-hung in 1895, and the 6th added in 1908: there are piscinae and an ancient oak screen: the east window and others are stained, one being the gift of George Hurst esq, of Bedford, the other of the children of the Rev. C. C. Beaty Pownall M.A., J.P. vicar from 1835: at the west end of the south aisle is another stained window to the memory of Miss Lucy Starer: there are ancient monuments to the Bolt and Turnor families, one of which is dated 1615: in 1864-5 the church was restored and the chancel rebuilt, at a cost of about £2,000, raised by subscription; in 1883 an organ was introduced, at a cost of £180: the oak reredos was provided in 1910: the church will seat 207 persons.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Milton Ernest was in Bedford Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Milton Ernest from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Milton-Ernest (All Saints))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Milton Ernest 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
Milton Ernest was in Bedford Poor Law Union. For further detailed history of the Bedford Union see Peter Higginbotham's excellent resource: Bedford Poor Law Union and Workhouse.
Visitations Heraldic
A full transcript of the Visitations of Bedfordshire 1566, 1582, and 1634 is available online.