Ridgmont, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Ridgmont or Ridgemount, a village and a parish in Beds. The village stands 1 mile SSE of a station of its own name on the Bedford and Bletchley branch of the L. & N.W.R., and 2½ miles NE of Woburn, and has a post office under Bletchley station; money order and telegraph office, Aspley Guise. The parish comprises 2308 acres; population, 658. There is a parish council consisting of seven members. The manor and most of the land belong to the Duke of Bedford. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely; net value, £220 with residence. Patron, the Duke of Bedford. The church was built in 1855, and is a handsome building of stone in the Decorated style, erected from designs by the late Sir G. Gilbert Scott, R.A., consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, and western tower with spire. The old church is now used only for burials. There are a large Baptist chapel and a handsome Wesleyan one.
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 | Ridgmont All Saints | |
| Hundred | Redbornestoke |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1539.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Ridgmont: Baptisms 1539-1983, Marriages 1539-1987, Burials 1539-1988, Banns 1823-1985. 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, erected and consecrated in 1854-5, is an elegant edifice of Cosgrove and Stagsden stone, with dressings of Bath stone, in the Decorated style, from designs by the late Sir George Gilbert Scott R.A. and consists of chancel, nave of four bays, aisles and a fine western tower with spire containing one bell: the stained east and west windows were the gift of Lady Charles Bentinck: the alabaster font was presented by the Rev. Henry Joshua Lomax M.A. vicar 1892-6, in memory of his niece, Annie Ruth, who died Jan. 29th, 1893; the lych gate was also presented by him: there are sittings for about 220 persons. The ancient church at Segenhoe is now used as a mortuary chapel, the old churchyard being maintained as a burial ground.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Ridgmont was in Woburn Registration District from 1837 to 1899 and Ampthill Registration District from 1899 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Ridgmont from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Ridgmont (All Saints))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Ridgmont 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
Ridgmont was in Woburn Poor Law Union from 1835-1899 when it transferred to 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.