Salford, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Salford, a village and a parish in Beds, 2½ miles NW from Ridgmont and 2¼ W from Woburn Sands stations on the Bedford and Bletchley branch of the L. & N.W.R. Post town, Bletchley; money order and telegraph office, Aspley Guise. Acreage, 871; population, 178. There is a parish council consisting of five members. The manor belongs to All Souls College, Oxford. The living is a vicarage, annexed to Holcot, in the diocese of Ely; joint net value, £242 with residence. The church, which was restored in 1867, is a building in the Early Decorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, S aisle, and wooden belfry. It contains a piscina and some very ancient tombs.
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 | Salford St. Mary | |
| Hundred | Manshead |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register of baptisms and burials dates from the year 1558; marriages, 1561.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Salford: Baptisms 1559-1982, Marriages 1559-1988, Burials 1559-1953, Banns 1824-1932. 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 church of St. Mary, restored in 1867, under the direction of Mr. W. White, is an edifice of interesting character, in the Early Decorated style, with traces of 11th century work, consisting of chancel, nave, south aisle and an open western belfrey of oak, placed outside the church and containing 3 bells: the former tower, a modern brick structure, was removed on the repair of the church: the nave is divided from the aisle, by an arcade of four curious piers of Early character: in the south aisle is a piscina, and a flat recessed arch, richly cusped and crocketed, within which, on a low altar-tomb, is the recumbent effigy, cross-legged, of a warrior: there is also a large coped altar tomb, the top of which is incised with a cross; a third and very similar tomb, with a flat top, bears thereon also a cross with pendent shield: there is a brass, with effigies, to John Peddar, 1505, his wife Alice, and 12 children: several Early stone coffins have been found: a new vestry has been erected and memorial window placed to the late Rev. B. Chernocke Smith B.A. rector and vicar of Hulcote with Salford, 1865-88: there are sittings for 180 persons.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Salford was in Woburn Registration District from 1837 to 1899 and Ampthill Registration District from 1899 to 1933
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Salford from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Salford (St. Mary))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Salford 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
Salford 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.