Southill, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Southill or South Hill, a village and a parish in Beds. The village lies adjacent to the Bedford and Hitchin branch of the M.R., on which it has a station, 3½ miles SSW from Biggleswade, and 8 SE from Bedford. It has a post office under Biggleswade; money order office. Old Warden; telegraph office, Southill (R.S.) The parish contains also the hamlets of Broom, Ireland, and Stanford, and comprises 5734 acres; population, 1143. There is a parish council consisting of thirteen members and a chairman. The manor belongs to the Shuttleworth family. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely, and till 1868 was united with Warden; net value, £215 with residence. The church, which is an ancient building of brick in the Perpendicular style, contains several memorials of the Byng family, including one to Vice-admiral the Hon. John Byng, who was executed at Portsmouth, 14th March, 1757. There is a Baptist chapel.
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 | Southill All Saints | |
| Hundred | Wixamtree |
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 Southill: Baptisms 1538-1968, Marriages 1538-1994, Burials 1538-1955, Banns 1754-1814, 1823-1923. 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 ancient structure of brick in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, north and south aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower containing 6 bells and a clock: there are several monuments of the Byng family, among which are those of the celebrated Admiral Sir George Byng, first Viscount Torrington, 1733, and of his son, the unfortunate Vice-Admiral the Hon. John Byng, who, for an error in judgment while in command, was shot at Portsmouth, 14 March, 1757: there are sittings for 400 persons.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Southill was in Biggleswade Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Southill from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Southill (All Saints))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Southill 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
Southill was in Biggleswade Poor Law Union. For further detailed history of the Biggleswade Union see Peter Higginbotham's excellent resource: Biggleswade Poor Law Union and Workhouse.
Villages, Hamlets, &c
BroomIreland
Stanford
Visitations Heraldic
A full transcript of the Visitations of Bedfordshire 1566, 1582, and 1634 is available online.