Steppingley, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Steppingley, a parish, with a village, in Beds, 3½ miles S of Ampthill station on the M.R. Post town and money order and telegraph office, Ampthill. Acreage, 1309; population, 308. There is a parish council consisting of seven members. The manor belongs to the Duke of Bedford. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely; net value, £101 with residence. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church was rebuilt in 1860, and is in the Early, Decorated, and Perpendicular styles. There is a Wesleyan chapel. Stemdale, Earl. See EARL STERNDALE.
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 | Steppingley St. Lawrence | |
| Hundred | Redbornestoke |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from 1562, but is continuous only from 1647.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Steppingley: Baptisms 1558-2001, Marriages 1559-1938, Burials 1603-1983, Banns 1853-1982. 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. Laurence (parish church)
The church of St. Lawrence, rebuilt in 1860 by the Duke of Bedford and the then rector, is a building of local sandstone in the Early Decorated and Perpendicular sttyles, consisting of chancel, nave, north aisle and containing 4 bells: it is seated with open oak benches for 240 persons.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Steppingley was in Ampthill Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Steppingley from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Steppingley (St. Lawrence))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Steppingley 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
Steppingley 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.