Sutton, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Sutton, a parish, with a village, in Beds, 1¼ mile S of Potton station on the Bedford and Cambridge branch of the L. & N.W.R., and 2½ miles NE from Biggleswade. Post town and money order and telegraph office, Potton, under Sandy. Acreage, 2234; population, 283. The manor belonged to John of Gaunt, was given by him, along with Potton, in a rhyming conveyance, to Sir Roger Burgoyne, and, with Sutton Park, belongs now to the Burgoyne baronet family. Sutton Park is a fine mansion in the Modern mixed style, standing in a well-timbered park of about 134 acres. An ancient pack-horse bridge spanning a small stream gives entrance to the village. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely; gross value, £380 with residence. Patron, St John's College, Oxford. The church is an edifice of stone in the Early English and Decorated styles, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, S porch, and an embattled western tower. It has some good stained windows, and contains some fine monuments to members of the Burgoyne family. Stillingfleet was rector.
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 | Sutton All Saints | |
| Hundred | Biggleswade |
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 Sutton: Baptisms 1549-1983, Marriages 1538-1982, Burials 1538-1993, Banns 1824-1971. 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 a building of stone, in the Early English and Decorated styles, consisting of chancel, nave of four bays, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower containing 4 bells and a clock: the north aisle or Burgoyne chapel contains some magnificent monuments of the Burgoyne family, the most important of these erected to John Burgoyne, 1604: in the church is hung a Union Jack saved from H.M.S. Captain, lost in the Bay of Biscay, 1870, Captain Hugh Burgoyne R.N., V.C. being in command: the chancel retains its piscina and sedilia, and is separated from the nave by an oak screen: the font is Early English: the east window and several others are stained, and include one in the chancel to Barbara, wife of the Rev. Charles Dethick Blyth D.D. rector 1830-84: the church was partly restored in 1905 at a cost of about £500, and affords about 250 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Sutton was in Biggleswade Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Sutton from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Sutton (All Saints))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Sutton 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
Sutton 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.
Visitations Heraldic
A full transcript of the Visitations of Bedfordshire 1566, 1582, and 1634 is available online.