Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Totternhoe, a parish, with a village, in Beds, 2 miles SW by W of Dunstable, where there are stations on the G.N.R. and L. & N.W.R. It has a post office under Dunstable; money order and telegraph office, Eaton Bray. Acreage, 2321; population, 612. The manor, with most of the land, belongs to Earl Brownlow. Totternhoe Castle is a double-ditched ancient British camp, which appears to have, been subsequently used by the Romans and the Saxons. Straw-plait working is carried on. A deposit of clunch, known as Totternhoe stone, was formerly in much request for building purposes, and was used in the building of Woburn Abbey, and of many of the churches in this part of the county. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely; net value, £110 with residence. Patron, Earl Brownlow. The church is a building in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, porch, and a western embattled tower. There are Primitive Methodist and Wesleyan chapels.
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 | Totternhoe St. Giles | |
| Hundred | Manshead |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1558.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Totternhoe: Baptisms 1559-1979, Marriages 1559-1997, Burials 1559-1979, Banns 1824-1979. 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. Giles (parish church)
The church of St. Giles is all edifice in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, porch and a western embattled tower with turret at the south-east angle containing 5 bells: the roofs of the nave and aisles display well-carved figures and bosses: there is a brass, with effigy bearing chalice and host, to John Warwekhytt, vicar, 1524; and one to William Michell, a child, 1621.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Totternhoe was in Luton Registration District from 1837 to 1964
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Totternhoe from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Totternhoe (St. Giles))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Totternhoe 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
Totternhoe was in Luton Poor Law Union. For further detailed history of the Luton Union see Peter Higginbotham's excellent resource: Luton Poor Law Union and Workhouse.
Visitations Heraldic
A full transcript of the Visitations of Bedfordshire 1566, 1582, and 1634 is available online.