Whipsnade, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Whipsnade, a village and a parish in Beds, 3 miles S by W of Dunstable, where there are stations on the L. & N.W.R and G.N.R. Post town and money order and telegraph office, Dunstable. Acreage, 1088; population, 171. The manor belongs to the Macnamara family. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely; net value, £130 with residence. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church, which was restored and enlarged in 1860, is a building of brick in mixed styles. There is a Wesleyan 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 | Whipsnade St. Mary Magdalene | |
| Hundred | Manshead |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1682.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Whipsnade: Baptisms 1712-1985, Marriages 1712-1994, Burials 1682-1984, Banns 1801-1814, 1858-1970. 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 Magdalene (parish church)
The church of St. Mary Magdalene is a structure of brick, rebuilt on the foundation of an earlier church, in a mixed style, and consisting of chancel, nave and a western tower, containing 3 bells: it was restored and re-pewed, and a chancel added, in 1860: there are sittings for 150 persons.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Whipsnade was in Luton Registration District from 1837 to 1964
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Whipsnade from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Whipsnade (St. Mary Magdalene))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Whipsnade 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
Whipsnade 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.