Wrestlingworth, Bedfordshire
Historical Description
Wrestlingworth, a parish, with a village, in Beds, 2½ miles ESE of Potton station on the Bedford and Cambridge branch of the L. & N.W.R. It has a post office under Sandy; money order and telegraph office, Potton. Acreage, 1700; population of the civil parish, 533; of the ecclesiastical, 524. The manor belongs to the Cust family. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely; gross value, £100 with residence. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church is in the Early English style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, and an embattled western tower. There is a Congregational 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 | Wrestlingworth St. Peter | |
| Hundred | Biggleswade |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1578.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS) hold the registers for Wrestlingworth: Baptisms 1578-1988, Marriages 1584-1993, Burials 1578-1994, Banns 1823-1925. 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. Peter (parish church)
The church of St. Peter is s building of stone and cobbles, in the Early English style, consisting of chancel and nave, aisles and an embattled western tower containing a clock and one bell: in the chancel is a stained window to the Rev. W. C. Twiss, for 10 years curate and 52 years rector of the parish, d. July 1888. The whole edifice was restored in 1847: there are 200 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Wrestlingworth was in Biggleswade Registration District from 1837 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Wrestlingworth from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Wrestlingworth (St. Peter))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Bedfordshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Wrestlingworth 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
Wrestlingworth 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.