493:
winding roads were straightened out. A new road was built – Station Road – running from Lovell Road to where the station stood. The High Street was straightened, as was Duck End Road, now Church Lane. All the cottages in the High Street and
Station Road were built in blocks for the sake of economy, usually six to a block. Most have a stone inscription in the gable showing a ducal coronet, a letter "B" for Bedford and the date of construction. Most of the earlier homes were of stone and thatch and were demolished when the new houses became available.
552:
Bedford Youth
Cricket League. In the winter the Club fields an indoor cricket team. It has outdoor nets and shares its facilities with the local football club. It is based at the Oakley Recreation Ground. The Club also has links with neighbouring Lincroft School, sharing facilities and a desire to increase opportunities for youth cricket in the local area. In 2014, Pilgrims Oakley received Clubmark accreditation from the ECB, recognition that it met various national standards. The Club is looking for new players of all ages and abilities.
35:
419:
accommodation for rats in walls, thatch and under the earth floors. When rats died of the disease, the fleas attacked the human occupants. In 1451, John Reynes died and left no male heirs, so the village passed to the
Taylard family. Again, in 1548 there were no male heirs to the Taylards, but the heiress married a Robert Brundenell, who took over. Oakley remained in the Brundenell family until 1648, when it passed to the Mordaunts. It is possible that after the
411:
In 1230 the first vicar was recorded, a
Stephen de Castell. In 1278, a Richard de Bosard had no male heir, but his daughter married Thomas Reynes who took over Oakley thanks to his wife. The village was known as Oakley Reynes at least until the drafting of the 1795 pre-enclosure map. The name still appears today in "Reynes Drive". The family also owned Clifton Reynes, just over the border into Buckinghamshire. In 1331, there was another Thomas Reynes recorded.
489:, who had a strong desire to improve the whole Bedford Estate, to cut out extravagance and waste and to put the whole enterprise on a strong financial footing. In 1851, there was a census, which included details of church attendance at the three places of worship in the village – the Parish Church of St. Mary, the Primitive Methodist Chapel and the Congregational Church (now demolished).
685:
42:
466:. In 1795, the Oakley Reynes Pre-Enclosure map was drawn, and in 1803 Oakley was enclosed. As a matter of interest, records have been discovered that show the annual expenditure of the Church from Easter 1821 to Easter 1822 as being £2.7s.3d. (£2.36). There was widespread poverty in the early 19th century after the
208:
410:
was recorded as being one Simon de Bosard, and his brother was known to have had connections with the town now known as
Leighton Buzzard. In 1200 it was recorded that the present parish church was built, replacing an earlier church built of wood in Saxon times. Nothing of this earlier church remains.
515:
had served in Egypt, and he set up a military training camp in
Ampthill Park at his own expense. This, together with the expenditure on the estate, exceeded the income, and together with increased taxation occasioned by the war, forced him to reduce his land holdings. Therefore, in 1918, the Oakley
551:
Oakley also has a cricket club, Pilgrims Oakley
Cricket Club. The Club has three Saturday teams, one of which is a junior development team; all three play in the Bedford Invitational Saturday Cricket League. It also has a midweek team and two junior teams at U-12 and U-14 levels which play in the
527:
As a result, the whole centre of the village became the subject of a large building project. By 1967, a number of houses had been constructed, commencing with Ruffs Furze and
Dewlands. The Grange Farm farmyard now has 38 large houses built on it. The Parish Council now look very closely at any new
492:
The 7th Duke decided to build new cottages for the Estate tenants, and these were constructed of the best materials available to avoid needless repairs in the future. These properties were easy to clean, and had all facilities – gardens, water supply etc. Also the village map was re-drawn and the
523:
During the 1920s, Lovell Homes were built, together with bungalows along the north side of Church Lane. The 1930s saw more building in Church Lane and in-filling in the High Street. After the 1939–45 war, building resumed. Grange Farm was sold to the farming partnership of Ibbett and McKie, with
418:
strike the village, and three vicars died in quick succession, D. Walter, John
Marshall and Robert Fox all perishing in that year. The disease carried with it a fatality rate of some 50%, and was caused by disease-carrying fleas living on the Black Rat. The medieval cottages provided full
524:
Ibbett providing the financial expertise and McKie the agricultural experience. In due course, Jock McKie died, and the land passed into the sole ownership of the Ibbett family. A little while afterwards, planning permission for development on the farm was applied for and granted.
461:
After the purchase of Oakley House by the 4th Duke, the old house was demolished and a new (present) one was built on its site. It served as a hunting box for successive dukes, being just a small fraction of the size of their main seat thirteen miles away at
569:
594:
430:
was introduced in the reign of
Charles II, which inter alia recorded the population of Oakley as being 255 souls. In 1679 the Mordaunts sold Oakley to the Levinz family, who in their turn sold it in 1737 to the
633:
520:. Each tenant was given the opportunity of purchasing his own residence, and those who could afford it did so. From then on, Oakley ceased to be a ducal estate, and went into private ownership.
496:
The old school, housed in two cottages in ruinous condition, was taken over by the Duke and the present building given to the village in 1842, the Duke taking over the cottages for his own use.
511:. It was situated at the end of what is now Reynes Drive. It provided the village with a reading room for meetings, entertainment, and a library. The First World War saw great change. The
248:
256:
716:
232:
645:
83:
225:
292:
1133:
709:
194:
512:
423:
had ended, the members of the losing side were made to pay heavily for their part in the conflict. Perhaps the Brundenells supported the King.
508:
486:
34:
220:
702:
1128:
237:
274:
182:
146:
689:
573:
284:
110:
76:
528:
developments proposed within the village environs, and in the main planning is only permitted for individual properties.
641:
1138:
1002:
436:
329:
279:
1072:
1037:
772:
160:
372:
Some of the earliest evidence of a settlement was found within the current village boundaries in the form of
857:
637:
1087:
1062:
907:
667:
439:'s England, proved a most successful business man, and enlarged the Ducal properties considerably, buying
1092:
982:
967:
852:
792:
777:
767:
357:
353:
345:
1067:
1047:
987:
400:
92:
671:, 22 March 2007 (which gives the price as £3 million) and Savills listing on primelocation.com.
947:
822:
482:
432:
213:
726:
478:
in London which was developed in the nineteenth century from land owned by the Dukes of Bedford.
467:
333:
128:
100:
887:
420:
407:
922:
540:
517:
341:
187:
500:
455:
396:
136:
817:
917:
912:
892:
862:
504:
440:
1122:
1057:
937:
842:
471:
392:
349:
694:
877:
847:
463:
118:
55:
932:
787:
475:
415:
377:
1052:
1027:
1007:
997:
957:
927:
902:
837:
812:
427:
385:
384:(c. 50 BC.) evidence was found when excavations were being undertaken for the
361:
307:
294:
1102:
1042:
1032:
992:
972:
962:
802:
757:
747:
373:
170:
684:
1097:
1077:
1017:
1012:
952:
882:
872:
832:
797:
782:
539:
There are two schools situated in the village, Oakley Primary School and
444:
381:
380:
labelled OAK(ley)and EAM(cdonald), which were dated to c. 7000–6000 BC.
1022:
977:
867:
762:
752:
742:
737:
337:
175:
152:
1107:
1082:
897:
827:
634:"Hosted by Bedford Borough Council: Witch Testing at Oakley in 1735"
807:
451:
698:
399:, where the land was held by an Oswulf, a thane (companion) of
507:. This was paid for by the Dowager Duchess, the widow of the
344:. It has a population of 2,493 and is near the villages of
531:
In 2007 Oakley House was put up for sale for £2,950,000.
336:
in Bedfordshire, England, about four miles northwest of
450:
In 1735 an elderly Oakley woman was accused of being a
247:
231:
219:
207:
193:
181:
169:
159:
145:
127:
109:
91:
75:
65:
23:
619:'Mordaunt of Oakely', Frederic Augustus Blades,
570:"Neighbourhood Statistics – Oakley (CP) Parish"
710:
8:
717:
703:
695:
499:A village hall was built to celebrate the
20:
561:
246:
202:
168:
144:
74:
230:
218:
206:
192:
180:
158:
126:
108:
90:
7:
435:. The Duke, a leading politician in
623:(London, 1884), pp. 42, 180–1, 221.
547:Pilgrims Oakley Cricket Club (POCC)
14:
447:, as well as Oakley Manor House.
683:
601:. Office for National Statistics
40:
33:
1134:Civil parishes in Bedfordshire
595:"Civil Parish population 2011"
574:Office for National Statistics
516:estate was sold at auction by
485:died and was succeeded by the
41:
1:
642:Central Bedfordshire Council
391:Oakley also featured in the
621:Visitations of Bedfordshire
77:OS grid reference
18:Human settlement in England
1155:
454:, and was subjected to an
733:
265:
243:
203:
28:
1129:Villages in Bedfordshire
599:Neighbourhood Statistics
518:Knight, Frank and Rutley
638:Bedford Borough Council
395:, and again before the
257:North East Bedfordshire
668:Bedfordshire on Sunday
470:. It gave its name to
308:52.171497°N 0.526605°W
226:Bedfordshire and Luton
183:Postcode district
111:Ceremonial county
93:Unitary authority
692:at Wikimedia Commons
690:Oakley, Bedfordshire
313:52.171497; -0.526605
161:Sovereign state
483:6th Duke of Bedford
433:4th Duke of Bedford
304: /
71:2493 (2011 Census)
1139:Borough of Bedford
727:Borough of Bedford
648:on 31 January 2016
468:Battle of Waterloo
456:ordeal by swimming
334:Borough of Bedford
249:UK Parliament
195:Dialling code
1116:
1115:
888:Kempston Hardwick
688:Media related to
408:lord of the manor
328:is a village and
323:
322:
1146:
923:Little Staughton
719:
712:
705:
696:
687:
672:
664:
658:
657:
655:
653:
644:. Archived from
630:
624:
617:
611:
610:
608:
606:
591:
585:
584:
582:
580:
566:
541:Lincroft Academy
406:In 1166 AD, the
342:River Great Ouse
319:
318:
316:
315:
314:
309:
305:
302:
301:
300:
297:
271:
155:
87:
86:
54:Location within
44:
43:
37:
21:
1154:
1153:
1149:
1148:
1147:
1145:
1144:
1143:
1119:
1118:
1117:
1112:
729:
725:Settlements in
723:
681:
676:
675:
665:
661:
651:
649:
632:
631:
627:
618:
614:
604:
602:
593:
592:
588:
578:
576:
568:
567:
563:
558:
549:
537:
501:Diamond Jubilee
397:Norman conquest
370:
332:located in the
312:
310:
306:
303:
298:
295:
293:
291:
290:
289:
269:
261:
238:East of England
151:
141:
123:
105:
82:
81:
70:
61:
60:
59:
58:
52:
51:
50:
49:
45:
19:
12:
11:
5:
1152:
1150:
1142:
1141:
1136:
1131:
1121:
1120:
1114:
1113:
1111:
1110:
1105:
1100:
1095:
1090:
1085:
1080:
1075:
1070:
1065:
1060:
1055:
1050:
1045:
1040:
1035:
1030:
1025:
1020:
1015:
1010:
1005:
1000:
995:
990:
985:
980:
975:
970:
965:
960:
955:
950:
945:
940:
935:
930:
925:
920:
918:Little Barford
915:
913:Knotting Green
910:
905:
900:
895:
893:Kempston Rural
890:
885:
880:
875:
870:
865:
863:Herrings Green
860:
855:
850:
845:
840:
835:
830:
825:
820:
815:
810:
805:
800:
795:
790:
785:
780:
775:
770:
765:
760:
755:
750:
745:
740:
734:
731:
730:
724:
722:
721:
714:
707:
699:
680:
679:External links
677:
674:
673:
659:
625:
612:
586:
560:
559:
557:
554:
548:
545:
536:
533:
505:Queen Victoria
441:Houghton House
369:
366:
321:
320:
288:
287:
282:
277:
272:
270:List of places
266:
263:
262:
260:
259:
253:
251:
245:
244:
241:
240:
235:
229:
228:
223:
217:
216:
211:
205:
204:
201:
200:
197:
191:
190:
185:
179:
178:
173:
167:
166:
165:United Kingdom
163:
157:
156:
149:
143:
142:
140:
139:
133:
131:
125:
124:
122:
121:
115:
113:
107:
106:
104:
103:
97:
95:
89:
88:
79:
73:
72:
67:
63:
62:
53:
47:
46:
39:
38:
32:
31:
30:
29:
26:
25:
17:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1151:
1140:
1137:
1135:
1132:
1130:
1127:
1126:
1124:
1109:
1106:
1104:
1101:
1099:
1096:
1094:
1091:
1089:
1086:
1084:
1081:
1079:
1076:
1074:
1071:
1069:
1066:
1064:
1061:
1059:
1058:Upper Staploe
1056:
1054:
1051:
1049:
1046:
1044:
1041:
1039:
1036:
1034:
1031:
1029:
1026:
1024:
1021:
1019:
1016:
1014:
1011:
1009:
1006:
1004:
1001:
999:
996:
994:
991:
989:
986:
984:
981:
979:
976:
974:
971:
969:
966:
964:
961:
959:
956:
954:
951:
949:
946:
944:
941:
939:
938:Milton Ernest
936:
934:
931:
929:
926:
924:
921:
919:
916:
914:
911:
909:
906:
904:
901:
899:
896:
894:
891:
889:
886:
884:
881:
879:
876:
874:
871:
869:
866:
864:
861:
859:
856:
854:
851:
849:
846:
844:
843:Great Barford
841:
839:
836:
834:
831:
829:
826:
824:
821:
819:
816:
814:
811:
809:
806:
804:
801:
799:
796:
794:
791:
789:
786:
784:
781:
779:
776:
774:
771:
769:
766:
764:
761:
759:
756:
754:
751:
749:
746:
744:
741:
739:
736:
735:
732:
728:
720:
715:
713:
708:
706:
701:
700:
697:
693:
691:
686:
678:
670:
669:
663:
660:
647:
643:
639:
635:
629:
626:
622:
616:
613:
600:
596:
590:
587:
575:
571:
565:
562:
555:
553:
546:
544:
542:
534:
532:
529:
525:
521:
519:
514:
510:
506:
502:
497:
494:
490:
488:
484:
481:In 1839, the
479:
477:
473:
472:Oakley Square
469:
465:
459:
457:
453:
448:
446:
442:
438:
434:
429:
424:
422:
417:
414:1349 saw the
412:
409:
404:
402:
398:
394:
393:Domesday book
389:
387:
383:
379:
375:
367:
365:
363:
359:
355:
351:
350:Milton Ernest
347:
343:
339:
335:
331:
327:
317:
286:
283:
281:
278:
276:
273:
268:
267:
264:
258:
255:
254:
252:
250:
242:
239:
236:
234:
227:
224:
222:
215:
212:
210:
198:
196:
189:
186:
184:
177:
174:
172:
164:
162:
154:
150:
148:
138:
135:
134:
132:
130:
120:
117:
116:
114:
112:
102:
99:
98:
96:
94:
85:
80:
78:
68:
64:
57:
36:
27:
22:
16:
942:
878:Keeley Green
848:Great Denham
818:Duck's Cross
682:
666:
662:
650:. Retrieved
646:the original
628:
620:
615:
603:. Retrieved
598:
589:
577:. Retrieved
564:
550:
538:
530:
526:
522:
498:
495:
491:
480:
460:
449:
425:
413:
405:
390:
371:
330:civil parish
325:
324:
285:Bedfordshire
214:Bedfordshire
119:Bedfordshire
56:Bedfordshire
15:
933:Melchbourne
788:Chellington
605:11 November
476:Camden Town
416:Black Death
401:King Edward
378:arrow heads
311: /
69:2,438
1123:Categories
1073:Willington
1053:Upper Dean
1038:Swineshead
1028:Stevington
1008:Shortstown
998:Sharnbrook
958:Pertenhall
928:Lower Dean
903:Keysoe Row
838:Felmersham
813:Cotton End
773:Cardington
579:4 February
556:References
428:window tax
426:In 1671 a
386:Almshouses
374:flint axes
362:Felmersham
340:along the
296:52°10′17″N
66:Population
1103:Wymington
1043:Thurleigh
1033:Stewartby
993:Salph End
973:Ravensden
963:Podington
858:Harrowden
803:Colmworth
758:Bolnhurst
748:Biddenham
652:29 August
513:11th Duke
509:10th Duke
437:George II
421:Civil War
299:0°31′36″W
233:Ambulance
171:Post town
1098:Wyboston
1088:Wood End
1078:Wilstead
1063:West End
1018:Stagsden
1013:Souldrop
953:Pavenham
908:Knotting
883:Kempston
873:Honeydon
833:Farndish
798:Colesden
783:Chawston
487:7th Duke
445:Ampthill
382:Iron Age
84:TL007536
1093:Wootton
1023:Staploe
1003:Shelton
983:Riseley
978:Renhold
968:Radwell
868:Hinwick
853:Harrold
793:Clapham
778:Carlton
768:Bromham
763:Box End
753:Bletsoe
743:Begwary
738:Bedford
535:Schools
368:History
358:Radwell
354:Clapham
346:Bromham
338:Bedford
280:England
176:Bedford
153:England
147:Country
101:Bedford
1108:Yelden
1083:Wixams
1068:Wilden
1048:Turvey
988:Roxton
943:Oakley
898:Keysoe
828:Elstow
464:Woburn
326:Oakley
209:Police
129:Region
48:Oakley
24:Oakley
948:Odell
823:Duloe
808:Cople
474:near
452:witch
443:near
199:01234
654:2014
640:and
607:2016
581:2008
376:and
360:and
221:Fire
188:MK43
137:East
503:of
1125::
636:.
597:.
572:.
543:.
458:.
403:.
388:.
364:.
356:,
352:,
348:,
275:UK
718:e
711:t
704:v
656:.
609:.
583:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
