Elstow

• The 1851 Census Index for Elstow can be found in the 1851 Index to Census of Bedfordshire, Volume 2, Book 2 available from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

• Here are photographs of Churches etc. in the parish:
  • The Abbey Church of St. Mary and St. Helena, Elstow.
  • The Abbey Church of St. Mary and St. Helena, Elstow.
  • The Abbey Church of St. Mary and St. Helena, Elstow.
• There are photographs and a description of the Abbey Church of St Mary and St Helena on the Bedfordshire Parish Churches website.
• The following Churches have their own websites:
  • The Abbey Church of St. Mary and St. Helena, Elstow

• Church of England
  • The church of SS. Mary and Helena anciently attached to the Benedictine abbey, is chiefly a building of the Norman period, with some portions of early English date, and consists of a chancel, or choir, with clerestory, lofty clerestoried nave, aisles, north porch, a vaulted chamber on the north-west and a noble detached tower on the north-west with low spire, containing a clock and 5 bells: there are several ancient monuments and two marble mural tablets to the two co-heiresses of the late William Hillersdon esq. the former owner of the manor, whose ancestors possessed it for many generations: there are brasses to Elizabeth Hervey, an abbess, and to one of the nuns : the beautiful Early English vaulted room, called the Chapter house, now used as a vestry, has a slender column of Purbeck marble in the centre : the north porch is an interesting example of Norman work : the font and ceiling are Perpendicular : in 1882 the church was thoroughly restored at the expense of Samuel Whitbread esq. under the direction of T. J. Jackson, of Bedford, the cost being upwards of £6,000 : two stained windows have been placed at the east end of the south aisle to the memory of Bunyan and there are three others, one of which was erected in commemoration of the Queen's Jubilee. The register dates from the year 1640. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]
• Non-conformist
  • The Moot Hall is used as a Congregational meeting house. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898] The Elstow Moot Hall Museum is open 1-4 pm from April to the end of September on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. They can also arrange to open at other times for group bookings. Telephone number; (UK) 01234 266889. Contact Address; Church End Elstow Bedfordshire MK42 9XT Location is on Elstow village green

• Church of England
  • The parish record transcripts for SS. Mary and Helena are available on microfiche for the period 1640-1812 from the Bedfordshire Family History Society.

• Pillow lace making is carried on to a small extent. There are two large fairs for cattle held here annually on May 15th and November 5th. On the village green are remains of a stone cross. A short distance south of the church ace the remains of the Benedictine nunnery of St. Helen, founded by Judith, Countess of Huntingdon, and niece of William the Conqueror, in 1078 ; at its dissolution there were 21 nuns, and the revenues were estimated at £284. The renowned John Bunyan, author of " The Pilgrim's Progress," was born in this village in 1628 ; the son of a tinker, he was received into the ministry of the Baptists, and for preaching imprisoned in Bedford gaol 1660-72, afterwards was pastor of a chapel in Bedford ; he died in London in 1688, and was buried in Bunhill Fields burial ground. The ancient mansion known as Medbury Farm, one mile south-east, has been removed and the stone used for building purposes. Samuel Whitbread esq. D.L., J.P. of Southill, Biggleswade, is lord of the manor and principal landowner. The soil is gravelly near the town of Bedford, but towards the south of the parish deep loam and clay ; subsoil, clay. The chief crops are wheat and barley. The area is 1,612 acres of land and 5 of water ; rateable value, £7,924 ; the population in 1891 was 478. [Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]

• A transcript of the Elstow parish entries from Stephen Whatley's 1750 Topographical Gazetteer of England,
• A transcript of the Elstow parish entries from Samuel Lewis's 1831 Topographical Dictionary of England,
• A transcript of the Elstow parish entries from Samuel Lewis's 1835 Topographical Dictionary of England,
• A transcript of the Elstow parish entries from The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1866-9

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Elstow to another place.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TL051469 (Lat/Lon: 52.110449, -0.466693), Elstow which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

• The BFHS Project in conjunction with Roll of Honour contains the Elstow War Memorials which are
  • Elstow Bunyan Meeting Memorial,
  • Elstow (School) Boer War Memorial,
  • Elstow FEPOW Memorial Altar,
  • Old Elstonians FWW Memorial and the
  • Elstow Village War Memorial.