7 . [KELLY S

industry. :Many of the inhabitants are Pmployed in BEDFORD UNION. the manufacture of lace, straw plait, straw bonnets Barford--Great Keysoe and hats, bonnet blocks, brick!! and tiles, pottery and St. Cuthbert Knotting agricultural implements. The quantity of mineral::~ St. John Melchbourne raised in 1912 was: Chalk, 53,562 tons; brick clay, Bedford St. Mary Milton Ernest 369,484 tons ; fullers' earth, G5o ton~; gravel and sand, St. Paul Oakley 121,048 tons. St. Peter Odell The shire has nine hundreds :-Stodden, Willey and Biddenham Pavenham Barford, in t.he north; the liberty, half hundred, or Bletsoe Ravensden borough of Bedford, in the north midland; Redborne­ Bolnhurst Renhold stoke (), in the west; Wixamtree, in the eas1 Bromham Hiseley midland; J3iggleswade and Clifton (Shefford) in the Cardington Ho:xton east; (Woburn) and Flitt (Luton), in the Carlton Sharnbrook south. Chellington Soul drop Bedfordshire contains 140 civil parishes, and is in the Clapham Stagsden diocese of St. .A.lbans, and archdeaconry of Bedford, Col m worth fltevington which is sub-divided into the rural deaneries of Ampt­ Cop le Thurleigh • hill, Bedford, , , Eaton, Felmers­ Eastcotts Turver ham, Fleete, Haynes, Luton, Riseley and Shefford. Elstow Wilden The county is in the Midland circuit, and has one Felmersbam Willington court of quarter sessions, BPdford being the shire town Goldington \Yilshampstead and seat of the assi1.es and quarter sessions. It is Harrold Wootton divided into sev~n petty sessional divisions, viz.:­ Kempston Yelden Ampthill, Bedford, Biggleswade, , Kempston Rural . Luton, Sharnbrook and Woburn. Sittings are held in BIGGLESWADE UNION. each case at the place giving- name to the division. County courts are held at Bt>dford, Biggleswade, LPighton Buzzard and Lnton, all in Circuit No. 35. Biggleswade Bedford and Luton have jurisdiction in bankruptcy. Pot ton The municipal boroughs are Bedford, population in Camp ton Sandy I9II, 39,183; Dun stable, 8,o57; and Luton, 49,978. Chick sands Shefford The chief towns are Bedford, on the Ouse, in the north Clifton Shefford Hardwick midland, having celebrated public schools and extensive Southill works for the manufacture of agricultural im plPments ; Dun ton -Upper Luton, on the Lea, in the south, with very extensive manufactures of straw hats and bonnets; Leighton Buz­ Evert on Sutton zard, on the Ouzel, population, 6,782; Biggleswade, on Eyworth the lvel, 5,375; and Dnmtable, in the south, a chief 'Varden or seat of the straw bonnet trade; all these towns are Langford ""restlingworth engaged in the corn trade, the shire growing much LEIGHTON BUZZARD UNION_ wheat. Other towns are Woburn, population, r,rzz, at In Beds:- which is Wobnrn Abbey, the seat of the Duke of Bed­ Billing-ton ford; , 2, r56; Ampthill, 2,270; Harrold, on the Chalgrove Leigbton Buzzard Ouse, 85 r; and Shefford, on the Ivel, 842. The county Stanbridge is most remarkable for its tillage. Egginton Tils l\·orth The Registration districts aree-- Xo. Name. Acres. Pop. 1911. In Buck!'! :­ 174 • • • Bedford ...... g6,653 -·· 62,]91 Cheddington Mentmore 175 ... Biggleswade ...... 58,275 • •• 2],308 Edlesborough Slapton

176 ... Ampthill ...... 69,992 . .. 21 1 810 Grove Soulbury I7] ... Leighton Rnzzard ...... 42 ,639 . .. 18,2o6 Ivinghoe Stoke Hammond 1]8 ... L u ton ...... 39.779 ... 6],509 Wing The following list gives the several poor law unions, LuTON UNION. with the parishes in each:- Barton-in-the-Clay Luton Cnddington Stopslcy Ali1PTHILL UNION. ' Dunstable StrC'at]ey Ampthill • ! Iloughton Hegis Stud ham Marston ~Iorteaine I Hyde Sundon Maul den Kenswortl1 Battlesden Mill brook LeagraYe Milton Bryant Limbur,· The following is a list of the hundreds in the couiJty, I<1itton Ridgmont with the several parishes in each:- Flit wick Salford Hundred of Barford: Colmworth, Eaton Socon, Gold­ Gra\·enhurst Shillington ington, Great Barfo1·d, Ravensden, Renhold, Roxton and Harlington Sibue Wild en. Haynes Hundred of Biggleswade :-.A.stwick, Biggleswade, Tingritll , Cockayne Hatley, Dunton, Edworth, EvPr­ Holcot or Holcutt Toddingtun ton, Eyworth, Langford, Little Barford, Potton, Sandy, Shefford Hardwick, Sutton, Temp~fnrd ~md Wre~tlin!.!· . ' . llu!.borne Craw!C\"• \\-oburn worth.