COPLE is a parish and considerable and compact village, 4 miles east by south from Bedford, 51 from London, and 6½ north west from Biggleswade, in the hundred Wixamtree, union and county court district of Bedford, rural deanery and archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely1.
Status: Civil Parish, Ancient Parish, Ecclesiastical Parish
Parish church:
Parish registers begin:
- Parish registers: see surrounding parishes
- Bishop’s Transcripts: see surrounding parishes
Nonconformists include: Baptist, Primitive Methodist
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
Parish History
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
COPLE, a parish in the district and county of Bedford; on an affluent of the river Ouse, 1½ mile E of Cardington r. station, and 3½ ESE of Bedford. Post town, Bedford. Acres, 2,109. Real property, £3,379. Pop., 565. Houses, 110. Cople Hall was the seat of the late Earl of Ludlow. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely. Value, £215. Patron, Christ Church, Oxford. The church is later English and good.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales 1850
Cople, 4½ m. S.E. Bedford. P. 551.
Source: Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales; Second Edition; C. W. Leonard, London; 1850
Parish Registers
Cople Parish Registers 1561-1812
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Directories
The Post Office Directory of Bedfordshire 1869
COPLE is a parish and considerable and compact village, 4 miles east by south from Bedford, 51 from London, and 6½ north west from Biggleswade, in the hundred Wixamtree, union and county court district of Bedford, rural deanery and archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely.
The church of All Saints is an interesting structure in the Perpendicular style, with double aisles to both chancel and nave, and tower at the west end containing 5 bells: it contains eight brasses and an excellent organ, and the whole area has been repaired and reseated in good style. The living is a vicarage, tithe rent charge commuted at £215, with residence and 10 acres of glebe, in the gift Christ Church, Oxford, and held by the Rev Henry Havergal, M.A., of Christ Church; the Rev Charles Mackie is the present officiating minister.
There is a day school, chiefly supported by the Duke of Bedford, and a Sunday school in connection with the church; also an Industrial and an Infant school, supported by Mrs Thomas Barnard of Cople House.
Wood End House is built on the site of the former residence of that name, in which Butler wrote his “Hudibras.” There are almshouses for 8 aged females. The cottages in this village are generally neat and roomy. The Duke of Bedford is lord of the manor and owner of the soil. The soil is clay; subsoil chiefly gravel. The chief crops are wheat, barley, beans, peas and turnips. The population in 1861 was 565; the parish contains 2,109 acres.
Parish Clerk, William Hill
Letters received through Bedford at 9 am; box closes at 4.30 pm; sunday at 11.15 am. The nearest money order office is at Bedford
Day School, John Wilmot, master
CARRIER – Dew, from Biggleswade through to Bedford, wednesday & saturday, returning same days
Barnard Thomas esq JP Cople house
Mackie Rev Charles
Arms William shopkeeper
Barnard George farmer Mox Hill farm
Berry Charles tailor
Brimley John farmer Cople grange
Brimley Levi Mrs farmer Hoo farm
Brown William shopkeeper
Cousins Harriet Mrs butcher & shopkeeper
Fitch Elizabeth Mrs baker
Harris John, Dog, cattle dlr & farmer
Hart James blacksmith
James Thomas, farmer & secretary to the Bedford annual wool fair, Octagon house
Jordan George, shopkeeper
Nottingham Joseph, wheelwright
Purser William, farmer, Wood End house
Skilleter William shoe maker & beer retailer
Smith Eliza Miss, Five Bells
Street Charles, farmer, Middle farm
Thorpe Jeremiah, Crown
Source: The Post office directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire By Kelly’s directories, ltd 1869
Maps
OS Grid Reference: TL1028048345 (all-numeric format: 510281 248346)
| Service | Map | Topo |
|---|---|---|
| Bing Maps UK | Map | OS maps |
| StreetMap | Map | OS maps |
| Vision of Britain historical maps | Map | OS maps |
| Ordnance Survey | OS maps | |
| Defra’s MAGIC service | Map | |
| National Library of Scotland | OS maps | |
| Old OS maps | OS maps | |
| Old-maps.co.uk | OS plans | |
| Where’s the Path? | Map | |
| SABRE Maps | Map | OS maps |
Administration
- County: Bedfordshire
- Civil Registration District: Bedford
- Probate Court: Court of the Archdeaconry of Bedford
- Diocese: Pre-1837 – Lincoln, Post-1836 – Ely
- Rural Deanery: Bedford
- Poor Law Union: Bedford
- Hundred: Wixamtree
- Province: Canterbury
1. The Post office directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire By Kelly’s directories, ltd 1869