Yelden is a parish, situated in a valley, 12 miles north from Bedford, 6½ west from Kimbolton, and 4 east-south east from Higham Ferrers, in the hundred of Stodden, union and county court district of Bedford, rural deanery of Eaton, archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely1.
Status: Ancient Parish
Alternative names: Yeldon, Yielden, Yielding
Parish church: St. Mary
Parish registers begin:
- Parish registers: 1653
- Bishop’s Transcripts: 1602
Nonconformists include: Wesleyan Methodist
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
- Melchbourne
- Shelton
- Newton Bromswold Northamptonshire
- Knotting
- Chelveston cum Caldecott Northamptonshire
- Dean
Parish History
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
YIELDING, or Yelden, a parish in the district and county of Bedford; 4¼ miles ESE of Higham-Ferrers r. station. Post town, Higham-Ferrers. Acres, 1,912. Real property, £2,402. Pop., 286. Houses, 68.
The manor belongs to J. S. Crawley, Esq.
The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely. Value, £317. Patron, P. Bunting, Esq. The church is Norman.
There are a dissenting chapel, an endowed school with £15 a year, and charities £10.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
A Topographical Dictionary of England 1848
YIELDING, or Yelden (St. Mary), a parish, in the hundred of Stodden, union and county of Bedford, 4¾ miles (E.) from Higham-Ferrers; containing 320 inhabitants.
This parish, in the Domesday survey called Ewelden, comprises 1912 acres, of which 836 are arable, 800 meadow and pasture, 10 woodland, and 177 common, roads, and waste. Many of the women and children are employed in lace-making.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s books at £13. 13. 4.; net income, £317; patron and incumbent, the Rev. E. S. Bunting. The church is an ancient structure, and contains an interesting monument, but without inscription.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
The moated site of an old baronial castle is still preserved.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis 1848
Directories
Yelden Kellys Bedfordshire Directory 1869
Yelden is a parish, situated in a valley, 12 miles north from Bedford, 6½ west from Kimbolton, and 4 east-south east from Higham Ferrers, in the hundred of Stodden, union and county court district of Bedford, rural deanery of Eaton, archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely.
The church of St. Mary is an ancient Norman structure: it has chancel, nave, south aisle, and porch, with square tower and low spire, and 4 bells: there is a recumbent figure in good preservation, supposed to be that of the founder; also brasses, one to a former rector, and one to a benefactor of the parish. The register dates from the year 1653.
The living is a rectory, yearly value £300, with residence, in the gift of Peter Creak Bunting, Esq., and held by the Rev. John Fernie, M.A. of Caius College, Cambridge.
There is a National school, endowed by the Rev. E. S. Bunting, late rector, with £15 per annum; also a Dissenting chapel.
There is a charity of about £10 per annum, the produce of a piece of land called Constable’s Land, which is distributed to the poor in coals.
The chief landowners are George Shelton, Esq., and John Sambrook Crawley, Esq., who is lord of the manor. The soil is strong clay; subsoil, clay. The chief crops are wheat, barley, beans, and peas. The population in 1861 was 286; the area is 1,912 acres.
Parish Clerk, Alfred Ringrose.
Letters received through Higham Ferrers, at 8.30 a.m. dispatched at 5 p.m. on week days only. Higham Ferrers: is the nearest money order office.
National School (infants), Miss Emily Barber, mistress
Carrier to: —
Bedford — Daniel Knight, Saturday
Wellingborough — Daniel Knight, Wednesday
Fernie Rev. John, m.a. [rector]. Rectory
Abbott John, miller
Childs George, boot maker & beer retlr
Claridge William, farmer
Cowley George, shopkeeper
Eades Thomas, farmer, Manor farm
Knight Daniel, carrier
Rootham Joseph, wheelwright
Tirrell Samuel, blacksmith
Wagstaff Elizabeth (Miss), Chequers
Wyldes Jabez, shopkeeper & farmer
Source: Post Office Directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire; E. R. Kelly; Kelly & Co., London. 1869.
Parish Registers
Yieldon Parish Registers 1602-1812
Yieldon Registers 1602-1812, Bedfordshire Parish Registers V. 7 – Archive.org
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Use for:
England, Bedfordshire, Yelden
England, Bedfordshire, Yielding
Maps
OS Grid Reference: TL0117966097 (all-numeric format: 501180 266097)
| 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: Eaton
- Poor Law Union: Bedford
- Hundred: Stodden
- Province: Canterbury
1. Post Office Directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire; E. R. Kelly; Kelly & Co., London. 1869.