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Read more about –
Luton and nearby areas
"History of Luton" , 1855 and "Luton Past and Present", 1874 Frederick Davis
"The History of Luton and its Hamlets" W Austin, 1928
"The Story of Luton" James Dyer & John G Day - White Crescent Press
St Mary’s, Luton
"Luton Church" Henry Cobbe, MA 1899 - George Bell & Sons
"The Story of the Churches of Luton" Rev F C Hamlyn
"The Stories and Secrets of Luton’s Medieval Jewel" by Katheryne Rogers - St Mary’s Parochial Church Council
Luton Hoo
"Grand Dukes and Diamonds, The Wernhers of Luton Hoo" Raleigh Trevelyan -
Secker & Warburg
"Luton Hoo. An illustrated survey of the Historic Bedfordshire home for the Wernher Family and of the Wernher Collection of works of art"
Ernest Illingworth Musgrave, English Life Publications
"An account of the Napiers of Luton Hoo, 1600-1747, and of the descendants of the branch which settled in Woodstock, 1620-1700, Ireland, 1700-1884, and later returned to England." Sir Joseph William Lennox Napier, Bart [London, 1974, 76]
Shaw’s "The history and antiquities of the Chapel at Luton Park" 1830
Hyde
Unpublished dissertation of Betty Draycott, student of Putteridge Bury College, 1969 held by Archive Services, Bedford
Railways
"The Hatfield, Luton and Dunstable Railway" Sue & Geoff Woodward - The Oakwood Press
Find more about -
The local landscape, by walking
http://www.britishwalks.org/walks/2002/209.php
http://enquire.hertscc.gov.uk/cms/explore/walk/nickyline.htm and download pdf
http://www.nickeyline.org/
Not all accounts are true!! - Historical Fantasies
http://www.baronage.co.uk/bphtm-02/moa-02a.html#The%20King's%20Hat
More information and links for the Napier Family and Clan
http://www.clannapier.org:80/
Introduction to the Wernhers and Wernher Collection – "Collected by a Randlord"
http://www.lady.co.uk/ed_showarticle.cfm?issue=/0224arta.cfm&relocated=yes
Wernher Collection now at Rangers House
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.12835
Luton Hoo Estate
http://www.lutonhooestate.co.uk/index.htm
Luton Hoo Hotel
http://www.lutonhoo.co.uk/
Details of local area
http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/home.htm
See and buy 19th Century OS Maps
http://www.old-maps.co.uk
Buy antique prints of Bedfordshire at Ash Rare Books
http://www.ashrare.com/bedford_prints.html
The Post Office Directory of Bedfordshire 1864
EAST HYDE parish, which is separate from Luton for ecclesiastical purposes only, consists of portions of the hamlets of East and West Hyde, with Chiltern Green and Kinsman Green,formerly jn the parish of Luton. The church of the Holy Trinity is a neat and convenient square building, with portico and two small towers at the western entrance; the interior is well fitted up and capable of seating 400: it was erected by subscription in 1840. The register dates from 1841. The living is a perpetual curacy, value of vicarial tithes £150, being its endowment in the patronage of Lionel Ames, Esq., of the Hyde is a village, 3 miles south-east from Luton, in. the hundred of Flitt in the diocese of Ely. The and held by the Rev William H.Iggulden, M.A., of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, who resides in the Parsonage House adjoining the church. There is a school for children, supported by L. Ames, Esq. John Shaw Leigh, Esq., of Luton Hoo, who is lord of the manor and L. Ames Esq., are the principal landed proprietors. The Great Northern Railway has a station here, which is called New Mill End. The population in 1861 was 420; acreage, 1,600. Parish Clerk, William Petengell
Lionel Ames, Esq., J.P. The Hyde
Rev. Wm. H. Iggulden, M.A. Vicarage
Commercial
William Ainsworth farmer & miller
James Broach Leather Bottle
Maria Farr Harrow
William Gamby shoeing smith
Samuel Haydon farmer, New Mill End
John Holinshead farmer, Thrails End
John Lines Swan
Thomas Malden farmer
Elizabeth Mannoch schoolmistress
Henry Pigott farmer, Chiltern Green
LUTON is a large and increasing market town, 31 miles from London, 19 from Bedford. 17 from Watford, and 9 from Hitchin; situated in the hundred of Flitt, rural deanery of Dunstable, archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely, near the source of the river Lea, from which it is conjectured that its name is a corruption of the word "Leatown", while some maintain that its original appellation was "Lowtown". It stands completely in a valley, surrounded by hills, which render it beautifully picturesque. It is a polling place for the county.
The church of St. Mary is a Gothic building in the form of a Latin cross; the body was built about the 14th century; its general character is of the Decorated Norman, but partly of the Later English styles, with a square embattled tower at the western end, constructed of flint and other stones in chequer work, to the height of 90 feet, and at the corners are hexangular turrets; the arch of the western entrance and the large window over it are very handsomely ornamented with mouldings, intersected with bold carvings in relief; the double buttresses render the tower a most imposing, object; it lies a peal of 8 bells, and a good clock; the interior consists of a choir, nave, and aisles (the latter separated by low pointed arches), north and south transepts,and a chancel, which was rebuilt in the time of Edward IV by John Wheathamstead, 23rd abbot of St. Albans ; Robert, then abbot of St Albans, procured this place for his convent from Robert Waudari, to whom Luton had been given upon the Earl of Gloucester's rebellion ; in the south transept is the celebrated baptismal font, or "baptisteritim"; this is considered the first of its kind in England; the font stands on five pillars, and was formerly ornamented with Gothic arches; it is enclosed in an elegant lofty stone baptistry, in the style of the 14th century with pinnacles, quartrefoils, and foliage, and its groined roof is enriched with allegorical carvings; by tradition this is said to have been presented to the church by Queen Anne Boleyn; on the south side of the chancel are four stalls, or stone seats, richly ornamented; in the spandrils are the arms of Edward the Confessor, the kingdom of Mercia, the Abbey of St. Albans, King Offa, Abbot Wheathamstead, &c; above is the abbot's motto, "Valles abundabunt valles"; there are handsome modern monuments and cenotaphs, some very ancient brasses, with figures, &c.; there is an elegant chapel on the north side of the chancel, separated from it by a lofty Gothic double arch, which appears, from an inscription now in the British Museum, to have been built by Sir John Wenlock previous to the year 1461 ; under one of these arches formerly stood an altar tomb, which has been lately moved into the chancel on which is the effigy of William Wenlock, who died about the year 1392; in the centre stood a tomb of grey marble, said to have been erected to the memory of Anne Boleyn, but it is more probable that it is the tomb of Elizabeth, Lady Wenlock
……………………………….
The Hoo, which is a short distance from the town, is situated upon an eminence at the edge of the Bedfordshire Downs, surrounded by a well wooded park covering 1,670 acres of land; its preserves are richly stocked with game; contiguous are its fine pleasure grounds, farm, farmyard, keepers' lodges, and farm buildings erected upon a most extensive scale; the mansion, which is situated in centre of the park, was nearly destroyed by fire in 1843, but is now completely restored, at the expense of its present occupier and owner, John Shaw Leigh, Esq., it was formerly the seat of the late Marquis of Bute; this sad disaster entirely destroy the splendid Gothic chapel of exquisitely carved wood, which has been so beautifully illustrated by Shaw: the house was built by George the Third’s Prime Minister, the Earl of Bute: the grounds were laid out by "Capability Brown". The river Lea winds gracefully through the park, forming in its progress large lakes. Near the wood is Summeries Tower, remains of an ancient mansion began to be erected by Lord Wenlock; the portico is all that now remains.
Kelly’s Directory, 1885
EAST HYDE is a village, situated on the borders of Hertfordshire, 3 miles south-east from Luton, in the hundred of Flitt, union and county court district of Luton, rural deanery of Luton, archdeaconry of Bedford diocese of Ely. It was formed into an ecclesiastical parish in 1843 from Luton civil parish, and consists of portions of the hamlet of EAST HYDE with CHILTERN GREEN and KINSMAN GREEN formerly in the parish of Luton. The Great Northern railway has a station here, which is called New Mill End; and facing this station is the Chiltern Green Station of the Midland railway. The church of the Holy Trinity, erected in 1840-1 by subscription, on a site given by the late Marquess (sic) of Bute, is a building of brick, in the Norman style, consisting of chancel, nave, porch and a small western tower; it has stained windows, and sittings for 400 persons. The register dates from the year 1841. The living is a vicarage, tithe rent-charge £170, gross yearly value £213, with residence, in the gift of Capt. Gerard Vivian Ames-Lyde and held since 1880 by the Rev. Walter Begley M.A. of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The Hyde, the property of Capt. Gerard Vivian Ames-Lyde, of Ayot St. Lawrence, Welwyn, is occupied by The Hon. Francis Bowes-Lyon. Copt Hall, now occupied by a farmer, was for seventeen years the residence of Dr. Stuart, late archbishop of Armagh, while the vicar of Luton (1779-96). Madame de Falbe, of Luton Hoo, who is the lady of the manor and Capt. Gerard Vivian Ames-Lyde are the landed proprietors. The soil is sandy loam; subsoil, chalk and clay. The chief crops are corn and the usual green crops. The area is 1,936 acres; the population in 1881 was 369.
Parish Clerk, George Huckelsby
Letters through Luton. The nearest money order office is at Luton & telegraph office at G.N. station, New Mill End.
National School (mixed), for 100 children; average attendance, 75; there is a mistresses house; Miss Ada Skelton, mistress.
Begley Rev. Walter M.A. [vicar] Cole Benjamin, miller, Hyde mill
Bowes-Lyon Hon. Francis, The Hyde Lines Edward, blacksmith
Avery Richard,farmer, Hyde farm Ilot Mary Ann (Mrs), farmer, New Mill End
Baker George, farmer, Copt Hall Pigott Ruth (Mrs), farmer, Chiltern Green
Barker Henry, Harrow P.H. Pigott George, farmer, New Mill End
Broach James, Leather Bottle P.H.
Kelly’s Directory of Bedfordshire, 1885 – Luton
Luton Hoo, the seat of Mrs John Gerard Leigh, now Madame de Falbe, wife of the Danish minister, is situated about 2 miles south-east from the town, on an eminence, at the edge of the Bedfordshire downs: it is a very ancient manor and was held long before the Norman Conquest by the Hoo family, from whence it derives its name, since it appears that Robert de Hoo held the manor in the time of King Cnut, the Dane: it was held by this family till the middle of the fifteenth century, the last male heir being Sir Thomas Hoo, knt. who, for signal services in the time of Henry VI, obtained a grant of £40 yearly, and in 1447 was created a baron by the title of Lord Hoo and Hastings, and also made a Knight of the Garter; he died about 1453, leaving three daughters, and this baronetcy consequently became extinct: after passing through several changes, it was bought in 1763 by John, Earl of Bute and was held by the Bute family till 1844, and in 1848 it was purchased of Mr. Ward by the late John Shaw Leigh, esq.: the mansion has been altered and added to on several occasions, but it attained its greatest grandeur during the time of John third Earl of Bute, who bought it in an unfinished state from Robert Napier, esq. and employed in its completion and adornment, the celebrated architect, Robert Adams: the library was 146 feet long with a ceiling painted by Cipriani and contained above 30,000 volumes; there was also a splendid chapel, fitted up with exquisitely carved wood work, brought from some dismantled church, which has been beautifully illustrated by Mr. H. Shaw in his history of this chapel: the floor of the chapel was of black and white marble: the whole interior of this grand mansion , with the exception of the library, was destroyed by fire on the 10th November, 1843; by the exertions of several gentlemen most of the paintings, forming one of the finest collections in this country were preserved: the house was thoroughly restored and redecorated by the late John Shaw Leigh esq. and one half of the north wing, which had been in shell only, ever since erected by the Earl of Bute in 1816, has been converted into a private chapel for the household, under the direction of the late G.E. Street esq. R.A. of London: the walls are faced with polished alabaster marble and Bath free stone, the architectural ornamentation partaking of a Byzantine character: the mansion is surrounded by a well-wooded park covering 1,670 acres of land: its preserves are richly stocked with game: adjoining are its fine pleasure grounds, farm, keepers’ lodges and farm buildings, erected on a most extensive scale; the grounds were laid out by "Capability Brown". The river Lea flows through the park, forming in its progress two large lakes.
West Hyde is a hamlet, in Luton parish and union and the hundred of Flitt: it adjoins Luton, the greater part being in the borough; it includes the district of PARK TOWN, formerly known as "Brown Brick". The name will be found under Luton. The area is 2,511 acres; rateable value, £4,737; the population in 1881 was 246.
Kelly’s Directory 1910
Council School (mixed) built in 1901 for 70 children, average attendance 45, there is a mistresses house. Mrs Karolina Leaver, mistress.
Railway Stations -
Chiltern Green Midland George Bland, Station master
Luton Hoo Gt Northern Thomas Richard, Station master.
Hyde
Campbell, Robert * The Hyde
Westerman, Rev. John Edward BA Vicarage
Avery, Richard, farmer Hyde Farm
Barker, Henry, blacksmith Chiltern Green
Carless,William Edward Leather Bottle PH
Cole, Benjamin & Son, Millers (steam and water) & farmers, Someries Fm
Holdstock, Albert farmer Chiltern hall
Luton Hoo
Wernher, Sir Julius Charles Bart.
Dickson, William gamekeeper
Longmuir, Hector farm bailiff
Metcalfe, Arthur head gardener
Nott, Ernest farmer Newlands Farm
Papillon, Harold G. land steward
* From the notes about the area prepared by the Parish Clerk, A. Bruton – The Hyde, the property of Mrs Ames of Ayot St Laurence is now occupied by Robert Campbell, esq. Copt Hall is now occupied by Mr John Lyon, farmer.
Kelly’s Directory 1920 - Hyde
Post Office, East Hyde Mrs Harriett Frost, sub-postmistress
Railway Stations
Chiltern Green Midland George Bland, Station master
Luton Hoo Gt Northern Arthur Bidnell, Station master
Hyde
Harrington, Sir John Lane KCMG, KCVO, CB The Hyde
Westerman, Rev John Edward BA Vicarage
Commercial
Barker, Henry blacksmith
Champion, W. pensioner
Cole, B & Son millers and farmers
Cuell, Walter Leather Bottle PH
Donovan, H.E. householder
Glover, Leonard farmer Hyde Farm
Holdstock, Albert farmer Chiltern hall
Holdstock, Ernest farmer Dane Street Farm
Housden, Albert police constable
Oliver, A. Ralph agricultural engineer
Pigott, Harry farmer Thralesend
Squires, H. householder
Luton Hoo
Baker, James The Gables
Ludlow, Lady Luton Hoo
Commercial
Baker, James land steward
Dickinson, George & Son farmers Newlands Farm
Fry, A.H. farm bailiff
Gibbard, Ernest R. chief engineer
Gross, W.W. head gamekeeper
Herring, George Howard estate clerk
Jeffrey, William J. head electrician
Metcalfe, Arthur W. head gardener
Wilcox, Claude Gilbert clerk of works
Kelly’s Directory 1940 - Hyde
Hyde
Hambro, John Harry The Hyde
Westerman, Rev. John Edward BA Vicarage
Commercial
Barker, Henry blacksmith
Cole, B & Son millers and farmers
Dickinson, Thomas farmer Hyde Farm
Frost, Harriett shopkeeper & post office
Higgins, Dennis F. farmer Chiltern Hall Fm
Murchie, A.D. & J.B. farmers Copt hall
Oakley, Elsie farmer Chiltern Grn Fm
Pigott, Harry farmer Laburnum Farm
Pigott, William farmer Thralesend
Sirett, Sidney George Leather Bottle PH
Wombwell, Bernard farmer New Mill End
Luton Hoo
Barrett, Robin Coventry MA The Gables
Ludlow, Lady J.P. Luton Hoo
Commercial
Barrett, Robin C. MA, FSI, FLAS land agent
Chandler, Frank farmer Someries
Daffurn, Alfred Stanley head gardener
Grass, W.W. head gamekeeper
Hall, Archibald Sidney clerk of works
Jeffery, William J. head electrician
Loder, Reginald farm bailiff
Spiers, Thomas farmer Newlands Farm
Woolley, Leslie T. estate clerk
A "those were the days" moment may be felt when noting the telephone numbers that were also recorded for some of the above, e.g. – Harriett Frost, Harpenden 362, Robin Barrett, Luton 43.
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