Kempston Hardwick
Encyclopedia
Kempston Hardwick is a small village on the edge of the town of Kempston
in Bedfordshire
, England
. Historically it was one of the hamlet
s or "ends" scattered across the parish of Kempston. It has a station on the Marston Vale Line
which hit the headlines when it was revealed it only has one passenger a day. Ironically, the town of Kempston itself has no railway station, despite the fact that it has a population of about 20,000 and some have suggested the station should be relocated in Kempston.
Despite it rural setting, for many years Kempston Hardwick was technically part of Kempston town. This is a consequence of the division of the old larger Kempston parish in 1896 into Kempston town and Kempston Rural
. However, modern boundary changes have meant that Kempston Hardwick is now part of the rural parish
of Stewartby
.
The name of Kempston Hardwick
was used by local author Adam Croft
for one of his fictional detectives.
from 1279 to 1489. The first mention of this property occurs in 1279. In 1287, and 1330, the Prior claimed to hold a view of frankpledge from four tenants in Kempston. In 1338, this estate comprised a messuage with a garden worth 4s. per annum, a dovehouse valued at 3s. 4d., a water-mill 26s. 8d., 370 acres of land worth £6 3s. 4d., 32 acres meadow worth 44s., 8 acres of pasture worth 8s., and pasture for 200 oxen worth 20s. After the Dissolution, the property, called the manor of Hardwick, was bestowed upon Sir Richard Longe in 1540.
Kempston
Kempston is a town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. Once known as the largest village in England, Kempston is now a town with its own town council. It has a population of about 20,000, and together with Bedford, it forms an urban area with around 100,000 inhabitants, which is the...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Historically it was one of the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
s or "ends" scattered across the parish of Kempston. It has a station on the Marston Vale Line
Marston Vale Line
The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford in England. It is one of two surviving passenger-carrying sections of the "Varsity Line" between Oxford and Cambridge....
which hit the headlines when it was revealed it only has one passenger a day. Ironically, the town of Kempston itself has no railway station, despite the fact that it has a population of about 20,000 and some have suggested the station should be relocated in Kempston.
Despite it rural setting, for many years Kempston Hardwick was technically part of Kempston town. This is a consequence of the division of the old larger Kempston parish in 1896 into Kempston town and Kempston Rural
Kempston Rural
Kempston Rural is a civil parish in the Bedford district of Bedfordshire, England.Kempston Rural was formed in 1896 when the old parish of Kempston was split into two parts - Kempston urban district , and Kempston Rural parish....
. However, modern boundary changes have meant that Kempston Hardwick is now part of the rural parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Stewartby
Stewartby
Stewartby is a model village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, originally built for the workers of The London Brick Company. The village housing and town community centre was designed by the noted neo-Georgian architect Sir Albert Richardson a later and more modern development than such...
.
The name of Kempston Hardwick
Kempston Hardwick (book character)
Kempston Hardwick is a fictional British detective created by Adam Croft, first appearing in his 2011 book Exit Stage Left....
was used by local author Adam Croft
Adam Croft
Adam Croft is an English crime fiction author known for his pacy, suspenseful style of writing. He is best known for his best-selling Knight & Culverhouse series of books.-Biography:...
for one of his fictional detectives.
Hardwick Preceptory
Hardwick Preceptory was a priory of the Knights HospitallerKnights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
from 1279 to 1489. The first mention of this property occurs in 1279. In 1287, and 1330, the Prior claimed to hold a view of frankpledge from four tenants in Kempston. In 1338, this estate comprised a messuage with a garden worth 4s. per annum, a dovehouse valued at 3s. 4d., a water-mill 26s. 8d., 370 acres of land worth £6 3s. 4d., 32 acres meadow worth 44s., 8 acres of pasture worth 8s., and pasture for 200 oxen worth 20s. After the Dissolution, the property, called the manor of Hardwick, was bestowed upon Sir Richard Longe in 1540.
See also
- Kempston Hardwick (book character)Kempston Hardwick (book character)Kempston Hardwick is a fictional British detective created by Adam Croft, first appearing in his 2011 book Exit Stage Left....
- Kempston Hardwick railway stationKempston Hardwick railway stationKempston Hardwick railway station serves the village of Kempston Hardwick in Bedfordshire, England. It is not to be confused with the nearby town of Kempston. The station has two platforms next to a half-barrier level crossing.-Services:...
- Kempston and Elstow Halt railway stationKempston and Elstow Halt railway stationKempston & Elstow Halt was a railway station on the Varsity Line which served the Bedfordshire town of Kempston in England. Opened in 1905, it was closed temporarily during both world wars and did not reopen after 1941, being officially closed in 1949....
- List of monastic houses in Bedfordshire
External links
- BBC News article about Kempston Hardwick
- Guardian article about Kempston Hardwick
- Kempston Hardwick pages at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records ServiceBedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records ServiceThe Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service is a county record office, holding archival material associated with Bedfordshire and Luton. Established in 1913 by George Herbert Fowler as the Bedfordshire Record Office, it was the first county record office in England. It is located in...