Oakley, Bedfordshire
Encyclopedia
Oakley is a village
and civil parish located in northern Bedfordshire
, England
, about four miles north west of the county town of Bedford
and lies by the River Great Ouse
. It has a population of around 2,500 and is near the villages of Bromham
, Milton Ernest
, Clapham
, Radwell
, and Felmersham
.
s, arrow heads and labelled OAK(ley)and EAM(cdonald) c. 7000-6000 BC. Iron Age
(c. 50 BC.) evidence was found when excavations were being undertaken for the Almshouses.
Oakley also featured in the Domesday book
, and again before the Norman conquest, where the land was held by an Oswulf, a thane (companion) of King Edward
.
In 1166 AD, the Lord of the manor
was recorded as being one Simon de Bosard, and his brother was known to have had connections with the town now known as Leighton Buzzard. In 1200 it was recorded that the present Parish Church was built replacing an earlier one built of wood in Saxon times. Nothing of this earlier church remains. In 1230 the first vicar was recorded, a Stephen de Castell. In 1278, a Richard de Bosard had no male heir, but his daughter married Thomas Reynes who took over Oakley thanks to his wife. It was known as Oakley Reynes certainly as far as the 1795 pre-enclosure map. The name is still with us today in "Reynes Drive". The family also owned Clifton Reynes, just over the border into Buckinghamshire. In 1331, there was another Thomas Reynes recorded.
1349 saw the Black Death
, and three vicars died in quick succession, D. Walter, John Marshall and Robert Fox all in that year. The disease carried with it a high fatality rate of some 50%, and was caused by disease carrying fleas living on the Black Rat. The medieval cottages provided full accommodation for rats, in walls, thatch and under the earth floors. When rats died of the disease, the fleas attacked the human occupants. In 1451, John Reynes died and left no male heirs, so the village passed to the Taylard family. Again, in 1548 there were no male heirs to the Taylards, but the heiress married a Robert Brundenell, who took over. Oakley remained in the Brundenell family until 1648, when it passed to the Mordaunts. It is possible that after the Civil War
had ended, the members of the losing side were made to pay heavily for their part in the conflict. Perhaps the Brundenells supported the King.
In 1671 a Window tax
was introduced in the reign of Charles II, which inter alia recorded the population of Oakley as being 255 souls. In 1679 the Mordaunts sold Oakley to the Levinz family, who in their turn sold it in 1737 to the 4th Duke of Bedford. The Duke, a leading politician in George II
`s England, proved a most successful business man, and enlarged considerably the Ducal properties, buying Houghton House
near Ampthill
, as well as Oakley Manor House.
After the purchase of Oakley House by the 4th Duke, the old house was demolished and a new (present) one was built on its site. It served as a hunting box for successive dukes, being just a small fraction of the size of their main seat thirteen miles away at Woburn
. In 1795, the Oakley Reynes Pre-Enclosure map was drawn, and in 1803 Oakley's Enclosure came about. As a matter of interest, records have been discovered that show the annual expenditure of the Church from Easter 1821 to Easter 1822 as being £2.7s.3d. (£2.36). There was widespread poverty in the early 19th century after the battle of Waterloo
.
In 1839, the 6th Duke of Bedford died to be succeeded by the 7th Duke
, who had a strong desire to improve the whole Bedford Estate, to cut out extravagance and waste and put the whole enterprise on a strong financial footing. In 1851, there was a census, which included details of Church attendance at the three places of worship in the village – the Parish Church of St. Mary, the Primitive Methodist Chapel and the Congregational Church (now demolished)
The 7th Duke decided in to build new cottages for the Estate tenants, and these were constructed of the best materials available to avoid needless repairs in the future. These properties were easy to clean, and had all facilities – gardens, water supply etc. Also the village map was re-drawn and the winding roads were straightened out. A new road was built – Station Road – running from Lovell Road to the where the Station stood. The High Street was straightened, likewise Duck End Road – now Church Lane. All the cottages in the High Street and Station Road were in blocks for economy, usually six to a block. Most have a stone inscription in the gable showing a Ducal coronet, a letter "B" for Bedford and the date of construction. Most of the earlier homes were of stone and thatch and were demolished when the new houses became available.
The old School, housed in two cottages in ruinous condition, was taken over by the Duke and the present building given to the village in 1842, the Duke taking over the cottages for his own use.
A village hall was built to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee
of Queen Victoria. This was paid for by the Dowager Duchess, the widow of the 10th Duke
. This was situated at the end of what is now Reynes Drive. It provided the village with a reading room for meetings, entertainment, and a library. The First World War saw great change. The 11th Duke
had served in Egypt, and he set up a military training camp in Ampthill Park at his own expense. This, together with the expenditure on the estate, exceeded the income, and together with increased taxation occasioned by the war, forced him to reduce his land holdings. Therefore, in 1918, the Oakley estate was sold at auction by Knight, Frank and Rutley
. Each tenant was given the opportunity of purchasing his own residence, and those who could afford it, did so. From then on, Oakley ceased to be a ducal estate, and went into private ownership.
During the 1920s, Lovell Homes were built, together with bungalows to the North side of Church Lane. The 1930s saw more building in Church Lane and in-filling in the High Street. After the 1939-45 war, building resumed. Grange Farm was sold to a farming partnership of Ibbett and McKie, with Ibbett providing the financial expertise, and McKie the agricultural experience. In due course, Jock McKie died, and the land passed into the sole ownership of the Ibbett family. A little while afterwards, Planning Permission for development on the farm was applied for, and granted.
As a result, the whole centre of the village became the subject of a large building project. By 1970, a number of houses had been constructed commencing with Ruffs Furze and Dewlands. The Grange Farm farmyard now has 38 large houses built on it. The Parish Council now look very closely at any new developments proposed within the village environs, and in the main planning is only permitted for individual properties.
In 2007 Oakley House was put up for sale for £2,950,000.
, six miles away, in the village of Sharnbrook
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish located in northern 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...
, about four miles north west of the county town of Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
and lies by the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
. It has a population of around 2,500 and is near the villages of Bromham
Bromham, Bedfordshire
Bromham is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, west of the town of Bedford. It is within commuting distance to London via Bedford railway station.-Notable features:...
, Milton Ernest
Milton Ernest
Milton Ernest is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, and is about north of Bedford itself. It has a population of 754...
, Clapham
Clapham, Bedfordshire
Clapham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It has a population of 3,643.-Facilities:Clapham has numerous public houses and several small shops; including a post office, Chinese and Indian takeaways, fish and chips, a florist, a hairdresser and a small...
, Radwell
Radwell, Bedfordshire
Radwell is a hamlet in the Hundred of Willey in North Bedfordshire, England, on the River Great Ouse, about north west of Bedford.Administratively, it is often included with the neighbouring village of Felmersham, and the Civil Parish is sometimes known as Felmersham and Radwell.The hamlet has no...
, and Felmersham
Felmersham
Felmersham is a village and civil parish in the Bedford district of Bedfordshire, England, on the River Great Ouse, about north west of Bedford. As a civil parish, it includes the hamlet of Radwell, and is sometimes known as Felmersham and Radwell, and has a population of about 800, and is...
.
History
Some of the earliest evidence of a settlement was found within the current village boundaries, and these were in the form of flint axeFlint axe
A flint axe was a Flint tool used during prehistoric times to perform a variety of tasks. These were at first just a cut piece of flint stone used as a hand axe but later wooden handles were attached to these axe heads. The stone exhibits a glass-like fracture similar to obsidian, and can be...
s, arrow heads and labelled OAK(ley)and EAM(cdonald) c. 7000-6000 BC. Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
(c. 50 BC.) evidence was found when excavations were being undertaken for the Almshouses.
Oakley also featured in the Domesday book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, and again before the Norman conquest, where the land was held by an Oswulf, a thane (companion) of King Edward
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
.
In 1166 AD, the Lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
was recorded as being one Simon de Bosard, and his brother was known to have had connections with the town now known as Leighton Buzzard. In 1200 it was recorded that the present Parish Church was built replacing an earlier one built of wood in Saxon times. Nothing of this earlier church remains. In 1230 the first vicar was recorded, a Stephen de Castell. In 1278, a Richard de Bosard had no male heir, but his daughter married Thomas Reynes who took over Oakley thanks to his wife. It was known as Oakley Reynes certainly as far as the 1795 pre-enclosure map. The name is still with us today in "Reynes Drive". The family also owned Clifton Reynes, just over the border into Buckinghamshire. In 1331, there was another Thomas Reynes recorded.
1349 saw the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, and three vicars died in quick succession, D. Walter, John Marshall and Robert Fox all in that year. The disease carried with it a high fatality rate of some 50%, and was caused by disease carrying fleas living on the Black Rat. The medieval cottages provided full accommodation for rats, in walls, thatch and under the earth floors. When rats died of the disease, the fleas attacked the human occupants. In 1451, John Reynes died and left no male heirs, so the village passed to the Taylard family. Again, in 1548 there were no male heirs to the Taylards, but the heiress married a Robert Brundenell, who took over. Oakley remained in the Brundenell family until 1648, when it passed to the Mordaunts. It is possible that after the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
had ended, the members of the losing side were made to pay heavily for their part in the conflict. Perhaps the Brundenells supported the King.
In 1671 a Window tax
Window tax
The window tax was a significant social, cultural, and architectural force in England, France and Scotland during the 18th and 19th centuries. Some houses from the period can be seen to have bricked-up window-spaces , as a result of the tax.-Details:The tax was introduced in England and Wales under...
was introduced in the reign of Charles II, which inter alia recorded the population of Oakley as being 255 souls. In 1679 the Mordaunts sold Oakley to the Levinz family, who in their turn sold it in 1737 to the 4th Duke of Bedford. The Duke, a leading politician in George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
`s England, proved a most successful business man, and enlarged considerably the Ducal properties, buying Houghton House
Houghton House
Houghton House is a ruined house located near Houghton Conquest in Bedfordshire, on the ridge just north of Ampthill, and about 8 miles south of Bedford. It is a Grade I listed building....
near Ampthill
Ampthill
Ampthill is a small town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population of about 6,000. It is administered by Central Bedfordshire Council. A regular market has taken place on Thursdays for centuries.-History:...
, as well as Oakley Manor House.
After the purchase of Oakley House by the 4th Duke, the old house was demolished and a new (present) one was built on its site. It served as a hunting box for successive dukes, being just a small fraction of the size of their main seat thirteen miles away at Woburn
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
. In 1795, the Oakley Reynes Pre-Enclosure map was drawn, and in 1803 Oakley's Enclosure came about. As a matter of interest, records have been discovered that show the annual expenditure of the Church from Easter 1821 to Easter 1822 as being £2.7s.3d. (£2.36). There was widespread poverty in the early 19th century after the battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
.
In 1839, the 6th Duke of Bedford died to be succeeded by the 7th Duke
Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford
Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford KG, PC , styled Marquess of Tavistock from 1802 to 1839, was a British peer and Whig politician.-Background and education:...
, who had a strong desire to improve the whole Bedford Estate, to cut out extravagance and waste and put the whole enterprise on a strong financial footing. In 1851, there was a census, which included details of Church attendance at the three places of worship in the village – the Parish Church of St. Mary, the Primitive Methodist Chapel and the Congregational Church (now demolished)
The 7th Duke decided in to build new cottages for the Estate tenants, and these were constructed of the best materials available to avoid needless repairs in the future. These properties were easy to clean, and had all facilities – gardens, water supply etc. Also the village map was re-drawn and the winding roads were straightened out. A new road was built – Station Road – running from Lovell Road to the where the Station stood. The High Street was straightened, likewise Duck End Road – now Church Lane. All the cottages in the High Street and Station Road were in blocks for economy, usually six to a block. Most have a stone inscription in the gable showing a Ducal coronet, a letter "B" for Bedford and the date of construction. Most of the earlier homes were of stone and thatch and were demolished when the new houses became available.
The old School, housed in two cottages in ruinous condition, was taken over by the Duke and the present building given to the village in 1842, the Duke taking over the cottages for his own use.
A village hall was built to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
of Queen Victoria. This was paid for by the Dowager Duchess, the widow of the 10th Duke
George Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford
George William Francis Sackville Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford DL was the son of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford....
. This was situated at the end of what is now Reynes Drive. It provided the village with a reading room for meetings, entertainment, and a library. The First World War saw great change. The 11th Duke
Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford
Herbrand Arthur Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford KG KBE DL LLD FRS FSA was the son of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford.-Family:...
had served in Egypt, and he set up a military training camp in Ampthill Park at his own expense. This, together with the expenditure on the estate, exceeded the income, and together with increased taxation occasioned by the war, forced him to reduce his land holdings. Therefore, in 1918, the Oakley estate was sold at auction by Knight, Frank and Rutley
Knight Frank LLP
Knight Frank LLP is a multinational real estate and property service firm founded in London in 1896. Knight Frank together with its New York-based affiliate Newmark Knight Frank is one of the world's leading independent global property consultancies....
. Each tenant was given the opportunity of purchasing his own residence, and those who could afford it, did so. From then on, Oakley ceased to be a ducal estate, and went into private ownership.
During the 1920s, Lovell Homes were built, together with bungalows to the North side of Church Lane. The 1930s saw more building in Church Lane and in-filling in the High Street. After the 1939-45 war, building resumed. Grange Farm was sold to a farming partnership of Ibbett and McKie, with Ibbett providing the financial expertise, and McKie the agricultural experience. In due course, Jock McKie died, and the land passed into the sole ownership of the Ibbett family. A little while afterwards, Planning Permission for development on the farm was applied for, and granted.
As a result, the whole centre of the village became the subject of a large building project. By 1970, a number of houses had been constructed commencing with Ruffs Furze and Dewlands. The Grange Farm farmyard now has 38 large houses built on it. The Parish Council now look very closely at any new developments proposed within the village environs, and in the main planning is only permitted for individual properties.
In 2007 Oakley House was put up for sale for £2,950,000.
Schools
There are two schools situated in the village, Oakley Lower School and Lincroft School. Oakley is within the catchment of Sharnbrook Upper School and Community CollegeSharnbrook Upper School and Community College
Sharnbrook Upper School and Community College, commonly referred to as SUS or simply Sharnbrook, is a large, rural comprehensive upper school located in Sharnbrook, a village near Bedford in the English county of Bedfordshire...
, six miles away, in the village of Sharnbrook
Sharnbrook
Sharnbrook is a village and civil parish located in the Bedford Borough of Bedfordshire, England.The settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a parish within the Hundred of Willey but was probably first developed in Saxon times. The oldest surviving building, St Peter's Church, is...
.