In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Houghton Conquest like this:
HOUGHTON-CONQUEST, a village and a parish in Ampthill district, Beds. The village stands near the Bedford and Watford railway, 2¼ miles NNE of Ampthill, and 2¾ NE of the Ampthill station of the Northwestern railway. The parish comprises 3, 345 acres. Post town, Ampthill. Real property, £4, 953. ...
Pop., 784. Houses, 179. The property is divided among a few, but belongs chiefly to the Duke of Bedford and the Rev. Lord John Thynne. Houghton Park estate belonged anciently to the Conquests; passed, in 1615, to the celebrated Countess of Pembroke, sister of Sir Philip Sidney; went afterwards, through several hands, to the Duke of Bedford; was sold, soon after 1794, to Lord Ossory; has returned to the Duke of Bedford; and is now united to Ampthill Park. The mansion on it was built by the Countess of Pembroke; is said to have been a handsome edifice; was reduced to a shell in 1794; and is now a ruin. James I. was entertained, in 1605, by Sir Richard Conquest, at Houghton-Berie, the remains of which were lately taken down. The living is a rectory, united with the rectory of Houghton-Gildable, in the diocese of Ely. Value, £648. * Patron, St. John's College, Cambridge. The church is old, and has a tower. There are a Wesleyan chapel, a free school, six alms houses, and some other charities. Dr. Archer, chaplain to James I., and Dr. Zachary Grey, the commentator on Shakespeare, were rectors.
Houghton Conquest through time
Houghton Conquest is now part of Mid Bedfordshire district. Click here for graphs and data of how Mid Bedfordshire has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Houghton Conquest itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Houghton Conquest in Mid Bedfordshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/2083
Date accessed: 24th April 2024
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