In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Melchbourne like this:
MELCHBOURNE, a village and a parish in the district and county of Bedford. The village stands 2 miles E of the boundary with Northampton, 5 NNE of Sharnbrook r. station, and 5½ ESE of Higham-Ferrers; and was once a market-town. The parish comprises 2,574 acres. Post town, Higham-Ferrers. ...
Real property, £3,170. Pop., 251. Houses, 52. The property belongs to Lord St. John. Melchbourn Hall is Lord St. John s seat; was built about the time of James I. or Charles I.; has been modernized in the front; and stands in a fine park of about 400 acres. A preceptory of Knights Hospitallers was founded here in the time of Henry I., by Alice, Countess of Pembroke; was given, by Queen Elizabeth, to the Russells; and has left some remains. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely. Value, £150.* Patron, Lord St. John. The church is modern; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with porch and tower; and contains a brass of 1377, and two monuments to the St. Johns.
Melchbourne through time
Melchbourne is now part of Bedford district. Click here for graphs and data of how Bedford has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Melchbourne itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Melchbourne, in Bedford and Bedfordshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/3567
Date accessed: 27th April 2024
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