Dunstable, Bedfordshire Family History Guide
DUNSTABLE is a municipal borough and considerable market town and polling place for the county, in hundred of Manshead, union and county court district of Luton, rural deanery of Dunstable, archdeaconry Bedford, and diocese of Ely, upon the London road to Chester and Holyhead, 33 miles from London, 5 west from Luton, and 7 east from Leighton Buzzard: a branch of the London and North Western Railway at Leighton Buzzard runs to this town; the Great Northern Railway Company’s branch from Hatfield, viâ Luton, terminates here1.
Status: Ancient Parish
Places of Worship:
- St Peter’s Church
- Baptist Chapel, West street
- Baptist Chapel, (Old), South place
- Ebenezer (Independent) Chapel, Edward street
- Primitive Methodist Chapel, Victoria street
- Wesleyan Chapel, High street
Parish church: St. Peter and St. Paul
Parish registers begin:
- Parish registers: 1558
- Bishop’s Transcripts: 1602
Nonconformists include: Baptist, Particular Baptist, Society of Friends/Quaker, Temperance Christians, Wesleyan Methodist, Primitive Methodist
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
Parish History
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
DUNSTABLE, a town, a parish, and a sub-district, in Luton district, Beds. The town stands on a chalky eminence, in the centre of the Dunstable chalk down, near the foot of the Chiltern hills, at the junction of Icknield and Watling streets, on the line of railway from Hertford to Leighton-Buzzard, 5 miles W by N of Luton, and 20 S by W-of Bedford.
It was the Maes-gwyn of the Britons, the Magiovinium, or possibly the Forum-Dianæ or the Durocobrivæ, of the Romans, and the Dunestaple of the Saxons; and it is thought by some to have got its Saxon and its present name from dun, “a hill,” and staple, “a commercial mart,” by others, to have got them from a bandit chieftain, called Dun or Dunninly, who infested the neighbourhood in the time of Henry I.
Remains of a British camp, occupying about nine acres, called the Maiden Bower, and supposed to have been afterwards the Magintum of the Romans, are about 1½ mile distant; and vestiges of another strong ancient fortalice, called Tottenhall Castle, and comprising keep, mound, and double fosse, are a short way further off. Many traces of Roman occupation are in the vicinity; and large quantities of copper coins of Antonine and Constantine, were found in 1770.
The town was over-run, first by the Danes, afterwards by bandits, who secreted themselves in neighbouring woods and thickets; but was resettled or rebuilt by Henry I., who destroyed the woods and thickets, gave great encouragement to peaceable settlers, took the town under his own management, gave it a charter and corporate privileges, founded at it a priory of Black canons, and erected on a neighbouring locality, afterwards known as Kingsbury farm, a royal palace.
Henry subsequently gave the town to the friars of the priory, and invested them with extra-ordinary powers over it, but he retained the palace entirely in his own possession; yet King John afterwards gave them the palace also, with its gardens, simply on condition that they should accommodate the monarch and his suite within their own walls. King Stephen met his successor, Henry II., at Dunstable, in 1154.
The town was destroyed by fire in 1213, but was soon afterwards rebuilt. A great synod was held at its priory, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1214. King John was at its palace, in 1215, on his journey toward the north. Louis, the dauphin of France, with the rebellions English barons, halted here one night in 1217. Henry III. was here in 1223. An insurrection of the townsmen against the friars of the priory occurred in 1229; resisted, for a time, the interference of the Bishop of Lincoln; and was at length quelled by compromise through the Arch-deacon of Bedford.
An assemblage of discontented barons and knights took post here in 1244, ostensively for holding a tournament, but really for prosecuting a political design; and sent a peremptory missive to the Pope’s nuncio, who was opposed to them, commanding him instantly to leave the kingdom. Henry III. was often at the priory; and, when here in 1247, was accompanied by his Queen, Prince Edward, and Princess Margaret, and received the present of a gilt cup. Another royal visit was made hither, along with the Pope’s legate and the Lord of Leicester, in 1276.
An affray between the King’s retainers and those of the prior occurred in 1276; and was adjusted by the King in person, sitting as judge. A tournament was held at the town in 1279. The corpse of Queen Eleanor was deposited one night at the priory, in 1290; and her funeral procession passed through the town. A cross, in memory of her, was afterwards erected in the market-place; and this stood till the time of the civil war, and was then demolished by some troops of the Lord of Essex.
A grand tournament, on occasion of Edward III’s return from Scotland, and attended by him and by his Queen, was held at the town in 1341. Henry VI. visited Dunstable in 1457 and 1459; Elizabeth, in 1572; and James I., in 1605. Some of the earliest English theatricals on record were performed at Dunstable in 1110, under the auspices of the abbot of St. Andrews; several Lollard martyrs were put to death here in the time of Henry V.; and the sentence of divorce between Henry VIII. and Catherine of Arragon was pronounced in the priory church, by Arch-bishop Cranmer, in 1533.
A house or hospital for lepers was founded in connexion with the priory; and a monastery of black friars also was established here, and countenanced by the court, much against the will of the priors and canons. The priory was granted, after the dissolution, to Dr. Leonard Chamberlaine, and passed to Colonel Maddison; but its church was designed, by Henry VIII., to be a cathedral to Bedford diocese.
No part of the church now stands except the nave with the aisles. The architecture is mainly Norman, but includes early English, decorated, and perpendicular portions. The nave is Norman and very broad, the arch is lofty, the piers groups of small shafts, with some slightly-figured capitals; the clerestory is perpendicular; the front shows a good Norman arch, filled with perpendicular tracery; and the interior has an altar-piece of the Last Supper by Thornhill. A restoration of the edifice, after some interruption, was resumed in 1869.
The town consists chiefly of four streets, in cruciform alignment, toward the four cardinal points. Some of the houses have an antiquated appearance; but many are modern and neat. There are a head post office, two railway stations, two banking offices, two chief inns, a parish church, which is the quondam church of the priory, five dissenting chapels, a workhouse, an endowed school with £331, a suite of alms-houses with £133, and a variety of charities, including the school and alms-houses, with £2,288.
A weekly market is held on Wednesday; and fairs on Ash-Wednesday, 22 May, 12 Aug., and 12 Nov. The town is famous for the manufacture of straw hats and bonnets; has recently carried on that manufacture more extensively than before; and is famous also for the size of its larks, obtained in the neighbouring country, and sent in great numbers to London. It is a polling-place; was, at one time, summoned to send members to parliament, but made no return; and re-acquired a municipal government in 1865.
The town is regarded as conterminate with the parish; that being the district of the local lighting board. John of Dunstable, and Settle, the rival of Dryden, were natives. The parish contains 390 acres. Real property, £13,388; of which £330 are in railways. Pop., 4,470. Houses, 884. The property is much subdivided The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely. Value, £150. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The sub-district contains five other parishes. Acres, 13,869. Pop., 9,293. Houses, 1,898
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales
Dunstable, 34 m. N.W. London. P. 2582. Market, Wed
Source: Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales; Second Edition; C. W. Leonard, London; 1850
Directors of Companies
The following people were listed in the Directory of Directors 1881 as directors of companies who were either living in Dunstable or the company was based in Dunstable or both.
Gutteridge – Mr J Gutteridge, J.P., Dunstable, is a director of the Lands Allotment Company, Limited
Bankrupts
Below is a list of people that were declared bankrupt between 1820 and 1843 extracted from The Bankrupt Directory; George Elwick; London; Simpkin, Marshall and Co.; 1843.
Harbridge William, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, horse dealer, Jan. 15, 1836.
Howard Joseph, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, linen draper, March 14, 1828.
Poor Law
Dunstable The State of the Poor 1797
THIS parish is supposed to contain about 340 acres of land, and about 1000 inhabitants, who are, chiefly, of the Established Church. There is one small congregation of Quakers, and one of Anabaptists. The number of houses that pay the window-tax is 115 : the number exempted, 78. The number of inns, or ale-houses, is 18. The parishioners are employed in agriculture, manufactures, inn-keeping, horse-keeping, &c. One farm consists of 100 acres: the others are small.
The parish is, principally, in pasture. Wheat, barley, and beans, are cultivated, in that part, which is open field. The rent of land is about £3. an acre. The land-tax is at 3s. in the pound; and produces £247. 18s. Thete are no commons, or waste lands. Farmers chiefly rent their own tithes. The common wages of labour, in husbandry, are, 1s. a day, with out board; 20d. a day, has lately been given, on account of the dearness of provisions.
In the straw work, which is the staple manufacture of the place, a woman can earn from 6s. to 12s. a week; children, from 2 s. to 4 s. a week. This business has given employment, for the last 20 years to every woman, who wished to work: and, for 10 years back, straw work has sold well, particularly in the spring. Earnings in this line, have, for the last four years, been exceedingly great, which, in some measure, perhaps, accounts for the Poor’s Rates not having risen during that period. The straw is chiefly manufactured into hats, baskets, &c.
A few women in the town make lace. A manufacture of whiting employs about 10 hands. The principal support of the inhabitants, seems to be the great turnpike road, which passes through the town, and which accounts for the number of inns and ale-houses.
The following were the prices of provisions at Dunstable, in September 1795: beef 4 1/2d. the pound; mutton 5d.; veal 6d.; bacon 9d.; butter 1s.; milk 1 1/2 d. the quart, (but little sold); potatoes 2s. the bushel; bread 1s. 8d. the half-peck loaf; coals 1s. 10d. the bushel.
Very large charities belong to this parish, which are applied, towards clothing, educating, apprenticing out children; maintaining impotent and aged women ; distributing bread to the poor, &c. No satisfactory account of the money, thus annually expended, could be obtained. From various information, however, it seems clear, that in consequence of these donations, poor people from the neighbouring parishes endeavour, by every means in their power, to obtain settlements here, and are often successful. I have generally found, that donations in money and other charities, ease more the Rates of neighbouring parishes, than those of the place in which they are, actually, distributed.
Most of the Poor in Dunstable receive a parish allowance : the weekly pensions to 18 families, at present, amounts to £1. 12s. 6d.: ten persons are in a poor-house, where they are farmed, at 3s. 6d. each, a-week. The poor in the workhouse have been farmed many years: the farmer finds victuals, and cloaths, &c. and has their earnings: those who can work, are employed in the straw manufacture. The master of the poor-house does not observe any constant rotation of diet. No militia families are, at present, chargeable to the parish.
Of four Friendly Societies in the town, only one has taken the benefit of the late Act of Parliament.
The rates, at an average, are assessed upon three-fourths of the real rental. About £10. or £11. are annually paid, out of the rates, towards the county stock. Removals of vagrants, &c. cost about 7s. a-week, this town being a great thoroughfare. The Vestry clerk is allowed 3 guineas a-year, and about 2s. 6d. a month is spent in Vestry meetings.
September, 1795.
Source: The State of the Poor. Sir Frederick Morton Eden. 1797
Parish Registers
Dunstable Parish Registers 1558-1812
Bedfordshire Parish Registers V.42 18 MB 0 downloads
Bedfordshire Parish Registers Edited by F. G. Emmison, F.R.Hist.S. Volume 42. Bedford 1951. Contents: Dunstable 1558 to 1812 Publisher: Date of publication: 1951 …London Marriage Licences and Allegations 1521 to 1869
The following have been extracted from London Marriage Licences 1521 to 1869.
Abbreviations. — B. Bishop of London’s Office; D. Dean and Chapter of Westminster; F. Faculty Office of Archbishop of Canterbury; V. Registry of the Vicar-General of Canterbury.
Bernard, Richard, of Wood-Hall Grange, co. Beds, gent., bachelor, about 19, consent of his father, John Bernard, of same, gent., and Elizabeth Lee, of Dunstable, Beds, spinster, about 23, her father’s consent — at Newport, Bucks, Flamsted, co. Herts, St. Sepulchre, London, or Tingrey, co. Beds. 26 Nov. 1672. V.
Briscoe, Philip, gent., of Ridge, Herts, widower, 28, and Elizabeth Walcott, spinster, 22, father dead, consent of mother, Dorothy Hide alias Walcott, wife of Francis Hide, of Dunstable Houghton, co. Beds — at Ridge aforesaid, or at St. Bride or St. Andrew, Holborn, London. 13 Nov. 1632. B.
Clithero, Thomas, of Dunstable, co. Beds, gent., bachelor, about 37, and Mrs. Jane Job, of St. Botolph, Aldersgate, spinster, about 30, and at own disposal — at Islington, Middlesex, St. Mary Magdalene, Old Fish Street, or St. James, Clerkenwell. 24 July, 1672. V.
Comins, Robert, of Barking, Essex, yeoman, widower, about 30, and Mary Holsey, of Dunstable, Beds, spinster, about 18, consent of her parents — at St. Anne, Aldersgate, or St. Botolph, Aldgate, London, or Bow, co. Middlesex. 1 April, 1675. V.
Heath, William, of Dunstable, Beds, yeoman, and Susan Crosse, of Ware, co. Herts, spinster, daughter of John Crosse, of same, innholder —at Widford, co. Essex (sic). 26 Sept. 1624. B.
Maxwell, Francis, of Dunstable, co. Bedford, gent., bachelor, 24, and Rebecca Rafts, spinster, 21, daughter of Edmund Rafts, of Ware, Co. Herts, gent., who consents — at St. Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, or St. Gregory, London. 11 April, 1665. F.
Hutchinson, George, of St. John Zachary, London, haberdasher, and Agnes Hawkyns, spinster, of said city, daughter of Thomas Hawkyns, of Dunstable, Beds, yeoman, gen. lic, 11 Jan. 1591/2. B
Metcalfe, Francis (Medcalfe), of Dunstable, Beds, gent., bachelor, 30, and Joane Crofts, of St. Botolph, Aldersgate, about same ago, widow of Christopher Crofts, deceased — at St. Alphage or St. Ethelburgh. 4 June, 1636. B
Powell, Thomas, of Great St. Bartholomew, London, citizen and merchant taylor, bachelor, about 22, and Elizabeth Marsh, of Dunstable, Beds, spinster, about 18, her father’s consent — at Dunstable or Tuddington, Beds. 6 Oct. 1671. V.
Source: London Marriage Licences 1521 to 1869; Edited by Joseph Foster; London 1887
Quarter Sessions Rolls
The following have been extracted from the Notes & Extracts from the Bedfordshire County Records comprised in the Quarter Sessions Rolls from 1714 to 1832 compiled by Messrs. Hardy & Page, Record Agents
1730 Recognizance by Hannah White to give evidence against Robert Mane, of Dunstable, barber or peruke-maker, for striking her on the arms and back with a broom.
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Bedfordshire Historical Directories
Post Office Directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire 1869 152.6 MB 1 downloads
Post Office Directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire. Edited by E. R. Kelly, M.A., F.S.S. London: Printed and Published by Kelly and Co., 51, Great Queen Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields. W.C. 1869 Publisher: Kelly and Co Date of publication: 1869 …
Post Office Directory of Berkshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, with Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Huntingdonshire 1854 104.9 MB 1 downloads
Post Office Directory of Berkshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, with Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Huntingdonshire. London: Printed and Published by Kelly and Co., 19 and 20 Old Boswell Court, Temple Bar. 1854 Publisher: Kelly and Co. Date of publication: 1854 …
Post Office Directory of Berkshire, Northamptonshire Oxfordshire with Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Huntingdonshire 1847 98.8 MB 1 downloads
Post Office Directory of Berkshire, Northamptonshire Oxfordshire with Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Huntingdonshire 1847. London: Printed and Published by W. Kelly and Co.,19 and 20 Old Boswell Court, Temple Bar. Publisher: Kelly & Co. Date of publication: 1847 …
Harrod & Co.’s Royal County Directory of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire 1876 55.4 MB 1 downloads
J. G. Harrod & Co.’s Royal County Directory of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire Price Eighteen Shillings. Royal County Directory Offices: Norwich. 1876 Publisher: J. G. Harrod & Co. Date of publication: 1876 …
Kellys Directory of Bedfordshire, Hunts, and Northamptonshire 1885 108 MB 1 downloads
Kellys Directory of Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Northamptonshire. London: Kelly and Co., Printers, Gate Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, W.C., and Middle Hill, Kingston-on-Thames. 1885. Publisher: Kelly and Co. Date of publication: 1885 …Directory Transcriptions
Kelly’s Directory of the Wine and Spirit Trades, with which are included Brewers and Maltsters 1884
Marked thus * are Small Brewers who brew the beer they sell.
DUNSTABLE
Market day Wednesday
Brewers
Bennett Benj High st north
Cutler & Henchman North Western brewery
Costin Daniel West st *
Coopers
Allen William Church st
Fearn Joseph Winfield st
Hotels
Red Lion John Henry Miller
Saracen’s Head Henry Potter
Sugar Loaf Henry Saunders
Maltster
Bennett Benj High st north
Source: The Post office directory of the brewers and maltsters [afterw.] Kelly’s directory of the wine and spirit trades, with which are included brewers and maltsters By Kelly’s directories, ltd. 1884
The Post Office Directory of Bedfordshire 1869
DUNSTABLE is a municipal borough and considerable market town and polling place for the county, in hundred of Manshead, union and county court district of Luton, rural deanery of Dunstable, archdeaconry Bedford, and diocese of Ely, upon the London road to Chester and Holyhead, 33 miles from London, 5 west from Luton, and 7 east from Leighton Buzzard: a branch of the London and North Western Railway at Leighton Buzzard runs to this town; the Great Northern Railway Company’s branch from Hatfield, viâ Luton, terminates here.
It is a town of great antiquity, and was a British settlement prior to the invasion of the Romans, by whom it was called Forum Dianæ: it is intersected by High street, Church street, and West street, formerly the Watling Street and Icknield Street of the Romans. The date of the charter of incorporation is December 8th, 1864: the corporation consists of a mayor, three aldermen, and twelve councillors; there is also a local board of health.
The church of St Peter, erected in the reign of Henry I., is a combination of various styles of architecture: the interior is principally Norman. On each side of the nave are six circular arches, consisting of four mouldings, with a pilaster in the middle between each arch: the roof is of oak, finely carved with knots of flowers; the beams are supported by angles horizontal and perpendicular: the south aisle of the church has been restored with a groined Norman roof: there are several ancient monuments: over the altar is a large and handsome painting of The Lord’s Supper, by Sir James Thornhill, which with the plate and rich pulpit cloth, were presented by two sisters in the year 1722. The register dates from the beginning of the seventeenth century. The living is a rectory, yearly value £150, with residence, in the gift of the Lord Chancellor, and held by the Rev Frederick Hose, M.A., of Queen’s College, Cambridge.
Here is a Charity school, for the education and clothing of 40 boys; there are also three other schools, viz., a National school, a British school, and a Free school.
On every Wednesday a market is held here, and four fairs in the course of the year, viz., on Ash Wednesday, the 22nd of May, August, the 12th, and November the 12th.
The principal business of the town arises from the manufacture of straw plait and bonnets, in which a great number of females are employed; whiting also forms an important branch of trade.
In the year 1713 several houses were built for the support of six reduced maiden ladies, who receive the annual income of 180 for their support. The charities given to the poor amount to about 100 per annum.
This is one of the places at which Eleanor crosses were erected, but the one in this town was demolished during the great Rebellion.
The sentence of divorce between Henry VIII. and Katharine of Arragon was pronounced in Dunstable Priory, by Archbishop Cranmer, in the year 1553. Dunstable gave birth to Elkanah Settle, a well known dramatist and political writer.
The Queen is lady of the manor. The principal land owners are F.W. Brown Esq., and Mrs Oliver. The soil is light and chalky. The population in 1861 was 4,470 the number of acres is 309.
Official Establishments, Local Institutions &c.
POST & MONEY ORDER OFFICE & Post Office Savings Bank & Government Annuity & Insurance Office, High street. – George Fisher Scroggs, postmaster. Mails at 5.8 am & 10.40 am; delivered at 7 am & 11.15 am; dispatched at 7 am for London & all parts; 10.25 am for Luton only; 1.45 pm for London & South & East, & also Leighton Buzzard; 8.35 pm for the North, 9.20 pm for London, all parts foreign &c. Letters can be registered within 30 minutes of the mails leaving. Money order office & savings bank are open from 9 am to 6 pm; saturdays until 8 pm,
CORPORATION
MAYOR Samuel Burges
ALDERMEN
Joseph Gutteridge
William Jardine
William Mulligan
COUNCILLORS
Joseph Darby
Benjamin Bennett
John Henry Limbrey
Henry Cheshire
John Chambers
Edwin William Brown
William Henry Derbyshire
Richard Walton
William Marshall
Edwin Johnson
William Hopcroft
William Purton Freeman
Assessors, William Cheshire & Henry White
Auditors, William Paxton Reading Southam & Edward Carrington George
INSURANCE AGENTS
Albert Life, William Hopcroft (travelling superintendent of agencies) High street
Lancashire Fire & Life, Mrs S Weatherill, High street
London Assurance Frederick Hatt
National Provident, Edward Lockhart
Norwich Union Fire, T.B.G. Clarke, High street; William Hopcroft, High street
Phoenix Fire, Charles S Benning, West street
Royal Fire & Life, William Hopcroft, High street
Royal Exchange Fire & Life, C. Stockhart & Son
Standard Life, Charles S Benning, West street; Benjamin Briggs, High street
Sun Fire & Life, William Cheshire, West street
Whittington Life, William Hopcroft, High street; Thomas Keene, Union street
PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS
Burial Board, West street; C.S. Benning esq. clerk
Gas Company, William P.R. Southam, secretary; Frederick Simmons, foreman; Charles S Benning, solicitor
Town Council & Local Board of Health, Charles S Benning, clerk
Fire Engine Establishment, High street, keys kept at Messrs Bowden & Cheshire’s
Inland Revenue Office, Saracen’s Head inn
Temperance Hall, West street, Robert Pickering, sec
PUBLIC OFFICERS
Clerk to Dunstable Local Government Board, to Luton District Highway Board & Puddlehill Turnpike Trust, Charles S Benning, West street
Registrar of Births & Deaths for Dunstable District, George Derbyshire, Church street
Relieving Officer for Dunstable District, Daniel George Gilbey, Albion road
Steward of the Manor Royal of Dunstable, of the Manor of Pirton-cum-Ickleford & of the Manor of Dame Sayer. Charles S Benning
Town Crier, William Allen, Union street
PLACES OF WORSHIP
St Peter’s Church, Rev Frederick Hose MA rector
Baptist Chapel, West street, Rev Daniel Gould minister
Baptist Chapel, (Old), South place, Rev J Inward minister
Ebenezer (Independent) Chapel, Edward street Rev Jabez Dixon minister
Primitive Methodist Chapel, Victoria street, ministers various
Wesleyan Chapel, High street, ministers various
SCHOOLS
British, Miss Amelia Wootton, mistress
Endowed Free, Mr James Hambling, master
National, James Cook, master
RAILWAYS
Great Northern, Joseph Quarton, station master
London & North Western, Benj. Gregory, station master
CARRIER TO BEDFORD:- James Randall, at 7.30 am on wednesday & saturday, per passenger van, from the Horse & Groom, Church street
PRIVATE RESIDENTS
Benning Charles Stockdale, esq. West st
Blackwell William, esq. High street
Collings Mr George, High street
Corder Miss, High street
Darley Mr John, Edward street
Derbyshire Mr William H. Church st
Ellis Mrs. West street
Farr Frederick esq. High street
Fernie Rev John [Independent] High st
George Edward, esq. High street
Gould Rev Daniel [Baptist] High street
Guille Miss High street
Gutteridge Mrs High street
Hicks Chas Cyril M.D. L.S.A. High st
Hose Rev Frederick MA [rector & rural dean] West street
Jardine Mr William High street
Laurie William Forbes M.D. L.S.A. High street
Limbrey Mr Elisha South place
Lockhart Mr Edward High street
Middleton Stephen Douglas esq. The Lawn, High street
Miller Mrs West street
Parrott Mr Henry High street
Rudd Miss High street
Seccombe Rev Wm [Wesleyan] High st
Southam Wm Paxton Reading, esq. High street
Stevens Mrs. Rural cottage, South pl
Tibbett Mr James Icknield road
Wood Miss West street
COMMERCIAL
Abraham John greengrocer West street
Allan James & Co straw hat manufacturers Albion road; & at 157 Cheapside London ec
Bailey John tailor outfitter & draper High street
Banning William shopkeeper Mount street
Barber John Clarke, builder, Victoria street
Barton Richard shopkeeper Mount street
Bateman James, blocker, West street
Bedfordshire Leighton Buzzard Bank {Bassett, Son & Harris), High street, open on wednesdays, saturdays & fair days; draw on Barclay, Bevan & Co London
Beely Lucy & Sarah (Misses) boarding school for ladies, Grove house, High street
Beech John tailor Albion road
Bennett Benjamin straw hat & bonnet manufactr High st
Bennett Benjamin jun maltster High street
Benning Charles Stockdale, solicitor, town clerk & clerk the local board, perpetual commissioner for Beds, Bucks, & Herts, commissioner in chancery & all law courts, steward of the manor royal of Dunstable, Pirton-cum-Ickleford & Dame Sayer, clerk of highway board for Luton district, clerk to Puddlehill turnpike trust, solicitor to London & County Bank & Gas & Coke Company & for Mrs Carts’ charity, West street
Bignell Thomas umbrella maker High street
Billington Benjamin shopkeeper Union street
Blake Ann Elizabeth Miss milliner & dress maker West st
Bliss William shopkeeper West street
Botterill William Ewe & Lamb West street
Botterill William, painter & glazier, plumber & gas fitter, paper hanger & decorator, West street
Bowden & Cheshire timber merchants builders &c High st
Bowers Joseph beer retailer High street
Bowles John, silversmith, jeweller & watch & clock maker, High street
Brooks Thomas shoe maker Union street
Brown Charles beer retailer Winfield street
Brown David fishmonger High street
Brown Edwin, farmer, High street
Brown John straw hat manufacturer Albion road
Brown Thomas greengrocer Union street
Budd John photographer High street
Bunker John boot & shoe maker High street
Burges Samuel tailor woollen draper clothier & outfitter High street
Burges John dealer in rags & bones Church street
Butt Sophia Mrs dress maker Mount street
Butterfield William straw dealer South place
Byrns John travelling draper High street
Chambers John, grocer, general ironmonger, oil & hop dealer, High street
Champkin John greengrocer West street
Cheshire Arthur, Bricklayers Arms, Regent street
Cheshire Thomas straw hat & bonnet block ma Albion rd
Cheshire William, builder, cabinet maker & furniture dealer, West street
Chilton John, pawnbroker, Church street
Clarke Tom Gilham Burn, pharmaceutical & dispensing chemist, patent medicine vendor, & manufacturer Clarke’s wheat protector for preventing smut in wheat, High street
Cobb Thomas shopkeeper Mount street
Collings James beer retailer South place
Collins Thomas George straw hat & bonnet manufacturer High street
Cook George boot & shoe maker High street
Cook John plumber & glazier High street
Cooke William beer retailer & tailor Ashton street
Cooper John, James & George, straw hat & bonnet manufacturers, High street
Cooper Samuel Rose & Crown High street
Costin Daniel whitesmith, locksmith, bell hanger & gas fitter, West street
Cowley John blacksmith Church street
Currant Christopher mealman Union street
Daniel Thomas grocer High street
Darby Joseph butcher West street
Davis Frederick boot & shoe maker & leather dlr High st
Derbyshire Charles grocer High street
Derbyshire George, registrar of births & deaths for Dunstable district, Church street
Derbyshire William Henry auctioneer & appraiser land house & estate agent & land surveyor High street
Dightam Edward watch maker Ashton street
Donne Charlotte & Dinah Misses boarding & day school for young ladies High street
Donne Edwin Bower professor of music High street
Driffill William plumber & glazier painter paper hanger & decorator High street
Duncomb Frederick Waggon & Horses High street
Dunstable Burial Board (CS Benning clerk) West st
Dunstable Gas Company (William PR Southam esq sec; Frederick Simmons foreman; Charles S Benning, esq solicitor
Eames William straw plait dealer West street
Edmonds John boot & shoe maker West street
Elliott William Mrs straw hat & bonnet manufacturer High street
Emerson James shopkeeper West street
Emery John grocer High street
Farr Frederick surgeon High street
Fearn Joseph Crow & cooper High street
Fensom Daniel chimney sweeper Church street
Field Elizabeth Mrs beer retailer & whiting manufacturer Chapel place
Field Frederick beer retailer Albion road
Field Mary Mrs, Britannia, High street
Fosdick S.W. coal mer Great Northern Railway coal wharf
Fowler Thomas The George Church street
Fox Ann Mrs shopkeeper West street
Fox George saddler & harness maker West street
Fox William saddler & harness maker West street
Franklin George boot & shoe maker Victoria street
Franklin John beer retailer Church street
Freeman Henry temperance coffee house Ashton street
Freeman William Purton, grocer & provision dealer & dealer in british & foreign wines High street
Funge Amos, Shoulder of Mutton, High street
Gadsden Adelaide Miss dress maker West street
Gadsden Westley fancy repository West street
Gage George, manufacturing & dispensing chemist & druggist High street & at Market hill Luton
Gibbard Ann Mrs corn & flour dealer High street
Giddings Henry plumber & glazier painter paper hanger & decorator High street
Gilbey Daniel George relieving officer for Dunstable district Albion road
Good Henry boot & shoe maker High street
Goode William boot & shoe maker High street
Gostelow Thomas Cooke stationer & dairyman High street
Groves Elizabeth Ann Miss straw bonnet maker Albion rd
Grubb William boot & shoe maker Church street
Gutteridge Matthew miller West street
Hallifax Joseph boot & shoe maker High street
Hanchard Edwin upholsterer & fancy repository High street esq solicitor
Hastie William draper & clothier High street
Hawkes George Alfred plumber & glazier Ashton street
Henton Henry straw dyer & bleacher Victoria street
Herbert George bonnet blocker Edward street
Hicks Charles Cyril MD LSA surgeon High street
Higgs James beer retailer West street
Higgs Mary Mrs Swan with Two Necks High street
Higgs William builder Princes street
Hobbs John boot & shoe maker Victoria street
Holmes Alfred linen draper & milliner West street
Holt John Anchor High street
Hopcroft William travelling superintendent of agencies for Albert Life Assurance Company High street
Hopkins George Flemons, farmer & coal merchant High st
Horn Eli & Francis straw plait dealers High street
Horn Charles White Hart High street
Horn Cornelius straw plait dealer Edward street
Horn George straw plait dealer High street
Impey William Vine West street
Inwards George butcher High street
Janes David fruiterer & greengrocer West street
Jardine A & Co straw hat & bonnet manufactrs High st
Jaques George, bonnet blocker, Winfield street
Johnson Edward straw hat & bonnet manufactr Edward st
Johnson Edwin straw hat & bonnet manufactr Church st
Johnson John Sugar Loaf & wine & spirit mercht High st
Jones Robert James coal merchant Edward street
Keene Thomas New inn Union street
Keens Thomas bricklayer West street
Kilby William butcher Edward street
King Abel straw hat & bonnet manufacturer South place
King William shopkeeper High street
Kirk George draper Albion road
Knowles Zaccheus carpenter High street
Labrum Ezra Mrs grocer & provision dealer High street
Langley John beer retailer Church street
Laurie William Forbes MD LSA surgeon High street
Lester James boot & shoe maker High street
Lightfoot Isaac builder furniture broker undertaker & appraiser High street
Limbrey John Henry general & furnishing ironmonger tin man brazier & coppersmith West street
Line William coal merchant Gt Northern Railway coal wharf
Litton Charles tobacconist High street
Lochart Charles & Son linen & woollen drapers High street
Lochart Henry Red Lion commercial inn agent for the London & North Western railway licensed to let post horses & billiard room proprietor High street
London & County Bank (branch) (William Bigg manager) High street draw on the head office London
Markham James shoeing smith & blacksmith Church street
Marshall William Wheelwrights Arms & coach builder & wheelwright Edward street
Maskell James mealman straw & hay dealer West street
Mayles Benjamin boot & shoe maker Albion road
Mayles Joseph butcher High street
McMurtrie Daniel travelling draper Edward street
Mead Frederick horse clipper High street
Mead Henry boot & shoe maker High street
Medcalf James John commercial traveller Victoria street
Medcroft John George straw bleacher & dyer High street
Merifield John Saracen’s Head family & commercial hotel & posting house wine & spirit merchant & billiard room proprietor & inland revenue office High street
Merson James shopkeeper West street
Middleton Stephen Douglas solicitor & clerk to the borough magistrates High street
Milligan William & Co straw hat & bonnet manufacturers High street & at George street Luton
Mooring Barnett straw hat & bonnet manufactr Edward st
Mooring Ephraim butcher Church street
Mooring George butcher High street
Moulder Charles saddle & harness maker High street
Mouse James boot & shoe maker High street
Mullings Joseph straw hat & bonnet maker Albion road
Munday Francis insurance agent Victoria street
Munt Brown & Co straw hat & bonnet manufacturers William Hunt manager High street & at 84 to 88 Wood street Cheapside London ec
Odell Charles baker Union street
Odell Hannah Mrs shopkeeper West street
Odle William whiting manufacturer Mount street
Oliver James Willock baker Church street
Olney George Bull High street Thomas Swan High street
Osborn Eliza Miss straw bonnet maker & bleacher High st
Osborn Joseph linen & woollen draper silk mercer hosier & haberdasher High street
Owen Ann Mrs pastrycook & sausage maker High st
Oxtell William straw plait dealer dyer & bleacher Union st
Parker Edward straw plait dyer & bleacher High street
Percival Thomas hair dresser High street
Percival William, hair dresser & perfumer & cutler High st
Permanent Building Society (John H Limbrey sec) West street
Pickering John straw hat maker Mount street
Pickering Robert bonnet blocker Albion road
Picton Thomas boot & shoe maker High street
Piggott William shopkeeper High street
Pitkin Alfred butcher high street
Placeham Charles tailor Church street
Potter William tailor West street
Potton Edward greengrocer High street
Poulton Richard shopkeeper South place
Powell George rope maker Church street
Pratt Billington George shopkeeper West street
Radwell John saddler High street
Randall James carrier Church street
Ratt William shopkeeper High street
Robinson James builder Matthew street
Robinson John grocer & provision dealer High street
Robinson William farmer High street
Robinson William grocer & provision dealer High street
Rodwell Will baker & corn dealer High street
Roe Robert tailor Winfield street
Rudland Charles Nag’s Head & corn dealer High street
Rush William tinman & brazier High street
Sanders Brothers tailors woollen drapers & hatters High st
Scott David butcher High street
Scroggs George Fisher bookseller stationer circulating library news agent & postmaster High street
Scroggs Mary Elizabeth Mrs farmer High street
Sharman Charles tailor West street
Sharman James baker Church street
Sharman Joseph tailor High street
Sharman William butcher & shopkeeper West street
Shaw William carpenter & builder Church street
Sibthorpe John butcher High street
Sinkwell Gilbert engineer & iron & brass founder Winfield street
Smith Ann Exall Mrs chemist & druggist High street
Smith George tailor Union street
Smith Henry marine store & general dealer & rag & bone merchant Ashton street
Smith John boot & shoe maker Mount street
Smyth Henry baker High street
Snoxel Norman shopkeeper Church street
Southam William Paxton Reading, auctioneer & appraiser, land, house & estate agent, surveyor & registrar of marriages for Luton district, High street
Spufford George seedsman & gardener Ashton street
Squires Thomas straw bonnet maker Edward street
Stanbridge Frances Mrs Plume of Feathers West st
Stanbridge Jeremiah hair dresser Ashton street
Stevens Thomas beer retailer Mount street
Stevenson George William tailor & woollen draper Albion rd
Stimpson John beer retailer High street
Stimpson John shopkeeper Chapel street
Stock & Gregory (Misses) milliners & dress makers High st
Stormer Charles straw hat & bonnet manufacturer High st
Strange George confectioner High street
Stuart & Taylor straw hat & bonnet manufacturers Mr Inwards manager High street
Summerfield Abraham baker Union street
Taylor George coal & firewood dealer South place
Thorn William butcher High street
Thripp Alfred James painter glazier & paper hanger Church street
Tibbett Daniel printer stationer book binder & news agent High street
Tibbett Jas bookseller stationer & fancy repository High st
Tompkins John tea dealer West street
Tompkins John beer retailer High street
Turney William baker High street
Turney William grocer & provision dealer High street
Turvey William shopkeeper Church street
Vickers John Victoria West street
Walker John boot & shoe maker South place
Walker Matthew coal dealer West street
Walker Matthew straw bonnet manufacturer Church st
Walton Edward licensed to let horses for hire High street
Walton Richard baker High street
Waterfield John baker High street
Waterfield Sophia Mrs straw hat & bonnet manufacturer High street
Watson Henry bonnet blocker Edward street
Weatherill Sophia (Mrs) linen & woollen draper, milliner, shawl & mantle warehouse, hosier, haberdasher & glover, clothier & outfitter, & agent for the Lancashire Fire & Life Assurance Co High street
Wesley John beer retailer High street
Whinnett William farmer High street
White Frederick builder & beer retailer High street
White George builder Church street
White Henry builder South place
White James builder Church street
White Lewis butcher Church street
Wilkes John corn dealer High street
Windmill & Co glass dealers & fancy repository High st
Wood Ann Mrs dress maker King street
Woolley Sanders & Co straw hat & bonnet manufacturers (Charles Stormer manager) High street & at 120 Wood street Cheapside London ec
Wootton & Son chemists & druggists (James Howard manager) High street
Young Daniel baker Church street
Young Frederick beer retailer High street
Young Frederick whiting manufacturer High street
Young John baker Church street
Young Mary Ann Mrs grocer & provision dealer & dealer in british & foreign wines High street
Young William baker High street
Source: The Post office directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire By Kelly’s directories, ltd 1869
Administration
- County: Bedfordshire
- Civil Registration District: Luton
- Probate Court: Court of the Archdeaconry of Bedford
- Diocese: Pre-1837 – Lincoln, Post-1836 – Ely
- Rural Deanery: Dunstable
- Poor Law Union: Luton
- Hundred: Manshead
- Province: Canterbury
1. The Post office directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire By Kelly’s directories, ltd 1869