John James Chapman was born on the 10th January 1790 at Hungerford, Berkshire. He was the son of Captain Thomas Chapman and Mary (née Lowndes). Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries John James Chapman’s ancestors...
For a brief moment he was as famous as the King who had just tossed away his crown. But Robert Anderson Jardine came from a different background and was never to find a place in...
Private Matthew Clay was one of the few heroic defenders who held the strategically important walled farm of Chateau Hougoumont at Quatre-Bras on the battlefield of Waterloo against repeated attacks by French troops. He kept...
William Palmer was one of the six children of William Palmer, who was a builder’s foreman, and Charlotte (née Gumbrill). The family lived at 33 West Hill Street, Brighton, Sussex, where William was born on...
Up to four separate police forces served Bedfordshire during Queen Victoria’s reign, as boroughs became incorporated: Bedford Borough Police Force – established in 1836, policing the Borough of Bedford. Bedfordshire Police Force – established in 1840, initially...
Bedford County Gaol was built on Dovecote Close (between Tavistock Street & Dame Alice Street) owned by the Duke of Bedford, who sold it for 10/-. John Wing, a local builder and architect, drew up...
On the evening of the 17th July 1883, a small party was playing tennis on the private courts in a small paddock at the rear of The Ship public house in St. Cuthbert’s Street. The...
In August 1914, just as Bedfordians were coming to terms with the news that Britain was at war with Germany, the relative peace and quiet of the town was shattered by the friendly invasion of...
The Rev. George Sidney Owen was born on the 24th January 1843 at Pembroke. His christening took place at Llangwm, Pembrokeshire, Wales on the 29th January 1843. On leaving school he started his training to...
Anne Insull Tilby (née Malden) was born into one of the most well-known families in Bedford. Her cousins were Charles Wells, the brewer, and George Wells who served five times as the Mayor of Bedford....