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Melchbourne Trade Directories
Kelly’s Directory 1885 & 1898


1885 Introduction
MELCHBOUBNE is a village and parish, 12 miles north from Bedford, 6 south-east from Higham Ferrers, and 6 south-west from Kimbolton, in the hundred of Stodden, county court district and union of Bedford, rural deanery of Risely, archdeaconry of Bedford and diocese of Ely. The church of St. Mary Magdalen, a modern structure in the Classic style, re-erected, with the exception of part of the tower, in 1779, on the site of an earlier Gothic church, consists of chancel, nave, aisles, north porch and a western embattled tower containing 4 bells: an organ was presented by the late Dowager Lady St. John: there are two monuments to Col. the Hon. George St. John, Lavinia (Wolstenholme), his wife and four children, who were all drowned in their passage from Bombay, in 1802; and to Henry Beauchamp, baron St. John of Bletsoe, 1805; and a brass to Hubert Paveley, dated 1377: there are sittings for 400 persons. The register dates from the year 1706. The living is a vicarage, gross yearly value, £150, with residence, in the gift of Lord St. John, and held since 1885 by the Rev. John Wilkinson Gamul Edwards M.A. of Worcester College, Oxford. This place had formerly a market on Fridays and a fair at the festival of St. Mary Magdalen, granted in the year 1264 to the Knights Hospitallers. In a field, adjoining the park on the north, are the remains ancient preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers, to whom the manor and church were given, temp. Henry I, by Alice de Claremont, Countess of Pembroke, and confirmed to them on the refounding of the Order, 4 & 5 Philip & Mary (1557-8): in 3 Edward VI (1549) these were granted to John, Earl of Bedford, but were given by Queen Elizabeth to Francis, second Earl of Bedford, who married Margaret, daughter of Sir John St. John of Bletsoe. Leland, who was there in 1538, speaks of it as an ancient structure. The Hall, the seat of Lord St. John, was built by Sir William Weston, the last of the priors of the Knights Hospitallers: the front has since been modernised: there are beautiful gardens, with conservatories and hothouses, surrounded by about 400 acres of park and woods, with fine game preserves and a lake: the mansion underwent extensive restoration in 1877. Lord St. John D.L., J.P. is lord of the manor and sole landowner. The soil is strong clay: subsoil, clay. The chief crops are wheat, barley, beans and peas. The area is 2,574 acres, the population in 1881 was 219.

Parish Clerk, James Reynolds. Letters received through Bedford at 10 a.m.

Pillar Box cleared at 5.5 p.m. Sharnbrook is the nearest money order & telegraph office

School (mixed), built by Lord St. John, will hold 50 children; average attendance, 36; Miss Lucy Jarvis, mistress.

The school stands on Lord St. John's property; he also appoints the mistress, & the school is generally conducted under his direction.

St. John Lord D.L., J.P. Melchbourne park & Carlton club, London s.w
Edwards Rev. John Wilkinson Gamul M.A. [vicar]
St. John Eleanor Lady, The Cottage
Brawn John, fanner, East fields
Campion Edward, land agent to Lord St. John, The Woodleys
Clayton William, head gardener to Lord St. John
Corbett James, carpenter
Scorer James West, farmer, Grange farm

1898 Introduction
Melchbourne is a village and parish, about 4½ miles north from Sharnbrook station on the main line of the Midland railway, 6 south-east from Higham Ferrers, 6 south-west from Kimbolton, and 12 north from Bedford, in the Northern division of the county, hundred of Stodden, Sharnbrook petty sessional division, county court district and union of Bedford, rural deanery of Riseley, archdeaconry of Bedford and diocese of Ely. The church of St. Mary Magdalene, re-erected (with the exception of part of the tower) in 1779, on the site of an earlier Gothic church, is an edifice in the Classic style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, north porch and an embattled western tower containing 4 bells, rehung in 1891: the organ was presented by the late Dowager Lady St. John: there are two monuments to Col. the Hon. George St. John, Lavinia (Wolstenholme), his wife and four children, who were all drowned on their passage from Bombay, in 1802; and to Henry Beauchamp, baron St. John of Bletsoe, 1805; and a brass to Robert Paveley, dated 1377, also a brass to the late Lord St. John, d. 2 Nov. 1887, and to Ellen Georgiana (Senior), his wife, d. 1890. The pulpit is of fine polished mahogany: there are sittings for 400 persons. The register dates from the year 1706. The living is a vicarage, gross yearly value £150, with 27 acres of glebe, and residence, in the gift of Lord St. John, and held since 1898 by the Rev. Frederick Croxall Boultbee B.A. of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. This place had formerly a market, on Fridays and a fair at the festival of St. Mary Magdalene, granted in the year 1264 to the Knights Hospitallers. In a field, adjoining the park on the north, are the remain of an ancient preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers, to whom the manor and church were given, temp. Henry I by Alice de Claremont, Countess of Pembroke, and confirmed to them on the refounding of the Order, 4 & 5 Philip & Mary (1557-8); in 3 Edward VI (1549) these were granted to John, Earl of Bedford, but were given by Queen Elizabeth to Francis, second Earl of Bedford who married Margaret, daughter of Sir John St. John of Bletsoe. Leland, who was there in 1538, speaks of the building as an ancient structure. Melchboume Hall, the seat of Lord St. John D.L., J.P. was built by Sir William Weston, the last of the priors of the Knights Hospitallers: the front has since been modernized; there are beautiful gardens with conservatories and hothouses, surrounded by about 400 acres of park and woods, with fine game preserves and two lakes: the mansion underwent extensive restoration in 1877. Lord St. John is lord of the manor and sole landowner. The soil is strong clay; subsoil, clay. The chief crops are wheat, beans and peas. The area is 2,630 acres of land and 8 of water; rateable value, £2,215; the population in 1891 was 165.

Parish Clerk, George Reynolds.

Post, Telegraph & Express Delivery Office.John P. Richards, sub-postmaster. Letters received through Sharnbrook S.O. at 8.30 a.m.; dispatched at 5.45 p.m. Riseley is the nearest money order office,2½ miles distant

National School (mixed), built by Lord St. John, it will hold 50 children; average attendance, 27; John P. Richards, master. The school stands on Lord St. John's property.

Private Residents
St. John Lord D.L., J.P. Melchbourne park; & Junior Carlton club, London s w
St. John Dowager Lady, Melchbourne park
Boultbee Rev. Frederick Croxall B.A., Vicarage
Senior Edward N. M., The Cottage
Commercial
Brawn John, farmer & clerk to Dean school board, East field
Clayton William, head gardener, Melbourne park
Dickins George, head gamekeeper to Lord St. John
Litchfield Geo., carpenter to Lord St. John
Smith Gabriel, St. John's Arms inn, & farmer
Smith Henry, farm bailiff to Lord St. John
Townley Maximilian Gowran, land agent to Lord St. John
Westley John, assessor & collector of taxes for Yelden & Melchbourne
Woodham George, farmer

Craven & Co Commercial Directory 1853
MELCHBOURNE, a parish and very pretty village, is 12 miles north-north-west of Bedford, 5 miles west of Kimbolton, and 5 miles south-east of Higham Ferrers. It is in the union of the former place, hundred of Stodden, and diocese of Ely. The number of inhabitants, by the census of 1851, was 280; males 187, females 143, shewing an increase of 6 since 1841. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a beautiful Gothic structure, with chancel, tower, and four tells. The organ was presented by Lord St. John, who also pays the organist. The living is vicarage, valued at .£120 per annum. The present incumbent is the Rev. Alfred Kanyen, M.A. Lord St. John is the patron. The parsonage is a neat romantic residence. The children of this parish are educated at Riseley, Lord St. John paying voluntarily an annual sum to the master for that purpose. His lordship, who is lord of the manor, has an elegant mansion, surrounded by about 400 acres of park and woods. Acreage, 2573 2 roods 2 perches.

Letters arrive, 9.30 a m; depart, 8pm, through Higham Ferrers.

Gentry
Kenyon Rev. Alfred, M.A., vicar
St. John the Right Honourable Lord, Melchbourne castle
Trades
Crawley Robert, farmer, Melchbourne lodge
Islip Ann, farmer
Rogers Rebecca, farmer
Tibbs John, victualler, "St John's Arms," and farmer

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