Kelly’s Directory 1914

Introduction

Yeilden or Yelden is a parish, in a valley, on the Northants border, 3¾ miles from Higham Ferrers station on the Wellingborough and Higham Ferrers branch of the Midland railway, and 5 miles east-south-east from Higham Ferrers station on the Northampton and Peterborough section of the London and North Western railway and 6¼ north from Sharnbrook station on the main line of the Midland railway, 14 north from Bedford and 6¾ west from Kimbolton. It is in the Northern Division of the county of Bedfordshire, the hundred of Stodden, Sharnbrook petty sessional division, union and county court district of Bedford, rural deanery of Riseley, Bedford archdeaconry and St Albans diocese. The church of St Mary, an almost perfect example of a Decorated church, is a building of stone, consisting of a chancel, clerestoried nave of four bays, south aisle, south porch and a western tower with enriched cornice and low octagonal spire, containing a clock and 4 bells, restored in 1886 by Messrs. Taylor, of Loughborough: the chancel retains piscina and sedilia, and on the north side is a late Perpendicular vestry, between which and the chancel is a curious small recess in the wall: in the aisle is a large canopied recess with crocketed pinnacles and rich finials, and near a piscina and a bracket: on the north side of the church is a flat arched recess, with hood moulding and finial, inclosing an altar tomb with a recumbent figure supposed to represent the founder: the front of the tomb displays five quatrefoils inclosing shields: there are also three brasses, one of which has the effigy of a man in trunk hose, cloak and ruff, and is inscribed to Christopher Stickland gent, 1628, a benefactor to the parish: another, of a priest richly vested, has an inscription in Latin to John Heyne, rector, 1433: the third is a kneeling effigy, with ruff, representing Thomas Barker, rector, 1617: on the south side of the the chancel is a stained window to John Fernie M.A. rector, ob.1870: the church was restored by the rector in 1892 and affords 220 sittings, 60 of which are free. The register dates from the year 1653. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £240, with 52 acres of glebe and residence, in the gift of and held since 1888 by the Rev Charles Howes Smith B.A. of Clare College, Cambridge. The Wesleyan Chapel here was rebuilt in 1884 on the site of the former chapel. A charity of about £11.10s. a year, the produce of a piece of land called “Constable’s Land”, devised 9^th February 1628, is distributed to the poor in coals. Thomas H Hawkey Esq. who is lord of the manor and Henry Seymour Hoare Esq. are the chief landowners. The soil is strong clay; subsoil, clay. The chief crops are wheat, barley, beans and peas. The area is 1,950 acres; assessable value, £1,084; the population in 1911 was 177.

Sexton, Walter Holloway.

Post office Mrs Charlotte Bowd, sub-postmistress. Letters are received through Sharnbrook, Beds., at 8.30 a.m. & 4 p.m. (callers only); dispatched, 3.15 & 5.20 p.m.; no Sunday delivery or dispatch of letters.

Melchbourne is the nearest money order & telegraph office, 1¾ miles distant.

Public Elementary (Endowed) School (mixed), built in 1845 for 72 children; the endowment amounting to £15 a year, was given by the Rev. E S Bunting, a late rector, who died in 1849; Miss Bazeley, mistress.

Carrier to Wellingborough Benjamin Waters, Wednesdays.

Residents
Smith	Charles Howes	Rev., B.A.	Rectory
Commercial
Bowd	Charlotte	(Mrs) shopkeeper	Post Office
Campion	Charles	farmer
Clark	William	shopkeeper
Fenton	Charles	farmer
Hawkey	Thomas H	farmer & landowner	The Manor Farm
Taylor	Thomas	baker
Wagstaff	John	farmer	Red House
Waters	Benjamin	publican & carrier	Chequers Public House
Wicks	John Albert	blacksmith
Woods	Charles	wheelwright