Woburn section of the Kellys Trade Directory of 1839:

WOBURN, WITH THE VILLAGES OF ASPLEY GUISE, HUSBORN CRAWLEY, MILTON BRYANT, RIDGMONT AND NEIGHBOURHOODS.

WOBURN, spelled by Leland, in his ‘Itinerary, ‘Owbourn’, is a handsome market town in the hundred of Manshead, 42 miles from London, 24 S.E. from Northampton, and about 6 miles from the Leighton Buzzard station, on the line of the London and Birmingham railway. This place, in the year 1724, was nearly destroyed by fire; but this unfortunate circumstance, though distressing to individuals, ultimately proved beneficial, as the houses were soon after rebuilt in a more regular and tasteful style. The market house, standing in the centre of the town, was much improved by Francis Duke of Bedford. The head of the house of Russell is lord of the manor, and as such holds courts annually, or oftener, as occasion may require, when petty constables are chosen, who are the only peace officers. Petty sessions for the hundred are held here every fortnight. The manufactures of Woburn are lace and straw plat; an extensive trade is also carried on in corn, timber, &c.; and in the immediate neighbourhood are considerable pits of that useful article, fullers’ earth. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a neat, convenient and handsome structure its ivy-clothed walls presenting a venerable appearance; the tower, which formerly stood detached from the main building, is now united to it, and the Duke of Bedford has surmounted it with a beautiful spire: the benefice is a perpetual curacy, the duke being patron and impropriator, and the Rev. Hutton the present incumbent. The church contains a curious monument to the Stanton family, consisting of twelve figures in the attitude of prayer, besides several other ancient sepulchral memorials: the Duke of Bedford ornamented the church with a fine altar-piece, representing the Nativity. The other establishments for religious worship, instruction and benevolence are, a meeting house for the independents, one for the Wesleyan methodists, a Lancasterian school, a free school for girls, and twelve alms-houses for poor persons; these charitable institutions are mainly supported by the munificence of his Grace of Bedford. The chief object of attraction, in the vicinity of the town, is Woburn Abbey and park, the splendid seat of the noble family of Russell: it occupies the site of a Cistercian abbey, founded in 1145 by Hugh de Bolbeck, the revenue of which, at the dissolution, was valued at upwards of £400.; the site, with a great portion of the lands, was granted by Edward VI, in 1574, to Lord John Russell. The park comes close to the town, and, being generously open to the public, affords to the inhabitants delightful walks, amidst scenery remarkably beautiful and diversified. But, besides the visual banquet to be enjoyed in these grounds, the industrious poor never fail obtaining one more substantial upon application at the mansion, where work, also, of some kind, is sure to be provided for them. WOBURN HOUSE was almost wholly rebuilt by Flitcroft, for John Duke of Bedford, about the middle of the last century. This extensive and magnificent building, situate in the midst of a park of noble magnitude, occupies four sides of a quadrangle: the west front is of the Ionic order, with an insulated basement; the principal floor, or suite of rooms on this side, consists of a saloon, state bed room, and drawing and dining rooms; the south comprises the library, breakfast, Etruscan and duke’s rooms; the east, the vestibule, servants’ offices, &c.; the north includes the French bed rooms, and various other chambers. The state apartments are fitted up in a style of superior splendour; the gallery exhibits a large and most interesting collection of portraits, whilst numerous other valuable paintings are dispersed in other rooms. In the sculpture gallery is the beautiful antique vase brought to this country by Lord Camdeu; and an ancient sarcophagus of marble, conveyed hither from Ephesus. This princely mansion has received many improvements and undergone considerable alterations, particularly under the late Duke of Bedford; the additional buildings were designed and executed by Mr. Holland, the architect of Drury-lane theatre. The park is about twelve miles in circumference, surrounded by a wall; it comprises a pleasing variety of hill and dale, and is enriched with peculiarly fine woods of majestic oaks – the whole refreshed and beautified by extensive sheets of transparent waters, which reflect the scenery at various striking points. Winding through the woods, the visitor arrives at the dutchess’s shrubbery, beautifully laid out in the modem taste; leaving which, and riding over the hill, which commands an enchanting and comprehensive prospect, he comes to the evergreen plantation, of about two hundred acres – a charming ride, on a fine dry soil, through avenues of all varieties of evergreens, of luxuriant growth, so that the equestrian is sheltered, in the depth of winter, by a continuous canopy of verdure. About the middle of this plantation is a handsome temple, retired, and soothingly pleasing to the contemplative: at the termination is ‘the lower water,’ with an island in the centre, upon which is a very elegant and light Chinese temple. Queen Elizabeth made a journey to this seat in 1572; and when Charles I visited Woburn in I645, notwithstanding that the Earl of Bedford sided with the parliament, the monarch reposed securely at the abbey. The market day at this town is Friday; fairs are held on the 1st of January, the 23rd of March, the 13th of July and 25th September. The parish of Woburn contained, in 1831, 1,827 inhabitants; the number now, probably, is about 2,000.

ASPLEY GUISE is a village and parish in the same hundred as Woburn, pleasantly situated two miles north of that town. Anselm de Guise, in 1267, obtained a charter for a market to be held here on Friday, and a fair at the tide of St. Botolph – both of which have been discontinued. The church, dedicated to St. Botolph, contains several monuments of antiquity and interest: the living is a rectory, in the gift of the Duke of Bedford; the Rev. Thomas Fanner is the present incumbent. The parish contains about 1,000 inhabitants.

HUSBORN CRAWLEY, an adjoining parish to Aspley Guise, is about two miles and a half N.E. from Woburn. The church, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen, occupies an elevated site, and has a lofty tower. A handsome canopied monument, with the figures of an armed knight and his lady, is in the church. The benefice is a discharged vicarage, in the presentation of the Duke of Bedford. Population of the parish 680.

MILTON BRYANT is a small village, about two miles S.E. from Woburn, situated a little to the north of the road to London. The church is dedicated to St. Peter; the living is a rectory, in the gift of the crown; the Rev. William Mansfield is the minister. Population 373.

RIDGMONT village and parish is in the hundred of Redbornestoke, about three miles N.E. from Woburn. In old records it is written Rugemont – i.e, the ‘Red Hill,’ applicable to its situation and the colour of the soil. The church, dedicated to All Saints, has within these few years received an addition of sittings, at the expense of the society for enlarging churches; the benefice is a discharged vicarage, united with Segenhoe. There is a place of worship here for baptists. The parish, including the village, contains about 1,000 inhabitants.

POST-OFFICE, Bedford-street, WOBURN, Stephen Dodd, Post Master. Letters from LONDON arrive every night at half-past twelve, and are despatched every morning at two. Letters from BEDFORD arrive (by mail cart) every night at a quarter-past eleven, and are despatched every morning at four.

NOBILITY, GENTRY AND CLERGY
Mrs. Sarah Batchelor, Park Street
His Grace the Duke of Bedford, Woburn Abbey
Mr. George Bird, Aspley Guise
Rev. Joseph Brooks, Ridgmont
Rev. Michael Castleden, George Street
Lieut. William Cole, R.N., Aspley Guise
Mrs. — Cracklow, Aspley Guise
Rev. Thomas Farmer, Aspley Guise
Mr. Andrew Gardner, Market Place
Rev. Charles Hedges, Aspley Guise
William Fitzwilliam Howe, esq., Aspley Guise
Rev. — Hutton, Bedford Street
Sir Robert Harry Inglis, bart. M.P., Milton Bryant
Mrs. Elizabeth Keer, Aspley Guise
Rev. William Mansfield. Milton Bryant
Rev. John Vaux Moore, Aspley Guise
Robert Orlebar, esq., Husborn Crawley
Rev. Richard Pain, Aspley Guise
Mr. James Palmer, Husborn Crawley
Mrs. Susan Rock, Leighton Street
Lord Charles Russell, Park Street
Col. Henry Seymour, George Street
Mrs. — Skinner, George Street
Miss — Smith, George Street
Mrs. Charlotte Smith, Aspley House
Mrs. Catherine Taylor, George Street
Mrs. Susannah Weldale, George Street
Mrs. Mary Wiffen, Aspley Guise
Mrs. — Williamson, Aspley Guise
Rev. Samuel Wright, Aspley Guise

ACADEMIES & SCHOOLS
Susannah Cuttriss (boarding) George Street
FREE SCHOOL, Bedford Street, Millard, master
John Wright (day & boarding), Leighton Street

AGENTS – LAND, &c
Thomas Bennett (to the Duke of Bedford), Bedford Street
Edward Crocker (building, &c. to the Duke of Bedford), Woburn Park
John Spencer Devey, High Street

ATTORNEYS
Charles Richard Day, High Street
John Green, High Street
Richard Ambrose Reddall, George Street

BAKERS
James Berwick, Husborn Crawley
Richard Clarke, Husborn Crawley
Jonathan Crich (& confectioner), Bedford Street
Thomas Fryer, Aspley Guise
Thomas Gosling, Ridgmont
George Hall, Market Place
Kitty Smith, Aspley Guise
William Timaeus (& confectioner), Bedford Street

BLACKSMITHS
William Ellis, Aspley Guise
Ann Haynes, Bedford Street
Farnell Mardlin, Husborn Crawley
Joseph Mavett, Ridgmont
Thomas Odell, Leighton Street
William Shepherd (& bell-hanger), Bedford Street

BOOKSELLERS & STATIONERS
William Croft (& library, & bazaar), High Street
Stephen Dodd (& printer), Bedford Street
William Harland, Market Place

BOOT & SHOE MAKERS
James Harris, Leighton Street
Thomas Heighington, High Street
William Roberts, High Street
Richard Waterman Woodin, Aspley Guise

BREWERS
John Bennett, Aspley Guise
Oliver Baker Croxen, Market Place
James Fowler, Leighton Street

BUILDERS
Joseph Corbishley & Son (& architects & surveyors), Bedford Street
William Hannell, Leighton Steet

BUTCHERS
William Dimmock Bennett, Bedford Street
Mary Bird, Aspley Guise
George Brown, Bedford Street
Thomas Doughty, Aspley Guise
John Kent, Ridgmont
George Negus, Husborn Crawley
William Randall, Husborn Crawley
John Steers, Bedford Street

CABINET MAKER AND UPHOLSTERER
John Spencer Devey (& auctioneer, and appraiser), High Street

CARPENTERS AND JOINERS
Thomas Bunker, High Street
Thomas Lett, Aspley Guise
John Lewis, Husborn Crawley

CHINA & EARTHENWARE DEALERS
Thomas Bunker, High Street
David Clarke, Park Street

CHYMISTS & DRUGGISTS
David Clarke, Park Street
William Edward Rogers Freeman, High Street
Edward & John Heighington, High Street

FIRE, &c. OFFICE AGENTS
CLERICAL and MEDICAL, Edward Heighington, High Street
COUNTY (fire) & PROVIDENT (life), Stephen Dodd, Bedford Street
PHOENIX, William Shepherd, Bedford Street

GROCERS & TEA DEALERS
(See also Shopkeepers)
Thomas Bunker, High Street
David Clarke, Park Street
William Edward Rogers Freeman, High Street
William George, Bedford Street
Thomas Gosling, Ridgmont
Edward & John Heighington, High Street
Thomas Osborn (& dealer in British wines), Market Place

HAIR DRESSERS AND PERFUMERS
William Croft, High Street
John Pearson (& toy dealer), Market Place
James Turner (hair dresser), Park Street

HOP MERCHANTS
Edward and John Heighington (and corn, and seed), High Street
Thomas Osborn, Market Place

INNS
George (and posting house & family hotel) George William Baker, George Street
Goat (and coach office), George Attwood, Bedford Street
Magpie, John Hill, Bedford Street

IRONMONGERS
William  Shepherd (and engineer) Bedford Street
Benjamin Wiffen, George Street

LACE MANUFACTURERS & DEALERS
James Herbert, Aspley Guise
Thomas Osborn, Market Place

LINEN & WOOLLEN DRAPERS
Elizabeth Ashford, Ridgmont
Bartholomew Best, High Street
John Fowler, George Street
George Mellor, Bedford Street
Thomas Osborn (and stamp office), Market Place
John Slinn, George Street

MALTSTERS
Oliver Baker Croxen, Market Place
James Fowler, Leighton Street
John Major, Aspley Guise
William Peters, Aspley Guise
William Ambrose Reddall, George Street

MILLINERS & DRESS MAKERS
Eliza House, Park Street
Sibthorpe & Martin, George Street

PLUMBERS, PAINTERS AND GLAZIERS
Thomas Angle, Back Lane
Joseph Hurley, Bedford Street
Robert Nixon, Bedford Street
William Seaton, Park Street

SADDLERS AND HARNESS MAKERS
Francis Calling, Bedford Street
Nathaniel Lucas, Market Place
John Samwell, Aspley Guise

SHOPKEEPERS &DEALERS IN GROCERIES & SUNDRIES
Temperance Arnold, Aspley Guise
Thomas Berridge, Ridgmont
Richard Boughton, Ridgmont
Sarah Ford, Ridgmont
Francis Kinns, Husborn Crawley
George Negus, Husborn Crawley
John Roberts, Ridgmont
Sarah Sibthorpe, Aspley Guise
Benjamin Warr, Aspley Guise
David Whiteman, Bedford Street

STRAW HAT MANUFACTURES
Elizabeth Harland, Market Place
Elizabeth Neal, Park Street

SURGEONS
Thomas Parker, Aspley Guise
Thomas Parker jun., Bedford Street

TAILORS
Bartholomew Best, High Street
William Bunker, Ridgmont
James Butler, Bedford Street
John Dumpleton, George Street
John Fowler, George Street
John Harding, George Street
William King, Chapel Street

TALLOW CHANDLERS
Edward & John Heighington (and wax), High Street

TAVERNS & PUBLIC HOUSES
Bell, Mary Addison, Aspley Guise
Bell, John Phillips, Bedford Street
Black Horse, Elizabeth Pheasant, Bedford Street
Bull, George Negus, Husborn Crawley
Greyhound, Ann Burtt, Leighton Street
Grey hound, Richard Reddall, Milton Bryant
Rose & Crown, John Capel, Park Street
Rose & Crown, Frances Fox, Ridgmont
Royal Oak, Thomas Indge, George Street
Shoulder of Mutton, James Francis, Leighton Street
Sun, Thomas Rosson, George Street
Swan, John Carling, Aspley Guise
Weathercock, James Hutton, Aspley Guise
Wheat Sheaf, Oliver Baker Croxen, Market Place
White Hart, Norman Francis, Ridgmont
White Horse, Daniel Sharp, Leighton Street
White Horse, Thomas Tims, Husborn Crawley
White Lion, Thomas King, Bedford Street

WATCH & CLOCK MAKERS
Samuel Handscomb & Son, High Street
Thomas Tims, Husborn Crawley

WHEELWRIGHTS
Farnell Mardlin, Husborn Crawley
Thomas Odell, Leighton Street
William Reynolds, Ridgmont

Miscellaneous
William Clevely, breeches maker, Chapel Street
Richard Darling, brazier, Back Lane
John Dexter, registrar of births & deaths, George Street
Thomas Emmerton, rope maker, Aspley Guise
William Hanscomb, gardener, Aspley Guise
William Hensman, agricultural implement maker & smith, Bedford Street
John Hill, wine and spirit merchant, Bedford Street
Thomas King, corn dealer, Bedford Street
Esther Stanniford, bricklayer, George Street
Robert Taylor, cooper, Back Lane

UNION WORKHOUSE
Joseph Smith Cook, governor; Ann Cook, matron

COACHES
The following Coaches call at the Goat Inn unless otherwise mentioned.
To LONDON, the Royal Mail (from Derby), and the Royal Mail (from Halifax), call at the Post Office, every morning at half-past two – the Empress (from Leeds) every morning at one, and the Courier, at half-past ten – the Defiance (from Manchester), every afternoon at half-past one, and the Union (from Leicester), at two.
To BEDFORD, the Victoria (from Leighton Buzzard), every night at half-past eight; goes through Ampthill.
To CAMBRIDGE, a Coach from Oxford), every Mon. Wed. & Fri. afternoon at two.
To DERBY, the Royal Mail (from London), calls at the Post Office, every night at half-past twelve.
To HALIFAX, the Royal Mail (from London),calls at the Post Office, every night at half-past twelve.
To LEEDS, the Express (from London), every night at nine, and the Courier at half-past ten.
To LEICESTER, the Union (from London), every day at half-past twelve.
To LEIGHTON BUZZARD, the Victoria (from Bedford), every morning at six.
To MANCHESTER, the Defiance (from London), every night at twelve.
To NORTHAMPTON, a Coach, from the Magpie, every afternoon at five.
To OXFORD, a Coach (from Cambridge), every Tues. Thurs. & Sat. afternoon at two.
To WELLINGBOHOUGH, a Coach, every afternoon at four.
Note. – It is anticipated, that before the publication of this work, several of the above Coaches will have ceased running.

RAILWAY CONVEYANCE
To LONDON, BIRMINGHAM, MANCHESTER and all places on the line of the London and Birmingham Railway, by the Trains which pass Leighton Buzzard Station, about six miles distant.

CARRIERS
To LONDON, Deacon & Co.’s Waggons, and Worsteds Van, from the Black Horse, daily
T. H. Atterburys Waggon, from his house, Market Place, every Tuesday & Friday
Cook & Webb’s Waggons, from the Goat Inn, every Monday, through Leighton Buzzard.
To BEDFORD, Samuel Meadows, from the White Hart, every Saturday.
To LEEDS and NOTTINGHAM, Deacon & Co. from the Black Horse, daily, except Saturday,
To OLNEY and NEWPORT, T. H. Atterbury, from his house, Market Place, every Monday and Thursday.

 

Page last updated Jan. 2020.