Bletsoe
Timeline
Places > Bletsoe
1086: A mill at Bletsoe mentioned in The Domesday Book.
13th Century: The Church of St. Mary the Virgin probably dates back to this century although the present church shows no details older than the 14th century.
1327: John de Patishull received a royal licence to build his mansion at Bletsoe. With later additions his home eventually became known in the 16th century as 'Bletsoe Castle' The castle was the birthplace of Lady Margaret Beaufort, who married Edward Tudor. Their son Henry became Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Both Queen Elizabeth and James 1 visited Bletsoe Castle. Over the centuries most of the medieval earthworks have been destroyed and Bletsoe Castle is now a private house. Lysons writing of Bletsoe Castle at the beginning of the 19th century said 'the greater part of the mansion has been long ago pulled down, what remains is converted into a farm house'. However, the bridge over the moat remains to give a glimpse of the past.
1650s: Records suggest that it was about this time that The Falcon Inn first existed. Before that it was the site of Bletsoe Mill.
1757: From this year Lieutenancy meetings were held at The Falcon Inn up until and throughout the 19th century.
1818: Thomas Margetts, curate, noted that Bletsoe had a day school and a Sunday School.
1830s: The poet Edward Fitzgerald stayed at The Falcon Inn on a number of occasions and in 1840 he wrote 'the inn is the cleanest, the sweetest, the civilest, the quietest, the liveliest, and the cheapest that was ever built or conducted."
1853: Plans for a National School were drawn up, the first schoolmaster was John Boldero.
1868: Major restoration work to the church carried out at a cost of 1,700.
1932: By the Bletsoe and Sharnbrook Order a part of Bletsoe parish was transferred to Sharnbrook.
1939: In September 55 children from St. Josephs Roman Catholic School in London were evacuated to Bletsoe, by November most had left for Cromer in Norfolk with just eight remaining.
1955: The sum of 4,124 was urgently required for church repairs.
Sources:
- The Newspaper Cuttings Collection in the Local Studies Library at Bedford Central Library
- Victoria County History of Bedfordshire 3 Vols. 1912.
Page last updated: 23rd January 2014