Biggleswade was a historic 'hundred' of English county of Bedfordshire. The hundred consisted of the town of Biggleswade and its surrounding area.[1] The name Biggleswade comes from a concatenation of the Anglo Saxon words 'Biceil' (being a personal name) and 'Waed' (meaning a ford).
Evidence suggests that the area which Biggleswade now occupies was inhabited as early as 10,000 BC. Coins dated to the 1st century BC have also been found, and traced back to the Celtic chief Taseiovanus, who resided in what is now St Albans, Hertfordshire. During the 5th century AD Saxons named the river Ivel and built settlements which evolved into the present day villages of Northill and Southill, to the west of Biggleswade.
The Domesday Survey records the manor of Biggleswade as being governed by Ralph de Insula (Ralph de Lisle), on behalf of the monarch. Later, in the 12th century, Henry I transferred custody of Biggleswade to the Bishop of Lincoln. Successive bishops maintained significant influence until the mid 16th century, when Edward IV obtained direct control over the town and its surrounding area.
In 1785 'the great fire' swept through the town of Biggleswade and destroyed many of its buildings. The subsequent rebuilding effort, along with other factors, encouraged more people to settle in the town, triggering a significant (80%) population growth during the first half of the 19th century. This culminated in 1850, when Biggleswade became the first town in Bedfordshire to gain a mainline train station.
Physical geographyedit
The River Ivel runs along the northern and western boundaries of the town of Biggleswade. The surrounding area is generally flat and open, with the occasional small wooded area. There is some modestly higher ground to the west of the town. The hundred of Biggleswade is located to the south east of Bedford, and to the north of Letchworth. The town is the district of Central Bedfordshire and is the fifth largest town in Bedfordshire after Bedford, Dunstable, Luton and Leighton Buzzard
Social geographyedit
Today, Biggleswade is a largely open area containing both undeveloped and farming land. The town of Biggleswade is steadily growing market town with a strong market gardening presence and a growing light industrial sector. The town is smaller than some other towns and cities in the county (particularly Bedford and Luton), but retains a valuable place in the county's history, and a quiet charm that makes it attractive to visitors. Recent statistics record Biggleswade and the surrounding area as having a population of about 16,100 people (as of 2005). Biggleswade is twinned with the German town of Erlensee.
Transport linksedit
Biggleswade is served by the A1 road, which went right through the heart of the town until a bypass was built in the 1960s.
^Page, William (1908). "Biggleswade hundred – Introduction | A History of the County of Bedford: Volume 2 (pp. 201–202)". british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
^. Bedfordshire County Council. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
Biggleswade: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI.
January 01, 1970
hundred, biggleswade, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, a. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Hundred of Biggleswade news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2019 Learn how and when to remove this message This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed July 2019 Learn how and when to remove this message Learn how and when to remove this message Biggleswade was a historic hundred of English county of Bedfordshire The hundred consisted of the town of Biggleswade and its surrounding area 1 The name Biggleswade comes from a concatenation of the Anglo Saxon words Biceil being a personal name and Waed meaning a ford BiggleswadeThe Hundreds of Bedfordshire in 1830BiggleswadeLocation within BedfordshireOS grid referenceTL195445Unitary authorityCentral BedfordshireCeremonial countyBedfordshireRegionEastCountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPoliceBedfordshireFireBedfordshire and LutonAmbulanceEast of EnglandList of places UK England Bedfordshire 52 05 14 N 0 15 55 W 52 08733 N 0 26521 W 52 08733 0 26521 Contents 1 History 2 Physical geography 3 Social geography 4 Transport links 5 Local amenities 6 Parishes 7 See also 8 References 9 External links and sourcesHistory editEvidence suggests that the area which Biggleswade now occupies was inhabited as early as 10 000 BC Coins dated to the 1st century BC have also been found and traced back to the Celtic chief Taseiovanus who resided in what is now St Albans Hertfordshire During the 5th century AD Saxons named the river Ivel and built settlements which evolved into the present day villages of Northill and Southill to the west of Biggleswade The Domesday Survey records the manor of Biggleswade as being governed by Ralph de Insula Ralph de Lisle on behalf of the monarch Later in the 12th century Henry I transferred custody of Biggleswade to the Bishop of Lincoln Successive bishops maintained significant influence until the mid 16th century when Edward IV obtained direct control over the town and its surrounding area In 1785 the great fire swept through the town of Biggleswade and destroyed many of its buildings The subsequent rebuilding effort along with other factors encouraged more people to settle in the town triggering a significant 80 population growth during the first half of the 19th century This culminated in 1850 when Biggleswade became the first town in Bedfordshire to gain a mainline train station Physical geography editThe River Ivel runs along the northern and western boundaries of the town of Biggleswade The surrounding area is generally flat and open with the occasional small wooded area There is some modestly higher ground to the west of the town The hundred of Biggleswade is located to the south east of Bedford and to the north of Letchworth The town is the district of Central Bedfordshire and is the fifth largest town in Bedfordshire after Bedford Dunstable Luton and Leighton BuzzardSocial geography editToday Biggleswade is a largely open area containing both undeveloped and farming land The town of Biggleswade is steadily growing market town with a strong market gardening presence and a growing light industrial sector The town is smaller than some other towns and cities in the county particularly Bedford and Luton but retains a valuable place in the county s history and a quiet charm that makes it attractive to visitors Recent statistics record Biggleswade and the surrounding area as having a population of about 16 100 people as of 2005 Biggleswade is twinned with the German town of Erlensee Transport links editBiggleswade is served by the A1 road which went right through the heart of the town until a bypass was built in the 1960s It is also accessible via rail lines that connect it to London King s Cross Stevenage and Hitchin to the south and St Neots Huntingdon and Peterborough to the north Local amenities editBiggleswade Congregation Shortmead Street Biggleswade Bedfordshire Jehovah s Witnesses Biggleswade Hospital Elmside Potton Road Biggleswade Bedfordshire Biggleswade Recreation Centre Eagle Farm Road Biggleswade Bedfordshire Biggleswade Station Station Road Biggleswade BedfordshireParishes editThe hundred contained the following parishes 2 Astwick Little Barford Biggleswade Cockayne Hatley Dunton Edworth Everton Eyeworth Langford Potton Sandy Sutton Tempsford WrestlingworthSee also editHundreds of BedfordshireReferences edit Page William 1908 Biggleswade hundred Introduction A History of the County of Bedford Volume 2 pp 201 202 british history ac uk Retrieved 30 March 2012 Bedfordshire Hundreds Bedfordshire County Council Archived from the original on 15 June 2011 External links and sources edithttp www BiggleswadeHistory org uk http www BiggleswadeTownPlan org uk http www biggleswade org https web archive org web 20110127213653 http www biggleswademasterplan info https web archive org web 20050318224845 http www yourtotalevent com places Bedfordshire biggleswade 20history htm Biggleswade historical and genealogical information at GENUKI Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hundred of Biggleswade amp oldid 1199193723, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
