Maulden Time Line
1086 Domesday Book records the village name as “Meldone” thought to mean “Cross on the Hill” or “High Down”
1252 First building on abbey lands at “Moldrich” (Maulden) by the monks of Dunstable Priory according to the Dunstable Chronicles.
1269 Gerard de Ely instituted as the earliest recorded Rector of Maulden, although the existence of a c12 font suggests an earlier church in the area
1656 Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin, built a Mausoleum after the death of his 2nd wife, Diana, Countess of Oxford. This was one of the first two mausolea built in England.
1672 Nehemiah Coxe became the first licenced preacher following the footsteps of John Bunyon. He used a cottage owned by Sarah Tompkins, a widow.
1695 John Pomfret succeeded his father as Rector of Maulden. He was also a poet, writing “The Choice”, the most famous of his poems.
1726 The Maulden Meeting House was built on the site of Sarah Tompkin’s cottage.
1796 200 villagers revolted against the allotment and closure of Maulden Moor for peat and turf cutting. A troop of cavalry from Ampthill quelled the riot.
1797 The Dog & Badger and the White Hart opened around this time
1802 The Maulden Meeting House was enlarged
1822 First mention of a licensee at the George Inn though it is believed to date from c16
1836 Last recorded burial in the Ailesbury Mausoleum
1849 1st National School built by the Rev Charles Ward with money raised by public subscription and land donated by the Duke of Bedford.
1857 Two coffins removed from the Mausoleum and taken to the family vault in Wiltshire
1858-9 The church was rebuilt with the exception of the tower and part of the north wall. The Mausoleum was separated from the church and rebuilt.
1860 The Primitive Methodist Chapel in the Brache was opened.
1880 Mixed School built by the Duke of Bedford. The former National School became the Infants.
1905 A new organ built by J. J. Binns replaced the previous organ (1870) which had been “nothing but trouble” in St Mary’s Church. Half the money was provided by Andrew Carnegie, of Carnegie Hall fame in New York, a great philanthropist.
1914-18 Maulden lost 28 men during World War I
1920 Village War memorial unveiled
1921 Maulden Wood was purchased by the Forestry Commission
1939-45 Maulden lost 8 men during World War II
1966 The Village Hall opened at a cost of £11,400
1968 The Old National School was demolished
2002 The Ailesbury Mausoleum was renovated for £117,000 using Lottery & Landfill Tax fund and supported by Bedfordshire County Council and other organisations.