Parish History

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.