Colesden is a small

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

located in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

county of

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

. At the 2011 Census, the population of the hamlet was included in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

Wyboston, Chawston and Colesden Wyboston, Chawston and Colesden is a civil parish located in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, in England. The parish includes the village of Wyboston, and the smaller settlements of Chawston and Colesden. These villages used to form pa ...

History

Colesden as a settlement was first recorded in 1195. The name Colesden is

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

in origin, and translates as Col's Valley. The Colesden estate was originally entailed to

Bushmead Priory The Priory Church of Saint Mary, Bushmead, commonly called Bushmead Priory, was a monastic foundation for Augustinian Canons, located at Bushmead (a hamlet in Staploe parish) in the County of Bedfordshire in England. It is a Grade I listed buil ...

. Colesden Manor was first recorded in 1410, and was attached to nearby Roxton. There was no road from Colesden through to Wilden until the

enclosure act The Inclosure Acts, which use an archaic spelling of the word now usually spelt "enclosure", cover enclosure of open fields and common land in England and Wales, creating legal property rights to land previously held in common. Between 1604 and 1 ...

of 1837. Today Colesden is almost entirely residential, with no shops or services apart from a community

notice board A bulletin board (pinboard, pin board, noticeboard, or notice board in British English) is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise items wanted or for sale, announce events, or provide information. B ...

and

post box A post box (British English; also written postbox; also known as pillar box), also known as a collection box, mailbox, letter box or drop box (American English) is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail inten ...

. In earlier years however, Colesden had

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s, a cricket field and church room.

Colesden today

Colesden forms part of the

, and consists of 24 homes, located between the villages of

Chawston Chawston is a hamlet in the civil parish of Wyboston, Chawston and Colesden, a part of the Borough of Bedford in the county of Bedfordshire, England. Although mainly situated on the western side of the A1 trunk road, the settlement does have a ...

and Wilden. The main industries in and around Colesden are still farming and agriculture, though a small number of business and industrial units have been constructed since 2000. Shops and most local services are located in the nearby villages of Wyboston and Roxton.

References

External links

Bedford Borough Council pages on Colesden

Wyboston, Chawston and Colesden Parish web site.
{{Places in Bedford Borough Hamlets in Bedfordshire Borough of Bedford