Dunton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

Central Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire is a Districts of England, local government district in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It is administered by Central Bedfordshire Council, a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority. It was created ...

district of the county of

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

, England; about east south-east of the county town of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

. The civil parish includes the

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

of Newton and Millow.

Geography

Dunton lies about east of

Biggleswade Biggleswade ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the River Ivel, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Bedford. Its population was 16,551 in the 2011 United Kingdom census, This figur ...

and south-west of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. The eastern parish boundary borders

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

at the

River Rhee The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...

Landscape

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

has designated the area as part of The Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands (NCA 88). Central Bedfordshire Council has classified the landscape as Dunton Clay Vale (5G). The majority of the parish is open, arable farmland with medium to large fields. Dunton lies on a ridge of land that forms part of the watershed between the River Ivel to the west and the Rhee to the east. Tributary streams and drainage channels run through the area. Field boundaries are largely short flailed, gappy hedges. The limited woodland creates a very open landscape. Occasional mature hedgerow trees and roadside oaks on grass verges are a feature.

Elevation

The village centre is above sea level. The land is gently undulating and falls away to in the north, west and south of the parish.

Geology and soil type

The centre and west of the parish lie on

boulder clay Boulder clay is an unsorted agglomeration of clastic sediment that is unstratified and structureless and contains gravel of various sizes, shapes, and compositions distributed at random in a fine-grained matrix. The fine-grained matrix consists o ...

; with

gault The Gault Formation is a geological formation of stiff blue clay deposited in a calm, fairly deep-water marine environment during the Lower Cretaceous Period (Upper and Middle Albian). It is well exposed in the coastal cliffs at Copt Point in Fo ...

to the east. The whole parish has lime-rich loamy and clayey soils with slightly impeded drainage. Fertility is high.

Governance

Dunton Parish Council has seven elected members and meets bi-monthly at the village hall. Dunton is part of Potton ward for elections to the

Unitary Authority. Prior to 1894, Dunton was administered as part of the

Hundred of Biggleswade Biggleswade was a historic hundred of English county of Bedfordshire. The hundred consisted of the town of Biggleswade and its surrounding area. The name Biggleswade comes from a concatenation of the Anglo Saxon words 'Biceil' (being a persona ...

. From 1894 until 1974 the village was in

Biggleswade Rural District Biggleswade was a rural district in Bedfordshire, England from 1894 to 1974. As initially created the district entirely surrounded but did not include Biggleswade, which was an urban district in its own right. In 1927 the parish of Sandy, which ...

and from 1974 to 2009 in

Mid Bedfordshire District Mid Bedfordshire was a local government district in Bedfordshire, England, from 1974 to 2009. Creation The district was formed on 1 April 1974 as part of a general reorganisation of local authorities in England and Wales carried out under the ...

History

Dunton appears in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

as ''Donitone'' or ''Danitone.'' The name is taken to mean 'hill village', although an earlier source interprets the name to mean ''Duna's Farm.'' Millom appears as ''Meluho'' or ''Melnho'', in 1396 and Dunton appears as ''Duntone''. . In 1797, an

inclosure act The inclosure acts created legal property rights to land previously held in common in England and Wales, particularly open fields and common land. Between 1604 and 1914 over 5,200 individual acts enclosing public land were passed, affecting 28,0 ...

, the ( 37 Geo. 3. c. ''23'' ) was passed. The March Hare public house, formerly The Wheatsheaf, opened in 1840. Dunton_Snow_181209

Parish church

Central to the village is the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in the

diocese of St Albans The Diocese of St Albans forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England and is part of the wider Church of England, in turn part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese is home to more than 1.6 million people and comprises the hi ...

. The earliest parts date from the 14th-century and consist of a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

of four bays, aisles and porch. The church steeple collapsed in 1660. The tall limestone ashlar embattled western tower dates from 1861 and is illuminated at night. The church's five bells were hung in 1887 in commemoration of the

Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the Golden jubilee, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a National service of thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Serv ...

. The south

porch A porch (; , ) is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance to a building. A porch is placed in front of the façade of a building it commands, and forms a low front. Alternatively, it may be a vestibule (architecture), vestibule (a s ...

was partially rebuilt and the chancel restored in 1861. The church is a focal point for the local community. The Dunton Folk Club host

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

concerts and traditional sessions in the church.

Transportation of Supergrid Transformers

On the 11th of February 2024 a supergrid transformer weighing 178-tonnes for the nearby Biggleswade Substation on Dunton Road was delivered via the village. Much of the village turned up to view the transformer pass through the roads of the village in what was said to be the largest outdoor gathering of villagers since 1876.

Public services

Dunton is in the Potton Public Water Supply Zone (RW50). The water supplied by

Anglian Water Anglian Water Services Limited is a water company that operates in the East of England. It was formed in 1989 under the partial privatisation of the water industry. It provides water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment to the area formerly ...

comes from groundwater

borehole A borehole is a narrow shaft bored in the ground, either vertically or horizontally. A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water ( drilled water well and tube well), other liquids (such as petr ...

s and is chloraminated and classed as

hard Hard means something that is difficult to do. It may also refer to: * Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture * Hard water, water with high mineral content Arts and entertainment * Hard (TV series), ''Hard'' (TV ser ...

. There is a water treatment works on the Cambridge Road. The Eastern Power Area of

UK Power Networks UK Power Networks (UKPN) is a distribution network operator for electricity covering South East England, the East of England and London. It manages three licensed distribution networks (Eastern Power Networks, South Eastern Power Networks and Lo ...

is the

distribution network operator A distribution network operator (DNO), also known as a distribution system operator (DSO), is the operator of the electric power distribution system which delivers electricity to most end users. Each country may have many local distribution netwo ...

for electricity. There is no natural gas supply. The two nearest general hospitals are

(Bedford Hospital NHS Trust) and

Lister Hospital, Stevenage The Lister Hospital is an NHS hospital based on the outskirts of Stevenage in Hertfordshire. It is operated by the East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust along with the New QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City. History The Lister Hosp ...

(East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust). Ambulance services are provided by the

East of England Ambulance Service The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) is an NHS trust responsible for providing National Health Service (NHS) ambulance services in the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, in th ...

NHS Trust.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service for the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in England, consisting of the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton. Bedfordshire Fire Brigade was recrea ...

and

Bedfordshire Police Bedfordshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in England, which includes the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. Its headquarters are in the town of ...

cover the parish. The nearest public library is at Biggleswade.

Schools and public facilities

The village has a small

Voluntary Controlled A voluntary controlled school (VC school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a Christian denomination) has some formal influence in the running of the school. Such schools have less autonomy th ...

Lower School which teaches children up the age of 9. Dunton Village Pre-School was dissolved at the end of 2017, however the Boomerang Before and Afterschool clubs still run from the school. There is discussion of Dunton Village Pre-School being restarted under an academy scheme however this is unconfirmed. The Memorial Hall built in 1925 is available to hire.

Culture and community

The March Hare

freehouse A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

is the last of 5

pubs A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

that once existed in the village. For a few years, the pub stood derelict and boarded up, but was restored and reopened in 2010. It now serves local

ale Ale is a style of beer, brewed using a warm fermentation method. In medieval England, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative. Ale ...

and Dunton's own craft

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...

. In 2013, it was awarded the East Bedfordshire

CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, which promotes real ale, real cider, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. History The organisation was founde ...

branch pub of the year. A community shop is alongside. Opposite the March Hare is the former Post Office, which closed in 2006. Since January 2012 the annual Dunton

Wassail Wassail (, ) is a beverage made from hot mulled cider, ale, or wine and spices, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient English Christmastide and Yuletide drinking ritual and salutation either involved in door-to ...

has taken place at Church Farm: a tradition where noise is made to waken the apple trees from their winter slumber and cider soaked toast is hung on the trees. There is

Morris dancing Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers in costume, usually wearing bell pads on their shins, their shoes or both. A band or single musi ...

and mulled cider, and the evening ends with live folk music and acoustics at the March Hare. ''Dunton’s Big Weekender'' is the name for a programme of events over 3 or 4 days which include the village's annual summer fete, a car treasure hunt, race night, charity quiz and games evening. There is a one-and-a-half acre community garden at Church Farm.

Public transport

The 188 Centrebus service to

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills ...

via Biggleswade, and to

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (Iranian music band), Iranian singer, comp ...

via

Wrestlingworth Wrestlingworth is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Wrestlingworth and Cockayne Hatley, in the Central Bedfordshire district of the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England about east of the county town of Bedford. The 2 ...

and

Potton Potton is a town and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England, about east of the county town Bedford. The parish had a population in 2021 of 5,727. In 1783 the Great Fire of Potton destroyed a large part of ...

runs two hourly Monday to Saturday. There is no service on Sunday and bank holidays. The nearest railway station is

Sport

A playing field and sports pavilion is maintained by the Dunton Recreation Association charity. Dunton Football club was formed in the early 1900s. The club joined the Biggleswade & District League in 1919 and the Bedford & District League for the 1952–53 season. In the 1968–68 season they were Bedford & District Jubilee Cup winners. 1973–74 saw the club win the Bedford & District Aubrey Tingey Memorial Cup. In 1974–75 they were Bedford & District League Division 2 champions and in 1974–75, 1975–76 and 2002–03 S.A. Butcher Cup winners. Perhaps their greatest achievement was becoming 1993–94 Bedford & District Premier League champions. The club folded at the end of the 2004–05 season but reformed for the 2007–08 season. They played in the Bedfordshire Football League Division 1 and then the Premier Division until 2011–12 when the club finished 2nd from bottom and disappeared.

References

External links

Bedfordshire Virtual Library

Dunton Village Community Site

Dunton Garden

Dunton Cider

Dunton Folk
{{authority control Villages in Bedfordshire Civil parishes in Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire District