Barton-le-Clay is a large village and a

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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the Central Bedfordshire Borough in

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 ...

, England, bordering

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...

. The village has existed since at least 1066 and is mentioned 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 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

''.

History

Ancient history

To the southwest of the town, across the A6 is

Sharpenhoe Clappers Smithcombe, Sharpenhoe and Sundon Hills is an Site of Special Scientific Interest in Sharpenhoe in Bedfordshire. Most of it is a National Trust property comprising Sundon Hills, Moleskin and Markham Hills, Sharpenhoe Clappers and Smithcombe Hills. ...

, an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

The ''Domesday Book''

Barton-Le-Clay ''Domesday Book'' entry, taken from 210d 2.

In FLITT Hundred M. The Abbot also holds Barton (in-the-clay). It answers for 11 hides. Land for 12 ploughs. In lordship 3 hides; 2 ploughs there; a third possible. 20 villagers have 9 ploughs. 7 smallholders and 6 slaves. 1 mill, 2s, meadow for 6 ploughs; woodland, 200 pigs. In total, value £10; the same when acquired; before 1066 £12. This manor always lay in (the lands of) St Benedict's Church. With this manor the Abbot claims against Nigel of Aubigny and Walter the Fleming of meadow which lay there before 1066, but John of Les Roches dispossessed him wrongfully, and this the Hundred testifies.

Location

Barton-le-Clay is in

Central Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It was created in 2009. Formation Central Bedfordshire was created on 1 April 2009 as part of a structural reform of local government in Bedfor ...

between

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst t ...

and

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

, north of London. Nearby villages include

Sharpenhoe Sharpenhoe is a small village in Bedfordshire, England, at the foot of the hills known as the Sharpenhoe Clappers, which are within the Chilterns AONB. Smithcombe, Sharpenhoe and Sundon Hills is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and most ...

Silsoe Silsoe is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. The village used to be on the main A6 road but a bypass around the village was opened in 1981 at a cost of £1.6m. History Origin The village name is derived from the Danish wo ...

, Westoning and

Pulloxhill Pulloxhill is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England 342 ft above sea level with a population of 850 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 985 at the 2011 Census. Pulloxhill has a church, a school and one public house. The ...

. The A6 which runs from Luton (6 miles south of the village) bypasses Barton and continues through Bedford (north of the village) to

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

. The village bypass was constructed in January 1990. In the southeast of the parish are the Barton Hills, which form the northeast extremity of the

Chiltern Hills The Chiltern Hills is a chalk escarpment in England. The area, northwest of London, covers stretching from Goring-on-Thames in the southwest to Hitchin in the northeast - across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshi ...

and are designated an

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...

. Much of this area of chalk downland is now a nature reserve, managed by

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, ...

Places of worship

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

– Hope Chapel *

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

– St. Nicholas Church *

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

– Barton-le-Clay *

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

– St. Matthew (Now closed)

Schools

Two major schools are in Barton: Ramsey Manor Lower School and Arnold Academy, a middle school The lower school takes children of the village. The

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

usually also takes those of Westoning,

and

Greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Engineering and Business * Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation * Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist * Greenf ...

, its children and those new to Barton meet ex-school and geographic criteria of Harlington

Upper School Upper schools in the UK are usually schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. England The three-tier model Upper schools are a type of secondary school found in a minority of ...

admission (13+). The village has a

pre-school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary scho ...

. A small private nursery and prep school for children aged 0 to 9, Orchard School & Nursery, is in the parish.

Transportation

The closest railway station is , somewhat more by footpath, in Harlington. No buses link to this. Bus services through Barton are largely those between Luton, south and Bedford, north. A cross-country route joins Barton to other local villages including Shillington and Shefford. There is a weekly (Tuesday) bus to/from Hitchin in the east. The roads are well-bypassed so favoured by experienced cyclists, especially in daylight.

Clubs and Groups

Barton-le-Clay has a football club ( Barton Rovers), who play their home matches at Sharpenhoe Road. The club currently competes in the Southern League Division One Central. Organisations offer

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

. A

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

meets at The Bull Hotel. Barton Players, the main local amateur dramatics group, hold plays and summer workshops for children in the village hall. However, it is open to new members who wish to join. There is a youth drama group in the village called Up-Stage, including two branches for young people aged 13 and over, called CentreStage and Stage Right. Barton also hosts Scouting and Guide organisations for all ages. A local history group meets in the library on the last Saturday of each month at 10:30 am. The village saw the start-up of Lea Sports Reserves, an active team.

Public services

*Barton Library * GP Surgery * Dental Surgery Richard Miller-White

War memorials

There are two combined World War matching-list memorials, one near the main road (junction of Luton Road and Hexton Road) and the other in the Parish Church. This list is transcribed on a website.

St Nicholas Church restoration of 1879

Published by the NOF Digitise Architecture England Consortium. * St Nicholas Church plans from 1879

Local newspapers

Two weekly newspapers are delivered free to many houses in Barton, with news about Barton and the surrounding area. * ''Herald and Post'' (Luton based) – delivered every Thursday * ''Luton and Dunstable Express'' (previously titled ''Luton on Sunday'', ''Dunstable on Sunday'' or ''Bedfordshire on Sunday'') – delivered every Sunday

Pictures

Image:Bartonoldmap.PNG, A map of Barton-le-Clay from 1890. Image:Thebull1902.PNG, The Bull Hotel in 1902. File:St Nicholas's Church, Barton in the Clay - geograph.org.uk - 86211.jpg, St Nicholas's Church. The tower in perpendicular style with chequered pattern of ashlar stone and cobbles File:Waggon and Horses, Barton-le-Clay, Beds - geograph.org.uk - 194173.jpg, Bedford Road File:Barton-le-Clay,_an_aerial_view_-_geograph.org.uk_-_611421.jpg, Aerial view File:Barton_Hills_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1337651.jpg, Barton Hills showing their proximity to this place

References

External links

Parish council

Pictures of England – Barton-le-Clay

Barton-Le-Clay Community
* {{authority control Villages in Bedfordshire Hill forts in Bedfordshire Civil parishes in Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire District