Flitton (Flichtam, Fllite, Flute) is a village and former

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 ...

, now in the parish of

Flitton and Greenfield Flitton and Greenfield is a civil parish in 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-ea ...

, 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, in the ceremonial 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. The village derives its name from the River Flit which flows close by it. It is notable primarily as the home of the

De Grey Mausoleum The de Grey Mausoleum in Flitton, Bedfordshire, England, is one of the largest sepulchral chapels in the country. The mausoleum contains over twenty monuments to the de Grey family who lived in nearby Wrest Park. The cruciform mausoleum has ...

adjacent to the St John the Baptist Church. Richard Milward, the editor of Selden's ''Table Talk'', was born at Flitton in 1609. There are two pubs, ''The White Hart'' by the church hall and ''Jolly Coopers'' at Wardhedges. The annual ‘Gala’ and ‘Potato Race’ are two of the main events that happen in the village. In 1961 the parish had a population of 572. On 1 April 1985 the parish was abolished to form "Flitton & Greenfield", parts also went to

Flitwick Flitwick () is a town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "a hamlet on the River Flitt". The spelling ''Flytwyk'' appears in 1381. The nearby River Flit runs through Flitwick Moor, ...

, Pulloxhill and

Westoning Westoning () is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is located around south of the town of Flitwick. The River Flit flows behind the Westoning stud farm. History Dark and Middle Ages 1086 The village is mentioned in the D ...

. The village was struck by an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, a part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day. MK Dons leading goalscorer Izale McLeod lived on Flitton Hill during his second spell with the club in 2013–14.

Church of St John the Baptist

The church, which stands on a slight mound on the west side of the village, was probably built by Edmund Grey, Earl of Kent (1465), between 1440 and 1489. It has a chancel, nave long with aisles, south porch and west three-stage tower with a projecting rood stair turret; the whole appears to be one built in local ironstone, embattled. On the walls of the north aisle are three fragmentary brasses commemorating: Eleanor Conquest (1434), Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Waren (1544) and Alice, wife of Reginald Hill (1594). There are six bells, (five dated 1902 and one 1904) by Bowell of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

; they replaced five of 1687 by Richard Chandler of

Drayton Parslow Drayton Parslow is a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, about south of Bletchley, within the Buckinghamshire Council unitary authority area. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 596, increasing at the 2011 cens ...

. The natural philosopher and meteorologist

George Hadley George Hadley (12 February 1685 – 28 June 1768) was an English lawyer and amateur meteorologist who proposed the atmospheric mechanism by which the trade winds are sustained, which is now named in his honour as Hadley circulation. As a key ...

(1685–1768) is buried in the chancel.

References

Bibliography

*Page, William, editor: ''The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Bedfordshire'', University of London, Dawsons, London 1972, pp 325–332 *Pevsner, Nikolaus: ''The Buildings of England: Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough'', Penguin Books, London 1968, {{authority control Villages in Bedfordshire Former civil parishes in Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire District

Church of St John the Baptist

See also

References

Bibliography