Streatley 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

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.

Geography

Streatley is situated just to the west of the A6, and is the first village on the A6 north of

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

, being about north of central Luton. Nearby villages are

Lower Sundon Lower Sundon is a hamlet located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The settlement was established before 1066. The manor of Sundon is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. The manor was held by the de Clare, Badlesm ...

, further to the west, Sharpenhoe, 1.5 miles north, and

Barton-le-Clay Barton-le-Clay is a large village and a civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England, bordering Hertfordshire. The village has existed since at least 1066 and is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book''. History On 25 M ...

, a somewhat larger village about 1.5 miles north, on the eastern side of the A6. The parish covers the village of Streatley along with Sharpenhoe. In the south of the parish it covers both sides of the A6, bordering Luton to the south and

North Hertfordshire North Hertfordshire is one of ten local government districts in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Letchworth Garden City and the largest town is Hitchin. The district also includes the towns of Baldock and Royston ...

district of

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 ...

to the east. North of the village of Streatley, the parish is entirely to the west of the A6. According to the 2021 census the parish had a population of 1,867. The

Icknield Way Path The Icknield Way Path or Icknield Way Trail is a long distance footpath and riding route in East Anglia, England. The ancient Icknield Way itself is unique among long-distance trails because it can claim to be ‘the oldest road in Britain’ ...

passes through the village on its 110-mile journey from

Ivinghoe Beacon Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in Buckinghamshire, England, 233 m (757 ft) above sea level in the Chiltern Hills, close to Ivinghoe and Aldbury. Dunstable, Berkhamsted and Tring are nearby. The Beacon lies within t ...

in Buckinghamshire to

Knettishall Heath Knettishall Heath is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Knettishall in Suffolk, England. A larger area of 176 hectares is the Knettishall Heath Nature Reserve, which is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Despite its n ...

in Suffolk. Th
Icknield Way Trail
a multi-user route for walkers, horse riders and off-road cyclists also passes through the village.

History

The parish is of ancient origin, and has sometimes been known as 'Streatley with Sharpenhoe'. It was expanded in 1928 by taking part of the abolished

Limbury Limbury is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, and was formerly a village before Luton expanded around it. The area is roughly bounded by Bramingham Road to the north, Marsh Road to the so ...

parish, which was mostly being annexed to Luton, and then again in 1933 by taking in part of

Stopsley Stopsley is a suburb in the north-east of Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The area is roughly bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Vauxhall Way and Turners Road North to the south, Bradgers Hill to the west, and Cannon Lane, Stapleford Road ...

parish which suffered a similar fate.

St Margaret's Church

The village is the site of an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church dedicated to

St Margaret Saint Margaret, St. Margarets, or St. Margaret's may refer to: People In chronological order: * Saint Margaret the Virgin of Antioch (died 304) * Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045–1093) * Saint Margaret of England (died 1192) * Saint Margaret ...

Vicars

Records of the St Margaret's ministers go back to 1250 starting with William de Stratle. ;Reverend James Hadow (1757–1847) James Hadow was born in

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...

on 30 January 1757, the eldest son of Professor George Hadow, was vicar for fifty nine years, from 1781 to 1840. He matriculated at St Andrews university in 1773 and was a Glasgow scholar of

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. He married Sarah Wye (1762–1849) in 1788. The Wye family had for some generations lived in Porto, Portugal where her father John Wye (1737–1807) worked at the British Factory Chaplaincy. The Wye family had in the past owned

Lypiatt Park Lypiatt Park is a medieval and Tudor manor house with notable nineteenth-century additions in the parish of Bisley, near Stroud, in Gloucestershire, England. The grounds include a group of medieval outbuildings. It is a Grade I listed building. ...

, near

Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Sited below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the ...

, Gloucestershire. It is said that James fell in love with Sarah Wye, but the Wye family did not approve and sent her off to her uncle at

Beverley Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...

in Yorkshire. One night when the family were going out to a ball she pleaded ill health, and stayed at home, and James eloped with her. They went to St Andrews and were married there. James Hadow is buried in the church grounds.St. Margaret's Church Streatley – List of Vicars
/ref> Hadow's gravestone reads: "Here rest the remains of James Hadow, Clerk MA Late Vicar of Streatley and Sundon. He was born 30 Jan AD 1757 Was instituted to Streatley AD 1781 to Sundon AD 1786 Resigned AD 1840 And in hope of mercy through Christ Jesus the Saviour died on 30 Jan AD 1847 Blessed be the name of the Lord. Sarah Wye is also buried beside him. Her grave reads: "Sarah Wye his beloved and affectionate wife Who died 14 June 1849 Aged 86 years Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord". James Hadow and Sarah Wye had eight children. ;John Gibson John Gibson was the brother of

Guy Gibson Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson, (12 August 1918 – 19 September 1944) was a distinguished bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was the first Commanding Officer of No. 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam ...

leader of the

Dambuster's raid Operation Chastise, commonly known as the Dambusters Raid, was an attack on German dams carried out on the night of 16/17 May 1943 by 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, later called the Dam Busters, using special bouncing bombs developed by Bar ...

References

External links

St Margaret's Streatley official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Streatley Villages in Bedfordshire Civil parishes in Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire District