Summary of Residents & Owners

Originally the property of Lodge Piece Farm (Houghton Park Gardens) and land was owned by the Duke of Bedfordshire, and at sometime it must have been sold to Isaac Crick, sometime after 1897.

The early evidence of owners make only mention of land and buildings so not sure what was there, and when the property was built, the many records held at Beds archives may have the answer

Owner: William Brown of Ampthill, a grocer - and his descendants until 1806
Owner: John Fitzpatrick till his death 1818
Owner Lord Holland (inherited) until 1842
Owner: Duke of Bedfordshire from 1842
William Crick from at least 1841 until his death 1853
Elizabeth (William's wife) probably until her death 1865
Issac Crick taken over from his mother William until his death 1911
Henry Crick taken over from his brother Isaac death 1914
1914 to 1920 ??
1920 vacant - up for sale
Owner: Bedfordshire County Council 1920 the following being tenants;
Mr & Mrs Reg Coles 1921 - 1925 (newspaper mentions), Harry Northwood Journal quote: "Feb 7th 1925 Reg Coles postmasters son left and it was taken over by Harry James". Father William & mother Annie also on reg of electors in 1924.
Harry James moved in 1926 see newspaper below - (also 1927 livestock sale and keeping dogs without a licence 1932)
1932 to 1938?
Robert (Market Gardener) & Mabel Woodcock, children Robert R (Garage hand) & Vera L on 1939 register (Vera & husband Frederick Eburn 1947 reg of elector)
Angus & Mabel MacFarlane 1948
Bert & Freda Webb 1949 - 1953 (reg of electors)
Sidney & Doris Redman 1954 to 1979 (reg of electors) - 1977 -79 Sidney only

From 1696 to 1806 Taken from Beds Archives (see further links on this page Interesting links

http://bedsarchivescat.bedford.gov.uk/Details/archive/110463714:

The messuage in How End, with closes and 29 acres of land (with other premises) were settled in 1695 on the three daughters of John Samm and were sold, later in the same year, to Joseph Barber, grocer of Ampthill. In 1717 he settled these premises on his son Joseph Barber junior, draper of Ampthill, on his marriage with Mercy Briggins. Joseph Barber, the son, had himself purchased 10 acres of land in Houghton Conquest in 1709 from Jeremiah Peirce, a yeoman. Both these purchases, together with other lands, were settled on their daughter Hannahbella on her marriage with John Marshall, calico printer of Crayford, Kent in 1751. All the children of this marriage died young and after her husband's death in 1769 Hannahbella settled her lands on her cousins. The London and Middlesex premises were settled on John Elliot, the son of her sister Mariabella, while the Bedfordshire premises, including the lands under discussion here, were settled on Richard and Briggins How, the sons of her sister Susannah

Richard and Briggins How sold the premises, together with a house in Ampthill, to William Brown of Ampthill, a grocer, in 1774. Brown died a few years later, leaving his property to his daughter Ann. Ann married John Ransom, a mealman of Hitchin, by whom the property was sold in 1806 to the Earl of Upper Ossory for the sum of £1,338

[for further details of the How family see catalogue HW]

An excerpt from another conveyancing document From: 1765 To: 1803:

-manors of Howend and Dame Ellings

-mansion house called Houghton Park alias Dame Ellingsbury and sometimes called Ampthill Park

- quitrents payable to said manors

-several farms and lands belonging in occupation of Richard Atterbury, Thomas Sletyer, William Gillard, James Facer, William Russell, Widow Odel, Francis Clark, Joseph Sletyer and widow Parrot at rents amounting together to £273..16..3 per annum

-several farms and lands lately part of Houghton Park and Now in occupation of Christopher Bennett, Thomas Sletyer, William Betts and Joseph Stanbridge at rents amounting to £265..5 per annum

- farm and lands formerly part of Houghton Park in occupation of Joseph Sletyer at rent of £56..9..6 per annum

- farm and lands in Ampthill in occupation William Wildman, Mr Carlton, Mathew Bushby, Robert Taylor, Robert Ball and Samuel Wright at rents amounting together to £52 per annum

-quitrents of £5..4..8 and £1..14 payable out of lands in Ampthill by James Clark and Judith Richards

-manor of Ruxox alias Roxox which manor, farm and premises in Flitwick were purchased by Charles Now Earl of Aylesbury of Elizabeth Scarburgh widow, and are in occupation of widow Circuit at £60 per annum

-woods in Houghton containing 101 acres of which the soil is valued at £45..9 per annum

-manors of Maulden Raggins

http://bedsarchivescat.bedford.gov.uk/Details/archive/110463393

Duke of Bedfordshire rents