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The most recent addition to the website is The History of Carlton Baptist Meeting, researched and written by the late Mike Pratt, former Society Chair and Newsletter Editor for 14 years.
Introduction
Carlton and Chellington were originally two separate but closely neighbouring villages in Bedfordshire, each with its own church. The ecclesiastical parishes were united in 1769 and the civil parishes in 1934. The Carlton and Chellington Historical Society was founded in November 1993 and for most of its lifetime had well over 100 members. They came not only from Carlton and Chellington; many were from neighbouring villages, and some, whose ancestors lived in our villages, from places much further away.
In recent years it became increasingly evident that the Society was facing a situation familiar to many other long established comparable societies, namely an ageing membership and few willing to take an active part in the management and ‘behind the scenes’ work to develop and maintain our programme of activities. The matter came to a head at a Special General Meeting held in September 2019 when it was agreed that the Committee should take the steps necessary to wind-up the affairs of the Society by the end of the year. This decision was taken with great sadness but there was general agreement that the Society had run its course and had now reached the end of its effective life.
The archive materials assembled here reflect the principal activities undertaken by members throughout the lifetime of the Society. Note the index at the top of the page to aid navigation.
The history of our Society gives a comprehensive overview of the Society from its first committee meeting through to the Silver Jubilee dinner held in August 2018.
Each year, since its founding in 1993, the Society organized a talk or a visit for each month from February through to November. The range and variety of these monthly events, including an annual Wine & Cheese evening and celebratory dinners, is illustrated by a poster display, covering the years 2011-2019.
The photographic archive – Carlton & Chellington in Camera - is one of the Society's greatest assets. Work continues to add to and improve the presentation of the collection.
The Society Newsletter has been published every three months and delivered to our membership, originally by post and, latterly, in electronic form. The Newsletter has contained a wealth of scholarly articles, with much emphasis on local people and families and the homes they have inhabited over the years. The Newsletter Digest reviews some of the main highlights reported during the first 15 years of the Society.
In addition to the Newsletter the Society has produced several other publications, some available in book form and others downloadable from the internet. These publications include The Diary of Benjamin Rogers; A history of the Carlton Baptist Church by the Rev Moses Beeby; and Knighton Grange by Mary Wade.
Other recent additions include a time line covering the early history of Carlton & Chellington; a full index of the village entries hosted by Bedford Community Histories; and a scanned version of the Carlton allotments rent book dating back to 1889.
