Village History

The Village and Manor House are mentioned in the Doomsday book in 1086, sitting on a hill, its nearest neighbours are Shefford, Campton, Shillington, Stondon and surrounded by farmland.

The Manor House, sometime after that date belonged to the De Meppershall family for nearly 300 years. The present house is early 17th century and at one stage was 3 cottages.

The village churches are, the one at the top of the village dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin which was originally a Norman building, St. Thomas's chapel on Chapel Road which is part of farmland and no longer used and there is also a Methodist chapel on the High Street which is dated 1915.

There is only one thatched cottage in the village now, which was probably built around 1690-1700.

Various Rectories were built from at least 1675, one even had a moat around it. The present Rectory was built in the mid 1950’s.

The village school is in the High Street and is built on a previous site dating from 1698, the bell being presented in 1877. Nowadays children are taken in from the age of 5 years, younger children can go to a play group scheme which exist in the village hall.

In 1899 at the top of the village a great fire broke out at Bury Farm destroying farm buildings, a house, and six thatched cottages.

Six farms now surround the village, they are Bury, Standalone, Polehanger, Chapel, Woodhall, and Hoo farm, growing crops and in "set aside"

For many years, at least until the 1890’s coprolite was dug in the village and a good weeks wage could be as much as a £2.

Before the advent of the glass houses, Meppershall was a very poor community with large families living in two up, two down type thatched cottages built of brick with stone floors.

So many glass houses were built in the village that it was called "glass city" growing salad crops for local markets and further a field via the railway. Alas the industry in this area seems to have faded.

The future is uncertain but more and more housing is required making this a growing community and in the terms of the estate office, "a desirable location" which hopefully it will stay.