| Barton-le-Clay | |
The village sign Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire |
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Barton-le-Clay
Barton-le-Clay shown within Bedfordshire |
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| Population | 5,000 (2002 est.) |
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| OS grid reference | TL082310 |
| Parish | Barton-le-Clay |
| Unitary authority | Central Bedfordshire |
| Ceremonial county | Bedfordshire |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bedford |
| Postcode district | MK45 |
| Dialling code | 01582 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Mid Bedfordshire |
| List of places: UK • England • Bedfordshire | |
Barton-le-Clay is a large village and a civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. The village has existed since at least 1066 and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Until quite recently it was known as Barton in the Clay.[1]
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To the south west of the village, across the A6 is Sharpenhoe Clappers, an Iron Age hill fort.
Barton-le-Clay Domesday Book entry, taken from 210d 2.
In FLITT Hundred M. The Abbot also holds Barton(in-the-clay). It answers for 11 hides. Land for 12 ploughs. In lordship 3 hides; 2 ploughs there; a third possible. 20 villagers have 9 ploughs. 7 smallholders and 6 slaves. 1 mill, 2s, meadow for 6 ploughs; woodland, 200 pigs. In total, value £10; the same when acquired; before 1066 £12. This manor always lay in (the lands of) St Benedict's Church. With this manor the Abbot claims against Nigel of Aubigny and Walter the Fleming 12 acres (49,000 m2) of meadow which lay there before 1066, but John of Les Roches dispossessed him wrongfully, and this the Hundred testifies.
Barton-le-Clay is in Central Bedfordshire between Bedford and Luton, 32 miles (51 km) north of London. Nearby villages include Sharpenhoe, Silsoe, Westoning and Pulloxhill. The A6 which runs from Luton (6 miles south of the village) bypasses Barton and continues through Bedford (north of the village) to Carlisle. The bypass was constructed in January 1990.
In the southeast of the parish are the Barton Hills, which form the northeast extremity of the Chiltern Hills. Much of this area of chalk downland is now a nature reserve.
There are two major schools in the village, Ramsey Manor Lower School[3] and Arnold Middle School[4], together serving pupils aged from 5 to 13. The lower school only takes pupils from within the village while the middle school has a much wider catchment area including Westoning, Silsoe and Greenfield. Upper school children have to go to Harlington Upper School.
A small private nursery and prep school for children aged 0 to 9, Orchard School & Nursery, is based on the outskirts of Barton.[5] The village also has a pre-school.[6]
The closest railway station to Barton is in Harlington. Regular buses run through Barton and stop at the eight bus stops.
Organisations offer karate and football. A Rotary Club meets at The Bull Hotel.[7] Barton Players, the main local amateur dramatics group, hold plays and Summer workshops[8] for children in the village hall. However, it is open to new members who wish to join. There is a thriving youth drama group in the village called Up-Stage[9], including two branches for young people aged 13 and over called CentreStage and Stage Right. Barton also host Scouting and Guide organisations for all ages. There is also a large skating and bmx community with many youths who tend to gather in areas of the village but do not seem to have a facility for their sport such as a skatepark although there is a movement being made within the council with a push for a park in the future.
Barton-le-Clay has a football team (Barton Rovers F.C.) who play at Sharpenhoe Road. The club played in the Southern League Division One Central for the 2010-11 season.
There are two World War memorials, one near the main road (on the junction between Luton Road and Hexton Road) and the other in the Parish Church - both have identical names. A list of all the people on the memorials has been compiled on the Roll of Honour website.[10]
Published by the NOF Digitise Architecture England Consortium.
Two weekly newspapers are delivered free to all houses in Barton, with news about Barton and the surrounding area.
