Introduction

south side of Salford Church - February 2007

Landscape

The parish contained 975 acres, evenly divided between arable and grazing, the subsoil is gravel, the soil above being mainly gravel and loam. The parish slopes a little west to east and is drained by a stream running west in the south of the parish.

Before Domesday

The earliest trace of habitation in Salford is a Roman quern stone. The parish was clearly inhabited in the Dark Ages though it is first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. It lay, like its surrounding Bedfordshire neighbours, in the Hundred| of Manshead.

Domesday

The name Salford means "willow ford". The name is first recorded, as Saleford, in the Domesday Book of 1086. Salford was owned in 1086 by Hugh de Beauchamp, later created Baron of Bedford. He had five hides| and the manor included 12 villagers, 1 smallholder and 4 slaves. The manor owned a mill|, worth 9/4 and woodland for 150 pigs. In 1066 the manor had belonged to Thorkell, a thegn |of King Edward the Confessor, and was then worth £5. By the time Hugh acquired it the value had sunk to £3 due to the depredations of William I's armies as they moved north to crush rebellion. By 1086 the value had risen slightly to £4.

 

tomb on an unknown knight in Salford church February 2007

Salford Manor

The overlordship of the manor remained with the Barony of Bedford; John de Steyngreve was overlord in 1275 and William de Patishull in 1366. No tenant of Hugh de Beauchamp was mentioned in the Domesday Book but the manor was held in the 12th century by Nigel de Salford. His son Hugh held the manor by 1199 as Walter, son of Gregory quitclaimed a virgate of land in the parish to him in this year. Hugh's son Nigel held the manor in 1240 and John between 1275 and 1303, being succeeded by his son, another Nigel. In 1346 the holder was Peter de Salford and was last recorded in 1366.

By the time the manor is next mentioned, 1428, it is described as late belonging Ankareta, wife of Thomas Drakelowe. In 1438 All Souls College, Oxford was founded and Salford manor formed part of its endowment from that time on.

medieval grave marker in Salford church - February 2007

Medieval Murder

Volume XLI of the Bedfordshire Historical Records Society series is of medieval coroner's rolls for the county, translated by R.F.Hunnisett, entry 98 reads: "On 17 Mar 1272 William Brien son of John Aylmar of Salford and his wife Denise were in their house at Salford and at twilight they went to bed. Immediately in the night 2 thieves came to the door and entered. Denise saw that they were thieves and warned her husband, who immediately got out of bed. One of the thieves took the willow rod with which the door was shut and struck William on the head so that he fell. They then tied Denise up and carried away the goods of the house. Later Denise untied herself and raised the hue. The neighbours came and found William lying in the house almost dead with his head broken. He lay speechless and soon died…" The thieves were unknown and not caught. Because no Englishry| was presented a murdrum fine was imposed on the whole Hundred.

Salford Post Office in 1926 [Z50/98/2]

Parish and Population

Salford and Hulcote| were originally separate parishes, of which Hulcote was always the smaller. The two parishes were united for ecclesiastical purposes in 1750, the two civil parishes |being joined in 1933. At Domesday 17 men are mentioned. This figure needs to be multiplied by a factor of at least four to account for their dependents, giving an estimated population of around 70. The population figures below are for Salford up to 1931 and for Hulcote & Salford from 1951:

1801 – 210;   1851 – 309;   1901 – 147;   1931 – 133  1951 – 233;   2001 - 182