Family history of Great Linford
The people of Great Linford have represented all classes of society, from poor labourers to merchants and artisans to squires and lords. Some families can be traced back generations, others passed through briefly but nonetheless left a mark. Here you can learn about some of these people and their family histories.
Harry Bartholomew
Born in 1862, Harry Bartholomew arrived in the village around 1880, and set up a photography business on the High Street. Read more about Harry Bartholomew.
Newman Cole
Newman Thomas Cole was born in Great Linford in 1855. His father was a baker who had moved to the village to start up his own business on the High Street. Newman wrote a short biography of his life, the first 10 years of which he spent in Great Linford. Read more about Newman Cole.
Kizby and Kezia Rainbow
Kizby and Kezia Rainbow did not have an easy life. In the early 1900s, the family were split up by the draconian poor laws, with Kizby and three of their children sent to the workhouse at Newport Pagnell. But they were able to reunite and make a life in Great Linford. Read more about Kizby and Kezia Rainbow.
The Meads
Did you know that one of the residents of the Manor House in the early 1900s was American named Charles Walter Med, the son of a preacher from the district of New York? Read more about Charles Walter Mead.
The Reverend Doctor Richard Napier
Perhaps the most famous resident of Great Linford, The Reverend Doctor Richard Napier ran an extraordinary medical practice from the village between 1597 and 1634, ministering to rich and poor alike. Read more about the Reverend Richard Napier.
The Scriveners
You may have walked past the large Scrivener family vault in St. Andrew’s churchyard, but did you know that John Scrivener was a successful London merchant in the glass trade? Read more about John Scrivener.
The Uthwatts, Kings, Andrewes and Bouveries of Great Linford Manor
Inheriting the Great Linford Manor estate in 1704, the Uthwatt name was to endure in the parish for over 200 years and a dozen generations. Marrying into the family were a number of other landed families, making for a rich and fascinating history. Read more about The Uthwatts, Kings, Andrewes and Bouveries.
Sir William Prichard
Sir William Prichard purchased Great Linford Manor in 1678. A successful London merchant who had made several fortunes, he set about remodelling the manor park, demolishing the old medieval manor house and building the mansion that now dominates the landscape. Read more about Sir William Prichard.