Turvey Village - Bedfordshire

Turvey in the Domesday Book

There are at least 8 entries in Domesday for the village but the most significant is that concerning the Bishop of Coutances' land which eventually absorbed the other manors.

Turvey is a small, attractive village in North Bedfordshire. It currently has a population of around 1,200 people.

Turvey’s Early History

Turvey's history begins, like most English villages, with a probable Roman settlement.

The church is of Saxon origin but many believe that there was a Roman settlement in this area.

A member of the Mordaunt family (possibly called Osbert) is said to have been a knight with William the Conqueror (William I) who came to this country from Normandy after the Battle of Hastings in late 1066. He was granted the lordship of Turvey and his family were lords of the manor for many centuries.

The manor's tenants soon after 1066 were the Alneto family, and in the 13th century two heiresses married into the Mordaunt and d'Ardres families, from where the twin manors of Mordaunt and Ardres got their names.

These were merged into Mordaunt Manor in the 1300s.

The manor of Tornai stayed in their family until 1786 when the second Earl of Peterborough, of the Mordaunt family, a fervent Royalist, lost the estates for his allegiance.

Turvey In TURVEY TORNAI the Bishop [of Coutances] also holds 4 hides. Land for 6 ploughs. In lordship 2 hides; 3 ploughs there. 3 villagers have 3 ploughs; 8 smallholders and 1 slave. 1 mill, 20s; meadow for 2 ploughs; woodland, 40 pigs. Value £6; when acquired 40s; before 1066 £6. 3 Freemen, King Edward's men, held this manor; they could sell and grant. The bishop had this land in exchange for Bleadon, as his men state.

There is a lot more information about the Mordaunt Family of Turvey on the site.

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Look around the parish church

Find out about Turvey Families

Read about village trade

For more about the Listed Buildings of Tuvey.

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