Book published by the Willington Local History Group, 41 pages. Paperback (N7621)
In the 1720's Sir William Gostwick was Lord of the Manor at Willington. Unfortunately, he had run up huge debts, and one of the largest creditors was the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. It is said that William lost large sums to the Duchess while gambling at cards, helped by a carefully positioned mirror that allowed the Duchess to see his cards! As a result, Willington passed into the hands of the Marlboroughs, and this book provides an account of the history of the village from that point through the remainder of the century.
From the rear side cover: This book tells the story of the Bedfordshire village of Willington from the 1720s to the 1770s, when it formed part of the estates of the Duke of Marlborough. The village was then a small farming community led by a few substantial farmers, who served as overseers, church wardens and constables. However, the residents faced rapidly rising welfare costs in the form of poor relief and there was a fine line between prosperity and poverty. One man, who had once ordered the comparative luxuries of tea and coffee from London, ended by receiving a pauper's burial. Contents include:
Introduction
The Marlborough purchase
The Marlborough period
The village at the time of purchase
Life in Willington in the eighteenth century
Estate records
The parish register
Overseers and the poor law
Crime and punishment
Wills
The commonplace book of Richard Livett
Conclusions
References
Condition of the book is generally very good. The covers are clean and bright, the spine is intact and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound.