In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Oakley like this:
OAKLEY, a village and a parish in the district and county of Bedford. The village stands on the river Ouse, near the Midland railway, 4 miles N W of Bedford; wasdamaged in 1823, in Nov. 1852, and at other times, by heavy floods; and has a post-office under Bedford, a station on the railway, and a very old five-arched bridgeover the Ouse. The parish comprises 1, 740 acres. Real property, £2, 834. Pop., 443. Houses, 94. The property is divided among a few. The manor belongs to the Duke of Bedford. Oakley House is the residence of H. Russell, Esq. The Oakley hounds take their name from the parish, but are kennelled at Milton. The living is a vicarage, annexed to the vicarage of Bromham, in the diocese of Ely. The church is ancient but good; and consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with a tower. There is an endowed school with £35 a year.
Oakley through time
A Vision of Britain through Time includes a large library of local statistics for administrative units. For the best overall sense of how the area containing Oakley has changed, please see our redistricted information for the modern district of Bedford. More detailed statistical data are available under Units and statistics, which includes both administrative units covering Oakley and units named after it.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Oakley, in Bedford and Bedfordshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1389
Date accessed: 22nd May 2013
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