Oakley, Bedfordshire
| Oakley | |
|---|---|
 Oakley
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| Oakley shown within Bedfordshire | |
| Population | 2,438 2493 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | TL007536 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bedford |
| Postcode district | MK43 |
| Dialling code | 01234 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Oakley is a village and civil parish located in northern Bedfordshire, England, about four miles northwest of the county town of Bedford along the River Great Ouse. It has a population of around 2,500 and is near the villages of Bromham, Milton Ernest, Clapham, Radwell and Felmersham.
Some of the earliest evidence of a settlement was found within the current village boundaries in the form of flint axes and arrow heads labelled OAK(ley)and EAM(cdonald), which were dated to c. 7000–6000 BC. Iron Age (c. 50 BC.) evidence was found when excavations were being undertaken for the Almshouses.
Oakley also featured in the Domesday book, and again before the Norman conquest, where the land was held by an Oswulf, a thane (companion) of King Edward.
In 1166 AD, the lord of the manor was recorded as being one Simon de Bosard, and his brother was known to have had connections with the town now known as Leighton Buzzard. In 1200 it was recorded that the present parish church was built, replacing an earlier church built of wood in Saxon times. Nothing of this earlier church remains. In 1230 the first vicar was recorded, a Stephen de Castell. In 1278, a Richard de Bosard had no male heir, but his daughter married Thomas Reynes who took over Oakley thanks to his wife. The village was known as Oakley Reynes at least until the drafting of the 1795 pre-enclosure map. The name still appears today in "Reynes Drive". The family also owned Clifton Reynes, just over the border into Buckinghamshire. In 1331, there was another Thomas Reynes recorded.
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