Billington, Bedfordshire
Billington | |
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Bedfordshire and Luton | |
Ambulance | East of England |
UK Parliament | |
Billington is a
The name of the parish is recorded in 1196 as Billendon, and may come from
The village is known for its high density of Travellers, who outnumber the settled community.[3] This community live in privately owned, but permitted, sites in the village, three in Little Billington and one between Billington and the nearby village of Stanbridge.
The centre of Great Billington is Billington Hill, on top of which is the small parish church. The church was originally a small
The village once had a
The village contains some half-timbered
During the late 1870s and early 1880 large areas of the village were bought by Arthur Macnamara who built at this time the manor house, and transformed the village into a typical Victorian estate village. The village school, halfway up the hill, was built at this time. It closed in the 1950s.
In the early 20th century a
Use of the name Great Billington
Mapmakers, from Thomas Jefferys in 1765 to the Ordnance Survey in 2006, have consistently written the word "Billington" next to the settlement by the church and the words "Little Billington" next to the hamlet of that name.[4][5]
In the 1990s, there was a campaign by villagers to use the name "Great Billington", with a claim that it was always used historically. This is not the case in most books on
"Great Billington" has been used as the name of the whole
2012 slavery case
On 11 July 2012, four members from one family were convicted of keeping workers in a state of servitude and forcing them to perform unpaid work. The family, who lived on one of the three travellers' sites in Little Billington, were found to have controlled, exploited, verbally abused and beaten the men for financial gain. The case was the first successful conviction under new slavery laws, following their introduction in 2010. The men, many of them homeless and addicted to alcohol or other drugs, were recruited outside jobcentres or at soup kitchens, and were promised paid work, food and lodgings. On arrival at the site, their heads were shaved, and they were forced to work up to 19 hours a day in the family's paving business. They were routinely abused, underfed, and housed in littered, cramped sheds or horseboxes that were unfit for human habitation, with no heating or running water. One victim was paid just £80 during the 15 years he was with the family. Victims who had managed to escape informed police. In September 2011 armed police raided the site with sniffer dogs and helicopter support, removing 23 men. Although some of the released men subsequently returned to the site, eight testified against the family in court.[16] Two of the accused, a husband and wife, were jailed for 11 years and 4 years respectively.[17]
References
- ^ a b ONS, Census 2021 Parish Profiles
- ^ Plea Roll, Court of Common Pleas; CP 40/717; National Archives; http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no717/bCP40no717dorses/IMG_1518.htm 4th entry
- ^ Leighton Buzzard Observer of 11 June 2013
- ^ Thomas Jefferys, The County of Bedford, reprinted by Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, 1983.
- ^ Ordnance Survey, OS Landranger Map 165, edition D1, 2006.
- ^ Will of Richard Marten of Great Byllington, Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Record Service reference ABP/R11/38.
- ^ 1890 Kelly's Directory - Billington, with the same wording in directories from 1885 to 1940.
- ^ William Page (editor), The Victoria history of the county of Bedford, vol. III, Constable, 1912, p. 400.
- ^ The Thomson Directory: Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard area, 1992.
- ^ "Leighton Buzzard Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ For an example, see The District of South Bedfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2001.
- ^ Billington Parish Council, Minutes of a meeting held at the Village Hall on 6th July 2006, item 11. "A resident of Little Billington has brought to the Parish Councils attention that all Parish Council documentation is in the name of Great Billington and it was felt that Little Billington was not included. This was discussed and it was agreed that as from now, all Parish Council correspondence would be headed Billington Parish Council."
- ^ Central Bedfordshire Council, Billington Parish Council - Key Contacts.
- ^ Church of England, St Michael & All Angels, Billington.
- ^ "Central Bedfordshire Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Topping, Alexandra (11 July 2012). "Four Face Jail After First Conviction Under New 'Slavery' Laws". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ^ "Couple Jailed for Forcing Destitute Men into Servitude". The Guardian. London. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.