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The Diary of Benjamin Rogers rector of Carlton, 1720-71Benjamin Rogers was vicar of Stagsden from 1712 to 1720, when he was presented by Lord Trevor to the living of Carlton, where he remained until his death in 1771. His diary covers the years 1727 to 1752. In addition to clerical duties, he records his family, friends, farming, travels, the weather, prescriptions for a range of ailments and injuries, Bedford borough politics, local events and people. There are also notes of tithes for 1722; malt sold to his mother; a terrier of the glebe land in Carlton; notes on local people; a list of Rogers'glebe land and the 33 acres he rented; names of the certificates upon Chellington and Carlton files, presumably settlement certificates; the fruit trees planted around his house in 1729; recipients of money given for the poor of Chellington and Carlton in 1735 and 1737 and extracts about Stagsden, Carlton and Chellington from ecclesiatical records.Pedigrees of the Rogers, Alston and Trevor families.

The Marchioness Grey of Wrest ParkAlthough described in the introduction as ‘a life', this book, written as a guide to more than 7000 letters held in Bedfordshire Archives, is far more than that. It is a biography of Jemima, Marchioness Grey (1722-1797), mainly pieced together from the voluminous correspondence between the Marchioness and her two daughters. It recounts her life from infant to grandmother.

The Publications of the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society volume XLIX‘Contracting arable lands in 1341', by A. R. H. Baker [The retreat of settlements and abandonment of marginal land is examined through the returns of the 1341 tax of one ninth of the value of corn, wool and lambs for Bedfordshire (the Inquisitiones Nonarum).]‘Two monastic account rolls', edited by G. D. Gilmore [English translations of the cellarers'rolls for the Augustinian houses of Newnham, 1519-20, and Harrold, 1401-2, with introductions.]‘The building accounts of Harrold Hall', edited by John Weaver [The accounts of Harrold Hall, built between 1608 and 1610 for Francis Farrar, as transcribed here, present a detailed picture of materials, workmen, wages and the duration of construction work. The house was surveyed and photographed before demolition in 1961.]‘Minutes of the Bedfordshire Committee for Sequestrations, 1646-7', edited by Patricia Bell [This is a transcription of the minutes of twenty-eight sessions of the committee held between May 1646 and May 1647, mainly written by Sir William Boteler. It shows the administration of lands sequestered from royalists.]‘The exempt jurisdiction of Woburn', by Dorothy Owen [A transcriptions of six letters, written between 1711 and 1716, arguing for and against the Duke of Bedford's claims to ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the parish of Woburn, with an introduction.]‘Alderman Heaven, 1723-94', by G. D. Gilmore [John Heaven was a Moravian and freeman, mayor then alderman of Bedford. The article explains the controversies surrounding control of the corporation of Bedford at the time he was mayor in 1769-1770.]‘Some documents relating to riots', edited by Joyce Godber [Despite the lack of participation by Bedfordshire's inhabitants in many of the national upheavals, rioting broke out in the county on a few occasions. The documents transcribed here present letters and statements by participants or eye-witnesses to six riots. The events were triggered by abuse of common rights at Blunham in1604, at Harrold in 1770 and at Maulden in 1796; by the Militia Act in 1757; and by distress at Stotfold in 1830 and at Ampthill in 1835.]‘The Bedford election of 1830', by Carlos T. Flick [The author describes this election as ‘one of the most bitterly fought and widely publicised elections in 19th century England'because of a challenge to the Duke of Bedford's interests by Captain Frederick Polhill. The article recounts the manoeuvrings by both sides.]‘Letters of Richard Dillingham, convict', edited by Harley W. Foster (sic, ie Forster) [Richard Dillingham of Flitwick, aged 23, was convicted of housebreaking in 1831and transported to Australia for life. The letters transcribed here were written between 1831 and 1839.]‘Leighton Buzzard and the railway', by P. S. Richards [Despite some local opposition to competition to the canal which was presented by the prospect of a railway, the line was built 1831-1838. It helped Leighton Buzzard as a trading centre but not sufficiently to make it the pre-eminent town in south Bedfordshire.]

This story is the outcome of the author's enthusiasm for a great English Puritan scholar, author and theologian, an outstanding man of Cromwell's day, Richard Baxter.Ordained in 1683, Baxter became minister at Kidderminster in 1641, the scene of the action in this book. Mr. Baxter was Chaplain to Cromwell's army for two years. He also learned what suffering and persecution meant and was imprisoned for eighteen months at one time, without succumbing to panthophobia. Many are the Christians who have been blessed and sustained by his Saints'Everlasting Rest; also convicted by his Call to the Unconverted. This is reading based squarely on historical personages and facts. Its main theme—Baxter's falling in love and marriage—is fact. Parts of his famous addresses are quoted.The author's personal research on the subject, subsequent to the writing of the manuscript and in preparation for some lecture work, confirmed that many of the incidents related, as well as the main theme, have factual basis. The attempted murder in the churchyard, for instance, was paralleled by a similar deed committed by a drunkard who had been subjected to certain church discipline.Those who appreciate “meat” with their “cake” in their fictional repast will find this a book to their liking, and so we shall leave it to speak for itself! You might wish to tell the publishers how you like it; if so, do it by all means.

To the pioneer folk of Upper and Lower Canada—Loyalists,'late'Loyalists, and the hordes of land-seekers—living in what seemed like religious destitution, various American Baptist missionary associations in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York State sent missionary preachers in the decade after 1800. Numerous small churches were established, but the War of 1812 disturbed these efforts, and much of the missionary activity itself had to be abandoned for an interval. This may well have stimulated the co-operation which had already appeared before the war between Canadian Baptist communities. Out of this co-operation were to develop conferences and associations of Canadian Baptist churches, until by 1820 all were members of Canadian groups. By 1818 travelling missionaries from the United States had almost ceased to visit; the Canadian churches had begun to raise up ministers from among their own members. In this very complete investigation of early Baptist history in Canada, assembled from a wide variety of sources, every separate group has been recorded and its development traced, and all available information has been coordinated for the missionaries and ministers who served the groups. The book is a veritable encyclopaedia of early Baptist history and will be invaluable to future students of Baptist history in general. This study of a developing cultural tradition strikingly parallels the struggle to master the physical features of a new land.