Meppershall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Meppershall | |
|
  |
|
| Population | 1,680(est.)[1] |
|---|---|
| District | Mid Bedfordshire |
| Shire county | Bedfordshire |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SHEFFORD |
| Postcode district | SG17 |
| Dial code | 01462 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Mid Bedfordshire |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| List of places: UK • England | |
Meppershall is a hill top village in Bedfordshire near to Shefford, Campton, Shillington, Stondon and surrounded by farmland. The Village and the Manor House are mentioned in the Doomsday book in 1086.
The Manor House belonged to the De Meppershall family for nearly 300 years following 1086, however the present house is early 17th century.
St. Marys church dates back to the Normans.
Before the advent of greenhouses, Meppershall was a very poor community with large families living in two up, two down type thatched cottages built of brick with stone floors. However so many greenhouses were built in the village that it was known as "glass city" growing salad crops for local markets and further a field via the railway.
As well as farming the village earned its income from coprolite digging. Coprolite is the fossilised dung of pre-historic creatures, which when ground and treated with sulphuric acid produces a superphosphate fertiliser. To extract it a long trench was dug on one side of a field. The overlaying clay was then dug out until the nodule bed was reached. If the depth of clay to be removed was more than eight to nine feet, the trench was made in two or three steps and as the nodules were taken out, so the trench was re-filled with the earth already removed. The nodule bed was shovelled into barrows and taken to the washing mill. This consisted of a circular iron trough with a pivot in the centre to which a set of travelling rakes was attached, these being dragged round by horses and a constant stream of water was kept running through the trough until the clay washed off. The dirty water then was drained off and the nodules carted away. The coprolite was worth about £3 a ton in 1890, yielding some 300 tons per acre. A good fossil digger could earn as much as £2 a week. This industry has also died out.
