Broom, Bedfordshire

Henry Tingey - Ancester

My great grandfather Henry Tingey, was born November 18, 1819, in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.  He was the son of James Tingey and Elizabeth Boniss.  James and Elizabeth, and family later moved from Bigglewade, Bedfordshire, and moved Lower Caldecut near the 46th milestone from London in the perish of Northhill.  The family of father and mother and two boys and four sisters were in the business of raising wholesale vegatable and garden seeds and were very successful.  
In 1849 the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, (Mormons) told their gospel message to Henry and his wife Ann Young, (daughter of James and Lucy Young).  Henry and Ann joined the Latter-Day-Saint church and migrated to America in 1849.  They spent three years in St Louis, Missouri and then traveled by oxen and wagon train to Salt Lake City, Utah arriving in September 1853.  Henry became a very devote follower of the Mormon Church.  He settled in Sessions Settlement (now Bountiful, Utah), and later moved to Brigham City Utah, where he was in the garden and fruit business.  He was named Bishop of the First Ward in Brigham in 1877, and set apart by Brigham Young, who was the president of the LDS church at that time.  Henry Tingey was given a blessing that his family would be numerous.  This blessing was fulfilled as Henry lived during the time of polygamy and he married four wives and fathered 31 children.  Henry Tingey passed away at the age of 77, on February 14, 1896 in Brigham City, Utah.  He is essentially, the father of the well known, Tingey families in Davis and Box Elder Counties, in Utah.  Almost all of his children, grand children and great grand children, and great grand children (as of December 2007) number into the thousands and have been pillars, leaders and devote members of their community, and of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Henry Tingey was truely regarded as noble man and respected citizen in Brigham City, Utah.  Biggleswade, England can be proud that such a good man was born in their city.  It is astonishment, that such a young man as Henry Tingey, could come from humble circumstances in England in 1849, and accomplish what he did as a pioneer in the American West,.   

Lord Astor

I grew up in Wrestlingworth between 1966 and 1978. In the late sixties and early seventies we often used to see a rather distinguished gent driving a stately car, a Riley I think. He had silver hair and always waved in a benign manner to us youngsters. I got it into my mind that he was Lord Astor who lived at Hatley St George. We were even more impressed at this.
We also used to see the Co-op van in the village. In those days not everybody had cars and the older residents couldn't always get to Biggleswade or wherever. So its arrival was always noticeable if only because of the people who would gather around.
One day I wandered over to the van to see what was on offer. It came as something of a shock to see the aforementioned Lord Astor serving from behind the hatch. What a generous chap I thought. And how socially enlightened to provide such a valuable service to the old folks in the village.
Flushed with warmth and feelings of excitement at such a revelation I couldn't wait to explain to my family that which I'd learned.
Well, it came as something of a shock to discover that the man from the Co-op wasn't Lord Astor at all, just an ordinary chap. I felt embarrassed, confused, and not a little stupid.
Thereafter, I never could quite look at the smiling gent with the same degree of automatic respect and deference!

39 Mill Lane

The gable end of the house on the left is 39 Mill Lane and Back St starts at the junction over the hill and not visible here. My father built the house about 1935 when he was  21 years old. I grew up there until 1955 when it was sold and we moved from Clophill for a short time. We returned in 1957 and lived in the Old Police House in The Slade until I married in 1966 and brought my first home in Back St. I have traced my family's time in Clophill from about 1750 until 1980 in a new book which is now available.

My House

This is where I live, it is no longer a village post office. It was built in 1680, and we are returning it to a residential property.