There is evidence that people have been living in and around the area currently occupied by Leighton Buzzard since Saxon times. Pottery and jewellery from the sixth century have been excavated in the town and earthworks have been found which are believed to date back to Roman times.

The town is also mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 where it is called Lestone. This is interesting as it mentions that Lestone had a market which is still held in Leighton Buzzard to this day. 

Over the years there have been many references to the town and surrounding villages. For example Tiddenfoot on the edge of the town is referred to in documents dating from 906 and in 1645 a petition was sent asking the Government for financial help after a fire in the High Street, the petition says that, “great damage was done to buildings and property in the town”.  

The coming of the Canal and the Railway in the early 1800’s established the town still further and the population, industry and commerce continued to increase. 

Many businesses moved to Leighton Buzzard and provided employment for the rising population producing all types of products. During the Second World War, even bomber aircraft were produced in the town to help the war effort. Many well known international businesses came such as Gossards the lingerie company and Lancer Boss who manufactured lift trucks.  

The town boast many old buildings each with its own stories to tell that, together, make up the history of Leighton Buzzard.

This is only a glimpse into the fascinating history of Leighton Buzzard. If you would like to know more we suggest you visit some very interesting sites we have listed below.

Leighton Linslade
Past Times
A great site full of facts and pictures of Leighton Buzzard life over the years including:
Domesday Book extracts about the town with a very helpful glossary
Origins of the  Leighton Buzzard name
Population statistics from 1801
Vast amount of information about many of the Town buildings, pubs, inns and churches  even the new Fly Past sculpture on Bridge Street.
We were impressed by the amount of information this site has to offer to anyone interested in the history of the town.

Leighton Linslade Virtual Museum
This is an excellent site which although still being built, already contains a large amount of information. We liked the way it has been laid out as if you were in an actual museum with a floor plan containing various galleries and rooms you navigate around. Of particular interest is the section detailing personal memories of residents over the years. There are some interesting stories many with old photographs. Also contains interesting pages about the Vickers Vimy aircraft that was built in the town

Leighton-Linslade Town Council
has a nice site containing a great deal if interesting information. We particularly like the Walking Tour that takes you around the town with interesting information given about each place you visit.

Other fascinating sites
Try some of the links below for more information on the following -
The Workhouse - lots of detail and records going back to 1797.
The Linslade Tornado is mentioned in the Linslade Churches & Chapels Site This is a lovely site about the four Churches and Chapels in Linslade. It  contains interesting details about the tornado that struck Linslade in 1950. There are photographs of the damage plus audio recordings from local residents describing this event.
Genoot Family History Site
Gen Uki – UK & Ireland genealogy site

Many of the churches in the town have extensive websites containing many references and pictures about their history
St. Barnabas
All Saints - With information about the annual Wilkes' Walk procession which has been taking place for 300 years.

Country Views is a site that is well worth a visit, containing many photographs of Linslade and local villages with views of the canal and some lovely old postcards