Harrold, Bedfordshire

Harrold is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in Bedfordshire, England, nine miles north-west of Bedford on the north bank of the River Great Ouse, close to the county boundaries of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire. An ancient bridge links the village with Carlton with Chellington on the south bank. Immediately to the east of the village is Odell.

The Church of St Peter is in the village.

History
Harrold was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a parish within the Hundred of Willey.

An early medieval sword mount was unearthed by a metal detectorist in 2006. It is believed the tiny phallic decoration could have adorned the sword belt of a high-ranking Saxon warrior.

There are two public houses in Harrold. The Muntjac and the Oakley Arms. Paul McCartney reputedly gave the first live performance of "Hey Jude" in the Oakley Arms in Harrold on 30 June 1968.

The village was struck by an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.

Electoral ward
Today an electoral ward within the Borough of Bedford, it contains four civil parishes within its boundaries. Civil parishes and settlements within the ward (from south to north) are Harrold CP, Odell parish, Podington CP including Hinwick and Farndish, and Wymington CP including Little Wymington. Harrold itself is near the southern boundary of its ward which follows some of the River Great Ouse. The ward extends northward from Harrold and fills the northwest corner of Bedfordshire, bordering Northamptonshire.

Twin towns

 * 🇫🇷 Sainte-Pazanne, Loire-Atlantique

Notable people

 * W. T. Godber (1904–1981), English agriculturalist; worked in Harrold.
 * George Le Fevre (1848–1891), surgeon and politician in colonial Australia; born in Harrold.
 * Leslie Prentice (1886–1928), Australian-born English cricketer; died in Harrold.
 * Ashley Walker (1844–1927), English amateur cricketer; died in Harrold.

Freedom of the Parish
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Parish of Harrold.

Individuals

 * Jason Chandler: April 2023.