Church of St Mary, Kensworth

The first recorded Vicar of Kensworth was John de Sancto Laurentio in 1207. The parish in which the church is located was situated in Hertfordshire until it was transferred to Bedfordshire in 1897. However, the church remained in the ecclesiastical parish under the Archdeconry of Hertford until 1930 when it was moved under the Archdeaconry of Bedford.

The church, being of Norman origin, was mainly built from flint in the early 12th century. Both the tower and the chancel were later built in the 15th century using blocks of clunch from the nearby village of Totternhoe. Eventually falling into poor condition, the chancel was repaired in the 1630s. The church had five new bells cast in 1717. They were eventually stolen in 1967 in London, having been moved there in 1961 during the restoration of the tower. A new set of six bells were eventually hung in 1971. The church was buttressed in 1719 and the tower was later roughcast rendered in 1747, as indicated by a plaque on the tower's south face. The church originally had a flat roof until it…