St Peter's Church, with its handsome Gothic spire, contains memorials of the families of Boteler and Alston, a monument of Mrs Jolliffe, daughter of Lord Crew, and the tomb of Mrs Mead, daughter of Sir Rowland Alston of Odell, and wife of Dr Richard Mead, the celebrated physician.

The parish had been exonerated from tithes, in consequence of the Inclosure Act of Parliament passed in 1797.

The first recorded Vicar of St Peters was Eudo, appointed in 1226 by the Prioress of Harrold Priory.

The Priory had an important bearing on Harrold and its church from Norman times.The Church formed part of the original endowment of the Priory, thereby reducing the status of the parish incumbent from Rector to Vicar, and was retained by the Prioress until 1536, when the Priory was suppressed by King Henry VIII. The rectorial tithes and advowson of the vicarage followed the same descent as the site of the Priory, passing to the Farrar family.

Between 1710 and 1734 the patronage was transferred from Willam Farrar to the De Grey family, who owned the manorial rights and land in the village, but alternated between these two families as their interests varied. More recently it was acquired by Balliol College, but is now held by the Bishop of St Albans.

For information on architecture and church repai click onto the Bedfordshire Community Archivess - Harrold pages

or

Visit the St Peter's web page

A List of Incumbents (1200 to 2008

• Walter - c.1200
• Eudo - 1226
• William de Bukinghame - 1230
• Hugh de 1244
• Robert;
• Adam de Pirie - 12 Aug 1280
• John de Eton - 19 Oct 1318
• Symon de Kaysho - 13 Sep 1327
• Nicholas Feebern - 25 Oct 1334 ;
• Robert Godard - 1338;
• Richard;
• Nicholas Harewold - 19 Jul 1349
• Henry Janyn - 23 Jan 1354 ;Robert Godard - 12 Apr 1377
• Thomas Studlee - 26 Mar 1408
• Thomas Tayllour - 21 Dec 1409
• Thomas White;
• John Fretton - 11 Apr 1415
• Thomas Beseby - 16 Oct 1415
• John Kempe - 7 Jan 1415/6
• Augustine Luce - 5 Feb 1416/7
• Thomas Harwode;
• John Plank - 5 Aug 1434 [;
• Thomas Ry - 15 Dec 1452
• Robert Hulle - 3 Nov 1454
• Robert Barbour;;
• Richard Buctrowe - 20 May 1461
• Richard Twycrosse - 21 Nov 1465 [
• Thomas Dague - Jan 1471
• Thomas Botiller - 1478
• Thomas Watkyn - 28 Nov 1480 [
• Thomas Nevil - 6 Aug 1483];
• Robert Person - 1510
• John Stukeley - 16 Jul 1530
• Thomas Ashe - 3 May 1551 [clerk; vacant by resignation of John Stukeley];
• Thomas Banke - 17 Feb 1554
• Anthony Stewcley - 7 Oct 1557
• Oliver Houghton - 1 Jul 1561
• William Kerewoode - 12 Feb 1567
• Henry Allen - 1569
• Marmaduke Pullen - 11 Apr 1579
• Robert Paulus alias Haunchbie MA - 29 Aug 1585
• John Robinson - 23 Nov 1610
• John Threlcote MA [buried 12 Nov 1618;
• Robert Gifford MA - 23 Feb 1624;
• Thomas Fawcett BD;
• William Waters - 5 Mar 1643
• John Hatch - 13 Mar 1662 [died 19 Apr 1666];
• Thomas Faldo BA - 25 Jul 1666
• Alexander Leith MA - 12 Nov 1688
• Abraham Faldo BA - 30 Dec 1689 died 4 Dec 1696;
• John King BA - 28 Dec 1696
• John Bolton BA - 27 Jul 1710
• Ezekiel Rouse BA - 18 Feb 1734
• (John Smith BA - 22 Sep 1746
• Charles la Porte MA - 27 Jun 1754
• Ezekiel Rouse BA - 12 Feb 1765
• Robert Woodward - 18 Feb 1799
• Henry Dixon - 4 Jun 1817
• John Balfour Magenis BA - 28 Sep 1822
• Montague James Taylor BA - 11 Nov 1831
• Richard Garde BA - 1845
• John Mills Walker - Jun 1895;
• Herbert Lilley - Feb 1901;
• Percy Llewellyn Leakey - Jul 1915;
• Priaulx Clare Ingrouille - Dec 1926;
• John Alexander MacWilliam - Jul 1952;
• Thomas Hooton Michael Dix - 1959
• Peter Eugene Blagdon-Gamlen - 1964;
• Ronald Gavin Henderson Cooper - 1968;
• Charles Alfred Billington - 1972;
• David Richard Thurburn-Huelin - 1981;
• Jonathan P.Smith - 1988;
• Jean Burrows - 1999;
• Jane Fox - 2008