History of Bedfordshire than fifty places in the county. Following the enactment of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, Bedford was the only borough in the county. Charters of incorporation were granted to Dunstable in 1864 and Luton in 1876. In 1837 the county was divided into poor law unions, each consisting of a town and surrounding rural parishes: Ampthill, Bedford, Biggleswade, Leighton Buzzard, Luton and Woburn. In addition, a handful of parishes near the boundaries of Bedfordshire were included in PLUs based in other counties, namely Hitchin in Hertfordshire, St Neots in Huntingdonshire and Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. In 1875, the county was divided
Leighton Buzzard railway station 4 are served by slower London Northwestern railway services to/from London Euston and by Southern services between East Croydon and Milton Keynes Central. Page's Park railway station, terminus for the "Leighton Buzzard Light Railway" (a narrow gauge heritage railway), is on the opposite side of the town. The first station simply known as "Leighton" was opened by the London and Birmingham Railway on 9 April 1838 as part of the first section of its line from to Denbigh Hall. The line had originally been planned to pass through Buckingham but opposition from the Duke of Buckingham ensured that it forced