Riseley, Bedfordshire

Riseley is a village and civil parish located in North Bedfordshire. The village name has had alternative spellings in the past such as Rislau, Riseleg, Riselai and Risely, however all these spellings are considered archaic. It has a population of 1,284 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 1,286 at the 2011 Census, and is near the villages of Bletsoe, Sharnbrook, Swineshead, Pertenhall, Keysoe, Thurleigh and Melchbourne. The nearest town to Riseley is Rushden in the neighbouring county of Northamptonshire, approximately 8 miles away to the north west. The county town of Bedford is approximately 9 miles to the South of Riseley. The village has one watercourse, which is a tributary of the River Ouse, flowing through it known locally as the 'Brook' around which in medieval times the village was built.HistoryRiseley appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the village's name is spelt Riselai. The village is listed as being in the Stodden Hundred. The domesday survey also states that the village contains twenty five households which is considered large for a settlement of the time. The survey also states that in 1066 some of Riseley was overlorded by Godric the Sheriff a man who is assumed to have died in the Battle of Hastings.