Deanshanger
Encyclopedia
Deanshanger, pronounced deans-hanger, is a village and civil parish
in South
Northamptonshire
, just north of Milton Keynes
. In 2007 it was joined with the civil parish
of Wicken
to form Deanshanger ward, returning two councillors. Deanshanger is in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth Area.
The original population centre of the parish was the hamlet of Passenham
. However, from the late 18th century the coming of the Grand Union Canal
to the east made Deanshanger an agricultural industrial centre causing it to grow quickly. This growth accelerated with the building of the London and Birmingham Railway
in the first half of the 19th century which passed through the nearby villages of Wolverton
, Bletchley and Roade
.
After a fall out with Henry II
in 1170 AD, Thomas Becket
is said to have sought refuge in the Gilbertine Monastery in Deanshanger (or Dinneshangra as it was then known). Although disguised as a peasant, he was nevertheless recognised by a farm labourer known only as Wayne. At the time the only water supply in the village was foul and brackish, and having heard of the miracle that Becket was said to have performed at nearby Northampton, the farm labourer pleaded with Becket to repeat the performance. Becket is said to have looked towards Heaven, struck the ground with his staff, and immediately a fresh spring appeared. This is one of 703 miracles that is said to have led to his canonisation..
In 2010 a sixteen year old boy was stabbed outside a kingsbrook school in Deanshanger and later died of his injuries. The boy was attacked by a group of four men and the four were arrested and are currently on trial a fifth man is on trial for conspiracy to commit grevious bodily harm.
, Deanshanger parish had a population of 2,900 citizens and in 2010 was estimated to be 3,877.
and later an iron oxide
works (making pigment
for paint
). This gave some of the surrounding area a red colouration from the oxide dust, which was mostly used to produce pigments. However, in 1999, the works closed and was demolished. By 2008, most of the works land has been replaced by the construction of several new housing estates. Extensive remedial work was needed to reverse the harmful effects of the previous industrial use of the site there are still signs of the red stained oxide all around the village. Some land has designated for light industrial use.
School in 2011 when it merged with Roade Sports College and is now split over two sites. The Deanshanger grounds include the site of a Roman villa
. The merged school will be re-named Elizabeth Woodville
School. Woodville was born in Grafton Regis
which is halfway between the two schools and was Queen consort
of King Edward IV
.
There is a parish church
(Holy Trinity, Church of England
) and a Methodist chapel, a post office, two pubs and two members' clubs (sports and social, Conservative club
), a pharamacy, a hairdresser, a pizza and kebab
takeaway
, a Chinese
and fish and chips
takeaway, a mobile takeaway, and other village stores and newsagent's shops including a greengrocers. On the edge of the village on the A422
, is a golf and country club, a hotel, a Thai restaurant and a petrol and service station..
For children, there is a pre-school playgroup, youth club, and junior football club
The village's annual event is a revival of the historic Feast held on a Saturday afternoon and evening in October each year. This includes a fun fair, stalls and firework show.
There is an active village heritage society that organises the Feast, the planting of spring flowers on the roads into the village in autumn, cleaning of the stream
(King's Brook) in spring
and carol
singing in December.
The parish council office is the former primary school and redundant Baptist Chapel building renovated inn 2008-09.
, Old Stratford
, Kiln Farm and Milton Keynes
town centre and rail station. Certain timetabled buses on this route also travel to Wicken
.
The nearest railway station is Wolverton
for services to London Euston railway station
, Bletchley, Milton Keynes
, Northampton
, Birmingham
and north. Milton Keynes
railway station (on the same line) is the nearest station to give access to fast trains to London (40 minutes), intercity and cross-country services. There are several private hire taxi services.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in South
South Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire is a local government district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council is based in Towcester.The district is rural and sparsely populated with just over 79,293 people in 2000 and 91,000 in 2008, a 14.8% increase. The largest town in the district is Brackley, which has a...
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, just north of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
. In 2007 it was joined with the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Wicken
Wicken, Northamptonshire
Wicken is a village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is about one mile north of the A422 road between Milton Keynes and Buckingham and forms part of South Northamptonshire district...
to form Deanshanger ward, returning two councillors. Deanshanger is in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth Area.
History
Deanshanger used to be called Daneshanger, "Hanger" being an old English word, meaning a clearing in the woods - hence Daneshanger was a clearing in the woods where the Danes lived.The original population centre of the parish was the hamlet of Passenham
Passenham
Passenham is a small village in the civil parish of Old Stratford in South Northamptonshire, England. It is just north of the River Great Ouse, which forms the boundary with Buckinghamshire, and close to Stony Stratford in Milton Keynes.-Governance:The village parish council is joined with the...
. However, from the late 18th century the coming of the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
to the east made Deanshanger an agricultural industrial centre causing it to grow quickly. This growth accelerated with the building of the London and Birmingham Railway
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
in the first half of the 19th century which passed through the nearby villages of Wolverton
Wolverton
Wolverton is part of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.Wolverton may also refer to:Places in England:*Wolverton, Dorset*Wolverton, Kent*Wolverton, Hampshire*Wolverton, Shropshire*Wolverton, WarwickshirePlaces in the United States:...
, Bletchley and Roade
Roade
Roade is a village in Northamptonshire, England and in the area of the South Northamptonshire District Council where it is in the two-member Blisworth and Roade ward.-Location:...
.
After a fall out with Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
in 1170 AD, Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
is said to have sought refuge in the Gilbertine Monastery in Deanshanger (or Dinneshangra as it was then known). Although disguised as a peasant, he was nevertheless recognised by a farm labourer known only as Wayne. At the time the only water supply in the village was foul and brackish, and having heard of the miracle that Becket was said to have performed at nearby Northampton, the farm labourer pleaded with Becket to repeat the performance. Becket is said to have looked towards Heaven, struck the ground with his staff, and immediately a fresh spring appeared. This is one of 703 miracles that is said to have led to his canonisation..
In 2010 a sixteen year old boy was stabbed outside a kingsbrook school in Deanshanger and later died of his injuries. The boy was attacked by a group of four men and the four were arrested and are currently on trial a fifth man is on trial for conspiracy to commit grevious bodily harm.
Demography
At the time of the 2001 censusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Deanshanger parish had a population of 2,900 citizens and in 2010 was estimated to be 3,877.
Industry
From the 1820s, the main industry in the village was an iron foundryFoundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
and later an iron oxide
Iron oxide
Iron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. All together, there are sixteen known iron oxides and oxyhydroxides.Iron oxides and oxide-hydroxides are widespread in nature, play an important role in many geological and biological processes, and are widely utilized by humans, e.g.,...
works (making pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
for paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
). This gave some of the surrounding area a red colouration from the oxide dust, which was mostly used to produce pigments. However, in 1999, the works closed and was demolished. By 2008, most of the works land has been replaced by the construction of several new housing estates. Extensive remedial work was needed to reverse the harmful effects of the previous industrial use of the site there are still signs of the red stained oxide all around the village. Some land has designated for light industrial use.
Amenities
The village has village hall and community centre (extended in 2008) to provide a venue for events and facilities for community groups, a doctor's surgery and a library. Other amenities include a primary school,, a secondary school, Kingsbrook School became Elizabeth WoodvilleElizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
School in 2011 when it merged with Roade Sports College and is now split over two sites. The Deanshanger grounds include the site of a Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
. The merged school will be re-named Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
School. Woodville was born in Grafton Regis
Grafton Regis
Grafton Regis is a village and civil parish in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. The village is east of the A508 road, on which it has a short frontage and two bus stops. It is ca. south of Northampton and north of Milton Keynes....
which is halfway between the two schools and was Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
.
There is a parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
(Holy Trinity, Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) and a Methodist chapel, a post office, two pubs and two members' clubs (sports and social, Conservative club
Conservative Club
The Conservative Club was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved, which was established in 1840. In 1950 it merged with the Bath Club, and was disbanded in 1981...
), a pharamacy, a hairdresser, a pizza and kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
takeaway
Take-out
Take-out or takeout , carry-out , take-away , parcel , or tapau , is food purchased at a...
, a Chinese
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
and fish and chips
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
takeaway, a mobile takeaway, and other village stores and newsagent's shops including a greengrocers. On the edge of the village on the A422
A422 road
The A422 is an "A" road for east-west journeys in south central England, connecting the county towns of Bedford and Worcester by way of Milton Keynes, Buckingham, Banbury and Stratford-upon-Avon. For most of its length, is a narrow single carriageway....
, is a golf and country club, a hotel, a Thai restaurant and a petrol and service station..
For children, there is a pre-school playgroup, youth club, and junior football club
The village's annual event is a revival of the historic Feast held on a Saturday afternoon and evening in October each year. This includes a fun fair, stalls and firework show.
There is an active village heritage society that organises the Feast, the planting of spring flowers on the roads into the village in autumn, cleaning of the stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
(King's Brook) in spring
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
and carol
Carol (music)
A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with church worship, and often with a dance-like or popular character....
singing in December.
The parish council office is the former primary school and redundant Baptist Chapel building renovated inn 2008-09.
Transport
The local bus service runs hourly (between 07:00 and 18:00 Monday to Friday, 08:00 and 18:00 Saturday, no Sunday or Public Holiday services) Bus route 14 travels between Deanshanger, Stony StratfordStony Stratford
Stony Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes and is a civil parish with a town council within the Borough of Milton Keynes. It is in the north west corner of Milton Keynes, bordering Northamptonshire and separated from it by the River Great Ouse...
, Old Stratford
Old Stratford
Old Stratford is a village in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. The river Great Ouse forms the boundary with Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.-Location:...
, Kiln Farm and Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
town centre and rail station. Certain timetabled buses on this route also travel to Wicken
Wicken, Northamptonshire
Wicken is a village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is about one mile north of the A422 road between Milton Keynes and Buckingham and forms part of South Northamptonshire district...
.
The nearest railway station is Wolverton
Wolverton
Wolverton is part of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.Wolverton may also refer to:Places in England:*Wolverton, Dorset*Wolverton, Kent*Wolverton, Hampshire*Wolverton, Shropshire*Wolverton, WarwickshirePlaces in the United States:...
for services to London Euston railway station
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
, Bletchley, Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and north. Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
railway station (on the same line) is the nearest station to give access to fast trains to London (40 minutes), intercity and cross-country services. There are several private hire taxi services.