Dinton, Buckinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Dinton is a village
in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is in the very south of the Aylesbury Vale
on the ancient turnpike
leading from Aylesbury
to Thame
(although this road has since been diverted away from the village). Dinton with Ford and Upton is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale
district.
The village name is Anglo Saxon
in origin, and means 'Dunna's estate'. In the Domesday Book
of 1086 it was listed as Danitone.
There was an ancient mansion
house in this parish
that belonged to the Mayne family for many years (they were lords of the manor
in 1086). This has long since disappeared, but the groundworks of the ancient manor house
still remain and are a goldmine of archaeological
finds. There is also a ruined mock-fortified building, Dinton Castle
also known as Dinton Folly, though this was constructed much later (in 1769) by Sir John Vanhattem. This octagonal folly has deteriorated over recent years, although it is a listed building., but has recently underdone some restoration work.
Next to the church at Dinton is Dinton Hall; this fine many gable
d mansion altered at various periods during its long history, was until the last quarter of the 20th century the seat of the Currie family. Following the Curries' departure it was bought by a Mr. Smith. He carried out a program of restoration, and placed his own coat of arms
above the mansion's portals.
A notable resident of Dinton in the 17th century was John Bigg, the Dinton Hermit, who lived in a cave in the village. He was involved in the execution of King Charles I
on January 30, 1649 and was reputed to have been the actual executioner. As one of the regicides Simon Mayne
lived at Dinton, and was after his death in imprisonment buried at Dinton in 1661, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the executioner would have been given sanctuary and anonymity on one of the regicide's estates.
Within the parish border lay the hamlets
of Westlington
, Ford
, Upton
, Waldridge
, Gibraltar
and Aston Mullins
.
There was also anciently a hamlet called Moreton in this parish, though today only the groundworks and ponds remain. This hamlet was wiped out sometime in the Sixteenth Century.
Cuddington and Dinton Church of England School is a mixed Church of England
primary school. It is a voluntary aided school that has been formed from the merger of Cuddington and Dinton schools. It takes children from the age of four through to the age of eleven.The school now has just over one hundred pupils.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is in the very south of the Aylesbury Vale
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
on the ancient turnpike
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
leading from Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
to Thame
Thame
Thame is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town....
(although this road has since been diverted away from the village). Dinton with Ford and Upton is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
district.
The village name is Anglo Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
in origin, and means 'Dunna's estate'. In the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 it was listed as Danitone.
There was an ancient mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
house in this parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
that belonged to the Mayne family for many years (they were lords of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
in 1086). This has long since disappeared, but the groundworks of the ancient manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
still remain and are a goldmine of archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
finds. There is also a ruined mock-fortified building, Dinton Castle
Dinton Castle
Dinton Castle is located just north of the village of Dinton, in Buckinghamshire and was built as an eyecatcher from Dinton Hall by Sir John Vanhattem in 1769. He used the castle to store his collection of fossils in the limestone walls.According to Rev...
also known as Dinton Folly, though this was constructed much later (in 1769) by Sir John Vanhattem. This octagonal folly has deteriorated over recent years, although it is a listed building., but has recently underdone some restoration work.
Next to the church at Dinton is Dinton Hall; this fine many gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d mansion altered at various periods during its long history, was until the last quarter of the 20th century the seat of the Currie family. Following the Curries' departure it was bought by a Mr. Smith. He carried out a program of restoration, and placed his own coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
above the mansion's portals.
A notable resident of Dinton in the 17th century was John Bigg, the Dinton Hermit, who lived in a cave in the village. He was involved in the execution of King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
on January 30, 1649 and was reputed to have been the actual executioner. As one of the regicides Simon Mayne
Simon Mayne
Simon Mayne was a Member of Parliament and one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.Simon was born and lived at Dinton Hall in Buckinghamshire, the son of Simon Mayne Snr and his wife, Colubria the sister of Richard Lovelace, 1st Baron Lovelace. His father died when he was only five,...
lived at Dinton, and was after his death in imprisonment buried at Dinton in 1661, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the executioner would have been given sanctuary and anonymity on one of the regicide's estates.
Within the parish border lay the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Westlington
Westlington
Westlington is a hamlet near the village of Dinton in the civil parish of Dinton-with-Ford and Upton, Buckinghamshire, England....
, Ford
Ford, Buckinghamshire
Ford is a hamlet in the parish of Dinton-with-Ford and Upton, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the south eastern corner of the main parish....
, Upton
Upton, Buckinghamshire
Upton is a hamlet in the parish of Dinton-with-Ford and Upton, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located to the north of the main village of Dinton, on the junction between the new road from Aylesbury to Thame, and the old road before it was rerouted....
, Waldridge
Waldridge, Buckinghamshire
Waldridge is an ancient village in the parish of Dinton-with-Ford and Upton in Buckinghamshire, England. Although little of the village survives today, the Waldridge Manor in the nearby village of Meadle shows the approximate location of the original settlement....
, Gibraltar
Gibraltar, Buckinghamshire
Gibraltar is a hamlet in the parish of Dinton-with-Ford and Upton in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located on the modern main road that links Aylesbury with Thame.The hamlet is named after the British dependency of Gibraltar....
and Aston Mullins
Aston Mullins
Aston Mullins is a hamlet in the parish of Dinton, in Buckinghamshire, England....
.
There was also anciently a hamlet called Moreton in this parish, though today only the groundworks and ponds remain. This hamlet was wiped out sometime in the Sixteenth Century.
Cuddington and Dinton Church of England School is a mixed 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...
primary school. It is a voluntary aided school that has been formed from the merger of Cuddington and Dinton schools. It takes children from the age of four through to the age of eleven.The school now has just over one hundred pupils.