Little Brickhill
Encyclopedia
Little Brickhill is a village
and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes
and ceremonial county
of Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is just outside and overlooking Milton Keynes
itself, two and a half miles west of Woburn
in Bedfordshire
.
The village name 'Brickhill' is a compound of Brythonic and Old English
words that have the same meaning: a common occurrence in this part of the country. The Brythonic word 'breg' means 'hill', as does the Old English word 'hyll'. In the Domesday Book
of 1086 the village was referred to as Brichelle.
The village has, for a long time, gathered most of its income from the Roman road
Watling Street
that passes through the parish
from north-west to south-east, and anciently from a market
that was established in the village in 1228. At one time the county Assize Courts were held in Little Brickhill, making it adversely larger than nearby Great Brickhill
. The last time the assizes were heard here was in 1638. Between 1561 and 1620 the names of a number of executed criminals appear in the burial register of the village. The village, being located on a major route to London, was a staging post for mail and passenger stagecoaches. 'The Clockhouse' (now converted for residential use) housed just such a staging post, incorporating a stable, office, coach sheds, a hotel and a cowshed. Upon entering the courtyard, grooves can be seen in the cobble stones under the arch that were made by the wheels of countless coaches coming and going.
The village is also the final resting place of Dame V.Bushell [1756-1847], who was most well known for the "Veritas" movement, highlighting the plight of women in the village.
The village has 2 public houses, The Old Green Man (in the centre of the village) and the George and Dragon (higher up the village opposite the church. The Post Office that was housed in the village shop closed down in 2008 which precipitated the closure of the shop itself.
The village is home to St. Mary Magdalene CofE church.
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...
and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes (borough)
The Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and borough in south central England, at the northern tip of the South East England Region. For ceremonial purposes, it is in the county of Buckinghamshire...
and ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of 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 just outside and overlooking 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...
itself, two and a half miles west of Woburn
Woburn, Bedfordshire
Woburn is a small Saxon village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is situated about southeast of the centre of Milton Keynes, and about south of junction 13 of the M1 motorway and is a popular tourist attraction.-History:...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
.
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...
words that have the same meaning: a common occurrence in this part of the country. The Brythonic word 'breg' means 'hill', as does the Old English word 'hyll'. 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 the village was referred to as Brichelle.
The village has, for a long time, gathered most of its income from the Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
that passes through the 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...
from north-west to south-east, and anciently from a market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
that was established in the village in 1228. At one time the county Assize Courts were held in Little Brickhill, making it adversely larger than nearby Great Brickhill
Great Brickhill
Great Brickhill is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district, Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the very north of the non-metropolitan county, just outside and overlooking, Milton Keynes.-History:...
. The last time the assizes were heard here was in 1638. Between 1561 and 1620 the names of a number of executed criminals appear in the burial register of the village. The village, being located on a major route to London, was a staging post for mail and passenger stagecoaches. 'The Clockhouse' (now converted for residential use) housed just such a staging post, incorporating a stable, office, coach sheds, a hotel and a cowshed. Upon entering the courtyard, grooves can be seen in the cobble stones under the arch that were made by the wheels of countless coaches coming and going.
The village is also the final resting place of Dame V.Bushell [1756-1847], who was most well known for the "Veritas" movement, highlighting the plight of women in the village.
The village has 2 public houses, The Old Green Man (in the centre of the village) and the George and Dragon (higher up the village opposite the church. The Post Office that was housed in the village shop closed down in 2008 which precipitated the closure of the shop itself.
The village is home to St. Mary Magdalene CofE church.