Stony Stratford
Encyclopedia
Stony Stratford is a constituent town
of Milton Keynes
(in north Buckinghamshire
, England
) 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
. Before the designation of Milton Keynes in 1967, Stony was in Wolverton Urban District
, north Buckinghamshire
. Stony had a last recorded population of 11,800 in the 2001 census.
Since at least Roman times
, there has been a settlement here at the ford of Watling Street
over the Great Ouse. The town's market charter
dates from 1194 and its status as a town from 1215.
in origin, and means 'ford on a Roman road'. The Roman road
in this sense is the Watling Street
that runs through the middle of the town. The ford is the crossing of the River Ouse
. The prefix 'Stony' refers to the stones on the bed of the ford, differentiating the town from nearby Fenny Stratford
.
There has been a market
in Stony Stratford since 1194 (by charter
of King Richard I
). (Until the early 1900s, livestock marts were still held in the market square but in more recent times the square has become a car park, apart from a monthly farmers' market
in one corner. The weekly market has moved to Timor Court, and of course no longer deals in livestock). Stony Stratford formally became a town when it received letters patent
from King John
in 1215.
Stony Stratford was the location where, in 1290, an Eleanor cross
was built in memory of the recently deceased Eleanor of Castile
. The cross was destroyed during the English Civil War
.
The Rose and Crown Inn at Stony Stratford was reputedly where King Edward V
stayed the night before he was taken to London by his uncle Richard Duke of Gloucester, who later became King Richard III
. The inn is now a private house but a plaque on the front wall gives a brief account of the event.
The town has twice become almost completely consumed by fire, the first time in 1736 and the second in 1742. The only building to escape the second fire was the tower of the chapel of ease
of St Mary Magdalen
.
Since at least the 15th Century, Stony Stratford was an important stop on the road to Ireland
via Chester
, becoming quite rich on the proceeds in the 16th Century. In the stage coach era of the 17th century and early 18th century, it was a major resting place and exchange point with the east/west route with coaching inn
s to accommodate coach travellers. In the early 19th century, over thirty mail coach
es and stagecoach
es a day stopped here. That traffic came to an abrupt end in 1838 when the London to Birmingham Railway (now the West Coast Main Line
) was opened at Wolverton
– ironically, just three years after the bridge over the Ouse had been rebuilt. For the rest of that century, Stony was in decline until the arrival of the motor car, when again its position on the original A5 road made it an important stopping point for motorists.
Today Stony Stratford is a busy, picturesque market town
at the north-west corner of Milton Keynes. The many pubs, restaurants and specialist shops attract visitors from some distance. The highlight of the annual calendar is in early June (second Sunday) when Folk on the Green, a free (voluntary contribution) festival of folk music
, folk rock
and eclectic taste takes over Horsefair Green.
Due to the juxtaposition of the pubs in the centre of town, The Cock and The Bull, (both originally coaching inn
s) on the main London to Chester
and North Wales
turnpike
), it is believed locally that the common phrase a cock and bull story originated here, however there is no evidence for this. Today, there is an annual story telling festival to celebrate these Cock and Bull stories.
were filmed in Stony Stratford. Cox and Robinsons chemist is the 'Penrith tea rooms' where Withnail demands " the finest wines known to humanity." The Crown pub became the 'King Henry pub' in the film. Both premises are on Market Square.
and Wolverton, and covered by two chapelries
, St Giles, attached to Calverton, and St Mary Magdalen, attached to Wolverton. St Mary Magdalen dates from about 1450, though only the tower remains from the 1742 fire. St Giles dates from the 15th century [as a chantry chapel], but all but the tower was rebuilt in 1776 to accommodate the parishioners of St Mary Magdalen. A single civil parish was established 'early' and from 1767 a single ecclesiastical parish covered the two. In modern times, the ecclesiastical parish of Stony Stratford was merged with another parish, Stony Stratford St Mary the Virgin (prior to 1953 known as Wolverton St Mary), in 1968, to create the parish of Stony Stratford St Mary and St Giles.
Around this time, the civil parish was also divided, into East (St Mary Magdelene) and West (St Giles) sides. Both the civil parishes became part of Wolverton Urban District
in 1919. These urban parishes were wound up in 1927 and both added to the parish of Wolverton.
The modern civil parish was established in 2001.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
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 north 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...
) and is a civil parish with a town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
within 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...
. It is in the north west corner of Milton Keynes, bordering 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,...
and separated from it by the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
. Before the designation of Milton Keynes in 1967, Stony was in Wolverton Urban District
Wolverton Urban District
Stratford and Wolverton Rural District , Stratford and Wolverton Urban District and Wolverton Urban District were local government districts in Buckinghamshire, England, covering the town of Wolverton and its environs.It was created as a rural district in 1894 and took over the responsibility for...
, north 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....
. Stony had a last recorded population of 11,800 in the 2001 census.
Since at least Roman times
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, there has been a settlement here at the ford of 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...
over the Great Ouse. The town's market charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
dates from 1194 and its status as a town from 1215.
History
The town name 'Stratford' is Anglo-SaxonOld 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 'ford on a Roman road'. 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...
in this sense is the 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 runs through the middle of the town. The ford is the crossing of the River Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
. The prefix 'Stony' refers to the stones on the bed of the ford, differentiating the town from nearby Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes "designated area" area in 1967...
.
There has been 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...
in Stony Stratford since 1194 (by charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of King Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
). (Until the early 1900s, livestock marts were still held in the market square but in more recent times the square has become a car park, apart from a monthly farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
in one corner. The weekly market has moved to Timor Court, and of course no longer deals in livestock). Stony Stratford formally became a town when it received letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
from King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
in 1215.
Stony Stratford was the location where, in 1290, an Eleanor cross
Eleanor cross
The Eleanor crosses were twelve originally wooden, but later lavishly decorated stone, monuments of which three survive intact in a line down part of the east of England. King Edward I had the crosses erected between 1291 and 1294 in memory of his wife Eleanor of Castile, marking the nightly...
was built in memory of the recently deceased Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile was the first queen consort of Edward I of England. She was also Countess of Ponthieu in her own right from 1279 until her death in 1290, succeeding her mother and ruling together with her husband.-Birth:...
. The cross was destroyed during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
The Rose and Crown Inn at Stony Stratford was reputedly where King Edward V
Edward V of England
Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...
stayed the night before he was taken to London by his uncle Richard Duke of Gloucester, who later became King Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
. The inn is now a private house but a plaque on the front wall gives a brief account of the event.
The town has twice become almost completely consumed by fire, the first time in 1736 and the second in 1742. The only building to escape the second fire was the tower of the chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
of St Mary Magdalen
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
.
Since at least the 15th Century, Stony Stratford was an important stop on the road to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
via Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, becoming quite rich on the proceeds in the 16th Century. In the stage coach era of the 17th century and early 18th century, it was a major resting place and exchange point with the east/west route with coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
s to accommodate coach travellers. In the early 19th century, over thirty mail coach
Mail coach
In Great Britain, the mail coach or post coach was a horse-drawn carriage that carried mail deliveries, from 1784. In Ireland, the first mail coach began service from Dublin in 1789. The coach was drawn by four horses and had seating for four passengers inside. Further passengers were later allowed...
es and stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
es a day stopped here. That traffic came to an abrupt end in 1838 when the London to Birmingham Railway (now the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
) was opened at Wolverton
Wolverton, Milton Keynes
Wolverton is a constituent town of Milton Keynes . It is at its northern edge, between Stony Stratford and Newport Pagnell...
– ironically, just three years after the bridge over the Ouse had been rebuilt. For the rest of that century, Stony was in decline until the arrival of the motor car, when again its position on the original A5 road made it an important stopping point for motorists.
The modern town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
at the north-west corner of Milton Keynes. The many pubs, restaurants and specialist shops attract visitors from some distance. The highlight of the annual calendar is in early June (second Sunday) when Folk on the Green, a free (voluntary contribution) festival of folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
and eclectic taste takes over Horsefair Green.
Cock and Bull Story
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
s) on the main London to Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
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...
), it is believed locally that the common phrase a cock and bull story originated here, however there is no evidence for this. Today, there is an annual story telling festival to celebrate these Cock and Bull stories.
In film
Scenes from the 1987 cult film Withnail and IWithnail and I
Withnail and I is a British black comedy made in 1986 by HandMade Films. It was written and directed by Bruce Robinson and is based on his life in London in the late 1960s. The main plot follows two unemployed young actors, Withnail and “I” who live in a squalid flat in Camden in 1969 while...
were filmed in Stony Stratford. Cox and Robinsons chemist is the 'Penrith tea rooms' where Withnail demands " the finest wines known to humanity." The Crown pub became the 'King Henry pub' in the film. Both premises are on Market Square.
Historic parish
From about 1648, Stony Stratford was divided between the ecclesiastic parishes of CalvertonCalverton, Milton Keynes
Calverton is a civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England and just outside Milton Keynes itself. The parish consists of three hamlets: Upper Weald, Middle Weald and Lower Weald. Lower Weald is the largest, and Manor Farm, the parish church and the former parochial school are within its...
and Wolverton, and covered by two chapelries
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
, St Giles, attached to Calverton, and St Mary Magdalen, attached to Wolverton. St Mary Magdalen dates from about 1450, though only the tower remains from the 1742 fire. St Giles dates from the 15th century [as a chantry chapel], but all but the tower was rebuilt in 1776 to accommodate the parishioners of St Mary Magdalen. A single civil parish was established 'early' and from 1767 a single ecclesiastical parish covered the two. In modern times, the ecclesiastical parish of Stony Stratford was merged with another parish, Stony Stratford St Mary the Virgin (prior to 1953 known as Wolverton St Mary), in 1968, to create the parish of Stony Stratford St Mary and St Giles.
Around this time, the civil parish was also divided, into East (St Mary Magdelene) and West (St Giles) sides. Both the civil parishes became part of Wolverton Urban District
Wolverton Urban District
Stratford and Wolverton Rural District , Stratford and Wolverton Urban District and Wolverton Urban District were local government districts in Buckinghamshire, England, covering the town of Wolverton and its environs.It was created as a rural district in 1894 and took over the responsibility for...
in 1919. These urban parishes were wound up in 1927 and both added to the parish of Wolverton.
Modern parish
The civil parish consists of the land north H3 Monks Way to the south, the city boundary to the west, the Great Ouse to the north and the A5 road to the east. The V4 Watling Street becomes Queen Eleanor Street here as it follows the original Stony Stratford bypass. Its districts are- Stony Stratford itself (defined H1 Ridgeway to the south, the city boundary to the west, the river to the north and the V4 Queen Eleanor Street to the east)
- Galley Hill (H1 to the south, V4 to the west and the A5 to the north-east).
- Fullers Slade (H2 to the south, H1 to the north, V4 Watling Street to the west and the A5 to the east).
The modern civil parish was established in 2001.
See also
- Wolverton and Stony Stratford TramwayWolverton and Stony Stratford TramwayThe Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway was a narrow gauge street tramway between the London and North Western Railway's Wolverton railway works and Wolverton railway station and Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire, two miles to the east, and onwards to Deanshanger, Northamptonshire.- History...
- The Stony Stratford Hoard (actually found in Old Stratford parish).
External links
- A tour of Stony Stratford, comparing early and modern photographs, at the Milton Keynes Heritage Association web site.
- Panoramic images and large selection of photographs of the town and its locality.
- More panoramic images and continually updated photographs of the town and its locality.
- Stony Stratford Methodist Church
- 'Parishes : Stony Stratford', A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 4 (1927), pp. 476-482.