Swanbourne
Encyclopedia
- For the suburb of PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
see Swanbourne, Western AustraliaSwanbourne, Western Australia-Facilities:Swanbourne includes the 18-hole Cottesloe Golf Club and Swanbourne Beach. Swanbourne is also well-known for having the only nudist beach in Perth. The beach, situated on army land and thus not subject to local council authority, is immediately north of the officially named Swanbourne...
; Swanbourne Lake is in the grounds of Arundel CastleArundel CastleArundel Castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England is a restored medieval castle. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror...
.
Swanbourne is a village
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 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 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 located about two miles east of Winslow
Winslow, Buckinghamshire
Winslow is a small market town and also a civil parish designated as a town council within Aylesbury Vale district in north Buckinghamshire. It has a population of about 4500....
, three miles west of Stewkley
Stewkley
Stewkley is a village and a civil parish within the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 5 miles East of Winslow and 4 miles West of Leighton Buzzard....
, on the secondary road B4032.
History
The village name 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 possibly means 'swan stream'. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
in 792 the village was recorded as Suanaburna.
The manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Swanbourne once belonged to Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
. Swanbourne House was bought in 1798 by Thomas Fremantle (1765–1819), for his wife Elizabeth
Elizabeth Wynne Fremantle
Elizabeth Wynne Fremantle was the main author of the extensive Wynne Diaries and wife of the Royal Navy officer Thomas Fremantle , a close associate of Nelson.-Life:Known in the family as Betsey, she was born Elizabeth Wynne, the second daughter of...
, known as Betsey, for 900 guineas. The Fremantle family, originally from Aston Abbotts
Aston Abbotts
Aston Abbotts is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated about four miles north of Aylesbury and three miles south west of Wing. The parish had a population of 404 according to the 2001 census.The village name 'Aston' is a common one...
, had strong naval connections. Their eldest son Sir Thomas Francis Fremantle (1798–1890) became a prominent Tory politician. Their second son Charles
Charles Fremantle
Admiral Sir Charles Howe Fremantle GCB RN was a British Royal Navy officer. The city of Fremantle in Western Australia is named after him.-Early life:...
(1800–1869) followed his father into the British Royal Navy and was instrumental in founding the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. This accounts for the place names Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, Swanbourne
Swanbourne, Western Australia
-Facilities:Swanbourne includes the 18-hole Cottesloe Golf Club and Swanbourne Beach. Swanbourne is also well-known for having the only nudist beach in Perth. The beach, situated on army land and thus not subject to local council authority, is immediately north of the officially named Swanbourne...
and Cottesloe
Cottesloe, Western Australia
-Transport:Cottesloe is served by Swanbourne, Grant Street, Cottesloe, Mosman Park and Victoria Street railway stations on the Fremantle line. Various bus routes along Stirling Highway and through the suburb's western and eastern sections link Cottesloe to Perth and Fremantle. All services are...
in the Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
area of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Swanbourne House is still owned by the Fremantle family trust, but let (see "Schools"). The present head of the family is Commander John Tapling Fremantle, 5th Baron Cottesloe. A former Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
There has been a Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire almost continuously since the position was created by King Henry VIII in 1535. The only exception to this was the English Civil War and English Interregnum between 1643 and 1660 when there was no king to support the Lieutenancy...
, he lives in the village, as does his daughter Elizabeth, the Hon. Mrs. Duncan Smith, with her husband Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
, the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
There was an agricultural strike in Swanbourne in 1873, led by members of the Primitive Methodist Chapel who were in the National Agricultural Labourer's Union (NALU).
Attached to the village is the hamlet
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 Nearton End.
Schools
The first school in the village was founded in 1712 under the will of one Nicholas Godwin. The present-day Swanbourne Church of England School in Winslow Road is a mixed, voluntary aided, primary school with about 30 pupils aged from four to nine. There are plans to resume teaching 9 to 11-year-olds soon. Some functions and staff are shared with MursleyMursley
Mursley is a small village in and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about three miles east of Winslow and four miles south west of Fenny Stratford....
Church of England School and Drayton Parslow
Drayton Parslow
Drayton Parslow is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire about south of Bletchley.-Manor:In the 11th century the toponym was Draintone or Draitone. This is derived from Old English and means "farm where sledges are used"...
Village School.
Swanbourne House is a coeducational infants' and prep school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
for 400-450 pupils from age three for day pupils and seven for boarders, up to the age of 13. It was founded in 1920.
The private Home Farm Day Nursery is also in Winslow Road.
Churches
St Swithun'sSaint Swithun
Swithun was an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester and subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. His historical importance as bishop is overshadowed by his reputation for posthumous miracle-working...
Church (Anglican), a Grade II* listed historic building, stands at the east end of the village, opposite Swanbourne House. The nave, chancel and tower date from the first half of the 13th century. The north aisle was added in the second half of the 15th century and the tower rebuilt half a century later. The church is in remarkably good repair, and contains some charming stained glass and a fine wooden ceiling, both probably dating from the 19th century. There are also some medieval carvings and the remains of three remarkable medieval murals in the north aisle. The tower contains six bells and a sanctus. There are monumental brasses on the south and north sides of the chancel. The latter, showing Thomas Adams (died 1626) and his family, bears the baneful inscription, “Who in prime of youth by bloudy theves was slain, / In Liscombe ground his bloud ye grass did staine.”
Swanbourne Baptist Church, in Mursley Road, was built in 1809, rebuilt in 1863 and closed in 1972, when it was converted into a dwelling.
Swanbourne Methodist Church is in Nearton End. The first Chapel was built for the Primitive Methodists in 1858 and a new one was built in 1907. Formerly in the Stewkley Circuit, then the Leighton Buzzard Circuit, the church is now in the Aylesbury Vale Circuit. Sunday services are at 6pm with a lively Sunday School each week at 10.30am.
Businesses and facilities
There is a general store on Mursley Road.A new public house and restaurant opened at the end of July 2006. It is called "The Betsey Wynne
Elizabeth Wynne Fremantle
Elizabeth Wynne Fremantle was the main author of the extensive Wynne Diaries and wife of the Royal Navy officer Thomas Fremantle , a close associate of Nelson.-Life:Known in the family as Betsey, she was born Elizabeth Wynne, the second daughter of...
" after the diarist ancestor of the Fremantles. Situated in Mursley Road, it specializes in English food and drink and self-grown produce.
Swanbourne Tearooms is on Winslow Road.
From 1851 to 1967, Swanbourne had its own
Swanbourne railway station
Swanbourne is a disused railway station that served the villages of Swanbourne, Little Horwood and Mursley in north Buckinghamshire, England. It is on the disused Varsity Line, roughly at the centre of a triangle drawn between the three villages....
railway station on the Varsity Line
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the village and half way to Little Horwood
Little Horwood
Little Horwood is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about four miles ESE of Buckingham and two miles north east of Winslow....
. It was also about the same distance from Mursley
Mursley
Mursley is a small village in and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about three miles east of Winslow and four miles south west of Fenny Stratford....
. The nearest train station today is at Bletchley (14 km).
There are limited weekday bus services between Swanbourne and Winslow, Bletchley or 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...
.
Further reading
- Ken Reading "Swanbourne: History of an Anglo-Saxon Town" available from Swanbourne Village Shop
- Frankie Fisher "We Reap Where They Have Sown – an account of Primitive Methodism in Swanbourne", available from Swanbourne Methodist Church