Whiteleaf, Buckinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Whiteleaf is a hamlet
in the civil parish of Princes Risborough
and the ecclesiastical parish of Monks Risborough
in Buckinghamshire
, England. It is located 7 miles south of the county town of Aylesbury
and 8 miles north of High Wycombe
. It lies halfway up the northern scarp of the Chilterns, about half a mile from the parish church of Monks Risborough
.
The hamlet's name is first found in the form White Cliff in the eighteenth century, referring to the white chalk cliff above the road to the east of the hamlet, which has the Whiteleaf Cross cut into the chalk on the side of the hill above it, making an important landmark for miles around. The cliff is probably a natural formation, older than the cross. The date and origin of the cross are unknown. It was mentioned as an antiquity by Francis Wise in 1742, but no earlier reference has been found. The cross is not mentioned in any description of the area before 1700
Various books published in and since the 18th century have speculated on the origin of the cross, but without any supporting evidence. Theories included a Saxon celebration of a victory over the Danes, a phallic symbol later Christianised, a direction sign for a (non-existent) medieval monastery, soldiers in the Civil War amusing themselves when they had nothing better to do and a seventeenth century alternative to a village cross. In addition to the cross, there is a neolithic barrow on Whiteleaf Hill.
Whiteleaf is home to Monks Risborough Cricket Club and the 9-hole Whiteleaf Golf Club, both of which lie slightly south-east of the main road through the village, which follows the path of the Upper Icknield Way
. The cricket ground has a significant slope and was tried by the BBC to see if it would be suitable for filming the cricket scene in the production of A. G. Macdonnell's England, Their England
. However, it was not found to be sloping enough. The cricket club celebrated its centenary in 1993 and a book covering its history was published. The cricket club pavilion was largely destroyed by fire in 2010.
The village also has a public house, the Red Lion.
Children's writer Kevin Crossley-Holland
grew up in Whiteleaf.
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...
in the civil parish of Princes Risborough
Princes Risborough
Princes Risborough is a small town in Buckinghamshire, England, about 9 miles south of Aylesbury and 8 miles north west of High Wycombe. Bledlow lies to the west and Monks Risborough to the east. It lies at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, at the north end of a gap or pass through the Chilterns,...
and the ecclesiastical parish of Monks Risborough
Monks Risborough
Monks Risborough is a village and ecclesiastical parish in Buckinghamshire, England, lying between Princes Risborough and Great Kimble. The village lies at the foot of the northern scarp of the Chiltern Hills...
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. It is located 7 miles south of the county town of 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...
and 8 miles north of High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
. It lies halfway up the northern scarp of the Chilterns, about half a mile from the parish church of Monks Risborough
Monks Risborough
Monks Risborough is a village and ecclesiastical parish in Buckinghamshire, England, lying between Princes Risborough and Great Kimble. The village lies at the foot of the northern scarp of the Chiltern Hills...
.
The hamlet's name is first found in the form White Cliff in the eighteenth century, referring to the white chalk cliff above the road to the east of the hamlet, which has the Whiteleaf Cross cut into the chalk on the side of the hill above it, making an important landmark for miles around. The cliff is probably a natural formation, older than the cross. The date and origin of the cross are unknown. It was mentioned as an antiquity by Francis Wise in 1742, but no earlier reference has been found. The cross is not mentioned in any description of the area before 1700
Whiteleaf is home to Monks Risborough Cricket Club and the 9-hole Whiteleaf Golf Club, both of which lie slightly south-east of the main road through the village, which follows the path of the Upper Icknield Way
Icknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern England. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.-Background:...
. The cricket ground has a significant slope and was tried by the BBC to see if it would be suitable for filming the cricket scene in the production of A. G. Macdonnell's England, Their England
England, Their England
England, Their England is an affectionately satirical comic novel of 1920s English urban and rural society by the Scottish writer A. G. Macdonell. It is particularly famed for its portrayal of village cricket.-Social satire:...
. However, it was not found to be sloping enough. The cricket club celebrated its centenary in 1993 and a book covering its history was published. The cricket club pavilion was largely destroyed by fire in 2010.
The village also has a public house, the Red Lion.
Children's writer Kevin Crossley-Holland
Kevin Crossley-Holland
Kevin John William Crossley-Holland is an English translator, children's author and poet.-Life and career:Born in Mursley, north Buckinghamshire, Holland grew up in Whiteleaf, a small village in the Chilterns...
grew up in Whiteleaf.