Buckingham (borough)
Encyclopedia
Buckingham was an ancient borough in England
centered around the town of Buckingham
in the county of Buckinghamshire
, and was first recorded in the 10th century. It was incorporated as a borough in 1553/4 and reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
. In 1974, it was abolished as part of local government re-organisation under the Local Government Act 1972
, and absorbed by Aylesbury Vale District Council
.
in 1086, it had 26 burgesses. Shortly after this date, the manor of Buckingham was granted to Walter Giffard, Earl of Buckingham. It was held by various families until it escheated to the Crown
on the attainder of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
in 1521. Around this date, the term "manor" dropped out of use as applied to Buckingham, and the lordship was thereafter referred to as the "borough of Buckingham".
There is known to have been a bailiff
from at least 1312 and the court of portmote is known to have existed from at least the 13th century. The borough appears not to have exercised its right to return two burgesses to Parliament
, however, until 1529.
In 1522 the lordship of the borough was granted to Sir Henry Marny
, the grant including the right to hold a weekly market
on Saturdays and two annual fair
s. In 1526 a further royal grant was made to William Carey, whose son sold the borough to Robert Brocas in 1552.
, 27 January 1553/4, under which the borough was to be governed by the bailiff (elected annually) and 12 principal burgesses. The charter also created the office of steward
, to be elected by the borough. The bailiff was to hold the offices of escheat
or, coroner
and clerk of the market and to act as a justice of the peace
within the borough. The borough was also granted the return of writ
s to the exclusion of the sheriff
of the county.
Among the privileges granted to the borough were a court to be held every three weeks to hear cases of debt, trespass, etc., up to the value of £5 (this "Buckingham Three Weeks Court" appears to have replaced the court of portmote), a weekly market on Tuesdays, two annual fairs with a court of pie-powder, a twice-yearly view of frankpledge
, the assize
of bread and ale, the right to a gaol
within the borough and the right to return two burgesses to Parliament.
In 1574 the then lord of the borough, Bernard Brocas, granted a 2000-year lease of the borough to six trustees to hold on behalf of the corporation in return for an annual rent of 40s. The lordship was purchased by Sir Thomas Temple
in 1604. Payment of this rent to his successors was discontinued in the 19th century.
During the period 1641-1889 the Temple family and their successors the Grenvilles, who later became Marquesses and Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos
, also held the post of steward (apart from a brief period in the reign of James II
) and they dominated the borough and the election of its MPs until the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
.
In 1684 the borough received a new charter from Charles II
, by which the bailiff and principal burgesses were given the new titles of "Mayor and Aldermen". A dispute with James II over the appointment of a new steward, when the king unsuccessfully tried to secure the election of Lord Chancellor
George Jeffreys
, led to the dismissal of three mayors by the king in 1687-88. In 1688 James restored the charter of Mary I and the older titles of "Bailiff and Principal Burgess" were resumed by the mayor and aldermen.
In the 18th century the earliest known references to the offices of recorder
and town clerk, not mentioned in the charter, appear.
, when it became a municipal borough
, and was placed in the hands of a mayor
, four aldermen and six councillor
s. The reformed borough was granted its own Court of Quarter Sessions
in 1836 and a small borough police force, Buckingham Borough Police, was formed. The grant of quarter sessions was revoked in 1890 when the office of recorder was consequently abolished and the town clerk lost his title of clerk of the peace. In 1892 the police force was amalgamated with Buckinghamshire Constabulary
.
The borough council was abolished in 1974 when, as a result of local government re-organization, the borough was merged with Buckingham Rural District
and Wing Rural District
to create the district of Aylesbury Vale
. The Buckingham Three Weeks Court, which had not sat since 1820, was also formally abolished at that time.
The borough comprised six districts or divisions:
The use of the term "borough" to refer to part of the town (presumably the area of the former manor of Buckingham) should not be taken to imply any difference in rights between that district and the borough as a whole.
In addition to the lordship of the borough, other manors within the borough were:
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...
centered around the town of Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
in the county 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....
, and was first recorded in the 10th century. It was incorporated as a borough in 1553/4 and reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
. In 1974, it was abolished as part of local government re-organisation under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, and absorbed by Aylesbury Vale District Council
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...
.
Ancient Borough and Manor
The known history of which dates back to the 10th century. According to the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
in 1086, it had 26 burgesses. Shortly after this date, the manor of Buckingham was granted to Walter Giffard, Earl of Buckingham. It was held by various families until it escheated to the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
on the attainder of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and the former Lady Catherine Woodville, daughter of the 1st Earl Rivers and sister-in-law of King Edward IV.-Early life:Stafford was born at Brecknock Castle in Wales...
in 1521. Around this date, the term "manor" dropped out of use as applied to Buckingham, and the lordship was thereafter referred to as the "borough of Buckingham".
There is known to have been a bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
from at least 1312 and the court of portmote is known to have existed from at least the 13th century. The borough appears not to have exercised its right to return two burgesses to Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
, however, until 1529.
In 1522 the lordship of the borough was granted to Sir Henry Marny
Henry Marney, 1st Baron Marney
Henry Marney, 1st Baron Marney was a politician of the Tudor period in England. He started the building of Layer Marney Tower in Layer Marney, in 1515; this was not finished before his death and passed to his son....
, the grant including the right to hold a weekly 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...
on Saturdays and two annual fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
s. In 1526 a further royal grant was made to William Carey, whose son sold the borough to Robert Brocas in 1552.
Incorporation
The borough was incorporated by the charter of Mary IMary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, 27 January 1553/4, under which the borough was to be governed by the bailiff (elected annually) and 12 principal burgesses. The charter also created the office of steward
Steward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
, to be elected by the borough. The bailiff was to hold the offices of escheat
Escheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine which transfers the property of a person who dies without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in limbo without recognised ownership...
or, coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
and clerk of the market and to act as a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
within the borough. The borough was also granted the return of writ
Writ
In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court...
s to the exclusion of the sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of the county.
Among the privileges granted to the borough were a court to be held every three weeks to hear cases of debt, trespass, etc., up to the value of £5 (this "Buckingham Three Weeks Court" appears to have replaced the court of portmote), a weekly market on Tuesdays, two annual fairs with a court of pie-powder, a twice-yearly view of frankpledge
Frankpledge
Frankpledge, earlier known as frith-borh , was a system of joint suretyship common in England throughout the Early Middle Ages. The essential characteristic was the compulsory sharing of responsibility among persons connected through kinship, or some other kind of tie such as an oath of fealty to a...
, the assize
Assizes
Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to::;in common law countries :::*assizes , an obsolete judicial inquest...
of bread and ale, the right to a gaol
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
within the borough and the right to return two burgesses to Parliament.
In 1574 the then lord of the borough, Bernard Brocas, granted a 2000-year lease of the borough to six trustees to hold on behalf of the corporation in return for an annual rent of 40s. The lordship was purchased by Sir Thomas Temple
Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet, of Stowe
Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet , was an English landowner and Member of Parliament.-Early life:Temple was born at Burton Dassett in Warwickshire, the eldest son of John Temple and Susan . As a child he moved with his father to Stowe House in Buckinghamshire...
in 1604. Payment of this rent to his successors was discontinued in the 19th century.
During the period 1641-1889 the Temple family and their successors the Grenvilles, who later became Marquesses and Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos
Duke of Buckingham
The titles Marquess and Duke of Buckingham, referring to Buckingham, have been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been Earls of Buckingham.-1444 creation:...
, also held the post of steward (apart from a brief period in the reign of James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
) and they dominated the borough and the election of its MPs until the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
.
In 1684 the borough received a new charter from Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, by which the bailiff and principal burgesses were given the new titles of "Mayor and Aldermen". A dispute with James II over the appointment of a new steward, when the king unsuccessfully tried to secure the election of Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
George Jeffreys
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem, PC , also known as "The Hanging Judge", was an English judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor .- Early years and education :Jeffreys was born at the family estate of Acton Hall, near Wrexham,...
, led to the dismissal of three mayors by the king in 1687-88. In 1688 James restored the charter of Mary I and the older titles of "Bailiff and Principal Burgess" were resumed by the mayor and aldermen.
In the 18th century the earliest known references to the offices of recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
and town clerk, not mentioned in the charter, appear.
The Reformed Borough
The administration of the borough was reformed as a result of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
, when it became a municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
, and was placed in the hands of a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, four aldermen and six councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s. The reformed borough was granted its own Court of Quarter Sessions
Quarter Sessions
The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the United Kingdom and other countries in the former British Empire...
in 1836 and a small borough police force, Buckingham Borough Police, was formed. The grant of quarter sessions was revoked in 1890 when the office of recorder was consequently abolished and the town clerk lost his title of clerk of the peace. In 1892 the police force was amalgamated with Buckinghamshire Constabulary
Buckinghamshire Constabulary
Buckinghamshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Buckinghamshire, England, until 1968.Buckinghamshire Constabulary was established in 1857. It later absorbed Buckingham Borough Police and Chepping Wycombe Borough Police...
.
The borough council was abolished in 1974 when, as a result of local government re-organization, the borough was merged with Buckingham Rural District
Buckingham Rural District
Buckingham was a rural district in the administrative county of Buckinghamshire, England from 1894 to 1974. The rural district took over the responsibilities of the disbanded Buckingham Rural Sanitary District and also incorporated parishes from Brackley RSD which was mainly based in...
and Wing Rural District
Wing Rural District
Wing Rural District was a rural district in the administrative county of Buckinghamshire, England from 1894 to 1974.It was created under the Local Government Act 1894 from the parts of both the Leighton Buzzard and the Berkhampstead Rural Sanitary Districts that were in Buckinghamshire...
to create the district of 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...
. The Buckingham Three Weeks Court, which had not sat since 1820, was also formally abolished at that time.
Boundaries
The boundaries of the borough and parish of Buckingham were co-extensive. As set out in the charter of Mary I, they extended from Dudley bridge in the west to Thornborough bridge in the east and from Chackmore brook in the north to Padbury Mill bridge in the south.The borough comprised six districts or divisions:
- the borough (so-called) these three formed the town of Buckingham
- the district of Bourton Hold these three formed the town of Buckingham
- the precinct of Prebend End these three formed the town of Buckingham
- the hamlet of Bourton
- the hamlet of GawcottGawcottGawcott is a village about southwest of Buckingham in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. The village is in the civil parish of Gawcott with Lenborough.The toponym is derived from the Old English for "cottage for which rent is payable"...
- the hamlet of LenboroughLenboroughLenborough is a hamlet in the parish of Buckingham next to Gawcott, in Buckinghamshire, England. It consists mainly of barn conversions and farm houses and connects onto the back of the Buckingham Industrial Estate....
The use of the term "borough" to refer to part of the town (presumably the area of the former manor of Buckingham) should not be taken to imply any difference in rights between that district and the borough as a whole.
In addition to the lordship of the borough, other manors within the borough were:
- Prebend End of Buckingham cum Gawcott. This formed part of the endowment of the prebend of Sutton cum Buckingham in Lincoln CathedralLincoln CathedralLincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
. On the Reformation it became a lay fee which was eventually purchased in 1613 by Sir Thomas Denton of Hillesden. In the 19th century it was purchased by the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. - Bourton. This was held with the manor of Buckingham down to 1560. Accounts of 1473-74 show some tenants of the manor holding land within the manor of Buckingham, in Castle End, Castle Street and Well Street, representing in part the district known as Bourton Hold.
- Lenborough