Drayton Parslow
Encyclopedia
Drayton Parslow is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale
district of Buckinghamshire
about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Bletchley.
was Draintone or Draitone. This is derived from Old English and means "farm where sledges are used". It is a common English toponym, for places that were on a hillside, thus needing a sledge rather than a cart to pull heavy loads. By the 13th century it had become Draitone Passele, referring to the Passelewe family who tenanted the manor
of Drayton since the latter part of the 11th century. It evolved through Draygtone Passelewe in the 14th century and Draighton Perselow in the 17th century before reaching its current form.
In the reign of Edward the Confessor
in the 11th century one Lewin de Nuneham held a manor of two hides
and one virgate
at Drayton. After the Norman conquest of England
Lewin was displaced as feudal
overlord by the Norman Geoffrey de Montbray
, Bishop of Coutances. De Montbray tried unsuccessfully to displace the Passelewes as his tenants, and the family retained Drayton until 1379 when it passed by marriage to the Purcell family. In 1461 it was conveyed to a descendant of the Passelewes, William Laycon, in whose family it then remained until at least 1570.
dates from 1232. The present Church of England parish church
of the Holy Trinity
is somewhat later, being partly Decorated Gothic and partly Perpendicular.
Holy Trinity has a ring
of six bells. Bartholomew Atton of Buckingham
cast the tenor bell in 1591. The other five were cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
: two in 1842 and the remaining three including the treble bell in 1935.
Holy Trinity has a Sanctus bell that was cast by Anthony Chandler in 1669. The Chandler family were bell-founders
in Drayton Parslow from 1635 to 1726. Their business then passed to Edward Hall, who continued bell-founding in the village until 1754. Other examples of Chandler bells still in use are at St. Nicholas, Ickford and across the Oxfordshire
county boundary at SS Peter and Paul, Steeple Aston and the Sanctus bell at St. Mary, Chesterton.
Drayton Rectory is a Georgian
house of five bays
built in 1754.
and Swanbourne
. Most children older than seven from the parish go to school in Stewkley
or Winslow
.
Drayton Parslow has a public house
, The Three Horseshoes.
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 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....
about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Bletchley.
Manor
In the 11th century the toponymToponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
was Draintone or Draitone. This is derived from Old English and means "farm where sledges are used". It is a common English toponym, for places that were on a hillside, thus needing a sledge rather than a cart to pull heavy loads. By the 13th century it had become Draitone Passele, referring to the Passelewe family who tenanted 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 Drayton since the latter part of the 11th century. It evolved through Draygtone Passelewe in the 14th century and Draighton Perselow in the 17th century before reaching its current form.
In the reign of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
in the 11th century one Lewin de Nuneham held a manor of two hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
and one virgate
Virgate
The virgate or yardland was a unit of land area measurement used in medieval England, typically outside the Danelaw, and was held to be the amount of land that a team of two oxen could plough in a single annual season. It was equivalent to a quarter of a hide, so was nominally thirty acres...
at Drayton. After the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
Lewin was displaced as feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
overlord by the Norman Geoffrey de Montbray
Geoffrey de Montbray
Geoffrey de Montbray , bishop of Coutances , a right-hand man of William the Conqueror, was a type of the great feudal prelate, warrior and administrator at need....
, Bishop of Coutances. De Montbray tried unsuccessfully to displace the Passelewes as his tenants, and the family retained Drayton until 1379 when it passed by marriage to the Purcell family. In 1461 it was conveyed to a descendant of the Passelewes, William Laycon, in whose family it then remained until at least 1570.
Parish church
The first known record of Drayton Parslow having a parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
dates from 1232. The present Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of the Holy Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
is somewhat later, being partly Decorated Gothic and partly Perpendicular.
Holy Trinity has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells. Bartholomew Atton 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 ,...
cast the tenor bell in 1591. The other five were cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
: two in 1842 and the remaining three including the treble bell in 1935.
Holy Trinity has a Sanctus bell that was cast by Anthony Chandler in 1669. The Chandler family were bell-founders
Bellfounding
Bellfounding is the casting of bells in a foundry for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The process in Europe dates to the 4th or 5th century. In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in...
in Drayton Parslow from 1635 to 1726. Their business then passed to Edward Hall, who continued bell-founding in the village until 1754. Other examples of Chandler bells still in use are at St. Nicholas, Ickford and across the Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
county boundary at SS Peter and Paul, Steeple Aston and the Sanctus bell at St. Mary, Chesterton.
Drayton Rectory is a Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
house of five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
built in 1754.
Amenities
Drayton Parslow Village School is a mixed, community, infant school, which educates children between the ages of four and seven and has about forty-five pupils. Since 2007 the school has been in a partnership sharing a single headteacher with the schools in 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....
and Swanbourne
Swanbourne
Swanbourne is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about two miles east of Winslow, three miles west of Stewkley, on the secondary road B4032.-History:...
. Most children older than seven from the parish go to school in 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....
or 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....
.
Drayton Parslow has a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, The Three Horseshoes.