Little Gaddesden 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 civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the English

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...

 county of Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

 three miles north of Berkhamsted

Berkhamsted

-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...

. As well as Little Gaddesden village (population 694), the parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 contains the settlements of Ashridge

Ashridge

Ashridge is an estate and house in Hertfordshire, England; part of the land stretches into Buckinghamshire and it is close to the Bedfordshire border. It is situated in the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, about two miles north of Berkhamsted and twenty miles north west of...

(population 53), Hudnall (population 139), and part of Ringshall

Ringshall, Buckinghamshire

Ringshall is a hamlet in the Chiltern Hills of England. Parts of it lie in the parishes of Edlesborough and Ivinghoe in Buckinghamshire, but it is now mainly in the parish of Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire...

(population 81).

Part of the parish was formerly 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....

. This includes Witchcraft Bottom, notable as the alleged location where the last witch in Buckinghamshire was tried and hanged.
The village of Little Gaddesden borders both Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire, whilst being situated in the county of Hertfordshire.

Little Gaddesden and the surrounding area of the Ashridge Estate is owned and managed by the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

. This area has been used in many famous films, TV programmes & commercials, notably: First Knight

First Knight

First Knight is a 1995 American medieval film based on Arthurian legend, directed by Jerry Zucker. It stars Richard Gere as Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere, Sean Connery as King Arthur and Ben Cross as Malagant....

, ITV's Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...

 and Lewis (TV series), Movies: Stardust (2007 film), Goon

Goon

A goon is someone that is employed as someone's personal enforcer, such as either a personal bodyguard or a ruffian who is kept on staff to intimidate or assault people.Goon may also refer to:*A performer in The Goon Show...

, Harry Potter

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...

, Cranford (TV series)

Cranford (TV series)

Cranford is a British television series directed by Simon Curtis and Steve Hudson. The teleplay by Heidi Thomas was adapted from three novellas by Elizabeth Gaskell published between 1849 and 1858: Cranford, My Lady Ludlow, and Mr Harrison's Confessions...

, Henry VIII (TV serial)

Henry VIII (TV serial)

Henry VIII is a two-part British television serial produced principally by Granada Television for ITV. It chronicles the life of Henry VIII of England from the disintegration of his first marriage to an aging Spanish princess until his death following a stroke in 1547, by which time he had married...

, Son of Rambow

Son of Rambow

Son of Rambow is a 2008 comedy-drama film written and directed by Garth Jennings. The film premiered January 22, 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival. It was later shown at the Newport Beach Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and Glasgow Film...

 and more recently the new Robin Hood

Robin Hood

Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....

 movie starring Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe

Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...

, Robin Hood (2010 film)

Robin Hood (2010 film)

Robin Hood is a 2010 British/American adventure film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett...

 & Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver

James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...

 for Sainsburys TV advert 2010 . Marchlands

Marchlands

Marchlands is a five-part supernatural drama first shown on ITV in the United Kingdom on 3 February 2011, telling the story of three different families living in the same house at three different time periods, in 1968, 1987 and 2010. The three families are linked by the spirit of a young girl who...

 TV Drama.

Little Gaddesden has many period properties, of note: Ashridge House, (designed by Sir James Wyattville along with gardens and grounds designed by Sir Humphrey Repton and Capability Brown - Golden Valley) The Manor House situated on the Green along with John O’Gaddesden House and Marian House, Little Gaddesden House along Nettleden Road heading towards the hamlet of Nettleden and the Old Rectory past the village shop heading to Ringshall.
The Ashridge Estate that surrounds the village is a 5000 acres (20.2 km²) area of open countryside and woodland on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, with a rich variety of wildlife including fallow dear, muntjac and the renowned red kite. There are large areas of mature woodlands with carpets of spring bluebells and fine autumnal displays, along with the panorama from the Bridgewater Monument.

Little Gaddesden is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...

 (ANOB) and a Conservation Area

Conservation area

A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...

 protected by the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

.

There is a vigorous community life with 30 different clubs and societies. The oldest of these is probably the Women's Institute (founded in 1919) and the Royal British Legion.

Local amenities include the famous Ashridge Golf Course, Alford Arms public house, Bridgewater Arms public house, Little Gaddesden Village Shop and Post office, Munns Farm Shop, Grove Farm, Little Gaddesden Primary School, Little Gaddesden Cricket Club, Ivinghoe Beacon

Ivinghoe Beacon

Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in the Chiltern Hills, standing 233 m above sea level. It is situated close to the villages of Ivinghoe, Aldbury in Buckinghamshire, the Ashridge Estate, and the village of Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire, and is managed and owned by the...

, Pitstone Windmill

Pitstone Windmill

Pitstone Windmill stands in the north east corner of a large field near the parish boundary of Ivinghoe and Pitstone in Buckinghamshire. It is thought to have been first built circa 1627 as this date is carved on part of the framework. This is the earliest date to be found on any windmill in the...

, Frithsden Vineyard, Gaddesden Place

Gaddesden Place

Gaddesden Place, near Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, England, was designed by architect James Wyatt and built between 1768 and 1773, and was the home of the noted Hertfordshire Halsey family....

, The Gaddesden Estate, Walter Swinburn

Walter Swinburn

Walter R. Swinburn is a retired flat racing jockey who competed in Great Britain and Ireland as well as internationally.Swinburn was born in Oxford...

 Racing Stables, Stocks House

Stocks House

Stocks House is a large Georgian mansion, built in 1773, that is the largest property in the village of Aldbury, Hertfordshire. It was built by owners of Stocks Farm and used as their family home for many years...

, Ashridge Business School

Ashridge Business School

Ashridge Business School is an independent, non-profit making organisation, near Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, England. Its activities include open and tailored executive education programmes, MBA, MSc and Diploma qualifications, organisation consulting, applied research and online learning....

 also known as Ashridge House, London Gliding Club

London Gliding Club

The London Gliding Club is a private members' club, and was set up primarily to train pilots in powerless flight, and the skills necessary to fly cross country using nature's sources of energy. Aerobatics and instructor training is also available. The club provides gliding courses, one day courses...

, Dunstable Downs

Dunstable Downs

Dunstable Downs are part of the Chiltern Hills, in southern Bedfordshire in England. They are a chalk escarpment forming the north-eastern reaches of the Chilterns...

 and Whipsnade Zoo.

Nearby villages and Hamlets: Aldbury

Aldbury

Aldbury is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, near the borders of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, in a valley close to Ashridge Park. The nearest town is Tring; Tring railway station, 1 mile west, is in the parish of Aldbury...

, Great Gaddesden

Great Gaddesden

Great Gaddesden is a village and civil parish in Dacorum Hundred in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, north of Hemel Hempstead. The parish borders to Flamstead, Hemel Hempstead, Nettleden and Little Gaddesden and also to Studham in Bedfordshire.The Church St. John the...

, Gaddesden Row, Frithsden

Frithsden

Frithsden is a small hamlet in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about two miles north of Berkhamsted, to which it belongs.The village name is derived from the wood le Fryth...

, Nettleden

Nettleden

Nettleden is a village in Hertfordshire, England. It is in the Chiltern Hills, about four miles north west of Hemel Hempstead, surrounded by Little Gaddesden, Great Gaddesden and Frithsden. Nettleden with Potten End is a civil parish in Dacorum District.The village name of Nettleden is Anglo Saxon...

, Potten End

Potten End

Potten End is a village in west Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, two miles east-north-east of Berkhamsted, three miles north west of Hemel Hempstead and two miles south east of the National Trust estate of Ashridge. Nearby villages include Nettleden, Great Gaddesden and...

, Ivinghoe

Ivinghoe

Ivinghoe is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, close to the border with Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. It is four miles north of Tring and six miles south of Leighton Buzzard, close to the village of Pitstone.The village name is Anglo-Saxon in...

, Northchurch

Northchurch

Northchurch is a village and civil parish in the Bulbourne valley in Hertfordshire lying between Berkhamsted and Tring.Situated on the Roman road Akeman Street, a major Roman villa dating from about AD 60 was discovered in the village in the 1970s. The settlement predates the neighbouring larger...

, Ringshall

Ringshall

Ringshall is the name of more than one place.In the United Kingdom:*Ringshall, Berkhamsted, a hamlet on the border between Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire*Ringshall, Suffolk*Ringshall Stocks, Suffolk...

, Studham

Studham

Studham is a village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire. It has a population of 1,125. The parish bounds to the south the Buckinghamshire border, and to the east is the Hertfordshire border. The village lies in the wooded south facing rolls of the Chiltern Hills...

, Dudswell, Wigginton

Wigginton, Hertfordshire

Wigginton is a large village and civil parish running north-south and perched at on the edge of the Chiltern Hills in the county of Hertfordshire and aside the border with Buckinghamshire...

, Dagnall

Dagnall

Dagnall is a village in the parish of Edlesborough, in Buckinghamshire, England.The place name is derived from the Old English for "Daegga's Knoll". In manorial rolls of 1196 it was listed as Dagenhale....

, Flamstead

Flamstead

Flamstead is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, England, close to the junction of the A5 and the M1 motorway at junction 9. The name is thought by some historians to be a corruption of the original Verulamstead...

.

Local residents are kept updated on events in Little Gaddesden through the Gaddesden Diary, published seasonally.
The Parish News also provides a further summary.

Famous residents who live in the village, include: Football Commentator John Motson

John Motson

John Walker Motson OBE ,AKA Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio as well a well known moter. He made his name as 'Moty' after he moted out the entire Huddersfield huddersfield cheerleaders team. writer.-Biography:The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated...

, F1 Driver Mark Webber

Mark Webber

Mark Alan Webber is an Australian Formula One driver.After some racing success in Australia, Webber moved to the United Kingdom in 1995 to further his motorsport career...

, Ex Footballers Luther Blissett

Luther Blissett

Luther Loide Blissett is a former professional footballer and manager, who is currently a first-team coach at Hemel Hempstead Town. Blissett played as a striker, and is best known for his time at Watford, whom he helped win promotion from the Fourth Division to the First Division...

 and Tim Sherwood

Tim Sherwood

Timothy "Tim" Sherwood is an English former professional footballer who was captain of Blackburn Rovers' Premiership title-winning side...

, Actor Adrian Scarborough

Adrian Scarborough

Adrian Philip Scarborough is an English character actor and won an Olivier award for best actor in a supporting role in 2011.Scarborough was born in Melton Mowbray, and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, winning the Chesterton Award for Best Actor.In 1993, he was nominated for the Ian...

, News Correspondent Fiona Bruce

Fiona Bruce

Fiona Elizabeth Bruce is a British journalist, newsreader and television presenter. Since joining the BBC in 1989, she has gone on to present many flagship programmes for the corporation including the BBC News at Six, BBC News at Ten, Crimewatch, Call My Bluff and, most recently, Antiques Roadshow...

 and Radio Presenter Roger Bolton

Roger Bolton

Roger William Bolton was a British trade unionist.Roger Bolton left Dublin with his family in 1958 when they moved to London...

. Singer Sarah Brightman

Sarah Brightman

Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...

 was brought up in the village.

Further reading

J. Leonhardt, A Century Remembered: The Millennium Book for Little Gaddesden, Ringshall, Hudnall and Ashridge, Rural Heritage Society, 2002, ISBN 0-9542174-0-3.

External links

• Gerald Massey: a biography - Chapter 5 (mentions Witchcraft Bottom)
• Little Gaddesden at British History Online
  British History Online
  British History Online is a digital library of primary and secondary sources on medieval and modern history of Great Britain. It was created and is managed, as a cooperative venture by the Institute of Historical Research, the University of London and the History of Parliament Trust..The places...
  
  
• Little Gaddesden Village Website
• Gaddesden Estate
• Gaddesden Place
• Little Gaddesden (A Guide to Old Hertfordshire) - Includes information on the Manor House
• Little Gaddesden TV - (Local Tv)