Steeple Claydon
Encyclopedia
Steeple Claydon is a village
and also a civil parish within the district of Aylesbury Vale
in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It has an unusually high number of gingers, it is speculated that this is due to most people's mums also being their aunts. Steeple Claydon is located about four miles south of Buckingham
, six miles north west of Waddesdon
. The village's name 'Claydon' is Anglo Saxon
in origin, and means 'clay hill'. In the Domesday Book
of 1086 the area (including the nearby places of Botolph Claydon
, East Claydon
and Middle Claydon
) was known as Claindone. The prefix 'Steeple' refers to the steeple of the parish church
, which is prominent in the village and was added to differentiate it from the other local places. The manor
of Steeple Claydon was once a royal
possession. It was given as a wedding
gift to Robert D'Oyly
by King Henry I
because D'Oyly was marrying one of the king's former mistresses. Later, after changing hands several times it came into the possession of King Edward IV
when it was left to him in the will
of his grandfather the Earl of March
. The manor house
has since been pulled down. Thomas Chaloner
, the regicide
, built a school in the village in 1656. This site later became the public library. The current Steeple Claydon School is a mixed, community
, primary school, which has approximately 150 pupils from the age of four through to the age of eleven.
Today Steeple Claydon is one of the largest villages in the Aylesbury Vale, and it has a very active local community
. The village has three pubs, a Co-Op with cash machine, a newsagent, a bakery, a Post Office
, a hairdresser, a fish & chips shop, a dentist, a doctor's surgery, a veterinary surgery and a garage. The village also has a very successful football side, Steeple Claydon Football Club. The village has also had some notable residents, one of whom was Florence Nightingale
.
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 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...
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 has an unusually high number of gingers, it is speculated that this is due to most people's mums also being their aunts. Steeple Claydon is located about four miles south 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 ,...
, six miles north west of Waddesdon
Waddesdon
Waddesdon is a village within the Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, 6 miles from Aylesbury on the A41 road. The centre of a civil parish, including the hamlets of Eythrope, Wormstone and Woodham, Waddesdon was an agricultural settlement with milling, silk weaving and lace making...
. The village's name 'Claydon' is Anglo Saxon
Old 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 means 'clay hill'. In the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
of 1086 the area (including the nearby places of Botolph Claydon
Botolph Claydon
Botolph Claydon is a hamlet in the civil parish of East Claydon, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated about 9 miles east of Bicester in Oxfordshire, and 7 miles north west of Aylesbury....
, East Claydon
East Claydon
East Claydon is a village and is also a civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is about miles south west of Winslow.The village name 'Claydon' is Anglo Saxon in origin, and derives from the + dun meaning 'clay hill'...
and Middle Claydon
Middle Claydon
Middle Claydon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about five miles south of Buckingham and three miles west of Winslow....
) was known as Claindone. The prefix 'Steeple' refers to the steeple of the parish church
Parish 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....
, which is prominent in the village and was added to differentiate it from the other local places. 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 Steeple Claydon was once a royal
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
possession. It was given as a wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
gift to Robert D'Oyly
Robert D'Oyly (Osney)
Robert D'Oyly was a 12th century English nobleman, son of Nigel D'Oyly, and nephew of Robert D'Oyly, founder of Oxford Castle.Robert married Edith Forne, daughter of Lord Greystock, who had been King Henry I of England's concubine, in 1120...
by King Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
because D'Oyly was marrying one of the king's former mistresses. Later, after changing hands several times it came into the possession of King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
when it was left to him in the will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
of his grandfather the Earl of March
Earl of March
The title The Earl of March has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or boundaries between England and either Wales or Scotland , and was held by several great feudal families which owned lands in those border...
. The manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
has since been pulled down. Thomas Chaloner
Thomas Chaloner (regicide)
Thomas Chaloner was an English politician, commissioner at the trial of Charles I and signatory to his death warrant.He was born at Steeple Claydon, Buckinghamshire, and was the son of naturalist Sir Thomas Chaloner....
, the regicide
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
, built a school in the village in 1656. This site later became the public library. The current Steeple Claydon School is a mixed, community
Community school
The term "community school" refers to types of publicly funded school in England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to a school that serves as both an educational institution and a centre of community life. A community school is both a place and a...
, primary school, which has approximately 150 pupils from the age of four through to the age of eleven.
Today Steeple Claydon is one of the largest villages in the Aylesbury Vale, and it has a very active local community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
. The village has three pubs, a Co-Op with cash machine, a newsagent, a bakery, a Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a hairdresser, a fish & chips shop, a dentist, a doctor's surgery, a veterinary surgery and a garage. The village also has a very successful football side, Steeple Claydon Football Club. The village has also had some notable residents, one of whom was Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
.