Woolstone, Milton Keynes
Encyclopedia
Great Woolstone and Little Woolstone are two historic village
s in modern Milton Keynes
, ceremonial Buckinghamshire now called jointly Woolstone or The Woolstones and forming the heart of a new district of that name.
The name 'Woolstone' is an Old English language
word, and means 'Wulfsige's farm'. In the Domesday Book
of 1086 the area was recorded as Wlsiestone.
Until shortly after the turn of the 19th century, the villages were named Woolstone Magna (Great Woolstone) and Woolstone Parva (Little Woolstone). The area is now collectively known simply as "Woolstone" or "The Woolstones" and it forms part of the Campbell Park Civil Parish
of Milton Keynes and comes under the control of Campbell Park Parish Council. The land between the two villages is now occupied by the village cricket green. Detail from genealogical records can be found on the UK and Ireland Genealogy site.
They are both linear villages, being hemmed in by and along the north-south line of both the River Ouzel
(to the east of the villages) and of the Grand Union Canal
to the west. They form part of a chain of three villages along this line, the next about a mile further south being Woughton-on-the-Green.
Today, Little Woolstone is the larger of the two Woolstones, having benefited from the building of the canal. Its village pub, "The Barge Inn", dates from this time, being opened to meet the needs of the canal labourers, but is now mainly a restaurant. Great Woolstone still has its own village pub, the thatched roof "Cross Keys", which can trace its history back to 1560 and serves real ales. The Church of England
Church in Little Woolstone is still open and serves both villages, whilst the church in Great Woolstone closed in the 1970s and has served various purposes since then including being used as a music rehearsal room.
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...
s in modern Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, ceremonial Buckinghamshire now called jointly Woolstone or The Woolstones and forming the heart of a new district of that name.
The name 'Woolstone' is an Old English language
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...
word, and means 'Wulfsige's farm'. 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 was recorded as Wlsiestone.
Until shortly after the turn of the 19th century, the villages were named Woolstone Magna (Great Woolstone) and Woolstone Parva (Little Woolstone). The area is now collectively known simply as "Woolstone" or "The Woolstones" and it forms part of the Campbell Park Civil Parish
Campbell Park
Campbell Park is a district in east-central and south-central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, the central park for Milton Keynes, and a civil parish that includes other districts. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 13,364...
of Milton Keynes and comes under the control of Campbell Park Parish Council. The land between the two villages is now occupied by the village cricket green. Detail from genealogical records can be found on the UK and Ireland Genealogy site.
They are both linear villages, being hemmed in by and along the north-south line of both the River Ouzel
River Ouzel
The River Ouzel , also known as the River Lovat, is a river in England, and a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises in the Chiltern Hills and flows 20 miles north to join the Ouse at Newport Pagnell....
(to the east of the villages) and of the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
to the west. They form part of a chain of three villages along this line, the next about a mile further south being Woughton-on-the-Green.
Today, Little Woolstone is the larger of the two Woolstones, having benefited from the building of the canal. Its village pub, "The Barge Inn", dates from this time, being opened to meet the needs of the canal labourers, but is now mainly a restaurant. Great Woolstone still has its own village pub, the thatched roof "Cross Keys", which can trace its history back to 1560 and serves real ales. The Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Church in Little Woolstone is still open and serves both villages, whilst the church in Great Woolstone closed in the 1970s and has served various purposes since then including being used as a music rehearsal room.
People
- Dorothy Wyndlow Pattison ("Sister DoraSister DoraSister Dora was a 19th century Church of England nun and a nurse in Walsall, Staffordshire.-Life:...
"), after whom the main road through Woolstone, Pattison Lane, is named.