'Buckinghamshire' (abbreviated 'Bucks') is one of the
home counties in
South East England. The
county town is
Aylesbury.
Divisions and environs
The area under the control of Buckinghamshire County Council, or
shire county, is divided into four districts -
Aylesbury Vale,
Chiltern,
South Bucks and
Wycombe.
Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and forms part of the county for various functions such as
Lord Lieutenant but does not come under county council control. The ceremonial county, the area including
Milton Keynes, borders
Greater London,
Berkshire,
Oxfordshire,
Northamptonshire,
Bedfordshire and
Hertfordshire.
Physical geography
The county includes the
Chiltern Hills to the South and the
Vale of Aylesbury to the north. At 876 feet (267 m) above sea level, the two highest points are
Coombe Hill near
Wendover, and Haddington Hill in Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire, near Wendover where a stone marks the summit.
History
:''Main article:
History of Buckinghamshire.''
Map of Bucks (1904)
The name Buckinghamshire is
Anglo Saxon in origin and means ''The district (scire) of Bucca's home''. ''Bucca's home'' refers to
Buckingham in the north of the county, and is named after an Anglo-Saxon landowner. The county has been so named since about the 12th century; however, the county itself has existed since it was a subdivision of the
kingdom of
Mercia (585–919).
The history of the area though predates the Anglo Saxon period and the county has a rich history from the
Celtic through to
Roman periods though the Anglo Saxons did have perhaps the greatest impact on Buckinghamshire out of these groups: the geography of the rural county is largely as it was in the Anglo Saxon period. Later Buckinghamshire became an important political arena, with
King Henry VIII intervening in local politics in the
16th century and just a century later the
English Civil War was reputedly started by
John Hampden in mid-Bucks
[1].
The biggest change to the county historically came in the
19th century when a combination of
cholera and
famine hit the rural county forcing many to migrate to larger towns to find work. Not only did this alter the local economical picture it meant a lot of land was going cheap at a time when the rich were more mobile and 'leafy Bucks' became a popular rural idyll: an image it still has today. Buckinghamshire is a very popular home for celebrities working in London leading to greater local affluence however some pockets of severe deprivation remain.
Economy
Buckinghamshire has a modern service-based economy and is part of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
NUTS-2 region, which was the seventh richest subregion in the
European Union in 2002
[2] The southern part of the county is a prosperous section of the
London commuter belt. The county has fertile agricultural lands, with many
landed estates, especially those of the
Rothschild banking family of England in the 19th century (see
Rothschild properties in Buckinghamshire). Manufacturing industries include
furniture-making (traditionally centred at
High Wycombe), pharmaceuticals and agricultural processing.
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Buckinghamshire at current basic prices published by the
Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling (except GVA index).
[3]
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added[4] | Agriculture[5] | Industry[6] | Services[7] | GVA index per person[8] |
|---|
| 1995 | '6,008' | 60 | 1,746 | 4,201 | 118 |
| 2000 | '8,389' | 45 | 1,863 | 6,481 | 125 |
| 2003 | '9,171' | 50 | 1,793 | 7,328 | 118 |
Demographics
Today Buckinghamshire is a multi-cultural area, particularly in the larger towns. At the end of the nineteenth century some Welsh drover families settled in north Bucks. Aylesbury has a sizable Italian population, and Amersham has a large Polish community dating from the Second World War. Amersham is twinned with
Krynica in
Poland.
Lord Lieutenant
Main articles: Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
Currently the
Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire is
Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher and the
High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire is Alexander Boswell. The ''Custos rotulorum'' has been combined with the duties of Lord Lieutenant since 1702. All these titles cover the
ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire.
Buckinghamshire County Council
The county council was founded in 1889 with its base in new municipal buildings in Walton Street,
Aylesbury (which are still there). In Buckinghamshire, local administration is run on a two-tier system where public services are split between the county council and a series of district councils.
In the 1960s the council moved into new premises: a 15-storey tower block in the centre of Aylesbury (pictured) designed by
architect Thomas Pooley. Said to be one of the most unpopular and disliked buildings in Buckinghamshire it is now a Grade II
listed building.
In 1997 the northern part of Buckinghamshire in
Milton Keynes Borough separated to form a unitary authority, however for ceremonial and some other purposes Milton Keynes is still considered to be part of Buckinghamshire.
Coat of arms
Arms of Buckinghamshire County Council
The
coat of arms for Buckinghamshire County Council features a white
swan in chains. This dates back to the Anglo Saxon period, when swans were bred in Buckinghamshire for the
king's pleasure. That the swan is in chains illustrates that
the swan is bound to the king, an ancient law that still applies to wild swans in the UK today. The herald was first used at the
Battle of Agincourt by the
Duke of Buckingham.
Above the swan is a gold band, in the centre of which is
Whiteleaf Cross, representing the many ancient landmarks of the county. The shield is mounted by a
beech tree, representing the
Chiltern Forest that once covered almost half the county. Either side of the shield are a
buck, for Buckingham, and a swan, the county symbol.
The motto of the shield says ''Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum''. This is
Latin and means 'no stepping back'.
Flag of Buckinghamshire, chiefly used outside County Hall
The flag of Buckinghamshire, which flies outside County Hall in Aylesbury, comprises red and black halves with a white swan. The flag takes the county emblem which is on the county shield.
Settlements
This is a list of the towns in the shire county of Buckinghamshire. For the full list of
towns,
villages and
hamlets in Buckinghamshire, see
List of places in Buckinghamshire.
This is a list of the towns in the
historic bounds of Buckinghamshire that after various local government reorganisations are no longer administered as part of it.
★
Eton and
Slough (to
Berkshire);
Linslade (to
Bedfordshire)
★ In
the Borough of Milton Keynes:
Milton Keynes (including
Bletchley,
Fenny Stratford,
Stony Stratford and
Wolverton),
Newport Pagnell,
Olney. (The Borough remains part of the Ceremonial County).
Places of interest
Notable people
Anciently Buckinghamshire is the birth place and/or final resting place of several notable individuals.
Saint Osyth was born in
Quarrendon and was buried in
Aylesbury in the 7th century
[9] while at about the same time
Saint Rumwold was buried in
Buckingham[10]. From the medieval period
Roger of Wendover was, as the name suggests, from
Wendover[11] and
Anne Boleyn also owned property in the same town
[12]. It is said that
King Henry VIII made Aylesbury the county town over Buckingham because
Boleyn's father owned property there and was a regular visitor himself
[13]. Other medieval residents included
Edward the Confessor who had a palace at
Brill[14] and
John Wycliffe who lived in
Ludgershall[15].
From a slightly later period Buckinghamshire became home to some notable literary characters.
Edmund Waller was brought up in
Beaconsfield and served as
Member of Parliament for both
Amersham and
Wycombe[16].
Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife
Mary spent some time living in
Marlow, attracted to the town by their friend
Thomas Love Peacock who also lived there
[17].
John Milton lived in
Chalfont St Giles and his cottage can still be visited there
[18] and
John Wilkes served as
Member of Parliament for
Aylesbury[19]. Much later literary characters include
Jerome K. Jerome who lived at Marlow
[20],
T. S. Eliot who also lived at Marlow
[21],
Roald Dahl who lived in
Great Missenden[22],
Enid Blyton who lived in
Beaconsfield[23] and
Edgar Wallace who lived in
Bourne End[24] and is buried in
Little Marlow[25]. Modern day writers from Bucks include
Terry Pratchett who was born in Beaconsfield
[26],
Tim Rice who is from Amersham
[27] and
Andy Riley who is from Aylesbury
[28].
During the
Second World War a number of politicians and world leaders from
Europe came to England to seek exile. Due to its proximity to
London various locations in Buckinghamshire were selected to house dignitaries. President
Edvard Beneš of
Czechoslovakia lived at
Aston Abbotts with his family while his government was stationed at neighbouring
Addington and
Wingrave[29]. Meanwhile
Władysław Sikorski, military leader of
Poland, lived at
Iver[30] and King
Zog of Albania lived at
Frieth[31]. Bucks is also notable for another exile, although this one much earlier:
King Louis XVIII of France lived in exile at
Hartwell House from 1809 to 1814
[32].
Also on the local political stage Buckinghamshire has been home to
Nancy Astor who lived in
Cliveden[33],
Frederick, Prince of Wales who also lived in Cliveden
[34],
Baron Carrington who lives in
Bledlow[35],
Benjamin Disraeli who lived at
Hughenden Manor and was made Earl of Beaconsfield
[36],
John Hampden who was from
Great Hampden and is revered in Aylesbury to this day
[1] and
Prime Minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery who lived at
Mentmore[38]. Also worthy of note are
William Penn who believed he was descended from the Penn family of
Penn and so is buried nearby
[39] and the current
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who has an official residence at
Chequers. Finally
John Archdale colonial governor of
North Carolina and
South Carolina, although more notably American, was born in Buckinghamshire
[40]
Other natives of Buckinghamshire who have become notable in their own right include:
★
Errol Barnett, news reporter, was born in
Milton Keynes
★
Nick Beggs, musician, is from
Winslow
★
Lynda Bellingham, actress, is from
Aylesbury
★
Emily Bergl, actress, born in Buckinghamshire, though her family moved to suburban
Chicago a few years after her birth
★
Emmerson Boyce,
Wigan Athletic footballer, was born in
Aylesbury
★
Nick Bracegirdle aka Chicane, was born in
Chalfont St Giles
★
Den Brotheridge,
British Army Officer who died taking
Pegasus Bridge in
France was from
Aylesbury
★
James Corden, actor, grew up in
Hazlemere
★
Martin Grech, musician, is from
Aylesbury
★
Howard Jones, musician, is from
High Wycombe
★
Arthur Lasenby Liberty, merchant, was from
Chesham
★
Richard Lee, footballer, attended
Aylesbury Grammar School
★
Jonathon Lewis, England test cricketer, was born in
Aylesbury
★
Al Murray, television / radio presenter also known as The Pub Landlord originates from
Stewkley
★
John Otway, musician, is from
Aylesbury
★
Simon Standage, baroque violinist, is from
High Wycombe
Today Buckinghamshire is a very picturesque landscape and is home to numerous celebrities and has attracted its fair share in the past. These include:
★
Cilla Black, television presenter, lives in
Denham
★
Fern Britton, television presenter, lives in
Holmer Green
★
Melanie Brown, musician, lived in
Little Marlow
★
John Craven, television presenter, lives in
Princes Risborough
★
Tess Daly has a house in
Fulmer
★
Iain Duncan Smith, politician, lives in
Swanbourne
★
Ian Dury, musician, lived in
Wingrave
★
Noel Edmonds, television presenter, once lived in
Weston Turville
★
Andrew Fletcher, musician with
Depeche Mode, has a home in
Marlow
★
Noel Gallagher, musician with
Oasis, lives in
Little Chalfont
★ Sir
John Gielgud, actor, was living in
Wotton Underwood when he died
★
David Jason, actor, lives in
Ellesborough
★
Angelina Jolie, actress, lives in
Fulmer
★
Jason "Jay" Kay, musician and frontman of
Jamiroquai, lives in
Horsenden
★
Vernon Kay has a house in
Fulmer
★
John Laurie, Actor, lived in
Chalfont St Peter
★
Hayley Mills and
Roy Boulting lived in
Ibstone
★
John Mills, actor, lived in
Denham
★
Mike Oldfield, musician, once lived in
Little Chalfont
★
Ozzy Osbourne, musician, has a home in
Jordans
★
Pauline Quirke, actress, lives in
Beaconsfield
★
Steve Rothery, musician with
Marillion, lives in
Whitchurch
★
Rothschild family, bankers, had houses in
Ascott,
Aston Clinton,
Eythrope,
Halton,
Mentmore and
Waddesdon
★
Tiny Rowland, businessman, lived in
Hedsor
★
Jackie Stewart, racing driver, lives in
Ellesborough
★
Terry Wogan, radio and television broadcaster, lives in
Taplow
See also
★
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
★
Wendover Woods
★
Architecture of Aylesbury
References
1. Biography of John Hampden
2. ''Regional GDP per capita in the EU25 GDP per capita in 2002 ranged from 32% of the EU25 average in Lubelskie to 315% in Inner London''
3. Office of National Statistics (pp.240-253)
4. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
5. includes hunting and forestry
6. includes energy and construction
7. includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
8. UK average index base = 100
9. Tendring District Council Conservation Area Review (pdf)
10. Biography of St Rumwold, University of Buckingham
11. Medieval Sourcebook: Roger of Wendover
12. Picture Tour at Chiltern Web
13. Aylesbury Tourist Information
14. Genuki guide to Brill
15. Biography of John Wycliffe
16. Biography of Edmund Waller
17. Biography of Thomas Love Peacock
18. Milton's Cottage website
19. Review of a biography of John Wilkes
20. Literary guide to Marlow
21. Tourist guide to Marlow
22. About Britain.com
23. Guide to Beaconsfield
24. Bourne End online
25. Biography of Edgar Wallace
26. Biography of Terry Pratchett
27. Tim Rice profile at IMDb
28. Aylesbury Grammar School Old Boys data
29. Czechs in Exile at Aston Abbotts
30. Czechs in Exile - Polish government comparison
31. Bucks Free Press
32. Biography of Louis XVIII of France
33. Guide to Cliveden
34. New York Times Travel Supplement
35. Visit Buckinghamshire - Bledlow
36. Biography of Disraeli
37. Biography of John Hampden
38. Genuki guide to Mentmore
39. Biography of William Penn
40. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896, , , , Marquis Who's Who, ,
External links
★
Buckinghamshire Family History Society
★
Buckinghamshire Tourist Guide
★
Bucks Free Press Local Newspaper
★
Buckinghamshire County Council
★
Bucks County and District Councils Portal
★
Bucks Travel Information
★
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
★
Information about Buckinghamshire schools entrance exams
★
Photographic Archive of Buckinghamshire
★
Country Parks of Buckinghamshire
★
Country Walks and Rights of Way of Buckinghamshire
★
Walks by bus and rail in Buckinghamshire
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