Boarstall
Boarstall | |
---|---|
Boarstall Tower | |
Location within Buckinghamshire | |
Population | 128 (2011 Census)[1] |
OS grid reference | SP6214 |
Civil parish |
|
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Aylesbury |
Postcode district | HP18 |
Dialling code | 01844 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Buckinghamshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Boarstall.com |
Boarstall is a village and
History
According to legend King Edward the Confessor gave some land to one of his men in return for slaying a wild boar that had infested the nearby Bernwood Forest.[2] The man built himself a mansion on this land and called it "Boar-stall" (Old English for 'Boar House') in memory of the slain beast. The man, known as Neil, was also given a horn from the dead beast, and the legend says that whoever shall possess the horn shall be the lord of the manor of Boarstall.[2][3]
It is certainly the case from manorial records of 1265 that the owner of the manor of Boarstall was the ceremonial keeper of the Bernwood Forest, suggesting a link with the earlier legend. Given the proximity of Boarstall to the king's palace at Brill it would appear that this legend certainly has some basis in fact.[2]
The Magna Britannia of 1806 noted that the current incumbent of the manor, Sir John Aubrey, was in possession of a large horn
"of a dark brown colour, variegated and veined like tortoise-shell. It is two feet four inches in length, on the convex bend, the diameter of the larger end is three inches; at each end it is tipt with silver, gilt, and has a wreath of leather, by which it is hung about the neck".[3]
The manor was fortified in 1312 by the construction of a defensive gatehouse. The house was demolished in 1778 but the gatehouse, very large and grand for its time, survives relatively unaltered.
Having no further use for the manor in 1644, Hampden left to go and fight elsewhere. The house was then taken back for the Royalists by Colonel Henry Gage, who it is said launched such heavy fire from his cannons against the house that the incumbent Penelope, Lady Dynham was forced to evacuate and steal away in disguise. Gage left a small garrison in place to defend the house.[3]
In May 1645 the house was attacked again by the
Ecclesiastically, Boarstall was originally a
See also
References
- ^ "Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics: 2011 census. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ^ a b c d Page, William, ed. (1 January 1927). "'Parishes : Boarstall'". A History of the County of Buckingham. Vol. 4. pp. 9–14. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Lysons, Samuel (1806). Magna Britannia;: being a concise topographical account of the several counties of Great Britain. Vol. 1 (Bedfordshire Berkshire and Buckinghamshire). T. Cadell and W. Davies.
Further reading
- Lysons, Daniel; Lysons, Samuel (1806). Magna Britannia: being a concise topographical account of the several counties of Great Britain. Vol. 1. Containing Bedfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire.
- Page, W.H., ed. (1927). A History of the County of Buckingham, Volume 4. Victoria County History.
- ISBN 0-14-071019-1.
- Reed, Michael (1979). ISBN 0-340-19044-2.