Aylesbury

Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in south central England. It has a population in the 2001 census of 65,173 and is part of the London commuter belt.

History

The town name is Anglo-Saxon though excavations in the town centre in the early 1990s found a settlement dating from around 1500 BC. It is not known whether the hill on which the town centre is built is naturally occurring or man-made. Aylesbury was a major market town in Anglo-Saxon times, which was famous as the burial place of Saint Osyth. The Early English parish church of St. Mary (with many later additions) is built over remains of the Saxon crypt. At the Conquest, the king took the manor of Aylesbury for himself, and it is listed as a royal manor in the Domesday Book, 1086.

Related Topics:
Anglo-Saxon - 1990s - 1500 BC - Osyth - Early English - Domesday Book - 1086

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In 1450 a religious institution called the Guild of St Mary was founded in Aylesbury by John Kemp, Archbishop of York. Known popularly as the Guild of Our Lady it became a meeting place for local dignitaries and a hotbed of political intrigue. The Guild was influential in the final outcome of the Wars of the Roses. Its premises at the Chantry in Church Street, Aylesbury, are still there, though today it is occupied mainly by almshouses.

Related Topics:
1450 - John Kemp - Archbishop of York - Wars of the Roses

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Aylesbury was declared the county town of Buckinghamshire in 1529 by King Henry VIII: Aylesbury Manor was among the many properties belonging to the father of the infamous Anne Boleyn and it is rumoured that the change was made by the king in order to curry favour with the manor. (Previously the county town of Buckinghamshire was Buckingham).

Related Topics:
1529 - King Henry VIII - Anne Boleyn - Buckingham

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The town played a large part in the English Civil War when it became a stronghold for the Parliamentarian forces. This is due to its proximity to Great Hampden, home of John Hampden. Hampden is now considered a local hero to the town: his silhouette is on the emblem used by Aylesbury Vale District Council and his statue stands prominently in the town centre.

Related Topics:
English Civil War - Parliamentarian - Great Hampden - John Hampden

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The Jacobean mansion of Hartwell nearby was the residence of Louis XVIII during his exile (1810 - 1814). The town also received international publicity in the 1960s when the culprits responsible for the Great Train Robbery were tried at Aylesbury Crown Court. The robbery took place at Bridego Bridge, a railway bridge at Ledburn, about six miles from the town.

Related Topics:
Hartwell - Louis XVIII - 1960s - Great Train Robbery - Ledburn

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The town's population has doubled since the 1960s due to new housing developments, and is now a highly prosperous town. Its heraldic crest is the Aylesbury duck, which has been bred here since the birth of the Industrial Revolution. A notable institution is Aylesbury Grammar School, which was founded in 1598; other notable buildings are the King's Head Inn, which with the Fleece Inn at Bretforton is one of the few public houses in the country owned by the National Trust still run as a public house, and the Queens Park Centre, the UK's largest independent arts centre.

Related Topics:
1960s - Heraldic - Aylesbury duck - Industrial Revolution - Aylesbury Grammar School - 1598 - King's Head Inn - Fleece Inn - Public house - National Trust - Queens Park Centre

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