Ellesborough

History

The village's name is probably derived from the Old English for "hill where asses are pastured". This denotes its importance to the nearby settlements known today as The Kimbles and collectively they comprise a typical Chiltern strip parish with Ellesborough containing valuable hill pasture.

In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was recorded as Esenberge. The road from Wendover to Princes Risborough, which makes a very clearly defined detour around the hill on which Ellesborough Church stands, follows the route of the Icknield Way, an ancient trackway used in the Neolithic age (3000 to 1800 BC) which ran from Norfolk to Avebury in Wiltshire.

Towering over the village is the dominating Beacon Hill, with its grassy mound and lone tree, iconic amongst the Chiltern Hills when viewed from within the Aylesbury Vale. It is also the site of Cymbeline's Mount, also known as Cymbeline's Castle, referred to in the Shakespeare play Cymbeline. In reality, the name refers to the British King Cunobelinus who, alongside his sons, is said to have battled at this site against the Roman Invasion of the British Isles. It is the site of a medieval motte and bailey castle.

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of Saints Peter and Paul stands apart from the village, high on the hill overlooking it. The central part of the building dates from the 15th century, with extensions and restoration between 1854 and 1871. It contains 17th century memorials to Sir Robert Croke MP, his son Robert, and their family.

Prime Ministers have often attended this church for Sunday morning worship when in residence at Chequers. Tony Blair, however, followed his wife and children to their Roman Catholic church in Great Missenden. Margaret Thatcher was famously known to have prayed at Ellesborough church during the Falklands War.

Notable people

Lady Isabella Dodd, widow of Sir Samuel Dodd, endowed workhouses in the village in her will in 1722. The Dame Isabella Dodds charity continued until 2004 and gave its name to Dame Isabella Dodds Court in Aylesbury.

Notable people who live in the village include former Formula One world champion racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart and the actor Sir David Jason.

References

References

1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Office for National Statistics.
2. (July 2024). "Location of Mid Buckinghamshire".
3. (December 2005). "Fact File 49: Ellesborough Parish". Wycombe District Council.
4. "Civil Parish population 2001". Office for National Statistics.
5. Mills, A. D.. (2011). "A Dictionary of British Place Names". Oxford University Press.
6. "Ellesborough {{!}} Domesday Book".
7. (1987). "The Buckinghamshire village book". Countryside Books.
8. "Ellesborough Pages 137-142 An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire, Volume 1, South. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1912.".
9. (22 June 2007). "After 30 years as a closet Catholic, Blair finally puts faith before politics". The Guardian.
10. (30 March 1997). "When the PM goes to the country...". The Independent.