Haversham
Encyclopedia
Haversham is a village in the Borough of Milton Keynes
, Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is situated just north of Milton Keynes
near Wolverton
and lies between Newport Pagnell
and Stony Stratford
. Haversham-cum-Little Linford is a civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes.
The village has two distinct settlements separated by farmland. The older part of the village contains the manor house
and, at elevations between 60 metres and 65 metres above mean sea level
, is close to the Ouse Valley
and its flood plain. The modern part contains the primary school and is on ground at elevations between 65 metres and 75 metres, overlooking the Ouse Valley.
The village name is an Old English language
word that means 'Haefer's homestead'. In the Domesday Book
of 1086, when it belonged to the Peverell family, it was listed as Hæfærsham.
The ancient manor house
in the village, which was fortified in 1304, was largely burnt down, but parts of it still remain in a farm house just outside the main village.
Behind Haversham lakes, is the nearby ruined church of St Peter's which belonged originally to the medieval village of Stanton Low. This tiny village was destroyed by gravel workings, but the church remained until the 1920's, serving the villagers of New Bradwell. In the 1950's the Norman chancel arch was removed to St James' Church New Bradwell, and St Peters is now a ruin.
Near to Haversham, along the Ouse towards Wolverton, is Wolverton Railway Viaduct of a `typical'Stephenson's design. A little further is the canal aquaduct. There are also `cattle creep' holes, which allowed cows to pass from one side of the canal to the other.
The village gave its name to HMS Haversham
, a Ham class minesweeper
.
, and had a population of 803 according to the 2001 census. This merged parish was formed in 1934 following a County Review order
. It formed part of the Newport Pagnell Rural District
until 1974, when it became part of the borough of Milton Keynes.
Milton Keynes (borough)
The Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and borough in south central England, at the northern tip of the South East England Region. For ceremonial purposes, it is in the county of Buckinghamshire...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated just north of 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...
near Wolverton
Wolverton, Milton Keynes
Wolverton is a constituent town of Milton Keynes . It is at its northern edge, between Stony Stratford and Newport Pagnell...
and lies between Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...
and Stony Stratford
Stony Stratford
Stony Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes and is a civil parish with a town council within the Borough of Milton Keynes. It is in the north west corner of Milton Keynes, bordering Northamptonshire and separated from it by the River Great Ouse...
. Haversham-cum-Little Linford is a civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes.
The village has two distinct settlements separated by farmland. The older part of the village contains the manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
and, at elevations between 60 metres and 65 metres above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, is close to the Ouse Valley
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
and its flood plain. The modern part contains the primary school and is on ground at elevations between 65 metres and 75 metres, overlooking the Ouse Valley.
The village name 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 that means 'Haefer's homestead'. 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, when it belonged to the Peverell family, it was listed as Hæfærsham.
The ancient manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
in the village, which was fortified in 1304, was largely burnt down, but parts of it still remain in a farm house just outside the main village.
Behind Haversham lakes, is the nearby ruined church of St Peter's which belonged originally to the medieval village of Stanton Low. This tiny village was destroyed by gravel workings, but the church remained until the 1920's, serving the villagers of New Bradwell. In the 1950's the Norman chancel arch was removed to St James' Church New Bradwell, and St Peters is now a ruin.
Near to Haversham, along the Ouse towards Wolverton, is Wolverton Railway Viaduct of a `typical'Stephenson's design. A little further is the canal aquaduct. There are also `cattle creep' holes, which allowed cows to pass from one side of the canal to the other.
The village gave its name to HMS Haversham
HMS Haversham
HMS Haversham was one of 93 ships of the of inshore minesweepers.Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Haversham in Buckinghamshire.-References:...
, a Ham class minesweeper
Ham class minesweeper
The Ham class was a class of inshore minesweepers , known as the Type 1, of the British Royal Navy. The class was designed to operate in the shallow water of rivers and estuaries. It took its name from the fact that all the ship names were British place names ending in -"ham"...
.
Civil parish
Haversham is in the civil parish of Haversham-cum-Little Linford, which also includes Little LinfordLittle Linford
Little Linford is a village in the Borough of Milton Keynes and ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England. It is about a mile west of Newport Pagnell, near the M1 motorway. Unlike its neighbour and namesake Great Linford it has yet to be joined up with Milton Keynes.Little Linford was...
, and had a population of 803 according to the 2001 census. This merged parish was formed in 1934 following a County Review order
Local Government Act 1929
The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales....
. It formed part of the Newport Pagnell Rural District
Newport Pagnell Rural District
Newport Pagnell was a rural district in the administrative county of Buckinghamshire, England, from 1894 to 1974. The rural district took over the responsibilities of the disbanded Newport Pagnell Rural Sanitary District...
until 1974, when it became part of the borough of Milton Keynes.