Mursley
Encyclopedia
Mursley is a small village
in and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale
district Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is located about three miles east of Winslow
and four miles south west of Fenny Stratford
.
The village name is Anglo Saxon
in origin, and means 'Myrsa's woodland'. In the Domesday Book
of 1086 the village was recorded as Muselai.
The village was at one time a more important place; it was once a market town
, by virtue of a royal charter
granted in 1230, and the centre of the local deanery
. The size of the place has been much reduced since then, most likely by the bubonic plague
of the 17th century.
There was also at one time a grand manor house
in the village, built by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
John Fortescue, that was visited by King James I
. This house has since also disappeared.
Actor David Tomlinson
who played George Banks in Mary Poppins
and Mr. Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks
lived and raised his children in Mursley until his death on 24 June 2000. David became notorious around the village for flying very low in his Tiger Moth
and on one occasion he crash landed in a field near his house and was tried with, but acquitted of, reckless flying. Legend has it he was attempting to drop chocolates from his plane for his wife Audrey.
The Beechams estate in the village draws its name from Sir Thomas Beecham who resided in Mursley Hall which used to exist on the site of this estate.
Mursley Church of England School is a Victorian, Church of England
primary school. It is a voluntary controlled infant school, which has approximately 25 pupils from the age of three through to the age of nine. Situated on Main Street in Mursley, it is a classic village school, with very small class sizes and excellent teacher to pupil ratios. Mursley School is particularly proud of its music teaching.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale
Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.The vale is named after Aylesbury, the...
district 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 located about three miles east of Winslow
Winslow, Buckinghamshire
Winslow is a small market town and also a civil parish designated as a town council within Aylesbury Vale district in north Buckinghamshire. It has a population of about 4500....
and four miles south west of Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes "designated area" area in 1967...
.
The village name is Anglo Saxon
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...
in origin, and means 'Myrsa's woodland'. 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 the village was recorded as Muselai.
The village was at one time a more important place; it was once a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
, by virtue of a royal charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
granted in 1230, and the centre of the local deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
. The size of the place has been much reduced since then, most likely by the bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
of the 17th century.
There was also at one time a grand 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, built by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
John Fortescue, that was visited by King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. This house has since also disappeared.
Actor David Tomlinson
David Tomlinson
David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson was an English film actor. He is primarily remembered for his roles as authority figure George Banks in Mary Poppins, fraudulent magician Professor Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks and as hapless antagonist Peter Thorndyke in The Love Bug.-Early life:Born...
who played George Banks in Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
and Mr. Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a 1971 musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company which combines live action and animation and was released in North America on December 13, 1971...
lived and raised his children in Mursley until his death on 24 June 2000. David became notorious around the village for flying very low in his Tiger Moth
Tiger moth
Tiger moths are moths of the family Arctiidae.Tiger moth may also refer to:*de Havilland Tiger Moth, an aircraft; an aerobatic and trainer tailwheel biplane*de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth, an earlier monoplane produced by de Havilland...
and on one occasion he crash landed in a field near his house and was tried with, but acquitted of, reckless flying. Legend has it he was attempting to drop chocolates from his plane for his wife Audrey.
The Beechams estate in the village draws its name from Sir Thomas Beecham who resided in Mursley Hall which used to exist on the site of this estate.
Mursley Church of England School is a Victorian, Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
primary school. It is a voluntary controlled infant school, which has approximately 25 pupils from the age of three through to the age of nine. Situated on Main Street in Mursley, it is a classic village school, with very small class sizes and excellent teacher to pupil ratios. Mursley School is particularly proud of its music teaching.