Shalstone
Encyclopedia
Shalstone is a village
and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale
district in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is located in the north of the county, about four miles north west of Buckingham
. The village name is Anglo Saxon
in origin, and means 'farm by a shallow stream'. In the Domesday Book
of 1086 the village was recorded as Celdestone.
Shalstone Church dedicated to St Edward was almost entirely reconstructed in 1862 by the architect
Sir George Gilbert Scott
. Some memorial tablets
in the church survived the rebuilding and these are dedicated to members of the Purefoy family and their relatives the Jervoise family. Some of the memorial statuary is by Sir Richard Westmacott
(remembered chiefly for his work on the new Houses of Parliament
in London
).
One remarkable memorial
tablet commemorates the life of Elizabeth Purefoy - a seemingly dominating woman who ruled her unmarried son Henry until he predeceased her. She was widowed in 1704 when she was 32, and survived her husband by a further 61 years. Her memorial reads:
The most remarkable thing about this glowing tribute is that Mrs. Purefoy not only wrote it herself, but had the tablet erected in the church while she was still alive. She died in 1765.
Shalstone's claim to fame came in 1973 with the publication of the 'Purefoy Letters' a detailed catalogue of the everyday lives of the inhabitants of the village and surrounding area as seen through the eyes of the 90-year-old Elizabeth Purefoy to her son Henry during the period 1735-1753. Henry, the squire
, and his mother both lived at Shalstone House. The book records Shalstone at this period in minute detail.
Shalstone House is built in the Georgian
style, of stone. The rectangular house is of a plain design five bay
s by six bays, on two floors. The hipped roof
is hidden by a solid parapet
. The house contains a notable chimneypeice by William Palmer
installed in 1739. Shalstone House is still the home of the Purefoy family today,
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...
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 in 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 in the north of the county, about four miles north west of Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
. 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 'farm by a shallow stream'. 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 Celdestone.
Shalstone Church dedicated to St Edward was almost entirely reconstructed in 1862 by the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
. Some memorial tablets
Clay tablet
In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age....
in the church survived the rebuilding and these are dedicated to members of the Purefoy family and their relatives the Jervoise family. Some of the memorial statuary is by Sir Richard Westmacott
Richard Westmacott
Sir Richard Westmacott, Jr., RA was a British sculptor.-Life and career:He studied under his father, Richard Westmacott the Elder, before going to Rome in 1793 to study under Antonio Canova...
(remembered chiefly for his work on the new Houses of Parliament
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
).
One remarkable memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
tablet commemorates the life of Elizabeth Purefoy - a seemingly dominating woman who ruled her unmarried son Henry until he predeceased her. She was widowed in 1704 when she was 32, and survived her husband by a further 61 years. Her memorial reads:
- She was a Woman of Excellent Sense and Spiritt
- Prudent and Frugal
- As well as a true friend To the family She married into
- And was moreover endued
- With all Those Graces and Virtues
- Which distinguish and Adorn
- The good Wife The good Mother and good Christian (sic)
The most remarkable thing about this glowing tribute is that Mrs. Purefoy not only wrote it herself, but had the tablet erected in the church while she was still alive. She died in 1765.
Shalstone's claim to fame came in 1973 with the publication of the 'Purefoy Letters' a detailed catalogue of the everyday lives of the inhabitants of the village and surrounding area as seen through the eyes of the 90-year-old Elizabeth Purefoy to her son Henry during the period 1735-1753. Henry, the squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
, and his mother both lived at Shalstone House. The book records Shalstone at this period in minute detail.
Shalstone House is built in the Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
style, of stone. The rectangular house is of a plain design five bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
s by six bays, on two floors. The hipped roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
is hidden by a solid parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. The house contains a notable chimneypeice by William Palmer
William Palmer
William Palmer may refer to: *William Palmer , British Olympic athlete* William Palmer , English cricketer*William Palmer , doctor and multiple murderer...
installed in 1739. Shalstone House is still the home of the Purefoy family today,