Studham
Encyclopedia
Studham is a village
and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire
. It has a population of 1,125. The parish bounds to the south the Buckinghamshire
border, and to the east is the Hertfordshire
border. The village lies in the wooded south facing rolls of the Chiltern Hills
. The hamlet
of Holywell
is located to the north of Studham, and forms part of the same civil parish.
In the Domesday Book
of 1086 it was recorded as Estodham. Studham's church celebrated its millennium
in 1997.
The ancient parish of Studham straddled the Bedfordshire/Hertfordshire border. In 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894
, the parish was partitioned into two parts, one on each side of the county border. They were re-united as a single parish, when part was transferred from Hertfordshire to Bedfordshire, in 1897.
The village currently has two pubs, the older of which, The Bell, dates till before the English Civil War
. In the early 20th century, work to make safe the old well in the pub garden revealed discarded or hidden civil war weapons.
The village still retains substantial common land
that was not lost as a result of the Inclosure Act
s. Studham Common was the site of the "Blue Man" extraterrestrial
sighting incident in 1967.
In the early evening of 23 May 1948 an ex-RAF
Handley Page Halifax
, registered G-AIZO
, and operated by Bond Air Services Ltd. carrying a cargo of apricot
s from Valencia, Spain, crashed at Studham.
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 civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. It has a population of 1,125. The parish bounds to the south the 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....
border, and to the east is the Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
border. The village lies in the wooded south facing rolls of the Chiltern Hills
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
. The hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Holywell
Holywell, Bedfordshire
Holywell is a hamlet located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England.The settlement is close to Whipsnade and Studham, and Holywell forms part of the Studham civil parish. Holywell is also located close to the county border with Hertfordshire....
is located to the north of Studham, and forms part of the same civil parish.
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 it was recorded as Estodham. Studham's church celebrated its millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
in 1997.
The ancient parish of Studham straddled the Bedfordshire/Hertfordshire border. In 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
, the parish was partitioned into two parts, one on each side of the county border. They were re-united as a single parish, when part was transferred from Hertfordshire to Bedfordshire, in 1897.
The village currently has two pubs, the older of which, The Bell, dates till before the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. In the early 20th century, work to make safe the old well in the pub garden revealed discarded or hidden civil war weapons.
The village still retains substantial common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
that was not lost as a result of the Inclosure Act
Inclosure Act
The Inclosure or Enclosure Acts were a series of United Kingdom Acts of Parliament which enclosed open fields and common land in the country. They removed previously existing rights of local people to carry out activities in these areas, such as cultivation, cutting hay, grazing animals or using...
s. Studham Common was the site of the "Blue Man" extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
sighting incident in 1967.
In the early evening of 23 May 1948 an ex-RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Handley Page Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
, registered G-AIZO
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
, and operated by Bond Air Services Ltd. carrying a cargo of apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
s from Valencia, Spain, crashed at Studham.
External links
- Studham pages at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records ServiceBedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records ServiceThe Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service is a county record office, holding archival material associated with Bedfordshire and Luton. Established in 1913 by George Herbert Fowler as the Bedfordshire Record Office, it was the first county record office in England. It is located in...