Hillesden is a village and civil parish in north-west

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, England, about south of

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of Central Milton Keynes, sou ...

. The village name is

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

in origin, and means 'Hild's hill'. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village was recorded as ''Ilesdone'', though earlier it had been referred to as ''Hildesdun''. Hillesden is split up into three areas; Church End, The Orchard and The Barracks. Church End is situated at the top of the hill and surrounds the church. The Orchard consists of Orchard Cottages and Orchard View, whilst The Barracks are situated across from Great Ground. The 15th century parish church in Hillesden is dedicated to All Saints and is a grade I listed building. The tithes of the church were anciently collected by

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. The Irish judge Godfrey Boate, subject of a famous mocking elegy by Jonathan Swift, is buried here (he had married into the Dentons, the local landowning family). Hillesden was the home of the Denton family. During the English Civil War the manor house at Hillesden, was owned by Sir Alexander Denton, Member of Parliament for

. Denton was a Royalist and his house at Hillesden became a focal point in the conflict. In January 1644 Parliamentary forces occupied Hillesden House but they were ejected. In early February Colonel William Smith garrisoned Hillesden House with about 260 men to support the King at Oxford. The house was occupied by many of the Denton family and some of the Verney family and Sir Alexander also arrived at the house by chance. A force of over 2000 men under Oliver Cromwell and

Samuel Luke Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bi ...

laid siege to the house at the beginning of March. After the surrender Smith and Denton were taken prisoner and moved to the Tower of London, while the house was destroyed and the family beggared. Denton died a prisoner on New Years Day 1645.''Parishes : Hillesden'', A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 4 (1927), pp. 173–180. Date accessed: 5 October 2010
/ref> The medieval church, built in 1493 was saved from the ravages of war, however, and remains to this day along with Parliamentary bullet holes in its door.

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{{authority control Villages in Buckinghamshire Civil parishes in Buckinghamshire