Old Woughton ( ) is a district and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in south central

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

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. The parish was established in April 2012 by the division into two parts of

Woughton Woughton is an area of south central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It takes its name from the original ecclesiastic parish of Woughton and its original village, Woughton on the Green. For administrative purposes, the area is divided ...

parish. The original (undivided) civil parish was itself originally called "Woughton on the Green".

Creation of the parish

The parish was created following a campaign by residents of Woughton parish who petitioned Milton Keynes Borough Council in 2010. The Council originally rejected the proposals, however it agreed to instigate a further review. The proposal was reconsidered by Milton Keynes Council in November 2011 who decided to split the Woughton parish into two and establish a new parish from April 2012 The new parish was given the temporary name of 'Ouzel Valley' and elections to the parish council were held in May 2012. At the first meeting of the nine-member parish council on 9 May 2012 the name of Old Woughton Parish was adopted.Minutes of the first meeting of Old Woughton parish council 9 May 2012
, Accessed 4 February 2013

Population

(The parish did not exist at the time of the 2011 Census so its population is included in the data for Woughton parish).

Geography

The parish includes the areas of Woughton on the Green, Woughton Park and Passmore. The boundaries of the parish run from the Netherfield Roundabout (H8/V8), south along the V8 (Marlborough Street) to a point where it intersects a redway north of Tinkers Bridge, then east along the redway to the Grand Union Canal, then south along the Canal to a point where it intersects H9 (Groveway), then along H9 (Groveway) to a point where it intersects the River Ouzel, then north along the River Ouzel to a point where it intersects H7 (Chaffron Way), then west along H7 (Chaffron Way) to a point where it intersects the Grand Union Canal, then south along the Grand Union Canal to a point where it intersects H8 (Standing Way), then west along H8 (Standing Way) to the Netherfield Roundabout (H8/V8).

Woughton on the Green

Woughton on the Green is a traditional

village that is now part of

. It gave its name to the parish of Woughton, of which it was a part until March 2012. The village was originally just called "Woughton", but by 1750 it was already being referred to as "Wofton ''on the Green''". It has been suggested that the suffix was added to distinguish the village from other nearby places with the same name. ''On the Green'' refers to the large grassy area that lay in the centre of the village: the traditional

village green A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...

. In the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 Woughton on the Green was recorded as ''Ulchetone''. This is an

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- ...

name, which means ''Eoca's Farm''. The village had gained its more modern name by the mid twelfth century when the manor was recorded as belonging to the Verley family. By the time of the coronation of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, Woughton on the Green was a large village, due largely to the nearby

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter st ...

and later to the (

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

) railway that passed through to the nearby parish of

Wolverton Wolverton is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, England. It is located at the northern edge of Milton Keynes, beside the West Coast Main Line, the Grand Union Canal and the river Great Ouse. It is the administrative seat of Wolverton and Gre ...

. Today the village is a suburb of

, though the residents like to maintain their autonomy. The parochial church council still meets at the

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

parish church of

St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. According to legend, Woughton on the Green was one of the bases of

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...

. His ghost, and that of his mare Black Bess, have occasionally been reported in the area.

Woughton Park

Woughton Park lies between the Grand Union Canal and the River Ouzel, in the same grid square as Walton Hall (home to the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

), Tinkers Bridge and Passmore, although it is not connected by road to any of them: all development is accessed via Newport Road, the former B488. The housing is predominantly private, mainly built in the 1970s. The only employment in the area is a working farm. In terms of population, it is the smallest wholly residential area recognised by the council in Milton Keynes.

Passmore

'Passmore' is a small, mainly owner occupied, housing development located close to the H8/V8 intersection and bordered to the east by the Grand Union Canal.

Facilities

Approximately 60% of the parish is green space. Leisure facilities include the Woughton Pavilion and sports fields, a section of the Ouzel Valley Park and 'The Patch' allotments, a large site comprising over 200 plots.Old Woughton Parish Council Website Facilities
Accessed 5 February 2013

References

External links

{{Authority control Civil parishes in Buckinghamshire Villages in Buckinghamshire