Southcote (or Southcott) is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Linslade Linslade is a town in the Central Bedfordshire unitary authority area of Bedfordshire, England. It borders the town of Leighton Buzzard, with which it forms the civil parish of Leighton-Linslade (where the 2011 Census population was included). ...

, in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

, England. It is in the

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 ...

of Leighton-Linslade. The hamlet name is

Anglo Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a 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-Saxons happened wit ...

in origin and means 'southern cottage'. The hamlet, little more than one road of cottages, is located to the south of the small town of Linslade, to which it has become joined as Linslade has grown. Linslade has itself joined to the larger town of

Leighton Buzzard Leighton Buzzard ( ) is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills. It is northwes ...

and hence Southcote appears to be a small suburb of Leighton Buzzard. The hamlet is home to the Hare Inn, a pub located on Southcott Green. There has been a pub in Southcott since at least 1847, although the pub was not known as ''The Hare'' until 1876. The Rothschild family who reside at nearby

Ascott House Ascott House, sometimes referred to as simply Ascott, is a Grade II* listed building in the hamlet of Ascott near Wing in Buckinghamshire, England. It is set in a 32-acre / 13 hectare estate. Ascott House was originally a farm house, built in ...

maintain a stud farm at Southcote, and own the remaining agricultural land in the hamlet. Built in 1880, the stud farm and its adjoining former managers' homes are known as "Southcourt Stud". This leads to confusion as to the hamlet's true name, especially as in the immediate vicinity is a Southcourt Avenue. The stud farm is home to numerous "Rothschild home counties style" cottages, including the former stud groom's quarters at neighbouring St Frusquins Cottage, named after champion racehorse St. Frusquin, who retired to stud at Southcourt. The Cottage hosted numerous visitors to the stud farm, including former Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

who became a prolific owner and trainer of racehorses in his later years. Southcourt Cottage, a large Victorian house, close to the stud, was from 1922 to 1951 let by the

Rothschild family The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish family originally from Frankfurt that rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of F ...

to Sir

Basil Henriques Sir Basil Lucas Quixano Henriques (17 October 1890 – 2 December 1961) was a British philanthropist of Portuguese Jewish origins, concentrating his work in the East End of London during the first half of the 20th century. Education From a pr ...

the

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and social reformer, known for his work with Jewish youth in the east end of London. Southcourt Cottage became a holiday home for these children. He also wrote several books on reforming juvenile law, and founded educational youth clubs in the

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

area of the city. Southcote was transferred from Buckinghamshire to Bedfordshire in 1974. The hamlet is home to numerous listed buildings, and in 1993 Southcott Village was designated as a Conservation Area. Southcott Lower School in Linslade is named after the parish.

References

External links

Hamlets in Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire District {{Bedfordshire-geo-stub