Upper Winchendon or Over Winchendon is a village 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 authorit ...

in the

Aylesbury Vale The Aylesbury Vale (or Vale of Aylesbury) is a geographical region in Buckinghamshire, England, which is bounded by the Borough of Milton Keynes and South Northamptonshire to the north, Central Bedfordshire and the Borough of Dacorum (Hertford ...

District of Buckinghamshire, England. It is about south of

Waddesdon Waddesdon is a village in Buckinghamshire, England, west-north-west of Aylesbury on the A41 road. The village also includes the hamlets of Eythrope and Wormstone, Waddesdon was an agricultural settlement with milling, silk weaving and lace mak ...

and west of Aylesbury. A

mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and the likelihood of subsequent impact with the ground or sea, very sever ...

on 17 November 2017 between a plane and a helicopter just outside the village was referred to by much of the press as the "

Waddesdon Manor Waddesdon Manor is a English country house, country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. Owned by National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation ...

air incident".

Name

The name "Winchendon" is derived from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...

for "hill at a bend". Collectively the villages of Upper Winchendon and Nether Winchendon (or Lower Winchendon) were called ''Wichendone''.

Manor

The manor of Upper Winchendon was held by

St Frideswide's Priory St Frideswide's Priory was established as a priory of Augustinian canons regular, in 1122. The priory was established by Gwymund, chaplain to Henry I of England. Among its most illustrious priors were the writers Robert of Cricklade and Phi ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, to whom it was given by King Henry I. After the suppression of the convent in the Dissolution of the Monasteries the manor was given to Cardinal Wolsey, but was seized by

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

shortly afterwards, in 1530, along with Wolsey's other estates. In 1623 the manor was granted by the Crown to the Goodwin family, who enlarged the manor house into a mansion. It then passed into the Wharton family, one of whom was made the

Duke of Wharton Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

in 1718 for his services to the Crown. He later had all his possessions seized for being a supporter of the Young Pretender (

Bonnie Prince Charlie Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...

). The house fell into disrepair thereafter and has since been demolished.

Notable people

In birth order. * Cardinal Wolsey (1473–1530), cardinal and politician, was briefly lord of the manor up to 1530, when he fell from favour. *Sir Francis Goodwin (1564–1634), politician, was lord of the manor of Upper Winchendon and an MP for Buckinghamshire. * Arthur Goodwin (died 1643), lawyer and Parliamentarian, was lord of the manor of Upper Winchendon. *

Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton (18 April 1613 – 4 February 1696) was an English soldier, politician and diplomat. He was a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War. Wharton was the son of Sir Thomas Wharton of Aske Hall and his wife ...

(1613–1696), soldier, Parliamentarian and art collector, gained the manor of Upper Winchendon through his second wife, Jane Goodwin, only daughter of Arthur Goodwin. He and other family were painted by Anthony van Dyck. *

Samuel Clarke Samuel Clarke (11 October 1675 – 17 May 1729) was an English philosopher and Anglican cleric. He is considered the major British figure in philosophy between John Locke and George Berkeley. Early life and studies Clarke was born in Norwich, ...

(1626–1701), nonconformist minister and Biblical scholar, spent 26 years in Upper Winchendon under the auspices of Philip Wharton, after ejection from the rectory of

Grendon Underwood Grendon Underwood is a village and civil parish in west Buckinghamshire, England, near the border with Oxfordshire. The village sits between Woodham and Edgcott, near the Roman road Akeman Street (now part of the A41), and around north-west o ...

in 1662, and set up on an Independent congregation there. *

Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton PC (August 1648 – 12 April 1715) was an English nobleman and politician. A man of great charm and political ability, he was also notorious for his debauched lifestyle. Background He was the son o ...

(1648–1714), Whig politician, rake and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was the eldest son of Philip Wharton. The lyrics of the marching song "

Lillibullero "Lillibullero" (also spelled Lillibulero, Lilliburlero, or Lilli Burlero) is a march attributed to Henry Purcell that became popular in England at the time of the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Background Henry Purcell is alleged to have c ...

" are attributed to him. He was buried at Upper Winchendon. *

Goodwin Wharton Goodwin Wharton (8 March 1653 – 28 October 1704) was an English Whig politician and autobiographer, as well as an avid mystic, alchemist and treasure hunter. His unpublished manuscript autobiography, in the British Library, "ranks high in the an ...

(1653–1704), Whig politician and autobiographer, was born in Upper Winchendon on 8 March 1653 as third son of Philip Wharton. *

Anne Wharton Anne Wharton (née Lee, 20 July 1659 - 29 October 1685) was an English poet and verse dramatist. Little of her work was published in her lifetime, but some 45 pieces have been ascribed to her. Life Anne Lee was born 20 July 1659 at Ditchley P ...

(1659–1685), wife of Thomas Wharton, was a poet and dramatist.

2017 mid-air collision

On 17 November 2017, a

occurred between an aeroplane and a helicopter near

, resulting in four deaths, two on each aircraft. The crash happened just outside the Manor grounds, close to the village of Upper Winchendon. The wreckage landed in dense woodland. Emergency services were called at 12:06 GMT. Seven fire vehicles, the

Thames Valley air ambulance The Thames Valley Air Ambulance (TVAA), previously the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance, is an organisation providing emergency medical services through the provision of a helicopter-based air ambulance covering the counties of Berkshi ...

, two ambulances, and a rapid response vehicle attended. The crash involved a

Cessna 152 The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed- tricycle-gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use. It was based on the earlier Cessna 150 incorporating a number of minor design changes and a slightly ...

registration G-WACG, and a Guimbal Cabri G2 registration G-JAMM, each with two people on board. Both aircraft had come from

Wycombe Air Park Wycombe Air Park, also known as Booker Airfield , is an operational general aviation aerodrome located in Booker, Buckinghamshire, south-west of High Wycombe, England. The airfield celebrated its 50th year of opening on 25 April 2015. It orig ...

, from the crash site. The Cessna had previously been involved in an incident in 1993. The pilot of the helicopter was Mike Green, an instructor who was training a student pilot at the time. The student pilot was later announced as being a captain in the Vietnamese Army, who was training to become a military flight instructor. The bodies of all four victims were removed from the site on 19 November.

Thames Valley Police Thames Valley Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley, covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. It the largest non-metropolitan police force in England and Wales, coverin ...

stated that the

Air Accidents Investigation Branch The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigates civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and crown dependencies. It is also the Space Accident Investigation Authority (SAIA ...

(AAIB) had been informed. Military support was provided to assist with recovery of the wreckage of the two aircraft, which was dispatched to the AAIB's headquarters at

Farnborough Airport Farnborough Airport (previously called: TAG Farnborough Airport, RAE Farnborough, ICAO Code EGLF) is an operational business/executive general aviation airport in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England. The airport covers about 8% of Rush ...

, Hampshire.

References

External links