Chackmore 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 ...

of Radclive-cum-Chackmore, in north

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 hamlet is approached using the avenue that links

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 ...

with Stowe Park.

History

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 'Ceacca's moor'. It has been suggested though that the first part of the name could stem from the ancient word ''ceacce'', meaning 'hill'. The hamlet was first recorded in

manorial Manorialism, also known as the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features included a large, sometimes forti ...

rolls in 1241 as ''Chakemore''. It has also occasionally been recorded as ''Chalkmore''. Main Street in Chackmore was originally flanked by thatched cottages, only two of which retain thatched roofs following a fire that swept the entire length of the village some one hundred and fifty years ago. The main thoroughfare was dissected by a huge tree known as the Cross Tree, which served as a moot or meeting place for the villagers. This was removed some time during the last 20 years and replaced by a roundabout. A lane running off of the main street eventually becomes a cul-de-sac called The Maltings. This suggests there was once a brewery somewhere nearby though no records exist to that effect. Opposite the primary school a cobbler named Billy Ayers used to work from a small shed in his garden and his clientele included not only the local residents but also the pupils and staff of Stowe School. This provided an extremely busy and important cottage industry and was operational up until the mid-1970s. There are several

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

located on Main Street, some dating from the 17th and 18th century.

Education And Amenities

The village is home to

St James Saint James or St. James may refer to: People Saints *James, brother of Jesus (died 62 or 69), also known as James the Just *James the Great (died 44), Apostle, also known as James, son of Zebedee, or Saint James the Greater **Saint James Matamoro ...

and St John

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

which was formed in September 2006 by merging Akeley Church of England School and Chackmore Church of England School, and by extending the merged school from a first school to a

combined school Combined school is a term used in the United Kingdom which has begun to lose its original meaning. When, in 1967, the Plowden Report recommended a change in the structure of primary education in England, it proposed an arrangement of first and ...

. Chackmore also has a playschool situated within the grounds of St. James and St. John Primary School. The playschool is run by a voluntary committee and takes children from 2 years old to 4 years old. The playschool was founded in 2002 with the help of

Lottery A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...

funding. The village also has a pub called the Queens Head and a parish hall, which was re-done in 2010 with a sum of money from the will of Mr T.Clinton. The parish hall is also used for polling stations.

Parish

Chackmore is located 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 Radclive-cum-Chackmore, in the district of

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 ( Hertfor ...

. Chackmore is the larger of the two villages and is estimated to have a population of around 180 out of a combined parish total of 236. The parish church is located in

Radclive Radclive is a village on the River Great Ouse just over west of Buckingham in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Radclive-cum-Chackmore in Aylesbury Vale district. The parish includes the hamlet of Chackmore about north of ...

, and is part of the Buckingham Benefice.Buckingham Benefice website
/ref> The

A422 The A422 is an "A" road for east–west journeys in south central England, connecting the county towns of Bedford and Worcester by way of Milton Keynes, Buckingham, Banbury and Stratford-upon-Avon. For most of its length, it is a narrow sin ...

bisects the parish, with Chackmore to the north and Radclive to the south.

References

External links

St James and St John CofE Primary School Ofsted ReportsChackmore Playschool
{{Aylesbury Vale Hamlets in Buckinghamshire