Waddesdon is a village in

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, west-north-west of

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

on the A41 road. The village also includes the hamlets of Eythrope and

Wormstone Wormstone (also Warmstone) is a hamlet in the parish of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the so ...

, Waddesdon was an agricultural settlement with milling, silk weaving and lace making enterprises.

History

The name 'Waddesdon' means 'hill of a man named Wott'. The parish church of St Michael and All Angels dates from 1190 with medieval and

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

additions. Waddesdon was involved in the marriage of

Maud Holland Maud Holland, LG (c. 1354 – 1392), also known by her titles through marriage as Lady Courtenay and Countess of St Pol, was an English noblewoman. She was a daughter of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent and Joan of Kent. After Thomas' death Jo ...

in the 1360s. Edward the Black Prince agreed with Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd/10th Earl of Devon that Maud would marry Devon's grandson Hugh Courtenay. Devon promised to award Maud an annuity of 200 marks and the manors of

Sutton Courtenay Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames south of Abingdon-on-Thames and northwest of Didcot. Historically part of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since the 1974 boundary changes. The 201 ...

and in Buckinghamshire. The arrangements were approved by Pope Urban V and

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

. The wedding had taken place by February 1365, when the manors were granted to Maud. Between 1897 and 1936, Waddesdon had train services on the

Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway The Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway (A&BR) was an English railway located in Buckinghamshire, England operating between Aylesbury and Verney Junction. History The Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway Company was incorporated on 6 August 1860, and ...

(later part of the

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

) at Waddesdon railway station, two miles from the village. There was also a halt on the Brill Tramway. In 1874,

Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (17 December 1839 – 17 December 1898), also known as Ferdinand James Anselm Freiherr von Rothschild, was a British Jewish banker, art collector and politician who was a member of the prominent Rothschild family ...

bought a large estate in the area and built the mansion of Waddesdon Manor on a hill-top above the village. He transformed Waddesdon into an estate village, with new houses for employees and tenants, a school, a public house,

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

pavilion and village hall. Waddesdon Manor and grounds are now the property of the National Trust, and

Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, (born 29 April 1936) is a British peer, investment banker and a member of the Rothschild banking family. Now mostly retired, he has held many important roles in business, finance an ...

retains the estate and a house at nearby Eythrope. On 17 November 2017, near Waddesdon, there was a mid-air collision between an aeroplane and a helicopter, with four fatalities.

Education

Waddesdon Village Primary School is a mixed, community, primary school, which has approximately 200 pupils from the age of four through to the age of eleven. The village is also home to

Waddesdon Church of England School Waddesdon Church of England School is a mixed Secondary education#England, Wales and Northern Ireland, secondary school in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire. In September 2011 the school became an Academy (English school), Academy. It ...

, a secondary school which holds over 1000 students and staff. It has over 600 students.

Notable residents

* Peter Palmer (died 1621), justice of the

Court of Common Pleas (Ireland) The Court of Common Pleas was one of the principal courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror image of the equivalent court in England. Common Pleas was one of the four courts of justice which gave the Four Courts in Dublin, which is still ...

, was born in Waddesdon, where his family leased the main mansion house. *

Alice Shalvi Alice Shalvi ( he, אליס שלוי; (born 16 October 1926) is an Israeli professor and educator. She has played a leading role in progressive Jewish education for girls and advancing the status of women. Biography Alice Hildegard Margulies ...

Gallery

File:St Michael and All Angels Church, Waddesdon.jpg, St Michael and All Angels Church File:Waddesdon - Main road.jpg, Waddesdon

References

External links