Southcote (or Southcott) is a

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

in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Linslade, in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

, 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Leighton-Linslade. The hamlet name is

Anglo Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to Ge ...

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 nor ...

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 (place), hamlet of Ascott, Buckinghamshire, Ascott near Wing, Buckinghamshire, Wing in Buckinghamshire, England. It is set in a 32-acre / 13 hect ...

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 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

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 Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking family originally from Frankfurt. The family's documented history starts in 16th-century Frankfurt; its name is derived from the family house, Rothschild, ...

to Sir Basil Henriques the

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

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 an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...

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