| Worminghall | |
|---|---|
 SS Peter & Paul parish church | |
  Worminghall Location withinBuckinghamshire | |
| Population | 534 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP645085 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Aylesbury |
| Postcode district | HP18 |
| Dialling code | 01844 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Worminghall Parish Council |
| |
Worminghall is a village andcivil parish in theBuckinghamshire district of the ceremonial county ofBuckinghamshire, England.
The village is beside a brook that forms most of the eastern boundary of the parish. The brook joins theRiver Thame, which forms the southernmost part of the eastern boundary. The western boundary of the parish also forms part of the county boundary withOxfordshire. The village is about4+1⁄2 miles (7 km) west of the Oxfordshiremarket town ofThame.
The2011 Census recorded the parish population as 534.[3]
TheDomesday Book of 1086 records the village'stoponym asWermelle.[4] An entry written in 1163 in apipe roll records it asWurmehal, and an entry made in 1229 in an episcopal register records it asWirmehale.[5] Other spellings includedWormehale in the 12th and 13th centuries,Wrmehale in the 13th and 14th centuries,Worminghale in the 14th and 15th centuries andWornall in the 18th century.[4] "Wornall" (or "Wunnle") are still common local pronunciations.[citation needed]
The toponym is derived fromOld English.Halh is a nook or corner of land.[6]Wyrma could be either the name of a man who held the land, or a reference to "worms" living there. In Old andMiddle English usage, "worm" could mean reptiles,[5] as in the legend of theLambton Worm.
J. R. R. Tolkien in his novellaFarmer Giles of Ham suggests (tongue-in-cheek) that the 'worm' element in Worminghall derives from the dragon in the story.
In the reign ofEdward the Confessor, themanor of Worminghall was part of the estates of his queen,Edith of Wessex.[4] The Domesday Book records that after theNorman conquest of England,Wermelle was assessed at fivehides and was one of many manors held by the powerful Norman noblemanGeoffrey de Montbray,Bishop of Coutances.[4] Worminghall became part of theHonour ofGloucester and passed viaHugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester (1291–1347) and thenMargaret de Audley, 2nd Baroness Audley toHugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford (died 1386).[4]
However,Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester rebelled againstRichard II in 1388. Thomas wasattaindered in 1397, and Worminghall was amongst the estates that Thomas forfeited to Henry of Bolingbroke, 3rdEarl of Derby.[4] When Henry fatherJohn of Gaunt died in 1399, the Earl was crownedHenry IV of England and Worminghall thus became part of theDuchy of Lancaster.[4] Crown rights to Worminghall appear in a record dating from 1562.[4]
TheChurch of England parish church ofSaints Peter and Paul isNorman, and the north and south doorways survive from this time.[7] Thechancel was built or rebuilt in the 14th century and thebell tower was added in the 15th century.[7] In 1847 the north wall was rebuilt and the presentstained glass was inserted in the 15th century[4] east window.[7] The church is aGrade II* listed building.[8]
The tower has aring of three bells and there is also aSanctus bell.[4]John Taylor & Co recast all four bells in 1847 at the foundry they had at the time inOxford.[4]
Saints Peter and Paul's is now part of theBenefice of Worminghall withIckford,Oakley andShabbington.[citation needed]
Worminghall had a windmill by about 1160 or 1170.[9] A windmill is recorded again in the 14th century, along with a fishery.[4]
The Clifden Armspublic house is atimber framed building with bricknogging and a thatched roof.[10] The older part is medieval and the newer wing was added in the 17th century.[10] The pub's current name is more recent, being derived from an 18th or 19th centuryViscount Clifden who was heir to theadvowson of the parish.[4]
Wood Farm, nearly 2 miles (3 km) west of the village, has a barn that was built in the 17th century or possibly earlier.[11] It is of sixbays and is built ofrubblestone withashlarquoins, and was re-roofed in 1779 with a doublepurlin roof.[11]
John King founded analmshouse charity in 1670 in memory of his fatherHenry King (1592–1669) who wasBishop of Chichester and a poet.[4] There are ten almshouses, for six old men and four old women.[4] They were built in 1675[7][12] and are now a Grade II* listed building.[12]
A parish school was built in Worminghall in the 19th century. ItsVictorian building of polychromatic brick is now thevillage hall.
RAF Oakley occupied much of the northern part of Worminghall parish from 1942 until 1945. Many of its buildings survive, and those on the south side of the airfield now form the nucleus of a trading estate. This is called Wornal Industrial Park, maintaining the traditional pronunciation and 18th century spelling of the toponym.
The Clifden Arms is now agastropub and hotel.[13]
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Media related toWorminghall at Wikimedia Commons
