| Drayton Parslow | |
|---|---|
 Holy Trinity parish church | |
  Drayton Parslow Location withinBuckinghamshire | |
| Population | 614 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP8328 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Milton Keynes |
| Postcode district | MK17 |
| Dialling code | 01296 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Drayton Parslow Village |
| |
Drayton Parslow is a village andcivil parish inBuckinghamshire, England, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south ofBletchley, within theBuckinghamshire Councilunitary authority area. In the2001 census the parish had a population of 596,[3] increasing at the2011 census to 614.[1]
In the 11th century thetoponym wasDraintone orDraitone.[4] This is derived fromOld English and means "farm where sledges are used". It is a common English toponym for places that were on a hillside, where a sledge rather than a cart was needed for heavy loads.[citation needed] By the 13th century it had becomeDraitone Passele, referring to the Passelewe family, who tenanted themanor of Drayton from the latter part of the 11th century.[4] It evolved throughDraygtone Passelewe in the 14th century andDraighton Perselow in the 17th century before reaching its current form.[4]
In the reign ofEdward the Confessor in the 11th century, Lewin de Nuneham held a manor of twohides and onevirgate at Drayton.[4] After theNorman Conquest of England, Lewin was displaced asfeudal overlord by the NormanGeoffrey de Montbray,Bishop of Coutances.[4] De Montbray tried unsuccessfully to displace the Passelewes as his tenants, and the family retained Drayton until 1379 when it passed by marriage to the Purcell family.[4] In 1461 it was conveyed to a descendant of the Passelewes, William Laycon, in whose family it then remained until at least 1570.[4]
In Edward the Confessor's reign, two brothers held a second, smaller manor of three virgates at Drayton.[4] TheDomesday Book records that by 1086 William I's half-brotherOdo,Bishop of Bayeux held thefief of this manor.[4] However, Odo was tried for fraud in 1076 and disgraced again in 1082 for acting without Royal authority, and his extensive estates were eventuallyescheated tothe Crown. Odo's Drayton manor was annexed to theHonour ofAmpthill in Bedfordshire.[4] In 1562 it was linked with the manor of East Greenwich, and the last record of overlordship of this manor is dated 1607.[4]
TheChurch of England parish church of the HolyTrinity contains fragments of 12th-century masonry.[5] The first known documentary record of the parish church is from 1232.[4] The chancel was rebuilt in the 14th century[5] in theDecorated Gothic style. In the 15th century the nave was rebuilt and the west tower was built or rebuilt in thePerpendicular Gothic style.[5] Of the same period are the Perpendicular Gothic hexagonalbaptismal font,[6] the three-light east window of the chancel, a 15th-centuryalabaster relief above the altar depicting theCrucifixion of Jesus and fragments of 15th-centurystained glass in the windows.[5] In the 16th century the south porch was added.[5] In 1863 the church wasrestored and the chancel was extended about 6 feet (2 m) eastwards, re-using the Perpendicular east window in the new position.[4] Holy Trinity is now aGrade II* listed building.[5]
By 1925 Holy Trinity had aring of three bells.[4] Bartholomew Atton ofBuckingham[7] cast the tenor bell in 1591.[8]John Taylor & Co ofLoughborough, who at the time also had a foundry atOxford, cast the treble and second bell in 1842.[8] In 1935 these became the fourth and fifth bells as John Taylor & Co cast a new treble, second and third bells, increasing the ring to six.[8]
Holy Trinity has also aSanctus bell that was cast in 1669 by Anthony Chandler, who worked at his family's bell-foundry in the village (see below).[8]
Holy Trinity parish is now part of theBenefice ofNewton Longville,Mursley,Swanbourne,Little Horwood and Drayton Parslow.[9]
Drayton Rectory is aGeorgian house of fivebays built in 1753[10] or 1754.[11]
Holy Trinity Church has been Grade II* listed (Entry Number: 1289256) since 19 August 1959.The summary states: "Fragments of C12 masonry, C14 chancel, C15 nave and W. tower,C16 S. porch. All much restored C19".[5]
DraytonBaptist Chapel was built in 1830.[4] The chapel is now closed and the building sold in 2022.[12]
Drayton's firstPrimitive Methodist chapel was built in 1847.[4] In 1912 it was replaced with a newGothic Revival red brick chapel, and in 1932 it became part of theMethodist Union.[13] Drayton's Methodist congregation declined in the 1960s and 70s, and in 1984 the chapel was sold and converted into a private house.
The settlement is recorded in theDomesday Book (1086) which lists 18 households. In later years, the top end of the village became known as Hog End and later, Church End. Until the 1800s, most residents worked in agriculture.[14]
Drayton Parslow had abell-foundry from 1635 to 1754.[7] It was started by Richard I Chandler and run by members of his family for the next 91 years.[7] In 1726 Edward Hall took over, and continued the business until 1754.[7] By early 1800, the business was no longer in operation, probably because of increasing competition.[15]
Reports indicate that 163 bells that were cast by founders from Drayton Parslow are known to survive.[7] Examples in Buckinghamshire include bells atSt James, Aston Abbotts,St Nicholas, Ickford andSt Giles, Pitchcott and theSanctus bell atSt John the Evangelist, Whitchurch. There are also examples inOxfordshire including atThe Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Beckley,St Michael's, Fringford,St Mary the Virgin, Kidlington andSS Peter and Paul, Steeple Aston and the Sanctus bells atSt Mary, Chesterton andSt Nicholas', Emmington. An example inNorthamptonshire is atSt James the Less, Sulgrave.
Residents of the village were involved in both world wars.[16] The village has a memorial obelisk that states:Commemoration First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945) at the junction of Main Road and Chapel Lane.[17]
According toHistoric England, the village was also a World War II outstation to the Government Code and Cipher School at Bletchley Park; some of the work was moved here in 1943 when the group needed more space. Another source indicates that the buildings were also used as a prisoner of war camp, and after the war, as a hostel for displaced persons and those employed at the brick works. After the war, the Post Office used some of the buildings as a training centre.[14] By the late 1980s the site had been redeveloped; a housing estate is now located there, Prospect Close.[18]
Drayton Parslow Village School is a mixed,community, infant school, which educates children between the ages of four and seven and has about 45 pupils. Since 2007 the school has been in a partnership sharing a single headteacher with the schools inMursley andSwanbourne.[19] Many parish children older than seven go to Swanbourne C of E School,[20] the Junior school of the Three Schools, while others travel toStewkley orWinslow.
Drayton Parslow has apublic house, The Three Horseshoes.[21] The community has a village hall (Greenacre Hall), a Sports and Social Club, and a recreation field with playground and cricket pitch. A MUGA (multi-use games area) is located beside the village hall. The village school educates children to Year 3; Schools are located in the nearby communities for Grade 4 to 7.[22]
In 2004, part of the village was declared a Conservation Area "of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserveor enhance".[23]
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