| Chetwode | |
|---|---|
Mar2006.jpg) Church and Priory of SS. Mary and Nicholas | |
  Chetwode Location withinBuckinghamshire | |
| Population | 173 (2011 Census including Barton Hartshorn)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP6429 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Buckingham |
| Postcode district | MK18 |
| Dialling code | 01280 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Chetwode (/ˈtʃɛtwʊd/)[2] is a village andcivil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest ofBuckingham in theAylesbury Vale district ofBuckinghamshire. The parish is bounded to the southwest and southeast by a brook called The Birne, which here also forms part of the county boundary withOxfordshire.
The nameChetwode is first attested in acharter of 949 (preserved in a seventeenth-century copy) asCetwuda, and then in theDomesday Book of 1086 asCeteode. The first part of the name comes from theBrittonic word corresponding to modern Welshcoed ('wood'), expanded with theOld English wordwudu, of the same meaning.[3][4]: 278
There is amanor at Chetwode that stayed in the same family from the time of theDomesday Book in 1086 through to the 1960s. The Domesday Book records that in 1086 Robert de Thain held the manor fromOdo,Bishop of Bayeux.
In 1244 Sir Ralphe de Norwich founded anAugustinianpriory at Chetwode. In 1460, owing to its poverty, the priory was dissolved and annexed to the nearbyNotley Abbey (or "Nutley" Abbey) inLong Crendon. This led to the first recognition of Chetwode as a village rather than just a priory.
TheChurch of England parish church ofSaint Mary andSaint Nicholas was once part of the Augustinian priory church. However the parish church had become ruinous in the 15th century and this building replaced it as the parish church in 1480. The stonework is a fine example of the work of the 13th century, particularly thesedilia, the east window of fivelancets and the triple-lancet window on the south side, with stained glass of the 13th and 14th centuries. The 14th century north chapel later became the manor pew.[5]
A plan of the arrangements of the church and priory cloister in the 16th-century shows the development of Priory House.[6]
The parish'scommon lands wereenclosed by anAct of Parliament passed in 1812.[7]
In 1899 theGreat Central Railway opened itsmain line to London through the southwestern part of the parish. The nearest station wasFinmere for Buckingham, which was just over the Oxfordshire county boundary on the main road betweenBuckingham andBicester and just over 1 mile (1.6 km) from Chetwode. The station was 5 miles (8 km) from Buckingham, more than 1 mile (1.6 km) fromFinmere and was actually inShelswell parish next to the village ofNewton Purcell. In about 1922 the Great Central renamed the station Finmere.British Railways closed the station in 1963 and the line in 1966.
The route ofHigh Speed 2 follows the old Great Central line route through the parish.
