Beachampton
Village in Buckinghamshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beachampton is a village and civil parish beside the River Great Ouse in the unitary authority area of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Buckingham and a similar distance west of the centre of Milton Keynes.
| Beachampton | |
|---|---|
Parish church of the Assumption | |
  Beachampton Location within Buckinghamshire | |
 Interactive map of Beachampton | |
| Population | 184 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP7737 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Milton Keynes |
| Postcode district | MK19 |
| Dialling code | 01908 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
History
The village toponym is derived from the Old English for "home farm by a stream".[3] In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was recorded as Bechentone.[4]
Parts of the village stand on high ground, but most of the village is prone to regular flooding by the stream that runs through the village, a tributary of the River Ouse.
The family name Beachampton originates in this village, and was first recorded in manorial records in 1175 when Osmer de Beachampton was a tenant here. There is no documentary evidence for the tradition that Hall Farm in Beachampton was the home of Catherine Parr when she was married to King Henry VIII.[5]
Beachampton Hall, a Grade II* listed manor house, has elements dating from the 15th century.[6] The present house was probably built by the Piggot family: Sir Thomas Piggot hosted a 1603 visit of Queen Anne of Denmark, wife of King James I and VI; the gardens were laid out at this time.[6]
The Church of England parish church of the Assumption of St Mary the Virgin dates from the 14th century,[5] and is grade II* listed.[7] G.E. Street, a Gothic Revival architect, rebuilt upper part of the bell-tower in 1873–74.[8] It has a large monument to Simon Benett Bt. (1682).[5][7] The Bennetts (or Bennets) have been Lords of Beachampton (styled Lord de Beachampton) and of the neighbouring manor of Calverton since 1616.[9] Both these manorial lordship titles, though not the lands, remain in the possession of the Bennett family to the present day.[10][11]
The parish has a further nine listed buildings and structures.[12]
