Passenham
Village in Northamptonshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Passenham is a small village in West Northamptonshire,[1] England. It is just north of the River Great Ouse, which forms the boundary with Buckinghamshire, and close to (but separated by the river from) Stony Stratford in Milton Keynes.[2]
| Passenham | |
|---|---|
Interior view of the chancel in St Guthlac's church, with the memorial to Sir Robert Banastre and part of the chancel's 16th century painted wall decorations | |
.svg)  Passenham Location within Northamptonshire | |
 Interactive map of Passenham | |
| OS grid reference | SP780395 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Milton Keynes |
| Postcode district | MK19 |
| Dialling code | 01908 |
| Police | Northamptonshire |
| Fire | Northamptonshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
The village's name means 'Passa's hemmed-in land'.[3]
Governance
The village parish council is joined with the village of Old Stratford[4] which also administers the village and both are part of West Northamptonshire. It was governed by South Northamptonshire District Council[5] and Northamptonshire County Council[6] until local government changes in 2021.
On 11 November 1948 the civil parish of "Passenham" was renamed "Deanshanger".[7]
Landmarks
The church of St Guthlac has a late 13th-century tower, the upper part rebuilt 1626. The chancel was built in 1626 by Sir Robert Banastre (who died in 1649).[8] Some remarkable furnishings, stalls and misericords date from 1626. There are also original wall paintings[8] which were restored in the 1960s. Also notable are box pews, stained glass and a monument to Banastre.
The Stony Stratford hoard
The Stony Stratford Hoard was found in 1789, possibly near Passenham.[9] It is not known where it originally came from or how it got there. Even the location of the find-spot is somewhat speculative, since the only recorded information is in a Minute of a June 1813 meeting of the Society of Antiquaries of London, which identifies the find spot as "Windmill Field, near Stony Stratford".[10] Historians Brown and Roberts conjectured that the field concerned is the one in nearby Passenham;[11] other Northamptonshire sources concur.[12][9][a] (A 1608 map of the Whittlewood Forest area,[14] shows a windmill on the east side of the road leading south into Passenham, a little to the north of Manor Farm.[b]) Brown and Roberts also identified crop markings at the east end of that field, leading them to conjecture that to be the most likely location.[11][c] An urn was uncovered that contained between 50 and 60 fragments of silver and gilt bronze plaques.[12] "In addition there are two objects sometimes described as ensigns or head-dresses".[12] The fragments include images of the Roman deities Mars, Apollo, and Victoria and inscriptions ascribed to Jupiter and Vulcan, leading to theories that this was a votive hoard at a Roman temple.[12] The hoard is now kept at the British Museum.[13]
Notes
- The relevant part of the map is reproduced at "Old Stratford". Milton Keynes Heritage Association. and can be matched to the six-inch Ordnance Survey mapping for the same area.[15]
