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Hillesden

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"The parish of Hillesden has an area of about 2600 acres, of which the greater part is laid down in permanent grass; there are 310 acres of arable land and 12 acres woods and plantations. The soil is clay. A small branch of the Ouse forms the boundary on the south and south-east, in which district the land is lowest (about 260 ft. to 280 ft. above the ordnance datum). Towards the centre and the west of the parish the ground is undulating and rises gradually, but the highest part (from 360 ft. to 380 ft.) is in the north. The village is divided into three parts, known as Church End, Barracks and Lower End." [© copyright of the editors of The Victoria Histories of the Counties of England]
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Bibliography

The following reference sources have been used in the construction of this page, and may be referred to for further detail. Most if not all of these volumes are available in the Reference section of the County Library in Aylesbury.

"Buckinghamshire Returns of the Census of Religious Worship 1851", Legg E. ed., 1991, ISBN 0 901198 27 7.
"Magna Britannia: Buckinghamshire", Lysons S. and Lysons D., 1806.
"The Place-Names of Buckinghamshire", Mawer A. and Stenton F.M., 1925.
"The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Buckinghamshire", Page W. ed., 1905-1928
"War Memorials and War Graves: Buckingham Hundred, Volume 7", Peter Quick.

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Cemeteries

War Memorials

War memorials in Hillesden have been transcribed by Peter Quick, and published in a booklet entitled "War Memorials and War Graves: Buckingham Hundred, Volume 7", available from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.

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Census

In 1798 the Posse Comitatus listed 42 men between the ages of 16 and 60 in Hillesden.

In the earliest government census of 1801, there were 183 inhabitants in 34 families living in 26 houses recorded in Hillesden.

Census Year Population of Hillesden
1801* 183
1811* 216
1821* 247
1831* 251
1841 262
1851 244
1861 251
1871 274
1881 221
1891 197
1901 181

* = No names were recorded in census documents from 1801 to 1831.
** = Census documents from 1911 to 2001 are only available in summary form. Names are witheld under the 100 year rule.

Microfilm copies of all census enumerators' notebooks for 1841 to 1891 are held at the Local Studies Libraries at Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, as well as centrally at the PRO. A table of 19th century census headcount by parish is printed in the VCH of Bucks, Vol.2, pp 96-101.

Availability of census transcripts and indexes.

  • 1851 - Full transcripts and indexes for Buckinghamshire are available on CD-ROM, hard copy and microfiche from the Buckinghamshire Family History Society.
  • 1861 - Available on CD-ROM with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.
  • 1881
    • Available on CD-ROM from the Church of the Latter Day Saints, as part of the National 1881 Census Index.
    • Available on CD-ROM for Buckinghamshire, with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from Drake Software.
  • 1891 - Available on CD-ROM with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.

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Church History

Details of the stained glass in the church can be found on the following web sites (the site includes many photos):

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Church Records

The original copies of the parish registers for All Saints, Hillesden have been deposited in the Buckinghamshire Record Office in Aylesbury, and they hold the following years:

Event Dates covered
Christenings 1594 - 1951
Marriages 1594 - 1836
Banns 1754 - 1925
Burials 1594 - 1812

Copies or indexes to the parish registers are available from societies as follows:

Event
Society Library*
Dates covered
Society
Christenings
1594 - 1837
Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society
Marriages
1594 - 1837
Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society
Burials
1594 - 1834
Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society

* = material held in a Society library is generally available for loan to all members either via post, or by collection at a meeting

An ecclesiastical census was carried out throughout England on 30 March 1851 to record the attendance at all places of worship. These returns are in the Buckinghamshire Record Office and have been published by the Buckinghamshire Record Society (vol 27). The returns for Hillesden showed the following numbers:

Church Attendance
Hillesden, All Saints No data given for 30th March 1851

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Hillesden which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

Hillesden was described in 1806 in "Magna Britannia" as follows:

HILLESDON, in the hundred and deanery of Buckingham, lies nearly four miles south of the county town. the manor was anciently in the Giffards, Earls of Buckingham, afterwards in the Bolbecs, from whom it passed by marriage to the Veres and Courtneys. After the attainder of the Earl of Devon, in 1461, it was given to Sir Walter Devereux, who being slain at Bosworth-field, it was restored to the Courtneys, but was again forfeited by the attainder of the Marquis of Exeter, in 1539. King Edward VI. granted it to Thomas Denton esq. whose descendant, Edmund Denton, of Hillesdon, was created a baronet in 1699. The title became extinct at his death: the manor of Hillesdon, which continued in a collateral branch of the family, is now the property of Mrs. Coke, relict of the late Wenman Coke esq. and daughter of George Chamberlayne esq. whose father married Elizabeth, eldest daughter and co-heir of Alexander Denton esq.

The manor-house, the greater part of which was taken down a few years ago, was, during the civil war in the seventeenth century, made a garrison for the king, being then the seat of Sir Alexander Denton knt. who suffered great losses on account of his attachment to the royal cause. The garrison was surrendered in 1643, the house plundered, and Sir Alexander Denton committed to prison, where he died of a broken heart.

In the parish church are several monuments of the Dentons; that of Catherine, wife of Alexander Denton esq. one of the justices of the Common Pleas, is by Sir Henry Cheere, and is ornamented with busts in white marble, of the judge and his lady. There is also a monument for George Woodward esq. envoy to Poland, who died at Warsaw in 1735, and the tomb of Godfrey Boate, one of the justices of the king's bench, in Ireland, (the subject of Dean Swift's quibbling elegy,) who died in 1722. The church, which was rebuilt in 1493, is a very handsome Gothic structure: in the east window of the north aisle is some very rich stained glass, representing various scenes from the legend of St. Nicholas.

The great tithes, which were given by Walter Giffard, Earl of Buckingham, to Nutley abbey, are now vested in the dean and chapter of Christ Church, in Oxford, who are patrons of the donative.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP686288 (Lat/Lon: 51.953468, -1.003197), Hillesden which are provided by:

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Names, Geographical

The name Hillesden derives from the old english personal name Hild and the old english word dun meaning hill. Hence Hillesden means 'Hild's hill'.