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Milton Keynes

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"MILTON KEYNES (Newport Pagnell, 3 m.) is a pretty village with many white-walled, heavily-thatched cottages, some of the 17th cent. One of the best is the pituresque Swan Inn. The church, half-way up the village on W. side, is in a delightful churchyard filled with flowers and shrubs. This church is one of the first interest, and with Olney it forms the best example of the Dec. style in this county, but it is less formal and academic than Olney, and is full of vigour and individuality." [Buckinghamshire, by E. S. Roscoe]
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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", E.S. Roscoe, London Methuen & Co Ltd, 1935.
"Buckinghamshire Contributions for Ireland 1642", Wilson J., 1983.
"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: Milton Keynes and Wolverton area, Volume 6", Peter Quick.

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Cemeteries

  • War memorials in Milton Keynes have been transcribed by Peter Quick, and published in a booklet entitled "War Memorials and War Graves: Milton Keynes and Wolverton area, Volume 6", available from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.
  • War memorial details are also available online on the Roll of Honour web site.

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Census

In 1642 there were 81 people named in the tax returns for contributions for Ireland. Between them they were assessed at £7.7.9 of which sum Mr Ralph Smith contributed £2.10.0

In 1798 the Posse Comitatus listed 62 men between the ages of 16 and 60 in Milton Keynes.

In the earliest government census of 1801, there were 280 inhabitants in 57 families living in 57 houses recorded in Milton Keynes.

Census Year Population of Milton Keynes
1801* 280
1811* 287
1821* 338
1831* 334
1841 327
1851 317
1861 346
1871 321
1881 244
1891 207
1901 219

* = 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, Milton Keynes have been deposited in the Buckinghamshire Record Office in Aylesbury, and they hold the following years:

Event Dates covered
Christenings 1559 - 1893
Marriages 1559 - 1836
Burials 1559 - 1812

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

Event
Society Library*
Dates covered
Society
Marriages
1559 - 1837
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 Milton Keynes showed the following numbers:

Church Attendance
Milton Keynes, All Saints 54 - Morning General Congregation
38 - Morning Sunday Scholars
92 - Morning Total

56 - Afternoon General Congregation
38 - Afternoon Sunday Scholars
94 - Afternoon Total

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Milton Keynes which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

Milton Keynes was described in 1806 in "Magna Britannia" as follows:

MIDDLETON, or MILTON-KEYNES, in the hundred and deanery of Newport, lies about four miles south of Newport-Pagnell, and about a mile out of the road from that town to London. It acquired its additional name from the ancient family of Keynes, who possessed the manor. William de Keynes, Lord of this manor, was the person who took King Stephen prisoner, at the battle of Lincoln. From him this estate passed by female heirs to the families of Aylesbury and Stafford. It was purchased of the latter by Lord Chancellor Nottingham, from whom it descended to the present proprietor, George Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham.

In the parish church is the tomb of Lewis Atterbury, rector of this parish, who died in 1693. He was father of the celebrated bishop Atterbury, who was born at Milton-Keynes on the 6th, and baptized on the 17th of March, 1662, as appears by the parish-register.

The Earl of Winchelsea is patron of the rectory. Dr. Wotton, a learned critic and antiquary, was rector of this parish, from 1693, till his death, which happened in 1726; his Reflections on Ancient and Modern Learning were written at Milton, the year after he became possessed of the rectory.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SP890390 (Lat/Lon: 52.042264, -0.70378), Milton Keynes which are provided by:

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Names, Geographical

The name Milton derives from the old english middel + tun meaning 'middle farm'. The affix of Keynes is believed to derive from the family of Cahaignes, or, Cayenes who had connections with the village in the 13th century.