Upper Winchendon (also called Over Winchendon) is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Valedistrict in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about a mile south of Waddesdon, three and a half miles west of Aylesbury.
The village name 'Winchendon' is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'hill at a bend'. Collectively the villages of Upper Winchendon and Nether Winchendon (sometimes called Lower Winchendon) were called Wichendone. The prefix 'Upper' was added later to differentiate between the village on higher ground from the village on lower ground.
The ancient manor house in the village used to belong to the convent of St Frideswide in Oxford, to whom it was given by King Henry I. Following the suppression of that convent in the early 16th century the manor was given to Cardinal Wolsey, though was seized by the Crown shortly afterwards in 1544 along with Wolsey's other possessions.
In 1623 the manor was given by the king to the Goodwin family, who expanded the manor house into a fine mansion. It then came into the Wharton family, one of whom was made the Duke of Wharton in 1718 for his services to the Crown. He later had all his possessions seized for being a supporter of the Young Pretender (Bonnie Prince Charlie), after which time the house fell into disrepair and has since been completely demolished.
Famous quotes containing the word upper:
“When my old wife lived, upon
This day she was both pantler, butler, cook,
Both dame and servant, welcomed all, served all,
Would sing her song and dance her turn, now here
At upper end o’the table, now i’the middle,
On his shoulder, and his, her face afire
With labor, and the thing she took to quench it
She would to each one sip.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)