Ravenstone, Buckinghamshire
Ravenstone is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes, (ceremonial) Buckinghamshire, England.[2] The village is about 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Olney, and 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Newport Pagnell and the northern boundary of the Milton Keynes urban area. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 209.[1]
| Ravenstone | |
|---|---|
 All Saints' parish church | |
  Ravenstone Location within Buckinghamshire | |
| Population | 209 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP850508 |
| • London | 60 miles (97 km) |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Olney |
| Postcode district | MK46 |
| Dialling code | 01908 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Ravenstone Home Page |
History
The toponym is derived from the Old English for "Hrafn's farm".
In 1255 a priory of Augustinian canons was founded in Ravenstone by King Henry III. Cardinal Wolsey took it over in 1525, and then in 1544 the Crown seized all of Wolsey's estates including Ravenstone Priory. After changing hands privately a number of occasions the building was eventually demolished, and today nothing remains.
The oldest parts of the Church of England parish church of All Saints are 11th-century. The church includes the tomb of Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham. He had the neighbouring almshouses built, originally six for men and six for women, now combined into six cottages. The original inhabitants had to be single and members of the Church of England, and received a small pension, firewood, and a new cloak every Christmas.[3]
For a brief period the incumbent Thomas Scott, author of popular theological works and one of the founders of the Church Missionary Society.
A post office and The Wheatsheaf pub closed in the early 1990s.
Amenities
The only communal facility in Ravenstone is the village hall.
Notes
- UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Ravenstone (E04001269)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- "Parishes in Milton Keynes". Milton Keynes Council. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009.
- Knight & Osborn 1992, p. 72.
Sources and further reading
- Knight, E; Osborn, G (1992). Olney and District in Camera. Buckingham: Quotes Ltd. p. 72.
- Page, W.H., ed. (1927). A History of the County of Buckingham. Victoria County History. 4. London: The St Katherine Press. pp. 439–445.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1960). Buckinghamshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 230–231. ISBN 0-14-071019-1.
