Lavendon is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.[2] It is the northernmost village in the Milton Keynes UA and South East England,[a] near Olney, about 8 miles (13 km) WNW of Bedford and 9 miles (14 km) NNE of Central Milton Keynes.
| Lavendon | |
|---|---|
 Church Corner and Northampton Road (A428) | |
  Lavendon Location within Buckinghamshire | |
 Interactive map of Lavendon | |
| Population | 1,303 (2011 Census including Warrington)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP915535 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | OLNEY |
| Postcode district | MK46 |
| Dialling code | 01234 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
Nearby places are Warrington, and Cold Brayfield in the Milton Keynes UA, and Harrold and Carlton over the border in Bedfordshire.
History
editThe village name is derived from a personal name and a place-name element from the Old English language (Lafan + denu), and means 'Lafa's valley'.[3] In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village was recorded as Lavendene and Lawendene.[4]
The village was once the location of a Lavendon Abbey, a Premonstratensian abbey, founded between 1155 and 1158 by John de Bidun. The abbey was suppressed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536.[5] It stood at what is now Abbey Farm (formerly Lavendon Grange): this site is a scheduled monument.[6] At Castle Farm are the earthworks of a motte-and-bailey castle created in the twelfth century by de Bidun family as the headquarters of their barony of Lavendon.[7][8] The castle was last recorded in 1232. It too is a scheduled monument.[9] A third scheduled monument nearby, 'The Bury' (a ringwork), may be a precursor to the castle.[10] The site of Uphoe Manor is yet another scheduled monument.[11]
The Earl of Gainsborough was patron of the parish church.[12]
The village is on the route of the 1936 Jarrow March, there is a small plaque on the churchyard wall to commemorate this.
Modern Lavendon
edit
The parish church is dedicated to St Michael: it dates from the 12th century and is a Grade I listed building.[13] There is also a Baptist Church that meets at the Union Chapel in the centre of the village.
The village has a combined school for children from reception (4 years) through to year 6 (11 years). It also has a village store and Post Office, an independent garage, village hall and two public houses, the Green Man and The Horseshoe. There is also a pre-school and a nursery.
The company Tusting has a small factory on Olney Road producing a wide range of luxury leather goods which are exported worldwide.
The Lavendon Narrow Gauge Railway is situated in the village and it open to the public a few Sundays a year.
Note and references
edit- ^ Nearby Warrington is more northerly but is formally a hamlet.
- ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Lavendon (E04012187)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ Parishes in Milton Keynes Archived 2009-06-08 at the Wayback Machine - Milton Keynes Council.
- ^ "Key to English place names". Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ^ Watts, V. (2004). The Cambridge Dictionary of Place-Names. Cambridge University Press. p. 363.
- ^ Knowles, D.; Hadcock, R. N. (1971). Medieval Religious Houses of England and Wales (2nd ed.). London: Longmans. pp. 184, 190.
- ^ Historic England. "Lavendon Abbey: the site of a Premonstratensian abbey, fishponds and field system at Lavendon Grange (1011309)". National Heritage List for England (SM).
- ^ Sanders, I. J. (1960). English Baronies: A Study of Their Origin and Descent, 1086-1327. Oxford: Clarendon. p. 128.
- ^ Stenton, F. (1961). The First Century of English Feudalism, 1066-1166 (2nd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 205n.
- ^ Historic England. "Lavendon Castle: a motte and bailey and associated enclosures... (1009542)". National Heritage List for England (SM).
- ^ Historic England. "The Bury: a ringwork and associated earthworks 100m north of Lavendon Church (1011295)". National Heritage List for England (SM). (see Official List Entry)
- ^ Historic England. "Moated site and associated enclosure at Uphoe Manor Farm 700m east of Lavendon Church. (1011305)". National Heritage List for England (SM).
- ^ Lewis, Samuel, ed. (1848). "Lavendon (St Mary)". A Topographical Dictionary of England. London – via British History Online.
- ^ Historic England (17 November 1966). "Church of St.Michael (1212619)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
External links
editMedia related to Lavendon at Wikimedia Commons
