Around and about Leckhampstead

Leckhampstead is set in the rolling hills of north Buckinghamshire in a rural area close to the historic town of Buckingham.

Spread across some 2,570 acres within the Aylesbury Vale area of the Buckinghamshire unitary local government authority, it is bordered in the east by the River Great Ouse and by the county boundary of Northamptonshire to the north. The 7.5 mile stream, the Leck, runs from its source near Silverstone, through the village and on to the Great Ouse.

The village is characterised by five distinct areas or ‘Ends’ – Barretts End, South End, Middle End, Church End and Limes End – each with its own cluster of residential properties and interspersed by arable and pasture farmland, with woodland to the north. A smaller area to the east is separated from the rest of the parish by the A422.

Compared to times past, today’s Leckhampstead is small in terms of people and homes, with a population of around 200 and 73 residential properties. However, it can trace its history back to times of a higher population and divided lordships, which is thought to account for the dispersed pattern of settlements.

Leckhampstead is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and at that time boasted three manors, of which the largest was held by Gilbert Maminot, the bishop of Bayeux. A 2002 survey by the University of Leicester as part of the Whittlewood Project found evidence of house platforms and pottery dating back to medieval days.
In the years 1870 to 1872, there were 106 houses and  482 people. The population decreased over several centuries until by 1901 it stood at 241, less than half of its likely total at the time of the Hundred Rolls ‘census’ of 1279.

What has not changed is the main use of the land – agriculture. Records from the Middle Ages show it was used for arable crops such as wheat and oats, together with herds of goats, cattle, pigs and a few sheep. Sheep farming increased following the Enclosures of the late 15th and early 16th century and is still the predominant livestock farmed today.

21st century Leckhampstead is a sympathetic mix of historic and modern homes, working farms, miles of public footpaths and bridleways through open countryside, a village hall and green and its most important listed building, the 12th century parish church of St Mary. At one time, it also boasted a village school, pub and shop but which, in common with many other villages, were closed in the 1960s although the buildings remain as private homes.
It remains a lively community, with regular social events and activities and the village’s largely unspoilt rural charm is particularly popular with ramblers, cyclists and horse riders who enjoy exploring its highways and byways.