Drayton Parslow is a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, about south of Bletchley, within the Buckinghamshire Council unitary authority area. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 596, increasing at the 2011 census to 614.

Toponym

In the 11th century the toponym was Draintone or Draitone. This is derived from Old English and means "farm where sledges are used". It is a common English toponym for places that were on a hillside, where a sledge rather than a cart was needed for heavy loads. By the 13th century it had become Draitone Passele, referring to the Passelewe family, who tenanted the manor of Drayton from the latter part of the 11th century. The first known documentary record of the parish church is from 1232. cast the tenor bell in 1591. John Taylor & Co of Loughborough, who at the time also had a foundry at Oxford, cast the treble and second bell in 1842.

Drayton Rectory is a Georgian house of five bays built in 1753 or 1754.

Holy Trinity Church has been Grade II* listed (Entry Number: 1289256) since 19 August 1959.

The summary states: "Fragments of C12 masonry, C14 chancel, C15 nave and W. tower,C16 S. porch. All much restored C19".

Methodist

Drayton's first Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1847. Drayton's Methodist congregation declined in the 1960s and 70s, and in 1984 the chapel was sold and converted into a private house.

History

The settlement is recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) which lists 18 households. In later years, the top end of the village became known as Hog End and later, Church End. Until the 1800s, most residents worked in agriculture.

Bell-foundry

Drayton Parslow had a bell-foundry from 1635 to 1754.

Reports indicate that 163 bells that were cast by founders from Drayton Parslow are known to survive. The village has a memorial obelisk that states: Commemoration First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945) at the junction of Main Road and Chapel Lane.

According to Historic England, the village was also a World War II outstation to the Government Code and Cipher School at Bletchley Park; some of the work was moved here in 1943 when the group needed more space. Another source indicates that the buildings were also used as a prisoner of war camp, and after the war, as a hostel for displaced persons and those employed at the brick works. After the war, the Post Office used some of the buildings as a training centre.

Amenities

Drayton Parslow Village School is a mixed, community, infant school, which educates children between the ages of four and seven and has about 45 pupils. Since 2007 the school has been in a partnership sharing a single headteacher with the schools in Mursley and Swanbourne. Many parish children older than seven go to Swanbourne C of E School, the Junior school of the Three Schools, while others travel to Stewkley or Winslow.

Drayton Parslow has a public house, The Three Horseshoes. The community has a village hall (Greenacre Hall), a Sports and Social Club, and a recreation field with playground and cricket pitch. A MUGA (multi-use games area) is located beside the village hall. The village school educates children to Year 3; Schools are located in the nearby communities for Grade 4 to 7.

In 2004, part of the village was declared a Conservation Area "of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve

or enhance".

Notable people

  • William Wright (1841–1916), cricketer

References

Sources and further reading

  • Drayton Parslow Village