A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



LITTLE MISSENDEN 



Missedene, Messedena (xi cent.) ; Musindone. 



The parish of Little Missenden has an area of 3,214 

 acres. It is fairly open country, and lies for the most 

 part at an altitude of over 500 ft. above the Ordnance 

 datum, except where it is crossed by the valley of the 

 Misbourne in the north, where the level sinks to 

 between 300 ft. and 400 ft. 1,641 J acres of the 

 parish are arable land, 8 53 J acres permanent grass, 

 and 340^ acres wood. 1 The main road from London 

 to Wendover passes through the north of the parish, 

 and the village of Little Missenden is situated on a 

 road which branches off and runs parallel to the main 

 road for some distance before rejoining it. The 

 church of St. John stands on the outskirts of the 

 village, on the road from Wendover to Amersham, to 

 the north of which there is a thick plantation. 

 Three roads turn south from the village, leading to 

 Beamond End and Holmer Green. In the north- 

 west a road turns westward from the main road, and 

 leads to Little Kingshill, with branch roads south to 

 Holmer Green. The village consists of a few sniall 

 houses of the 1 8th century, of brick and rough-cast, 

 and some cottages. Of late a number of week-end 

 cottages have been erected in the parish. The manor 

 house has some remains of I yth-century work, but 

 was modernized in the early part of the igth century 

 and later. The house called ' Little Missenden 

 Abbey,' the residence of Mr. E. Callard, possibly in- 

 corporates the remains of an old house. It is the 

 property of the trustees of Mr. Seth Smith. 



The hamlet of Little Kingshill lies on the western 

 boundary of the parish, and the village of Holmer 

 Green in the south, with Beamond End about J a 

 mile to the east, and Spurlands End about the same 

 distance to the west. Bray's Green and Mantle's 

 Farm and Wood, with the supposed site of a castle, 

 lie in the north-east of the parish. 



The subsoil is chalk, and the surface soil clay and 

 chalk. The Metropolitan Extension Railway passes 

 through the north-west of the parish, but there is no 

 station, the nearest being Great Missenden, 2^ miles 

 distant. 



The Inclosure Award was made in 1854, and is in 

 the custody of the Clerk of the Peace.' 



The manor or reputed manor of 

 MANORS HOLMER (Halmere, Holemere, xiii 

 cent.) appears to have been identical 

 with the hide held in Missenden before the Conquest 

 by Alwin, a man of Syred, son of Sybi. In 1086 it 

 formed part of the lands of the Count of Mortain, 

 the Conqueror's half-brother.' It was held of him by 

 Wigot, of whom nothing is known. The sub-tenancy 

 seems to have died out. Robert Count of Mortain 

 died between 1088 and 1097,* his lands passing to 

 his son William, who, however, was taken prisoner by 

 Henry I at the battle of Tinchebrai in 1106, and all 

 his honours forfeited. 6 His lands thus came into the 

 possession of the Crown, and were ultimately granted 

 by the Empress Maud or by King Stephen in 

 1141 to Reginald Earl of Cornwall, natural son of 



LITTLE MISSENDEN CHURCH FROM THE SOUTH-EAST 



1 Inf. supplied by Ed. ofAgric. (1905). 

 a Com, Inct. Awards, 12. 



V.C.H. Bucks, i, 2433. 



* G.E.C. Complete Peerage, ii, 360. 



354 



* Ibid. ; A. S. Ellis, Dam. Tenants of 

 Glouc. 



