Town and country
Buckingham
What was it like to live in Buckingham in the Tudor and Stuart periods? Much of
the town would still have had medieval buildings and be shaped by events that took
place in the medieval period.
One legacy of the medieval period was that, by royal decree, wool could only sold to
other countries through a small number of towns. These towns became known as
staple towns. Buckingham was a staple town. However, in 1535 Henry VIII decided
that all wool trade should go through Calais, which belonged to England at that time.
What do you think the merchants of Buckingham felt about this? What was going to
happen to their business?
Figure 1: Tudor or Stuart houses on Market Hill
Imagine you are Henry VIII. You will have lots of letters and visits from merchants
who have lost a great deal of business. What arguments can you come up with for
why all the wool trade should be moved to Calais? Write a letter as if to a merchant
explaining why you have moved the wool trade.
Figure 2: Stuart house on West Street
Town and country
When the wool trade ended there was still other forms of industry going on in
Buckingham. For instance, there were bell-foundries. The Appowell family were
first mentioned in 1556 and accounts in Wing church in 1557 recorded £3 6s 8d
‘payde to John appowell for the bell’. In 1590 the same church recorded £10 0s 7d
paid to ‘Bartholomewe Atton of Buckyngham for the casting of the second bell’. He
was working with Richard Newcombe at the time. The Attons stopped founding in
1633. Other bells would have been made locally as it was difficult to transport
heavy church bells any distance.
There was also a shrine to St Rumbald in the old parish church. Traditionally, St
Rumbold was a child of the royal family of the Midland kingdom of Mercia. He is
said to have been born at Sutton (now known as King's Sutton) near Banbury.
Legend has it that he died when he was only 3 days old, but that in that time he
said several times "I am a Christian", expressed his faith in the Holy Trinity, asked
for Baptism and Holy Communion, preached on the Holy Trinity and the need for a
virtuous life, quoted Scripture and recited the Athanasian Creed. Buried at King's
Sutton, he was later moved here to Buckingham.
Figure 3: Site of the old parish church in Buckingham
How would this shrine bring money into the town? Circle one or more answers:
People would
donate money to
the shrine and
church after they
died.
Pilgrims would
come to worship
there and stay at
inns and buy food
in the town.
Pilgrims would
donate money to
the church and
shrine or buy
pilgrim’s badges.
Town and country
All of these are correct. However, after Henry VIII set up the Church of England
and dissolved the monasteries, pilgrimages and shrines were also discouraged.
There is now a well dedicated to St Rumbold to the south-west of the town. The old
church spire fell down in 1698/9 and eventually the church was demolished and a
new one built on Castle Hill.
Figure 4: St Rumbold’s Well
Your teacher will give you a map of Buckingham. Colour in where you think the castle
might have been (here’s a clue: look for street names and shapes).
The castle in Buckingham decayed and was made into a farmhouse after the Duke
of Buckingham was executed in 1521. From 1670 the empty space was flattened for
use as a bowling green. Voting would also happen in tents set up temporarily. What
kind of people do you think would be using the bowling green and polling booths?
Circle one answer:
Rich people,
landowners
Poor people,
tenants
Figure 5: Aerial photograph of Buckingham’s new church on the site of the castle
Town and country
The bowling green was used by gentlemen, who also used the Assembly Rooms on
Castle Street. Only landowners whose land was worth more than 40 shillings a year
were allowed to vote.
Castle House was known as Fowler’s and then Lambard’s House through the Tudor
and Stuart periods, after the families that lived there. Edward Fowler was
entertaining Katherine of Aragon there, Henry VIII’s first wife, when she heard
the news of the victory over the Scots at Flodden Field in 1514. What kind of
person do you think Edward Fowler was if he was entertaining the queen? Circle one
answer:
A farmer,
living in a
small cottage.
A gentleman,
living in a
mansion.
A nobleman,
living in a
palace.
Katherine of Aragon was very religious and would not think it beneath her to speak
to farmers and even visit their houses because it would be charitable to do so.
However, it is unlikely that a farmer would be able to provide enough space for the
queen and all her attendants. A nobleman would not be allowed to have a house as
big as a palace to rival the king and queen’s houses. The queen would be able to visit
and stay with gentlemen as long as they could provide enough room and food for a
large group. Edward Fowler’s father had been an important official in the
government, so the family had previous royal connections.
Figure 6: Tudor or Stuart houses on Well Street
Town and country
Queen Mary gave the town its charter in 1554. This granted the town the right to
govern themselves and settle disputes within the town. They were also given the
right to have a market every Tuesday and two yearly fairs on St Matthew’s (21st
September) and St Mark’s day (25th April). These would bring more money into the
town.
If you were a child in the Tudor or Stuart periods in
Buckingham, you had an opportunity to go to school,
most children elsewhere didn’t. The Old Chantry
Chapel (right) had been hospital, but it was made into
a free school by Isabel Denton in 1540 and continued
by Edward VI. A free school meant that those
attending didn’t have to pay for their education.
Figure 7: Chantry Chapel
Life in Buckingham was quite difficult for those who had to work after the wool
trade and the pilgrimages were stopped. However, after the charter, the fairs and
markets brought much needed cash into the town. Adults could also work in the
bell-foundry and poor children had a chance of a good education after the school
was set up at the old Chantry Chapel. The gentry were treated with visits from the
monarchy and were able to indulge in leisure pursuits and influence the government.
Do a timeline of Buckingham in the Tudor and Stuart periods based on the
information above and the research you have done.
Thornborough
Thornborough is and was a small village to the east of Buckingham. It had only 49
families in Elizabeth I’s reign and in 1642 only 37 men were named as taxpayers.
This does not mean that only men lived there, but women and children didn’t pay
tax.
Lots of different people owned land or claimed overlordship in Thornborough. The
main manor was owned by Luffield Priory in the early Tudor period but after the
Dissolution it made its way to the Temples of Stowe. Barton’s Manor was also sold
Town and country
to the Temples in 1561. Some land belonging to the Knight’s Hospitallers was sold in
1456 to the Bishop of Winchester who gave it to Magdalen College, Oxford.
The sixteenth
century village may
have been further
to the west as
there are remains
of streets and
building platforms
there (left). Draw
on this aerial
photograph where
you can see the
older village.
Figure 8: Aerial photograph of Thornborough deserted village
Do a search on the Unlocking Buckinghamshire’s Past website to find out how old
the oldest buildings in Thornborough are and fill in this table:
House
Date
The church would have been three to four hundred years old already in the Tudor
and Stuart periods. The power to choose the vicar of the church also belonged to
Luffield Priory but it was soon transferred to the Dean of Westminster once all
monasteries were dissolved. One of the main changes for the residents of
Thornborough in the sixteenth century was this loss of Luffield Priory.
Town and country
Figure 9: Thornborough church
There was a windmill in Thornborough in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Most people in Thornborough would have been farmers. They would grow their crops
and harvest them in the autumn. The grain would then be ground into flour at the
windmill and made into bread. They would keep animals too, like pigs, sheep and
cows.
Figure 10: Tudor or Stuart house on Church Lane, Thornborough
Work in pairs. One of you has to imagine they come from Buckingham in the Tudor
or Stuart periods and the other comes from Thornborough. Have a conversation
about what life is like for both of you.