Radnage can trace its History back to the 12thC, although it’s been suggested that it was part of the Royal Hunting Forest of Bernwood. It’s unusual in that it doesn’t have a Centre, but comprises a number of separate Areas – The City, Town End, Green End & Bennett End. The name Radnage is old English for ‘Red Oak’.
Radnage – Desborough Hundred: Radenach, Radenai, Radenhach (12thC); Radenache (13thC); Radenhag, Radnashe, Radnage (16thC onwards)- meant ‘Red Oak’ in Old English
Radnage is a Border Parish of 1,368-acres, of which 903 are Arable & 250 permanent Grass. The Soil is Chalky with a Subsoil of light Loam & Clay. The Crops produced are Arable.
Radnage contains 2-Commons – Radnage Common & Andridge Common – which once accounted for a relatively large proportion of Land in the Parish before they were Enclosed. These Commons, which used to be much larger than they appear today, must have been used & accessed by many people in the Parish & beyond down the years.
Radnage Area Map: Buckinghamshire Sheet XLI 1885
The Parish is well Wooded, containing 52-acres; Ballards & Mead or Shaw are the Principal Woods. The latter name recalls Richard Mead, who in 1654 obtained the reversion of Leighton Manor, to which Radnage was attached. Radnage, though itself in parts more than 600-ft above the Ordnance Datum (Newlyn), is surrounded & sheltered by the Heights of the Chilterns. Langley remarks on the extreme salubrity of the Air & consequent Longevity of the Inhabitants & is corroborated by Sheahan. The Village, which contains a few Houses of the 16th & 17thCs, lies high in the North-west of the Parish. The Church stands to the North of the Village in a well-Wooded Churchyard with the Rectory, a Red Brick House, to the West of it. An old Well here bears the name of the Monks’ Well. The Houses collected in the South of the Village, amongst them a Timber & Brick 17thC Cottage, are known as Town End, a name of some Antiquity. Bennett End comprises an Inn & a few Houses, some of them of Brick & Timber with Tiled or Thatched Roofs of the 17thC & The City, the highest Ground in the Parish, where are a Mission Chapel & Schools & some 17thC Brick & Timber Cottages. Radnage Common is South of The City and includes Pond Farm, over 300-acres in extent, with a good House & Ashridge Farm, a 17thC Timber & Brick House, in the Parlour of which is an Open Fireplace with Chimney Corner Seats. Andridge Common with a Farm of the same name is in the North-west. Just below the Common is the Grange Farm with a Large & Ancient Farm-house. Both these Commons were Inclosed in 1860. Radnage House (City), the principal House in the Parish, belongs to Mr Bennett and is at present occupied by him.
Radnage Farmhouse: Late 17thC, altered. Timber- framing with Brick infill to 1st Floor, the Centre bay with some Herringbone patterning, the Gabled Left Bay rendered; Ground Floor rebuilt in Brick; rear part of Cross Wing rebuilt in Flint with thin Brick dressings. 20thC Tile Roofs, rebuilt Chimneys of thin Brick with off-set Heads. L-plan with later Staircase in rear Angle. Cross Wing to left is of 2-Storeys with 20thC Tilting Casements. Centre Bay has 1-Storey and an Attic, with 3-light barred wooden Casement to Ground Floor & similar 2-light above in Gabled Eaves-line Dormer. Right Bay rebuilt or added c.1800, of Flint & Brick with Hipped Roof & 20thC Porch. 20thC Lean-to to left. Interior shows more Timber Framing, with Steep curved Wind-braces & stop-chamfered Spine Beam in Centre Bay. Main Fireplace to right of Centre Bay has 19thC surround with fine Gun-rack.
The Inhabitants of this Parish were mainly engaged in Agriculture, but Chairmaking was also carried on. Until recently Lace-making by hand was a further Industry.
Manor: – No mention has been found in Domesday of Radnage, which at that date appears, according to a 13thC Document, to have been Royal Demesne attached to the Manor of Brill. Early in the 12thC Radnage was divided, and the smaller part was Granted by Henry I to Fontevrault Abbey. The larger portion, afterwards known as Radnage Manor, was retained by the Crown for some years longer & was made the subject of temporary Grants. Under Henry II Walter son of Ernald is Returned for £10 in Radnage. Between the years 1200 & 1207 the name of Godfrey de Luvem appears as paying £40 in Radnage. A few years later in 1215 King John Granted Radnage to the Knights Templars & at various times during the next 5-yrs the Sheriff of the County is Commanded to give them Seisin. The Templars received a Confirmation in 1227 & in 1275/6 claimed View of Frankpledge here. On the suppression of the Templars at the beginning of the 14thC the Hospitallers here, as elsewhere, Acquired their Lands, for which they were Assessed in 1316. The Rents derived from the Manor about this time were 10-Marks. One mention only of this Manor has been found in the Cartulary of the Hospitallers, and that is the Election in 1522 of Andrew & Edmund Windsor as Stewards of the Manors of ‘Radnache,’ Temple Wycombe & Marlow at a Salary of 26s-8d. At the Dissolution this Manor fell to the Crown. The Manor was heavily Mortgaged by Charles I in the 1st-yr of his Reign to Edward Allen & other Citizens of London. Langley, writing at the close of the 18thC, says that Charles II gave the Quitrent to one of his Mistresses, who afterwards Sold it to the Family of Chase. Stephen Chase certainly owned Rents issuing from the Manor in 1758, & Frances Hearne Bettesworth, Spinster, appears as Vouchee for the same interest in a recovery of 1808. The Lordship of the Manor, of which the Lands are all Freehold, still remains Vested in the Crown.
The Nuns of Fontevrault Abbey appear to have received a Grant of £4 Rent in Radnage at the same time as they received from Henry I the more important Property in Leighton, Beds, to which this Property was attached. The 1st mention of the Nuns Holding in Radnage is found on the early Pipe Rolls of Henry II. In 1164 he confirmed to them the Grant of £4 from the Manor of Radnage, which Grant is also mentioned in the Charter of Richard I of 1189 to the Nuns. In 1200 a further confirmation was received by the Abbey.
Shortly previous to this last date a Cell of Fontevrault, known as La Grove or Grovebury (Priory), had been Founded at Leighton (Buzzard) itself, and in 1228 the Prior there claimed Customary Services from Ralph de Radenache & others. View of Frankpledge was claimed here in 1254 & again in 1275 on behalf of Fontevrault, though on what Warrant was not known. In 1285 the View for Radnage was held at Leighton.
Excavations at La Grove Leighton Buzzard revealed much re-Building at the Site in the 14thC including Tile Ovens, Timber Buildings, Drains & a rectangular Well relating to a Cobbled Courtyard subdivided into Terraced Yards. The Bailiff’s Accounts mentioned above record a Pigeoncote, also identified by excavation, 2-new Farm Buildings, a Cow House & “Hakhous” which were built of Wattle, Daub & Hatch. A Stable, Dairy & Grain Barn are also mentioned.
In 1344 during the 100-yrs War with France the Abbess of Fontevrault obtained a confirmation of her Lands here & elsewhere. On the Dissolution of the Alien Priories in England, Radnage, which now begins to be called a Manor, was Granted to Sir John Philip in 1413, by whom it was Settled on himself & his wife Alice daughter of Thomas Chaucer, son of the Poet & their Issue. Sir John Philip died childless in 1415 & his Widow Alice married William de la Pole Duke of Suffolk. In 1444 she & her 2nd husband Granted the reversion of Radnage to Eton College with the consent of William Brother & Heir of her 1st husband John Philip. Between this date & 1472 it passed, together with Grovebury, through a Series of temporary Alienations. It was then finally confirmed to Alice & her Heirs by a Grant from the Crown & on her death in 1475 descended to her son John Duke of Suffolk. In 1480 he, together with his wife Elizabeth sister of Edward IV, received Licence to Grant it to the Dean & Canons of Windsor, who retained it till the 19thC. As with Leighton it was the custom of the Dean & Canons to Let this Property on Long Leases & during the 17th & 18thCs it was Held thus by several Generations of the Family of Leigh of Stoneleigh, Warks. During the last Century it passed to Colonel Fane, whose Representative, Major John Augustus Fane of Wormsley in Stokenchurch, is at the present day one of the Principal Landowners in this Parish.
A View of Frankpledge was Attached to the Manor held by the Knights Hospitallers in Radnage & Court Rolls of the time of Edward VI are still in existence. At a Court held here in 1549 the Tenants of the Manor claimed Right of Common in ‘Croull Wodd‘ (Crowell Wood). At the same Court the Village Constable was Elected and William Wheler was Fined 2s because ‘two swarme beis came into the Demesne’ of the Lord. The Family of Este or East of Radnage is returned in the Herald’s Visitation of the 16thC. They appear to have Held Land in Radnage about this date.
Old Rectory House. Early-mid-18thC with late-18thC Segmental Bay to left, the right End re-Built 20thC. 19thC Extensions to Rear. 2-original Centre Bays are of Red & Vitreous Brick with Flint Plinth and later Dentil Eaves. Right Bays rebuilt to match. Late 18thC Bay is of alternate Red & Vitreous Headers with gauged 1st-Floor Band Course, narrow Dentil Cornice, and Parapet with Stone Coping. Rear Extensions are of Flint & Brick. Old Tile Roofs. Late-18thC Bay is of 2-Tall Storeys, each having 3-Sash windows with fine gauged Heads, the Ground-Floor Sashes taller than those above. 4-Bays to right are of 2-Storeys & an Attic with Sash windows to Main Floors and 20thC 2-light Dormers. Sashes have repaired gauged Heads. 20thC Conservatory in rear angle.
Interior: has late-18thC Staircase with moulded Handrail & Stick Balusters. Late-18thC Plaster Ceiling Cornices; Reproduction Panelling in Central Ground Floor Room.
Made from a mixture of translucent dark Blue & Opaque White Glass, the Bowl’s Exterior is characterised by a Series of raised Ribs, radiating out from its Base. The Marbling seen in photos was created by heating & fusing together many small fragments of Blue & White Glass into a single Disc. When still hot, this was draped over a Mould in the shape of the Bowl’s Interior, after which the Ribs were expertly created by Pinching its outer Surface. The result is a dazzling Work of Art, as remarkable now as the day it was created. It was probably made in Northern Italy in the mid-1stC-AD – more or less contemporary with the Roman Invasion of Britain.
The Bowl gains extra significance when one considers that, to the Indigenous British, it would have been entirely Exotic & Alien in its material, its form & its colour. It was a symbol of the massive Technological & Cultural change that the arrival of the Urbanised, centralised and highly efficient Roman State and the Military Machine represented. Up to this point Bucks had fallen within the Territory of the Iron-Age Catuvellauni Tribe. The Local Populations were still Building in Wood, living in isolated, Fortified Farmsteads and relying on an economy of Subsistence Farming. The Arrival of the Romans – with Stone Architecture, Cities, Roads & Writing – is a scale of change comparable to that which, some 1500-yrs later, sub-Saharan Africa experienced when the Ships of the European Powers Landed on their Shores. Our understanding of the effects that the Romans had on Bucks itself is characterised largely by a number of Villa Sites – each the centre of a large Agricultural Estate – spread across the County. There were few Larger Settlements and little Sign of Military activity. Then, as today, this was a largely Rural Region crossed by Key Communication Routes leading from the Port Cities of the South to the Strategic Centres of the North. The only significant Roman Town within the Boundaries of the Modern County of Bucks today was Magiovinium, on the Fringes of modern Fenny Stratford (Watling Street). So why was such an exceptional object buried in such an apparently remote spot? Radnage is as far away from the Roman Road Network as it is possible to get in the County. Clues are to be found in some of the other objects that were dug up with the Bowl: an amber-coloured Glass Jug, again of the highest quality; 9-Dishes of burnished Red Samian Crockery; & most significantly, the remains of a Wooden Chest containing burnt Bones. What the Workman had found was the Grave of someone of considerable Wealth, who appears to have died in Bucks in the early years of Roman Rule.
1881/Rebecca Stone/Inn Keeper, Widow
1881/Leande Stone/Daughter
1881/Thomas Stone/Son, Chairmaker
1881/George Stone/Son, Chairmaker
1881/John Stone/Son, Chairmaker
1881/Harry Stone/Son, Chairmaker
The Radnage Firemen were men who worked during the day and were in the Fire Service out of normal work hours in WW2. They manned the Fire Hut which was a Wooden Hut. It was equipped with Bunks & a Primus Stove to make Tea!
The Personnel are:
Front Row kneeling from left: Steve Norcott (Factory Worker), Bill Barrett (Engineer), Mr Dorset (Farmworker).
Middle Row: Aubrey Tapping (Chairmaker), Joseph Rowntree (Factory Owner), Ted White in the Gas Outfit (Publican of The 3-Pigeons), Harry Holland (Builder & Smallholder)
Back Row: Alan Simmonds (Carrier), Arch Sears (Forester), Mr Hutton (Artist)
The Fire Service Drilled on Sunday Morning near the Chapel, which kids loved as they watched before going to Sunday School. At the end of WW2 they were disbanded & for many years the old Fire Hut was used as a Garage.
The Firemen were on a Rota to Man the Hut each Night – but when there was an Alert they all turned out. The Equipment, pulled by Mr J Rowntree’s Car, was a Trailer with Ladders & a Coventry Climax Godiva Pump. Bill Barrett, was an Engineer so he was in charge of the Pump which was a little temperamental at times. As Part-Timers they were responsible for the First-aid at Local Fires & when the Blitz was at its height they would be ready to stand in if needed for Stokenchurch, who were an actual Fire Station with a proper Tender, when they went to Wycombe as the Wycombe Firemen were sent to London. The Members of the Fire Service were all Men who worked Full-time during the day. They worked in all sorts of Jobs which the Government considered to be of National importance, these were called Reserved Occupations. Several of the men worked on the Farms. One was a Forester, Wood was urgently needed, several worked in Factories in Wycombe, one or 2-ran their own Businesses, some were too old for Active Service & some may have been Classed as not Fit enough. The Photo was taken outside The 3-Pigeons Pub. Now a Private House. I think that this was the Fire Service Pub, while the Home Guard used The Crown.
House. 17thC, altered. Timber-Frame with Whitewashed Brick Infill, partly Herringbone; end Walls rebuilt in whitewashed Brick. Half- hipped old Tile Roof. Whitewashed Brick Chimneys to left & centre Front. 2-Storeys & Attic, 3-Main Bays. Irregular Rooden Casements: 4 x 2-light to 1st-Floor, the left old & part Leaded; one 2-light, 2 single lights and one Leaded Casement to Ground Floor. 2-Hipped Dormers with paired Wooden Casements; other Attic windows in small Roof Spur behind Central Chimney. Flush-panelled Door with 20thC Gabled Timber Porch in left Bay. 20thC Extensions set back to right.
Farmhouse. 17thC, of 3 different Builds, part altered. 2-Bays nearest Road are Timber framed with Whitewashed Brick Infill; 2 Far Bays rebuilt in Whitewashed Brick. Old Tile Roofs. 17thC Chimney of thin Brick to Centre of Range, rebuilt Brick Chimney between Far Bays, lateral Brick Chimney to near Bay. 19thC Whitewashed Brick & Flint Extension with Slate Roof to Left of near Bay, Lean-to to Right. 2-Storeys, 4-Bays. Irregular barred Wooden Casements; 20thC Doors in small half-timbered Porches to Gable & left side. 20thC Lean-to at far end links House with Range of Whitewashed Brick Outbuildings. Interior: 2nd Bay has heavy Framing with Curved & Diagonal Braces & Wind-braces & stop-chamfered Spine Beam; near Bay has slighter Framing but incorporates heavy 16thC Floor Joists.
Christopher Newell of Pophley’s Manor in Stokenchurch (City Road, Radnage), a Family of ‘long continuance‘ c.1658. Pophleys, a 16thC Red-Brick Farmhouse Built on the Site of a former Convent. Pophleys is now a Classic Country House standing in its own Land in the Chiltern Hills. The Core of the House is believed to date from around 1600 & stands on the Site of a Nunnery Razed to the Ground during the Reformation. Unlisted, the House is clearly significant Local importance and has been transformed over the last 15-yrs into a substantial Family Home. It was once owned by Ian Anderson, frontman of 1970s Rock Band Jethro Tull.
Stockenchurch to Radnage Circular Walks
Radnage Parish Boundaries
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 