Steeple Claydon is a village and civil parish in the Buckinghamshire district of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Buckingham, 4.5 miles (7 km) west of Winslow and 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Waddesdon. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 2,278.[1]

Steeple Claydon
St Michael's parish church
Steeple Claydon Location within Buckinghamshire
Population	2,278 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference	SP6927
Civil parish	Steeple Claydon
Unitary authority	Buckinghamshire
Ceremonial county	Buckinghamshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Buckingham
Postcode district	MK18
Dialling code	01296
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Buckinghamshire
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Buckingham
Website	Steeple Claydon Parish Council
List of places UK England Buckinghamshire 51.9365°N 0.9830°W / 51.9365; -0.9830

History

The toponym "Claydon" is derived from the Old English for "clay hill". The Domesday Book of 1086 records the area (including nearby Botolph Claydon, East Claydon and Middle Claydon) as Claindone. The affix "steeple" refers to the steeple of the Church of England parish church, which is prominent in the village. The manor of Steeple Claydon was once a royal possession. It was given as a wedding gift to Robert D'Oyly by King Henry I because D'Oyly was marrying one of the king's former mistresses. Later, after changing hands several times it came into the possession of King Edward IV when his grandfather the Earl of March left it to him. The manor house has since been pulled down. Thomas Chaloner, a regicide, had a school built in the village in 1656.[2] This site was later made into the public library.

Present day

Steeple Claydon is now one of the largest villages in the Aylesbury Vale. It has two public houses, a Co-op supermarket, a bakery, a post office, a hairdresser, a fish & chips shop, a Chinese Takeaway, a dentist, a doctor's surgery and two garages. The village also has a successful football side, Steeple Claydon Football Club. The village has had some notable residents, including Florence Nightingale and professional footballers Sam Baldock and George Baldock.

The current Steeple Claydon School is a mixed, community primary school, which has roughly 166 pupils ranging in age from four to eleven.

References

Further reading

• Page, W.H., ed. (1927). A History of the County of Buckingham. Victoria County History. Vol. 4. London: The St Katherine Press. pp. 226–229.
• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1960). Buckinghamshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 242. ISBN 0-14-071019-1.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Steeple Claydon.

• Steeple Claydon Parish Council
• Steeple Claydon Football Club
• Steeple Claydon School Website