Biddlesden

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Biddlesden is a village in north west Buckinghamshire, England on the border with Northamptonshire. It is situated about 3 miles ENE of Brackley, Northamptonshire and five miles north west of Buckingham. The River Ouse forms part of the western boundary of the parish, separating the village from Northamptonshire. The ancient royal forest of Whittlewood extended to the northern border of the village.

The village name is Anglo-Saxon and means either house in a valley or Byttel's valley. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village was recorded as Betesdene.

In the early medieval period Biddlesden was a very important place. It was the location of a Cistercian abbey, founded in 1147 by Ernald de Bosco.

In 1315 the village received a temporary charter to hold a weekly market.

The abbey was seized by King Henry VIII of England during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and was assessed to be earning in excess of £175 annually in rents and tithes. Although the abbey continued after this time as living accommodation for those in favour with the monarch the building wasn't maintained thoroughly and fell into disrepair.

By the 18th century the abbey was in ruins and was finally demolished in 1727. The house of Biddlesden Park was built on the same location and is currently a large stately home in the village.

Within the parish boundary of Biddlesden was anciently the hamlet of Evershaw. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle at the time of King Edward the Confessor this settlement was listed as being in the possession of a 'certain bandy-legged man'.

The hamlet name is again Anglo Saxon and means boar wood. The family names Evershaw and Eversaw derive from this place. There is no trace of the hamlet remaining today.