Little London is a hamlet of around 70 houses to the east of Oakley in Buckinghamshire. It is first mentioned around the 16th century and is clearly visible on the New College, Oxford map of Bernwood Forest of 1590. Originally, the border between Brill and Oakley would have followed the stream in Oakley meaning that Oakley Church, 'the Nap' and 'Little London Green' would have been within Little London.
The origin of the settlement is not clear, some local thought was that it was built during the Black Death in the 14th century by Londoners fleeing the capital. The fact that the hamlet is one field distant from the rest of Oakley may support this theory.
In 1934, Buckinghamshire County Council amended parish council boundaries and Little London became part of Oakley. Up to the 1960s, the hamlet even had its own shop. Little London Green is the largest area of common land within the parish of Oakley.
Little London at Oakley would have been established by the Welsh cattle drovers. There have been at least 70 communities established in England and Wales, many of which still exist. They were temporary "homes" for the long distance drovers, moving their cattle to London, and the great fairs and markets of England. They were located on common land well away from local communities. The drovers had a licence to travel, granted by Elizabeth 1st, and were regarded as "foreigners" by the local parishioners who could not travel without a "settlement certificate".[1]