Parish Woods

THE PARISH WOODS

QUEEN ELIZABETH I, LORD of the MANOR of PRINCES RISBOROUGH

Queen Elizabeth I, became the Lord of the Manor of Princes Risborough when still Princes Elizabeth.   Given to her by her brother Edward, the king.   She succeeded to the throne in 1558.

EXTRACT from the “History of Antiquities of the County od Buckinghamshire V.II, by George Lipscombe, Pages 426-440.   Published by J & W Robins, London 1847

LET TO WILLIAM WNDSOR ESQ

1567.    Queen Elizabeth I, in order to preserve certain woods belonging to the crown, and for £26-3-0d per annum, demised to William Windsor Esq. Stockings (Stocken Wood), Kingswood and Smallridge wood, parcel of the Manor of Princes Risborough, for 21 years - - - - except for - - -

EXCEPT FOR PROTECTED TREES

Except for all the great trees, saplings of oak and 12 staddles in every acre, according to the form of statute for the preservation of Woods by Henry VIII.   (A staddle was a young tree)

LET TO EDWARD KEMPTON, MERCHANT TAILOR of LONDON

1582.   Kingswood 139 acres, Smallridge Wood 15 acres, and the woods and underwoods called Stockings (stocken) for 21 years, from Michaelmas at £13 – 6s -8d per annum.

PARISH WOODLANDS

By 1823 vast woodlands had developed on the scrubby hills of Speen, Lacey Green and Loosley Row.   These were designated as Parish Woods where people could collect fallen wood for heating and cooking in their cottages.                                                                                                                                                                

THE ENCLOSURES OF PRINCES RISBOROUGH 1823

In 1823 in the Enclosures of Princes Risborough the Parish Woods became privately owned by.   They were still Parish Woods for the people to gather wood.

The woods concerned were known as ; --

Smallridge Wood, Kingswood, Abbotts Wood, and Highwood.

However, being privately owned the trees could be felled and sold and the result was that by the late 1800’s no woods remained.

From 1823 the woods belonged to John Grubb.   He went bankrupt in 1841.   They belonged then to Lord of Buckingham and Chandos.  He went bankrupt in 1848.  Various Lords of the Manor followed.

1851 SAWYERS in Lacey Green

In 1851 the census lists 14 men working as sawyers and 1 timber dealer, out of a total of 84 men working. A further 68 working in agriculture.   The total population was 307.

1911 SAWYERS in Lacey Green.   ZERO

By 1911 there were no public woods left in Lacey Green, Loosley Row or Speen.     People had resorted to digging (chucking) out the roots for the at least the past 20 years.  A few clumps of trees remained on farms.   The population had dropped to 215.   Times were very depressed and families smaller.

Amenity Name	Parish Woodlands
Current Status (Active/Inactive)	Inactive
Founded Date	centuries past
Closure Date	pre 1900