pop (2001e) 479 000; area 1883 km²/727 sq mi. County in SC England, UK; drained by the Ouse and Thames Rivers; crossed in the S by the Chiltern Hills; extensive woodland; county town, Aylesbury; chief towns include Bletchley, High Wycombe, Buckingham; Milton Keynes a unitary authority from 1997; mainly agriculture, also furniture, bricks, printing, high technology.
Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is one of the home counties in South East England.
Divisions and environs
The area under the control of Buckinghamshire County Council, or shire county, is divided into four districts - Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe. Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and forms part of the county for various functions such as Lord Lieutenant but does not come under county council control.
Physical geography
Highest points
The county includes the Chiltern Hills to the South and the Vale of Aylesbury to the north.
The Roman influence on Buckinghamshire is most widely felt in the Roman roads that cross the county. Not only did they give the county and most of the places within it their names, but the modern geography of the county is largely as it was in the Anglo-Saxon period. The ancient tradition of breeding swans in Buckinghamshire for the king's pleasure later provided the heraldic supporter for the county's coat of arms (see below).
Another flush of annexations of local manors to the Crown accompanied the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536), when almost a third of the county became the personal property of King Henry VIII, to dispose of at his pleasure.
In 1682 William Penn, whose family seat was at Penn, founded Bucks County, Pennsylvania with Quaker migrants from Buckinghamshire. Bucks County, Pennsylvania has a Buckingham, Chalfont, Wycombe and Solebury (formerly spelt Soulbury) named after the places in Buckinghamshire.
The Industrial Revolution and the arrival of the railway completely changed the landscape of certain parts of the county.
In the early to mid Victorian era a major cholera epidemic and agricultural famine took their hold on the farming industry which for so many years had been the stable mainstay for the county. One of the county's most influential families arrived in Bucks as a result of this, the Rothschilds, and their impact on the county's landscape was huge (see Rothschild properties in Buckinghamshire).
Mass urbanisation of the very north and south of the county took place in the 20th century, which saw the new towns of Milton Keynes and Slough being formed. This point of view has led to many parts of the county being very popular with commuters for London, which in turn has led to an increase in the general cost of living for local people.
Economy
Buckinghamshire has a modern service-based economy and is part of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire NUTS-2 region, which was the seventh richest subregion in the European Union in 2002 The southern part of the county is a properous section of the London commuter belt. The county has fertile agricultural lands, with many landed estates, especially those of the Rothschild banking family of England in the 19th century (see Rothschild properties in Buckinghamshire).
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added | Agriculture | Industry | Services | GVA index per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 6,008 | 60 | 1,746 | 4,201 | 118 |
| 2000 | 8,389 | 45 | 1,863 | 6,481 | 125 |
| 2003 | 9,171 | 50 | 1,793 | 7,328 | 118 |
Lord Lieutenant
Currently the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire is Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher and the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire is Alexander Boswell.
Buckinghamshire County Council
The county council was founded in 1889 with its base in new municipal buildings in Walton Street, Aylesbury (which are still there). In Buckinghamshire, local administration is run on a two-tier system where public services are split between the county council and a series of district councils.
In 1997 the northern part of Buckinghamshire in Milton Keynes Borough separated to form a unitary authority, however for ceremonial and some other purposes Milton Keynes is still considered to be part of Buckinghamshire.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms for Buckinghamshire County Council features a white swan in chains.
Above the swan is a gold band, in the centre of which is Whiteleaf Cross, representing the many ancient landmarks of the county.
Settlements
Places in Buckinghamshire
This is a list of the towns in the shire county of Buckinghamshire.
| Amersham Aylesbury Beaconsfield Buckingham Chesham | High Wycombe Marlow Princes Risborough Wendover Winslow |
Places within the historic bounds
This is a list of the towns in the historic bounds of Buckinghamshire that after various local government reorganisations are no longer administered as part of it.
Places of interest
| Ascott Ashridge Estate Bletchley Park Boarstall Tower Bradenham Village Buckingham Chantry Chapel Buckinghamshire County Museum Buckinghamshire Railway Centre in Quainton Chequers Court Chicheley Hall Chiltern Open Air Museum Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway Claydon House Cliveden Coombe Hill Country Parks Country Walks and Rights of Way Dorneywood Halton House Hampden House Hartwell House | Hughenden Manor Kederminster Library The King's Head Inn, Aylesbury Long Crendon Courthouse Mentmore Towers Pitstone Windmill Princes Risborough Manor House Roald Dahl Children's Gallery Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre Shardeloes Stowe Park Waddesdon Manor West Wycombe Caves Walks by bus and rail West Wycombe Park West Wycombe Village Whiteleaf Cross Winslow Hall Wycombe Abbey |
Famous people from Buckinghamshire
The following people are either from Buckinghamshire, have lived in Buckinghamshire, or continue to live in Buckinghamshire. Nancy Astor, politician and society hostess, lived in Cliveden Errol Barnett, news reporter, was born in Milton Keynes Nick Beggs, musician, is from Winslow Lynda Bellingham, actress, is from Aylesbury Emily Bergl, actress, born in Buckinghamshire, though her family moved to suburban Chicago a few years after her birth Cilla Black, television presenter, lives in Denham Enid Blyton, writer, lived in Bourne End and Beaconsfield Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, had a house in Wendover Fern Britton, television presenter, lives in Holmer Green Den Brotheridge, British Army Officer who died taking Pegasus Bridge in France was from Aylesbury Melanie Brown, musician, lived in Little Marlow John Craven, television presenter, lives in Princes Risborough Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, politician, lives in Bledlow Roald Dahl, writer, lived in Great Missenden Tess Daly has a house in Fulmer Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, politician, lived at Hughenden Manor Iain Duncan Smith, politician, lives in Swanbourne Ian Dury, musician, lived in Wingrave Noel Edmonds, television presenter, once lived in Weston Turville Edward the Confessor, king of England, had a palace in Brill T.S. Eliot, writer, lived in Marlow Frederick, Prince of Wales lived in Cliveden Noel Gallagher, musician, lives in Little Chalfont Sir John Gielgud, actor, was living in Wotton Underwood when he died Martin Grech, musician, is from Aylesbury John Hampden, politician, was from Great Hampden David Jason, actor, lives in Ellesborough Jerome K. Jerome, writer, lived in Marlow Angelina Jolie, actress, lives in Fulmer Howard Jones, musician, is from High Wycombe Jason "Jay" Kay, musician and frontman of Jamiroquai, lives in Horsenden Vernon Kay has a house in Fulmer Arthur Lasenby Liberty, merchant, was from Chesham John Laurie, Actor, lived in Chalfont St Peter John Mills, actor, lived in Denham John Milton, writer, lived in Chalfont St Giles Mike Oldfield, musician, once lived in Little Chalfont Ozzy Osbourne, musician, has a house in Chalfont St Peter Saint Osyth was from Quarrendon John Otway, musician, is from Aylesbury William Penn, politician, was from Penn Terry Pratchett, writer, was born in Beaconsfield Pauline Quirke, actress, lives in Beaconsfield Tim Rice, lyricist, is from Amersham Andy Riley, writer, is from Aylesbury Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, Prime Minister, lived at Mentmore Rothschild family, bankers, had houses in Ascott, Aston Clinton, Eythrope, Halton, Mentmore and Waddesdon Tiny Rowland, businessman, lived in Hedsor Mary Shelley, writer, lived in Marlow Percy Bysshe Shelley, writer, lived in Marlow Simon Standage, baroque violinist, is from High Wycombe Jackie Stewart, racing driver, lives in Ellesborough Edgar Wallace, writer and journalist, lived in Bourne End and is buried in Little Marlow Edmund Waller, poet, was from Amersham Roger of Wendover, chronicler, was from Wendover John Wilkes, an English radical, journalist and politician Terry Wogan, radio and television broadcaster, lives in Taplow John Wyclif, theologian, lived in Ludgershall
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