Sherington Parish Council celebrated its centenary in 1995. To mark the event Barry Hollis researched and wrote a book called ‘The Hundred of Sherington’. This told the history of the village based on Parish Council records from 1895 to 1977.
Introduction:
On 1st May 1995 Sherington Parish Council celebrated one hundred years of existence.
During this time the Parish Council has always played and active part in the running of the life of the village. It has always, thankfully, been run on non-party political lines with the Councillors combining to work for the benefit of the community. I served for two periods on the Council and at one time had the honour of being its Chairman.
This book was intended to be the history of the village as seen through the pages of the Minute Book and for it to cover the one hundred years up to the above date. I have, however, ceased the work as at 31st March 1977 as the minutes then became very detailed accounts of its activities and not the stuff of easy reading for me, or even if I had managed to distill it, for the benefit of the reader. From 1977 onwards the Council had to battle to maintain its position as one of the foremost parish council’s in the area. This was not because others grew in stature but because of the seeming intransigence, obstinacy, and dare I say it oft incompetence, of Buckinghamshire County Council, Milton Keynes District Council (later unitary authority), Anglian Water, East Midlands Electricity and other utility providers and government departments who seemed either not to know or care about the problems of life in a small rural community.
To say that the Parish Council survives and is still working for the best it can get and give to the village is the best tribute that I can give to the hard working members.
The title of this work is a play upon words. The Newport Hundred was an old legislative area in Buckinghamshire and I thought that Sherington deserved the same honour. It also allowed me to bring in the word ‘Hundred’ for the one hundred years that I intended to write about.
I would like to thank the Chairman and members of Sherington Parish Council for allowing me access to their records. I would stress that except where words are in italics (and come verbatim from the minutes) all the other comments are purely mine and have no connection whatsoever to the Parish Council.
Barry R Holliss
Newport Pagnell
10th November 2001
The following are the topics covered in the book:
1. People
2. Core Business
Sanitary Business and Water Lane
3. General Topics that were covered in the Council in the first 100 years – 1895 to 1995
PC Centenary Part 1 Allotments, Amenities, Best Kept Village
PC Centenary Part 2 Burial Ground, Celebrations, Charities, Correspondence, Fire Brigade, Free Fifths
PC Centenary Part 3 Green Belt, The Knoll and Village Greens, Recreation Field
PC Centenary Part 4 Miscellaneous, Post and Telephone, Towns End Pond, Village Hall, Water Supplies/Sewerage Disposal, World Wars
Sherington Coat of Arms
The description of this coat of arms is taken from the Introduction to the Book.
The Hundred of Sherington by Barry Hollis –
The history of the village from Parish Council records 1895 – 1977
Published 10 November 2001 – ISBN: 0 907700 20.9
The coat of arms on the cover is that which I was very pleased to be able to devise for the Parish Council in November 1994 as part of its preparations for the centenary celebrations. Although I drew up the original the artwork is by a very clever and learned heraldic artist, Roland Symons, to whom I offer very grateful thanks. The description and meaning is as follows:
- Description. Vert within a bordure a cogwheel argent between two pallets argent a chief Or thereon a bishops mitre gules. Crest. On a torse vert and Or a mural crown gules issuant therefrom an owl statant guardant Or. Supporters. On a compartment a stag statant gules attired and hoofed Or and a swan erect gules beaked and legged Or. Motto. SHARING
- Reason for design. The green shield symbolises the general rural area in which Sherington is situated; the border represents the roads that encircle the village in an approximate shield shape (Gun Lane/School Lane/Bedford Road, High Street and Chicheley Hill); the two wavy lines allude to the two roads that form the main routes in the village (Church Road and Crofts End) but they can also, by being in white and as a wavy line – the usual symbol for water – represent the stream that flows though the village and the nearby R. Ouse. The cog-wheel represents the light engineering undertaken in the village.
- The yellow portion of the shield represents the cereal and rape sees oil farming undertaken in the area whilst the red bishops mitre is shown for the church of St laud, named after the bishop of that name. The top part of the shield in its colour and ecclesiastical connection is similar to that of the County of Buckinghamshire and therefore a link to the area as a whole.
- The stag is often in heraldry called a ‘hart’ and this together with the swan are indicative of the two public houses of those names. The supporters should be white in colour, but as this would not show up on white paper they have been coloured red. In opposite positions these two are used as supporters to the Arms of the County of Buckinghamshire and were included to show the support given to the village by that organisation at the time as well as that provided by the two public houses. The supporters stand on a grassy mound, which represents the common land in the village which is owned or maintained by the Parish Council.
- The crest of a mural crown, often known as a civic crown, represents the guardianship of the village affairs undertaken by the Parish Council. It is coloured red for the bricks that were made in the adjoining parish of Chicheley and with which some of the houses in the village are constructed. The owl is indicative of wisdom and represents the collective knowledge of the members of the Council. It is looking straight ahead to represent the direct approach to problems taken by the Parish Council. The owl also represents the teaching given at the village school, located at the top of the village.
- Motto. The motto ‘SHARING’ is to show the attitude which prevails in the village. Although spelt differently it is also the way in which the first part of the village name is said.