The Swan Inn
The name of Milton Keynes derives from the Saxon name of Mid(d)eltone meaning the middle of three settlements (probably in this case Walton, Middleton and Broughton) and Cahaignes (Keynes), the Norman Lord to whom it was allocated after the conquest. There remains some doubt as to why the name was chosen for the city, but it was probably to avoid using the names of any of the three existing towns – Stony Stratford, Wolverton and Bletchley – which would have caused rivalry. It has never been a big village and was not on a main road, so it remained a sleepy backwater until the city crept up around it. Somehow it has managed to retain a village atmosphere. More
Broughton‘s name derives from the Saxon Bro(c)tone – the settlement near the brook, and was similarly a mainly agricultural village. It had a brief period of greater activity in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries when the road through it (London Road) was turnpiked. There was a tollgate near the turning to Milton Keynes and this enabled two farms, one either side of the gate to double as inns offering stabling, accommodation and food to travellers. This came to an end when the railways were established and the village lapsed again into obscurity. More
St George & the Dragon
