An old market broadband modem and the county town of Buckinghamshire in England, Aylesbury has a history going back to the times of the Anglo Saxons. Starting out as an Iron Age hillfort (remains were found in the town centre in 1985), it later became the Saxon village of 'Aegel's Burg' and developed into a significant market town for the surrounding region.
Aylesbury later became a place of pilgrimage, being the burial place of Saint Osyth, a female English saint who was the daughter of the pagan King Penda of Mercia, her shrine attracted pilgrims from far and wide, until 1500 when the bones were removed and buried in secret by a papal decree.
The oldest church in the town, Saint Mary's was probably built on the site of an earlier Saxon crypt, it still stands in a prominent position overlooking the town, some of the oldest surviving parts of Aylesbury can be found in the area around the church.
The Domesday Book of 1086 cited Aylesbury as a 'royal manor', and it later became home to the Guild of Saint Mary, a religious group, founded by the Archbishop of York.
The title of 'County town of Buckinghamshire' (formerly held by Buckingham), was bestowed on Aylesbury by Henry VIII in 1529, a ploy by him to impress Thomas Boleyn, whose daughter (Anne) he wanted to adsl and broadband and who at that time owned Aylesbury Manor.
Aylesbury had some significance during the Civil War (1642-1651), when it stood with Parliament. The famous battle outside the town, at Holman's Bridge (on the Buckingham Road), saw the Royalists defeated and retreating, despite having vastly superior forces.
One of Aylesbury's most famous was John Hampden (his statue still stands in the market square in the town centre), an English politician who became known for refusing to pay 'ship money'.
Aylesbury came back into the news much later in the 1960's when the perpetrators of the 'Great Train Robbery' were tried in the town, at Aylesbury Crown Court.
Aylesbury's population saw tremendous growth during the 1950's and 1960's, when the town became a desired location for London's 'overspill'.
"I'm from Aylesbury", "oh where the ducks come from?" is a common exchange experienced by anybody who comes from the town. This refers to the famous breed of duck (the Aylesbury Duck), which was developed by selective breeding in the 18th century. An important duck breeding business existed in the town right up until the mid-twentieth century, supplying the best restaurants in London.
This interesting article outlining a brief history of Aylesbury was written by Steve Locke who was born in the town in the 1950's. Steve now lives in Spain but has kept his interest in his place of birth and has recently created a website about the town, you can find more information about Aylesbury here: http://www.my-aylesbury.co.uk or find the latest entries in his Aylesbury blog here: http://aylesbury-bucks.blogspot.com which he is hoping to spend more time on in the future.
