Contents Buckinghamshire  Nearby Places Hitcham "Hitcham (Taplow Stat., 1 m.) - Domesday, Hucheham - The church, which contains much rare ancient glass, is delightfully situated. The churchyard is enclosed by an old, low, red-brick wall (1681-1686). On the right-hand side of the road running W. there is a pleasant view to the N. over Hitcham Park, and to the NE., over-looking the low-lying walled gardens of the old Manor House. There are no remains of the fine mansion, where, in 1602, Queen Elizabeth visited Sir William Clarke, Knt., and which at a later date was owned by the noted physician and writer Dr. John Friend, who is famous as one of the remarkable group of men of letters and statesemen who were gathered round Harley and Bolingbroke in the last years of the reign of Queen Anne. More fortunate than most of his Tory friends, he obtained an appointment in the Court of George I.." [Buckinghamshire, by E.S. Roscoe]

Bibliography

The following reference sources have been used in the construction of this page, and may be referred to for further detail. Most if not all of these volumes are available in the Reference section of the County Library in Aylesbury.

"Buckinghamshire", E.S. Roscoe, London Methuen & Co Ltd, 1935.
"Buckinghamshire Returns of the Census of Religious Worship 1851", Legg E. ed., 1991, ISBN 0 901198 27 7.
"Magna Britannia: Buckinghamshire", Lysons S. and Lysons D., 1806.
"The Place-Names of Buckinghamshire", Mawer A. and Stenton F.M., 1925.
"The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Buckinghamshire", Page W. ed., 1905-1928
"War Memorials and War Graves: Burnham and area, Volume 13", Peter Quick.

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Cemeteries

War Memorials

War memorials in Hitcham have been transcribed by Peter Quick, and published in a booklet entitled "War Memorials and War Graves: Burnham and area, Volume 13", available from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.

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Census

In 1798 the Posse Comitatus listed 32 men between the ages of 16 and 60 in Hitcham.

In the earliest government census of 1801, there were 200 inhabitants in 32 families living in 30 houses recorded in Hitcham.

* = No names were recorded in census documents from 1801 to 1831.
** = Census documents from 1911 to 2001 are only available in summary form. Names are witheld under the 100 year rule.

Microfilm copies of all census enumerators' notebooks for 1841 to 1891 are held at the Local Studies Libraries at Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, as well as centrally at the PRO. A table of 19th century census headcount by parish is printed in the VCH of Bucks, Vol.2, pp 96-101.

Availability of census transcripts and indexes.

• 1851 - Full transcripts and indexes for Buckinghamshire are available on CD-ROM, hard copy and microfiche from the Buckinghamshire Family History Society.
• 1861 - Available on CD-ROM with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.
• 1881
  • Available on CD-ROM from the Church of the Latter Day Saints, as part of the National 1881 Census Index.
  • Available on CD-ROM for Buckinghamshire, with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from Drake Software.
• 1891 - Available on CD-ROM with advanced search and mapping capabilities etc. from the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society.

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Church History

• Rectors of the Parish Church of St Mary

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Church Records

The original copies of the parish registers for St Mary, Hitcham have been deposited in the Buckinghamshire Record Office in Aylesbury, and they hold the following years:

Copies or indexes to the parish registers are available from societies as follows:

* = material held in a Society library is generally available for loan to all members either via post, or by collection at a meeting

An ecclesiastical census was carried out throughout England on 30 March 1851 to record the attendance at all places of worship. These returns are in the Buckinghamshire Record Office and have been published by the Buckinghamshire Record Society (vol 27). The returns for Hitcham showed the following numbers:

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History & Descriptions

Hitcham was described in 1806 in "Magna Britannia" as follows:

HITCHAM, in the hundred and deanery of Burnham, lies about a mile north of the Bath road, and about three miles from Maidenhead, in Berkshire. The manor, which it is probable had belonged to some religious house, was in the reign of Henry VIII. the property of Lord Chief Justice Baldwin, whose daughter and heir brought it in marriage to Thomas Ramsey esq. Nicholas Clerke, marrying a daughter of Mr. Ramsey, became possessed of the manor. Queen Elizabeth paid a visit to his son Sir William, at Hitcham, in 1602, upon which occasion we are told, that "he so behaved himself, that he pleased nobody, but gave occasion to have his misery and vanity spread far and wide." His grandson, Sir John, was created a baronet in 1660, being then described of Hitcham; but the same year an act of parliament passed, to confirm his sale of this estate to Charles Doe. The Clerkes removed afterwards to Shabbington, in this county; the title is now extinct. The manor of Hitcham became the property of Dr. John Friend, the celebrated physician, who lies buried in the church, where there is a monument to his memory; it was purchased of his representative, by the present proprietor, Lord Grenville: the manor-house is now occupied as a school.

In the parish church are several memorials for the families of Ramsey and Clerke. The Windows of the chancel are decorated with stained glass, the colours of which are very brilliant. The rector of this parish is nominated by the provost and fellows of Eton College, pursuant to the bequest of Mr. Archer, a former fellow, who being possessed of the advowson, has bound his heirs to present a clerk, nominated by the college. The parish has been inclosed by an act of parliament, passed in 1778, when an allotment of land was assigned to the rector in lieu of tithes.

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Names, Geographical

The name Hitcham derives from the old english Hycgan-ham and means 'Hycga's homestead'.

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Photographs

• Buckinghamshire Church Photos by Kevin Quick.
• Buckinghamshire Records and Local Studies Service - large collection of old photos of Buckinghamshire

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[Last updated: 11th January 2003 - Kevin Quick]