Bucks men serving in British Forces By Clive Rodgers The local recruiting centre for Bucks volunteers was in Aylesbury, but in 1914  the existing Regulars of the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry were first to see action soon after war was declared on 4th August.  Most subsequent volunteer soldiers recruited from Swanbourne also joined the Oxon and Bucks Light […]

Thomas Alderman the Convict By Neil Rees Thomas Alderman (1782-1863) Thomas Alderman was the 5th of 7 children of Richard and Ann Alderman who were married in Swanbourne in January 1773.  He was the youngest of their three sons born in 1782. The Family of Thomas Alderman Thomas Alderman was a labourer in Swanbourne, and […]

Rees Rees the Welsh drover – with new photographs  By Neil Rees Two of the last Welsh drovers who used to come to Swanbourne were Rees Rees and his nephew James James.  They were friendly with the Tofield family who also bought animals from them. Rees Rees Rees Rees was born in 1855, the son of James […]

Drovers Roads – with new route map By Ken Harris Drovers roads were the routes for droving livestock on foot to market. Many droveways started in Wales, and the drovers, many of whom came from Wales, accompanied the beasts on foot or on horseback. Sheep, cattle, pigs, turkeys and geese were taken long distances. The […]

Charles Gurnett By Neil Rees Charles Edwin Gurnett Charles Edwin Gurnett was born in 1871 at Swanbourne.  He was the fifth of eight children of William and Charlotte Gurnett and they lived in Nearton End, where they attended the Primitive Methodist Chapel. Charles worked as an agricultural labourer and then got a job as under […]

A History of Farming in Swanbourne By Frankie Fisher and Ken Harris In the Middle Ages, Swanbourne would have been farmed on the Open Field system – originally consisting of two fields, and then later, three fields with one field being left fallow each year. The main aim of the farm labourer was to provide […]

The North Family of Swanbourne By Carl Glaum of Milwaukee, USA. As with other branches of the family our research into the North family has turned up many interesting facts and debunked some of our family’s myths.  Two of the bubbles that were broken early on were stories dealing with royalty.  The first was a […]

Swanbourne’s links to the American Civil War Researched by Clive Rodgers Advice to Swanbourne residents, 1864:- “America is not at the present time a desirable place to emigrate to….” Article from ‘The Bucks Herald’ Newspaper Dated 26th March 1864 SWANBOURNE LECTURE ON AMERICA – On Tuesday evening, the Hon. W. Broderick endeavoured to instruct and amuse the […]

Politicians representing Swanbourne Parliamentary Constituency MP’s. Swanbourne has always been represented by Buckingham constituency MP’s. Prior to 1868, the Buckingham Constituency elected two MP’s.  Possibly the most famous was George Grenville who became Prime Minister. Grenville was a member of the Whig Party, which no longer exists.  On 8 April 1763 Grenville became Prime Minister.  […]

Includes evidence given to Royal Commission on Old Age Pensions Thomas Pitkin and the Old Age Pension   By Ken Harris On Wednesday 14th February 1894, Thomas Pitkin, a life-long inhabitant of Swanbourne, appeared before the Royal Commission on Old-Age Pensions, being held in the Queen’s Robing Room in the House of Lords, Westminster. He […]