Olney, Buckinghamshire

Olney (Template:IPAc-en, rarely Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell, rarely Template:Respell)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Baines-1979" /> is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.<ref>Parishes in Milton Keynes Template:Webarchive – Milton Keynes Council.</ref> At the 2021 census, it had a population of 6,598.

Lying on the left bank of the River Great Ouse, the town is located around Template:Convert from Central Milton Keynes, and Template:Convert from Bedford, Northampton and Wellingborough.

History

Olney is thought to have been an important Romano-British township,<ref name="Baines-1979">Template:Cite book</ref> with remains located north-east of the current town,<ref name="HE1006918" /> where in 2023 archaeologists uncovered a villa mosaic considered "remains of high significance".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Olney is mentioned as Ollanege (Olla's island) in 932.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to the Domesday Book the place later called Olnei had been held in 1066 by Burgred, a descendent of the King of Mercia, but by 1086 its overlord was Geoffrey de Montbray, Bishop of Coutances.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The "L" in Olney came long ago not to be pronounced, at least by local people.<ref name="Baines-1979" />

In 1643, during the English Civil War, the Battle of Olney Bridge saw Prince Rupert's force attack Col. Harvey's Parliamentarians, with 60 killed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The town was a centre of the Buckinghamshire lace-making industry,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with Armstrong's Lace Factory prominent in the High Street, ornamented as "the Bucks Lace Industry".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the late 18th century, the poet William Cowper and anti-slavery campaigner and cleric John Newton collaborated here on what became known as the Olney Hymns, which include Amazing Grace. The town has the Cowper and Newton Museum dedicated to them, adapted from Cowper's former residence, given to the town in 1905 by the publisher William Hill Collingridge (who had been born in the house). Newton was succeeded as curate in Olney by the biblical commentator Thomas Scott (1747–1821). In July 2022, the museum celebrated the 250th anniversary of Amazing Grace with exhibitions and special events.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Olney Park Farm

The hamlet of Olney Park Farm to the north of the town derives its name from a park established in 1374 by Ralph, Lord Basset.<ref name="VCH">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1861 it attained civil parish status, but was subsequently incorporated into an enlarged Olney civil parish around 1931.<ref name="VCH" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The 1841 census gave the population as 2,362.<ref>The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.III, London (1847) Charles Knight, p.898</ref>

Olney Pancake Race

Signpost advertising 2009 Pancake Race

Since 1445, a pancake race has been run in the town on many Pancake Days, the day before the beginning of Lent.<ref>Olney pancake race Template:Webarchive, Olney Parish</ref> Tradition records that in 1445 on Shrove Tuesday, the "Shriving Bell" rang out to signal the start of the Shriving church service. On hearing the bell a local housewife, who had been busy cooking pancakes in anticipation of the beginning of Lent, ran to the church, frying pan still in hand, tossing the pancake to prevent it from burning, and dressed in her kitchen apron and headscarf.<ref name=bbc>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Pancake races in Olney</ref>

The women of Olney recreate this race every Shrove Tuesday by running from the market place to the Church of St Peter and St Paul, a distance of over 400 yards. The traditional prize is a kiss from the verger. In modern times, Olney competes with the town of Liberal, Kansas, in the United States for the fastest time in either town to win the "International Pancake Race". There is also a children's race, run by children from the local schools. The children have to run a distance of about 20 yards. The competition was revived postwar in 1948 and has been run every year without interruption since 1950.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Clr

Listed buildings and structures

The parish has one Grade I listed building, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul;<ref name="NHLE SSPP">Template:NHLE</ref> four Grade II*,<ref>Template:NHLE</ref><ref>Template:NHLE</ref><ref>Template:NHLE</ref><ref>Template:NHLE</ref> and a further 114 at Grade II.<ref>Template:Cite web (Note: the 144 results returned by the search include sites in Emberton, Lavendon, Newton Blossomville, etc.) </ref> The church is 14th century, with later additions.<ref name="NHLE SSPP" /> There is a scheduled monument, a Romano-British settlement, on the northern outskirts of the town.<ref name="HE1006918">Template:NHLE</ref>

Governance

Olney town sign, depicting a women's pancake race

Olney has been part of the Borough (now City) of Milton Keynes since 1974, which has been a unitary authority since 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web – Milton Keynes Council.</ref> This gives Milton Keynes City Council the responsibility for the provision of most local government services. Voters registered in the town are represented on MK City Council, which has (since 2014) been divided into 19 wards each carrying 3 councillors with Olney being part of the larger ward of the same name.<ref>Template:Cite web </ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>

At the parish level, Olney has a town council based at the Olney Centre on the town's high street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Census population of Olney, Buckinghamshire parish

Census	Population	Female	Male	Households	Source
2001	6,032	3,067	2,965	2,454	<ref name="wikidata-a08218995ada6ed07e35f13524a292a4b6851935-v20">Template:Cite web</ref>
2011	6,477	3,352	3,125	2,715	<ref name="wikidata-23d93403bbd510e3eaf857bb0207b766770d8bc9-v20">Template:Cite web</ref>
2021	6,598	3,409	3,189	2,865	<ref name="wikidata-1777794f031f3bb865bc1ba87bbd53bc9876131c-v20">Template:Cite web</ref>

Transport

The closest passenger rail service is at Template:Rws (approximately Template:Convert distant), with inter-city services from Template:Rws and Template:Rws railway stations (each approximately Template:Convert distant). Olney formerly had its own railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway and the Bedford-Northampton line, but passenger services were withdrawn in 1962.<ref>THE NORTHAMPTON – OLNEY- BEDFORD (LMS) RAILWAY: A View from Olney – Milton Keynes Heritage Association</ref>

The town is bisected by the Central Milton Keynes-Kettering A509 road, which runs south towards the M1 at Junction 14 (roughly Template:Convert distant), and north towards the A428 (which runs west towards Northampton and east towards Bedford and Cambridge).

Bus 21 (Red Rose) connects the town with Lavendon to the north-east, and Newport Pagnell and Central Milton Keynes to the south. Bus 41 (Stagecoach) connects the town with Lavendon, Bedford and Northampton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The city council also operates an on demand bus service known as "MK Connect".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Developments

Olney is identified by MK City Council (in local planning documents) as one of the three "key settlements" in the Milton Keynes UA outside of the 1967 "designated area" of the New Town,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with the town's complementary Neighbourhood Plan, adopted in May 2017, allocating a total of 300 homes for the town between then and 2031, with 30% of dwellings planned to be affordable.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio, Heart East and MKFM.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The town is served by the local newspaper Milton Keynes Citizen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sport

Olney has a rugby team, Olney Rugby Football Club dating to 1877.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The town's football club, Olney Town, played in the United Counties League but closed in 2018.<ref>Olney Town set to fold after unsuccessful board hunt Template:Webarchive Milton Keynes Citizen, 30 April 2018</ref>

Notable natives and residents

• Thomas Armstrong, organist and college administrator
• Moses Browne, poet and clergyman
• William Cowper, poet and hymn writer
• Clem Curtis, musician, television personality, a member of The Foundations.
• Ben Field, convicted murderer.<ref name="bbcevil">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Henry Gauntlett, organist and composer
• Susannah Martin, a woman executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials
• John Newton, clergyman, slave trader turned abolitionist and writer of "Amazing Grace".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Thomas Scott (1747–1821) preacher and biblical commentator.
• John Sutcliff, Baptist minister in town for 39 years, and key figure in the revival of the Baptist mission.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Dan Wheldon (1978–2011) (former resident), racing driver, winner of the 2005 IndyCar Series and twice winner of the Indianapolis 500.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Albert William Wise (1886-1964) known as Micky Wise, was born in Olney, and played football as goalkeeper for Chelsea FC, Bedford Town and other clubs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• 'Parishes : Olney with Warrington', Victoria History of the Counties of England, A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 4 (1927), pp. 429–439.
• Template:Official website