Olney, Buckinghamshire

Olney
Marketplace, Olney, Pancake Day.
Olney is located in Buckinghamshire
Olney
Olney
Location within Buckinghamshire
Interactive map of Olney
Population6,598 (2021 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSP889513
• London50 miles (80 km)
Civil parish
District
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townOlney
Postcode districtMK46
Dialling code01234
PoliceThames Valley
FireBuckinghamshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament

Olney (/ˈoʊ.ni/, rarely /ˈɒl.ni/, OW-nee, rarely OLL-nee; the "L" is not pronounced by local people),[3][4] is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, England.[5]

The parish occupies the northernmost part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire.[6] Lying on the left bank of the River Great Ouse, the town is located (straight line distances) around 8 miles (13 km) from Milton Keynes, 10 miles (16 km) from Bedford, Northampton and Wellingborough, and just over 50 miles (80km) from London.

At the 2021 census, it had a population of 6,598.[1]

Olney is best known for poet William Cowper, anti-slavery preacher John Newton, and their 1770's collaboration on the Olney Hymns, including Amazing Grace, as well as for its Pancake Race.

The many places in the USA, and elsewhere, also called Olney, appear to be named either directly after Olney in England, or after a family whose surname originates from the Buckinghamshire town.[7][8][9]

History

Late Jurassic dinosaur bones were unearthed at a quarry in nearby Clifton Reynes.[10] Evidence of Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age activity has been found in and around Olney, much of it close to the River Ouse and to the later Roman town.[11][12] The settlement likely developed near to a ford over the river; a mediaeval bridge was fi nally extended to fully span the flood-prone valley in the reign of Queen Anne.[13]

Olney is considered to have been an important Romano-British township,[3] with extensive stone, tiles, pottery, coins and a figurine of Mercury found in a now-protected field at the north end of the current town.[14][6] A bronze ritual bowl of Roman-era Italian origin was discovered among Roman civic remains in 1977 at near-by Hyde Farm.[15] In 2023, across the main road from the protected site, archaeologists uncovered a Roman villa with mosaic and bathhouse considered "of high significance".[16]

In the year 932, the town is mentioned as Ollanege (Olla's island),[17] and in 979 ten hides at Olney were granted by King Ethelred to his kinsman Elfere.[18] According to the Domesday Book, the place later called Olnei was held in 1066 by Burgred, a descendent of the King of Mercia, but by 1086 its overlord was Geoffrey de Montbray, Bishop of Coutances.[19][20]

In 1469, during the War of the Roses, King Edward IV was reportedly captured at Olney by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. Local tradition has it that Edward used the church spire as a lookout.[21]

In 1643, during the English Civil War, the Battle of Olney Bridge saw Prince Rupert's force attack Col. Harvey's Newport Pagnell-based Parliamentarians, with 60 killed.[22][23]

The ownership of Olney had passed frequently between many aristocratic families and the Crown since 1066,[6] but in 1755 Olney came to the second Earl of Dartmouth.[24] In 1767 an Act of Parliament decreed the enclosure of the common lands of Olney.[6] The Lordship of the town remained with the Earls of Dartmouth and their descendents until 1998. The current Lord of Olney is Dr Nicholas P George.[18]

In the late 18th century, the poet William Cowper, and anti-slavery campaigner and Anglican cleric John Newton, collaborated in the town on what became known as the Olney Hymns, which include Amazing Grace. Olney has the Cowper and Newton Museum dedicated to them, adapted from Cowper's former residence, and given to the town in 1905 by the publisher William Hill Collingridge (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.[25]

Olney mill

A Saxon-era watermill at Olney is first recorded in the Domesday book, where for centuries wheat was ground and eels were caught for the manor. In 1878 Olney Mill burnt down, but from 1894 the Gudgin family developed the Cowper Roller Mills there, until a final disastrous fire in 1964.[26][27]

Olney was a centre of the Buckinghamshire lace-making industry,[28] noted in 1769 for 'considerable Manufacture of Bone-lace'.[13] Armstrong's 1928 Lace Factory, now apartments, is prominent on the High Street, ornamented as "the Bucks Lace Industry".[29][26]

Armstrong's Lace Factory, Olney High Street
Cowper Works, Hinde & Mann's former shoe factory on corner of Midland Rd, now Kensington Place apartments

A tannery by the river in Olney dates from 1601 or before, into the twentieth century.[30] During the later nineteenth century shoe-making "became the staple industry of Olney", as a cottage industry gave way to small factories.[31] In 1891 Hinde & Mann established the Cowper Works, which became the town's largest employer, producing 6000 pairs a week,[32] before making military boots during World War 1,[26] and later advertising as "the largest maker of gent's tan boots and shoes in the world".[33] The building was subsequently used to make Lodge sparkplugs for World War II aircraft.[24][34][26][11]

The 1841 census gave the population as 2,362.[35]

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.[36] In 1861 it attained civil parish status, but was subsequently incorporated into an enlarged Olney civil parish around 1931.[36][37]

Olney Pancake Race

Since 1445, a pancake race has been run in the town on many Pancake Tuesdays, the day before the beginning of Lent.[38] Tradition records that on Shrove Tuesday 1445, the "Shriving Bell" signalled the start of the Shriving church service. On hearing the bell a local housewife, busy cooking pancakes for Lent, ran to the church, frying pan in hand, tossing the pancake to prevent it burning, still dressed in her kitchen apron and headscarf.[39][40]

The women of Olney recreate this event 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 was a kiss from the verger (now a trophy and cash prize). The competition was revived postwar, in 1948, and has been run every year since 1950. Olney now competes with the town of Liberal, Kansas, USA, for the fastest time in either town to win the "International Pancake Race". There is also a race for local schoolchildren, a distance of about 20 yards.[41]

Listed buildings, structures, historic landmarks and attractions

Church of Saints Peter and Paul, view from the South

The parish has one grade I listed building, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul;[42] four Grade II*,[43][44][45][46] and a further 114 listed at Grade II.[47] The church is 14th century, with later additions.[42] There are two scheduled monuments: a Romano-British settlement, on the northern outskirts of the town,[14] and the 1830s bridge across the Great Ouse to Emberton.[48]

As a former coaching town on the old Kettering to Newport Pagnell turnpike, with a brewery and growing workforce, the town has been known for its many historic inns.[49][50] Several old pubs remain on the Marketplace and High Street.[51][52][53] Together with regular outdoor markets, dating from 1205, the traditional retail, service and hospitality sectors around the High Street have evolved to attract numerous visitors for shopping, health and beauty care, and dining.[54][20][11][55]

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.[56] 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.[57][58]

At the parish level, Olney has a town council based at the Olney Centre on the High Street.[59]

Demographics

Census population of Olney, Buckinghamshire parish
Census Population Female Male Households Source
2001 6,032 3,067 2,965 2,454 [60]
2011 6,477 3,352 3,125 2,715 [61]
2021 6,598 3,409 3,189 2,865 [1]

Transport

The closest passenger rail service is at Wolverton (approximately 8 miles (13 km) distant), with inter-city services from Milton Keynes Central and Bedford railway stations (each approximately 11 miles (18 km) 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.[62]

The town is bisected by the Milton Keynes-Kettering A509 road, which runs south towards the M1 motorway at Junction 14 (roughly 7 miles (11 km) 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 (Grant Palmer) connects the town with Lavendon, Bedford and Northampton.[63] The City Council also operates an on demand bus service known as "MK Connect".[64]

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,[65] 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.[66]

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.[67] The town is served by the local newspaper Milton Keynes Citizen.[68]

Sport

Olney has a rugby union team, Olney Rugby Football Club dating to 1877, whose past players include Blair Swannell, a legendary pre-1914 international who played for both England and Australia, Scotland & Saracens centre Duncan Taylor[69], and Edgar Mobbs, who captained the East Midlands and England, and formed a battalion of Sportsmen volunteers in World War I.[70][71][72]

The town's football club, Olney Town, played in the United Counties League but closed in 2018.[73]

Notable natives and residents

References

Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Olney, Buckinghamshire.
  1. 1 2 3 "Parish Profiles". 2021 United Kingdom census. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 August 2024. then Query data then, at Geogrophy, click this needs to be selected then Parishes 2022 then, under Tools List areas within, chose Milton Keynes and then tick Olney, Finally, on the upper left of the screen, choose Download data and then view the data in your web browser.
  2. ↑ Olney Town Council
  3. 1 2 Baines, A. H. J. (1979). The Olney Charter of 979. Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society. pp. 154–184.
  4. ↑ Murrer, Sally (13 June 2022). "The 6 most mispronounced Milton Keynes place names people are always getting wrong". Milton Keynes Citizen.
  5. ↑ Parishes in Milton Keynes Archived 8 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine – Milton Keynes Council.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Sheahan, James Joseph (1862). History and Topography of Buckinghamshire: Comprising a General Survey of the County, Preceded by an Epitome of the Early History of Great Britain. Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts.
  7. ↑ "Olney (definition and history)". wisdomlib.org. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "Olney Surname Meaning & Olney Family History". Ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  9. ↑ Staff, M. C. S. (10 July 2017). "Is it Ole-nee or All-nee? The Pronunciation of Olney". The MoCo Show. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "THE PREHISTORIC PERIOD (>10,000 BC – AD 43)". Milton Keynes Heritage Association. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 "Olney (Buckinghamshire Historic Towns Assessment Report)" (PDF). Buckinghamshire County Council. 2010.
  12. ↑ Adkins, R. A.; Mynard, D. C. "Neolithic axes from the Milton Keynes area of the upper Ouse valley" (PDF). Records of Buckinghamshire. Buckinghamshire Archeological Society.
  13. 1 2 "History of Olney and the Manor: [the] Manor of Olney". Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  14. 1 2 Historic England. "Roman site at Olney (1006918)". National Heritage List for England.
  15. ↑ Petchey, M R. "A ROMAN PATERA FROM OLNEY" (PDF). Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society.
  16. ↑ "Olney: Roman villa mosaic found under Aldi supermarket site". BBC NEWS. 17 March 2023.
  17. ↑ A.D. Mills and Adrian Room, ed. (2002). Oxford Dictionary of Placenames. Oxford University Press.
  18. 1 2 "The Lordship of Olney | Manor of Olney". Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  19. ↑ "Olney | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  20. 1 2 "OLNEY - A POTTED HISTORY -". Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  21. ↑ Olney and District History Society. "THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD (1066 -1536) -". Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "The Battlefields Trust - Civil War Memorial Database". www.battlefieldstrust.com. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  23. ↑ "POST MEDIEVAL AND GEORGIAN PERIODS (1536 -1837) -". Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  24. 1 2 "Olney History HIghlights 4.6 Modern synthesis and components (1800-Present)". Milton Keynes Heritage. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  25. ↑ "Milton Keynes looks back on amazing year of celebrations to mark 250th anniversary of hymn Amazing Grace". Milton Keynes Citizen. 6 October 2023.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Olney & Disrict History Society. Victorian & later eras (1837 – Present) -". Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  27. ↑ "Parishes : Olney with Warrington | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  28. ↑ "History Of Lace-making". Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  29. ↑ "A BRIEF HISTORY OF OLNEY LACE FACTORY (1928 to 1943) -". Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  30. ↑ "OLNEY'S RECOVERY IN THE POST WW2 PERIOD 1945 - 1960 -". Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  31. ↑ Wright, Thomas (1922). The Romance of the Shoe: Being the History of Shoemaking in all Ages, And Especially in England and Scotland (1st ed.). London: Farncombe & Sons.
  32. ↑ SHOE AND LEATHER TRADE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM By ARTHUR B. BUTMAN. Department of Commerce and Labour. Washington DC, 1912.https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/SERIALSET-06280_00_00-006-0868-0000/pdf/SERIALSET-06280_00_00-006-0868-0000.pdf
  33. ↑ Hinde & Mann. Export boot manufacturers. Undated c. 1900 leaflet/price list, in Northampton Shoe Museum.
  34. ↑ "History". Cowper Works. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  35. ↑ The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.III, London (1847) Charles Knight, p.898
  36. 1 2 Page, William, ed. (1927). "Parishes : Olney with Warrington". A History of the County of Buckingham. Victoria History of the Counties of England. Vol. 4. London: Constable & Co. Ltd. pp. 429–439.
  37. ↑ "Olney Park Farm". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  38. ↑ Olney pancake race Archived 13 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Olney Parish
  39. ↑ "The origin of pancake racing". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  40. ↑ Pancake races in Olney
  41. ↑ "History | Olney Pancake Race". Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  42. 1 2 Historic England. "Church of Saints Peter and Paul (1125308)". National Heritage List for England.
  43. ↑ Historic England. "OLNEY WINE BAR AND CROSS KEYS HOUSE, 9 AND 11 HIGH STREET SOUTH (1332279)". National Heritage List for England.
  44. ↑ Historic England. "THE VICARAGE INCLUDING ATTACHED COACHHOUSE, CHURCH STREET (1158059)". National Heritage List for England.
  45. ↑ Historic England. "GILPIN HOUSE 29 MARKET PLACE (1125295)". National Heritage List for England.
  46. ↑ Historic England. "ORCHARD HOUSE INCLUDING FRONT RAILINGS, 67 AND 69 HIGH STREET (1222060)". National Heritage List for England.
  47. ↑ "Search Results for 'Olney, Milton Keynes'". Historic England. Retrieved 2 January 2023. (Note: the 144 results returned by the search include sites in Emberton, Lavendon, Newton Blossomville, etc.)
  48. ↑ Historic England. "Olney bridge (1006936)". National Heritage List for England.
  49. ↑ "A POTTED OR SUMMARY HISTORY OF OLNEY -". Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  50. ↑ Wright, Elizabeth (1981). The Old Inns of Olney. Buckingham: Barracuda. ISBN 0860231593.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  51. ↑ "OLNEY HIGH STREET - HERITAGE TRAIL". Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  52. ↑ "Visit Olney | Cowper & Newton Museum". 24 September 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  53. ↑ "A Visitor's Introduction to Olney, Buckinghamshire". choosewhere.com. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  54. ↑ "Olney, England. All you need to know before you go". TripAdvisor. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  55. ↑ "OLNEY HIGH STREET - HERITAGE TRAIL". Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  56. ↑ "Contact your parish or town council". – Milton Keynes Council.
  57. ↑ "The Milton Keynes (Electoral Changes) Order 2014".
  58. ↑ Local electoral arrangements for Milton Keynes (final recommendations) (PDF) (Report). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2014.
  59. ↑ "Olney Town Council". Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  60. ↑ "Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Tables KS001 (Usual resident population) and KS016 (Household spaces and accommodation type). Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  61. ↑ "Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Table KS101EW (Usual resident population) and Table KS105EW (Household composition). Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  62. ↑ THE NORTHAMPTON – OLNEY- BEDFORD (LMS) RAILWAY: A View from Olney – Milton Keynes Heritage Association
  63. ↑ "Bus and Taxi, Bus Timetables, Maps and Travel Updates". Milton Keynes City Council.
  64. ↑ "On-Demand Rideshare in Milton Keynes powered by Via". Via.
  65. ↑ "Plan:MK 2016-2031" (PDF). Milton Keynes City Council. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  66. ↑ "Olney Neighbourhood Plan" (PDF). Milton Keynes City Council. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  67. ↑ "MKFM - Radio Made in Milton Keynes". Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  68. ↑ "Milton Keynes Citizen". British Papers. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  69. ↑ "Olney RFC 1st XV, Southern Counties North League Winners 2007-08". Living Archive. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  70. ↑ "The first Olney RFC team in 1877". Living Archive. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  71. ↑ "History of Olney RFC". www.olneyrfc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  72. ↑ "The Edgar Mobbs Centenary". Bedford Modern School. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  73. ↑ Olney Town set to fold after unsuccessful board hunt Archived 17 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine Milton Keynes Citizen, 30 April 2018
  74. ↑ "Keith Barber player profile". Hatters Heritage. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  75. ↑ "'Evil' churchwarden guilty of murdering author". BBC News. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  76. ↑ Rothstein, Natalia (1987). A Lady of Fashion: Barbara Johnson's Album of Styles and Fabrics. Thames and Hudson. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-500-01419-6.
  77. ↑ "Olney church to remember slave trader turned abolitionist". BBC News. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  78. ↑ "A cloud of witnesses: John Sutcliff (1752-1814)". Evangelical Times. 1 September 2002. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  79. ↑ "Dan Wheldon crash findings due to be released by IndyCar officials". the Guardian. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  80. ↑ "Albert Wise". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  81. ↑ "Bedfordoldeagles - Seasons on the Field 1908-14". sites.google.com. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
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