Little Brickhill

Little Brickhill is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.[2] Located immediately to the west of the A5, it is just outside and overlooking the Milton Keynes urban area, about 5 miles (8.0 km) south-east of Central Milton Keynes, 2 miles (3.2 km) south-east of Fenny Stratford, and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south-east of Woburn, Bedfordshire. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 407.[1]

Little Brickhill
The parish church
Little Brickhill Mapping © OpenStreetMap Show map of Milton Keynes Little Brickhill Location within Buckinghamshire Show map of Buckinghamshire
Population	407 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	SP909324
Civil parish	Little Brickhill
Unitary authority	Milton Keynes
Ceremonial county	Buckinghamshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MILTON KEYNES
Postcode district	MK17
Dialling code	01525
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Buckinghamshire
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Milton Keynes North

The village name "Brickhill" is a compound of Brythonic and Old English words that have the same meaning: a common occurrence in this part of the country. The Brythonic word breg means "hill", as does the Old English word hyll. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village was referred to as Brichelle. This spelling also occurs in 1422, denoting the place where John Langon was the vicar.[3]

The village has, for a long time, gathered most of its income from the Roman road Watling Street that passes through the parish from north-west to south-east, and anciently from a market that was established in the village in 1228. At one time the county Assize Courts were held in Little Brickhill, making it adversely larger than nearby Great Brickhill. The last time the assizes were heard here was in 1638. Between 1561 and 1620 the names of a number of executed criminals appear in the burial register of the village. The village, being located on a major route to London, was a staging post for mail and passenger stagecoaches. "The Clockhouse" (now converted for residential use) housed just such a staging post, incorporating a stable, office, coach sheds, a hotel and a cowshed. Upon entering the courtyard, grooves can be seen in the cobble stones under the arch that were made by the wheels of countless coaches coming and going.

The village is also the final resting place of Dame V. Bushell (1756-1847), who was most well known for the "Veritas" movement, highlighting the plight of women in the village.

The village had two public houses, The George and The Green Man, but both are closed. As of 2019, the former has become an Italian restaurant with bar,[4] the latter has been converted to dwellings. The post office that was housed in the village shop closed down in 2008 which precipitated the closure of the shop itself.

The village is home to St. Mary Magdalene CofE parish church.