Wendover

Wendover, a market town in the Aylesbury parliamentary division of Buckinghamshire, England, 33 m. N.W. of London by the Metropolitan and the Great Central joint railway. Pop. (1901) 2036. It is picturesquely situated in a shallow defile of the Chiltern Hills, towards their western face. Wendover is a quiet town of no great activity. Its church of St Mary is mainly Decorated, and a few old houses remain.

Wendover (Wendovre, Wandovre, Wendoura) is on the Upper Icknield Way, which was probably an ancient British road, and various traces of a British settlement have been found in the town and neighbourhood. In 1087 the king held the manor of Wendover, and therefore it belonged to the ancient demesne of the crown. There is no trace of any incorporation of the town. Two burgesses were summoned to the parliaments of 1300, 1307 and 1309, but no further returns were made until 1625. In 1832 Wendover lost its right of separate representation. It is noteworthy that John Hampden and Edmund Burke both represented the borough. In 1464 Edward IV. confirmed to his tenants and the residents within the borough the market that they had always held every Thursday. For a short period the day was changed to Tuesday, but the market was given up before 1888. Hugh de Gurnay held a fair in Wendover on the eve, feast and morrow of St John the Baptist, granted him in 1 214. Another fair was granted to John de Molyns in1347-1348on the eve, feast and morrow of St Barnabas, but in 1464 Edward IV. granted two fairs to his tenants and residents in the borough, to be held on the vigils, feasts and morrows of St Matthew and of SS. Philip and James. These fairs have been held without interruption till the present day, their dates being October 2 and May 13.