Leland's description of Aylesbury.

Leland was Chaplain and Librarian to Henry VIII. He spent 6 years travelling the country, collecting information for his " History and Antiquities of England and Wales", unfortunately he died in 1552 before completing the work. However, his description of Aylesbury was as follows:

"If ever I passed into Alesbury, I rode over a little bridge of Stone called Woman's Bridge, under the which passed a Brooke down on the right hand as I rode; and from this Bridge to the Towne is a Stone Cawsey. This is, as farre as I can gather, Tame Water.

"The Towne selfe of Alesbury standeth on an Hill in respect of all the Ground thereabout, a 3 Miles flatt North from Chiltern Hilles. The Towne is neatly well builded with Tymbre, and in it is a celebrate Market. It standeth in the High-Waye from Banbury to London, and Buckingham to London. There is domus civica in the middle of the Market Place, a late re-edifyed by - Baldwin, chiefe Justice of the Common-Pleas; but the Kinge gave the Tymber of it. The Gaole for Buckinghamshire is in this Towne.

"There is but one Parech Church standing West-North-West in it; but that is one of the most ancientest in all those quarters, as it appeareth by the life of St. Osith. Querendon, a mile and a halfe from Alesbury, also Burton and Alesbury (qy. Ellesburrowe) in Chilterne, 3 miles of by South, with divers other Hamletts, were in Alesbury Parish.

"It is sayd that a B. of Lincolne desired by a Pope to give the Personage of Alesbury to a stranger, a kinsman of his, found the means to make it a Prebende, and to impropriate it to Lincolne Church. At the which time also the Personage of Tame was impropriate and made a Prebende in Lincolne. Soe that the care of both the churches with a right bare Livinge be reject unto the Vicars. St. Osith, daughter to Fredwald, was borne in Querendon, in Alisbury Parish, and brought up with an Aunt of hers at Ellesburrowe, in Chilterne Hilles, a 3 Miles from Alesbury by South, whereof the E. of Salesbury were late Lordes, and now the Kinge by Atteinture.

"St. Osiths body was translated for a while for feare of Danes, from Chich, alias St. Osith, to Aylesbury. There was, as some saye, a Nunnery, or other House of Religion, whereas the Personage now is, and record yet remaineth that this house should be of the Maturines, alias patres ordinis S^tae. Trinitatis, of like sect to the Fryers of Tikhill and Hundestawe, 10 Miles from London.

"There was a house of Grey-Friars in the towne towards the South, founded about the tyme of K. R. 2. The Lord of Ormund was in the tyme of man's minde counted chiefe L. of Alesbury, since Boliew by Partition of Land.

"There runneth a pretty brooke, almost at the very End of the Towne, by South under a Wooden Bridge. It runneth downe from East by West into Tame. I take the head of it to be towardes Wendover a through Fare, 3 miles of.

"Tame River selfe, as I there learned, riseth in the Eastern Parts of all the Chilterne Hilles toward Dunstable, and the head of it is about 7 miles from Stone Bridge, on Tame, betwixt Alesbury and Querendon."