Asheridge (recorded Esserugge in the 13th century) is a small
hamlet in the
parish of
Chartridge, in
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
, England. Prior to 1898 it was part of
Chesham parish. It is situated in the
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills is a chalk escarpment in England.
The area, northwest of London, covers stretching from Goring-on-Thames in the southwest to Hitchin in the northeast - across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire. ...
, about two and a half miles north west of
Chesham, 5 miles from
Great Missenden and 6 miles from
Wendover.
Another suggestion is that the name derives from the Old English ''æsc'' and ''hrycg'', and meant ‘long hill covered with ash trees.’
Asheridge Farmhouse is of 16th-century origin. In 1848 Asheridge is recorded as having a population of 129. A school and congregational church were established there during the latter part of the 19th century and records show they were still in existence in 1891. The Blue Ball public house which was at the centre of the settlement at that time is still in business today.
On 5 March 1945
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...
PB745 crashed in fields near Asheridge. The seven crew of the aircraft were drawn from the
Royal Air Force and the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
. There was only one survivor, the
rear gunner, William Hart. A memorial service and dedication of a plaque took place on 13 May 2012.
Aneurin (Nye) Bevan,
Labour Minister
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
responsible for the establishment of the
National Health Service and his wife
Jennie Lee also a Minister in the same Labour Government and a prime mover in the creation of the
Open University, came to live at Asheridge Farm in 1954. After the death of her husband, Nye in 1960 Jennie Lee continued to live there until moving to London in 1968. She became Baroness Lee of Asheridge in 1970.
Papers of Jennie Lee, Baroness Lee of Asheridge
/ref>
References
Early Buckinghamshire Charters by Dr Herbert R.G. Fowler & J. G.Jenkins Records of the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society Vol 3 page 48 1939
{{Chiltern
Hamlets in Buckinghamshire