Hockliffe is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
on the crossroads of the
A5 road
A5 Road may refer to:
;Africa
* A5 highway (Nigeria), a road connecting Lagos and Ibadan
* A5 road (Zimbabwe), a road connecting Harare and Bulawayo
;Americas
* Quebec Autoroute 5, a road in Quebec, Canada
* County Route A5 (California) or Bowm ...
which lies upon the course of the Roman road known as
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England, running from Dover and London in the southeast, via St Albans to Wroxeter. The road crosses the River Thames at London and was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the M ...
and the
A4012 and B5704 roads.
It is about east of
Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard ( ) is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/ Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills.
It is nor ...
. Nearby places are
Heath and Reach,
Eggington
Egginton – or Eggington as it is now known – is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England, about three miles east of Leighton Buzzard.
Apart from the village itself, the parish also inclu ...
,
Stanbridge,
Battlesden
Battlesden is a hamlet and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is just north of the A5, between Dunstable and Milton Keynes. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 38. Because of its ...
,
Toddington Toddington could be
*Toddington, Bedfordshire
Toddington is a large village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire, England. It is situated 5 miles north-north-west of Luton, north of Dunstable, south-west of Woburn, and 35&nb ...
,
Tebworth and
Tilsworth
Tilsworth is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire. It lies to the north west of Dunstable, and the Roman Watling Street ( A5) forms the north east boundary of the parish of 1,200 acres (4.8 km2). The village lies on the ...
.
Hockliffe is in
Heath and Reach ward which sends a councillor to Central Bedfordshire Council. The ward includes the villages of Heath and Reach, Hockliffe, Eggington, Stanbridge, Tilsworth, Tebworth and Wingrave. The ward was created in 2011 and has since been represented by Councillor
Mark Versallion.
Clipstone Brook
There was a term applied from the 18th century which was "as straight as Hockley Brook" because of the meandering bends of the said brook. The correct name of the brook is the
Clipstone Brook. The first field (though in the parish of
Chalgrave) is still known by locals as the Old Ride, due to the original crossing of the brook of the original Woburn Road the later road being constructed in the 19th century through to the second
Battlesden
Battlesden is a hamlet and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is just north of the A5, between Dunstable and Milton Keynes. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 38. Because of its ...
road turning near to the village of
Milton Bryan
Milton Bryan is a village and civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace the ...
. The new Woburn Road is about a 100 yards to the west from the said crossing and is now used by farm vehicles over a newer bridge. The second field was known as Horseshoe Corner as the brook was shaped like a horseshoe before it was straightened out by a farmer after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Recently there have been regular sightings of the invasive
signal crayfish
The signal crayfish (''Pacifastacus leniusculus'') is a species of crayfish indigenous to North America. Introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the North European ''Astacus astacus'' fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague ...
, ''Pacifastacus leniusculus'', in the brook. It was noted in the local newspaper, ''The Leighton Buzzard Observer'', that one was found inside a toy lobster during a clear out of a section of the brook near
Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard ( ) is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/ Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills.
It is nor ...
in 2009.
Hockliffe Radio Station
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
a
Czechoslovak military intelligence wireless transmission station was situated just outside Hockliffe. The station was constructed by the
Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
in 1942 exclusively for
Czech intelligence services. The station was used to contact Czech embassies in such countries as Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. Eleven men operated the station until June 1945, when they were able to return to their country.
Education
The education authority, for the Leighton Buzzard area, since September 2019, calculates distances from each residence to the nearest lower school (in most circumstances) and uses that to determine priority admissions; the education authority uses computer systems to do this. Designated catchment zones are, as of 2024, no longer used for lower schools in the Leighton Buzzard area. Hockliffe is among the areas under this admissions regime.
Notable people
During the 18th century
Dr. William Dodd became rector of Hockliffe; he was later convicted of forgery and hanged at
Tyburn
Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in London, Middlesex, England, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. Tyburn took its name from the Tyburn Brook, a tributary of the River Westbourne. The name Tyburn, from Teo Bourne ...
.
The Chronicles of Newgate
', Crimes and Criminals part 1, ed. Arthur George Frederick Griffiths
Hockliffe is the birthplace of
Arthur Henry Neumann
Arthur Henry Neumann (12 June 1850 – 29 May 1907) was an English explorer, hunter, soldier, farmer and travel writer famous for his exploits in Equatorial East Africa. In 1898 he published ''Elephant Hunting in East Equatorial Africa''. xix, 4 ...
(1850–1907), a British explorer, hunter, soldier and travel writer, famous for his exploits in Equatorial
East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
at the end of the 19th century. In 1898, he published ''Elephant Hunting in East Equatorial Africa'' that contained descriptions of his childhood in Hockliffe.
[A H Neumann, ''Elephant Hunting in East Equatorial Africa'', London, Rowland Ward, 1897]
Hockliffe was the birthplace of
John Atcheler (1791–1867), who described himself as Horse Slaughterer to Queen Victoria.
References
Further reading
* S. Coleman, ''Hockliffe'', Bedfordshire County Council (Bedfordshire Parish Surveys, Historic Landscape and Archaeology, 1), 1983, .
External links
{{authority control
Villages in Bedfordshire
Civil parishes in Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire District