Buckden, Cambridgeshire
| Buckden | |
|---|---|
 Buckden Towers and St.Mary's church |
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 Buckden
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| Buckden shown within Cambridgeshire | |
| Population | 2,805 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | TL193661 |
| • London | 53 miles (85 km) |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | St Neots |
| Postcode district | PE19 |
| Dialling code | 01480 |
| Police | Cambridgeshire |
| Fire | Cambridgeshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Buckden is a village and civil parish 3.7 miles (6.0 km) north of St Neots and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Huntingdon. Buckden is in Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic county of England. The small hamlets of Stirtloe and Hardwick are also in the parish of Buckden. Buckden is situated close to three major transport networks. The River Great Ouse forms the eastern boundary of the parish; the Great North Road used to pass right through the centre of the village although today the village has a bypass just to the west; the East Coast Mainline runs along the eastern side of the Great Ouse river valley in the neighbouring parish of The Offords.
In the centre of Buckden is Buckden Towers which was a former residence of the bishops of Lincoln from the 12th century through to the early 19th century. A number of Kings of England have stayed at Buckden Towers and Catherine of Aragon was held there in 1533 before being moved to Kimbolton Castle in 1534.
Buckden prospered in the 18th and early 19th centuries because of its location just over 50 miles (80 km) north of London on the Great North Road, which was a busy coaching road at that time. The development of the railways in the mid-19th century led to a decline in the population of Buckden, but the village more than doubled in size in the second half of the 20th century.
Recorded in the Domesday Book as Bugedene, Buckden has also been referred to as Buggeden (12th –13th century), Bokeden (13th –14th century), Bukeden (13th –14th century), and Bugden (15th –18th century), with the present spelling entering usage in the 18th century. The name originates from the Old English; 'Bucge' is a person's name and 'dene' is the Old English word for valley.
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