Holman's Bridge

Holman's Bridge is a brick-built bridge on the A413 to the north of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. It is where the A413 crosses the River Thame. Aylesbury's first Charter of Incorporation in 1554 marked Holman's Bridge as the northernmost boundary of the town. [ [http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/bkm/Aylesbury/charter/charter.html Text of the Charter of Incorporation] ]

It was the location, in 1642, of the Battle of Aylesbury, where although heavily outnumbered a Parliamentarian garrison under Sir William Balfore took the town of Aylesbury from the Royalist forces of Prince Rupert. [ [http://met.open.ac.uk/GENUKI/big/eng/BKM/Military/Civil_War/BattleOfAylesbury/nugent.html Account of the Battle of Aylesbury] ] After the battle the bodies of the dead were thrown into a common grave near the bridge. In 1818 they were exhumed and their bones moved to a common grave in nearby Hardwick. [ [http://met.open.ac.uk/GENUKI/big/eng/BKM/Military/Civil_War/BattleOfAylesbury/index.html Genuki: The Battle of Aylesbury] ]

In 2006 work began to widen the bridge to cater for extra traffic attracted by the Weedon Hill housing development. [ [http://www.watermead.org.uk/latestnews.html Watermead Parish Council News] ] The housing development is controversially being built on the tract of land where the battle took place. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/news/2002/08/21/aylesbury_battlefield.shtml BBC coverage of controversy over the Weedon Hill housing development] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/photo_database/photodb_detail.asp?Counter=11298 Image of the common grave in Hardwick at Buckinghamshire Photographs]