There was one Mapley family in Chesham, according to the 1861 Census. William Mapley, born in Chalfont St Gile in South
Buckinghamshire, married Rebecca X from Woburn Green and settled on Bossert Farm. They lived with their daughter Rebecca
and their granddaughter Sarah. 1st. Chesham Generation William Mapley (1786 - ) m. Rebecca (1786 - ) in 1811
The earliest records of Chesham as a settlement are from the second half of the 10th century, located in the Chess valley. The
Domesday Book records that there were three manors in Cestreham and one at nearby Latimer. Henry III granted the town a royal
charter for a weekly market in 1257. It was later known for the four Bs — boots, beer, brushes and Baptists. In the face of
fierce competition from both home and abroad late 19th/ early 20th centuries, the three traditional industries rapidly declined.
Chesham encompassed several local villages - Cholesbury, Hawridge, St Leonards, with families spread amongst these rural villages of
house clusters. In Buckingham Sessions Records, Volume 3 of 1705-1712, reference to "the appeal of Great Kimble against a warrant removing John Mabley and Sarah, his wife, from Dinton was adjourned.Frances Mabley of Hawridge married in 1782, adoption of the Old Poor Law bankrupted Hawridge in the 1820's when 7 local farmers ran the village into financial ruin. Susanna Mabley was ganted no poor relief in 1822, on 4 July 1823 James Mably was granted "a round frock by the village Overseer", and on 19 November 1824 he was granted "one shirt and one pair of stockings".
The ready availability of skilled labour encouraged new industries to the town both before and after the Second World War. Chesham
has become a commuter town with improved connection to London via the London Underground and road networks.
Go to Chesham Census 1861 ==>
Go to Buckinghamshire ==>
© Copyright David Mapley