The village
toponym is a common one in England. It is
Old English in origin, and refers to a place which has received a
Royal charter of some description. It is not known the type of charter to which it refers in this case. Before the
Norman conquest of England, the
manor of Buckland was held by the Diocese of
Dorchester-on-Thames in
Oxfordshire under the control of Godric. After 1066
William I granted it to the
Bishop of Lincoln. It remained so until the 16th century when the then tenant, the
Earl of Warwick forfeited it to
the Crown. By 1584 it had been passed to
Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon. Robert was killed fighting on the
Royalist side during the
English Civil War at the
first Battle of Newbury. His lands, including Buckland, were confiscated by the
Parliamentarians but were recovered in 1653 by the
Charles Dormer, 2nd Earl of Carnarvon and held until death in 1709. Through marriage it passed to
Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield and remained in the family until George Hassall of Cholesbury acquired it around 1815. Subsequent Lords of the Manor included John Atkinson and Peter Parott. During the 16th century land at the southern end of the parish of Buckland which had been progressively cleared of scrub was transformed from an area of temporary summer pasture to one of permanent settlement subsequently to become known as
Buckland Common. It remained a remote outpost of Buckland parish until becoming part of the newly created parish of
Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards in 1934. ==Economy==