Holmer Green
|
|
Anciently, Holmer Green was a hamlet in the parish of Little Missenden, in Buckinghamshire, England. Today it is considered a village in its own right even though it looks to the casual observer like a far corner of High Wycombe. It is located next to Hazlemere, about four miles south of Great Missenden but unlike Hazlemere, Holmer Green is part of both Little Missenden parish and Chiltern District - a reflection of its origins which lie in Little Missenden.
Holmer Green is named after the manor of Holmer that covered a significant part of the parish of Little Missenden in the medieval period. The 'Holmer' part of the name was first recorded as Holeme in the late twelfth century and is probably Anglo Saxon in origin. It is commonly thought to derive from 'mere in a hollow' which would refer to Holmer Pond. However there are certain factors which don't support this theory and the -mer element may actually translate to an old saxon word meaning 'boundary'.The 'Green' part of the name refers to a large and ancient Green, probably dating from the 12th or 13th centuries, which used to exist here but was reduced to a mere 4 acres (16,000 m²) in size in 1854.
The location of the manor house of Holmer remains obscure although local historians McLain-Smith and Riches have suggested its location at a moated site in nearby Colemans Wood where they have excavated medieval pottery.
The oldest houses are The Old Rookery and Hollands Farm both of which probably date from the early 16th century when the hamlet thrived due to sheep farming.