Pitstone - Definition

Pitstone (formerly Pightelsthorn) is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, about seven miles east of Aylesbury, six miles south of Leighton Buzzard.

The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Picel's thorn tree'. It was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Pincelestorne.

Pitstone was given to the abbey at Ashridge by the Earl of Cornwall in 1283. In 1290 King Edward I spent Christmas in Pitstone at the estate that had been given to the abbey, and stayed for five weeks, during which time he held parliament in Ashridge. His stay caused great inconvenience to the local inhabitants of the village, who were legally obliged to keep the king and his court.

More recently Pitstone was the site of a cement works which were closed in the 1990s. The site has now been demolished and has been redeveloped for housing and business use.

A notable building in Pitstone is Pitstone Windmill, which is owned by the National Trust.