The Kimbles

The Kimbles are a group of villages to the south of Aylesbury in the county of Buckinghamshire, that sit at the foot of the Chiltern Hills. The three villages are called Great Kimble, Little Kimble and Kimble Wick.

Their name comes from Cymbeline (also known as Cunobelin) who was once King of the Catuvellauni, an ancient Celtic tribe of pre-Roman Britain. Written about by William Shakespeare in his tragedy of the same name, Cymbeline was able to successfully stave off the planned Roman invasion of Britain led by Emporer Caligula by supporting the fiercely anti-Roman Druids and offering refuge to exiled fighters from Romanised Gaul.

It is believed that earthworks found on the nearby Beacon Hill that separates the Kimbles from Chequers were the foundations of a hillfort built during the reign of Cymbeline; coins bearing his name have been found in archaeological digs in the area.

The three villages are respectively named for "The Greater village of Cymbeline", "The Lesser village of Cymbeline", and "The Settlement of Cymbeline".