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General
Odell is one of the smallest of the Ouse Valley Villages with only about 200 residences. It is situated to the north of the county very close to the Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire boundaries.
Odell has a long association with the lace making industry but has more recently turned towards the leather industry. Odell has always been a farming community with much of the land owned by Lord Luke of Pavenham and Odell.
All Saints Church was built in the fifteenth century on the site of a previous church. It contains a memorial to Lieutenant Richmond who died in the R101 disaster.
The name means ‘Woad hill’ from the Old English wad hyll. By the time of the Domesday Book the village was named Wad(eh)elle.
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Odell Castle
Sir Rowland Alston was a depraved and wicked man in life and in death, he terrorised the village of Odell. It was said that he could walk through walls and tree trunks even in broad daylight. He rode a ghostly black horse and would ride into the hall of his family home leaving hoof prints in the flagstones. To get rid of him an exorcism was performed by twelve clergymen all with bell, book and candle. His spirit was consigned to the village pond and remained there for one hundred years. Villagers who passed the pond said they could hear him snoring.
When eventually he emerged from the pond the devil was waiting for him. It is alleged that Sir Rowland had sold his soul to the devil. Sir Rowland fled to the church and squeezed through the keyhole. The devil shook the church in his rage and left five giant black finger marks on the jamb of the porch.
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