DRIVERS may have noticed new entry signs have been put up in Princes Risborough and Monks Risborough.

The sparkling new signs read "Welcome to Princes Risborough: A Medieval Market town Since 1376" and "Welcome to Monks Risborough; England's oldest parish 903AD".

Town councillor Gary Hall said: "The old signs were very tatty and did nothing for the image of the town so the new signs were designed in a joint venture between the town and county councils.

"The intention is to create interest from those who pass through and to exploit the heritage of both Princes Risborough and Monks Risborough and boost us as places of tourist interest."

Cllr Hall said the old town of Risburg was re-named Prynserisburgh following the demise of its most famous inhabitant, The Black Prince, in 1376, then latterly became Princes Risborough.

No known records exist of his time in the town but excavations in the last century uncovered a substantial moated building which fell into disrepair around the 1400s and was plundered and eventually disappeared.

Cllr Hall said: "Most town entry boards use the Historic Market Town phrase which is now so common that people rarely take notice, we opted for the Medieval Market Town to put ourselves into a more interesting historical perspective.

"Monks Risborough, once a separate and distinct village from it bigger neighbour is the oldest recorded parish in England, a fact that we are proud of and we want everybody to know that the village itself is very old.

"People settled in the area much earlier than this of course; the human remains found within the Bronze Age barrow on Whiteleaf Cross were carbon dated to date from around 3,600BC and the ancient Pyrtle Springs by Princes Risborough probably sustained the community at that time.

"We hope that many more people will see our community in a slightly different way as somewhere of interest in which to visit"

The picture shows the town's Mayor's from the last ten years- Cllr Gary Hall, Eunice Clifford and current mayor, Alan Turner. Cllr Walford Woolf is also present as deputy mayor.