Chapter X: Celebrated Men (4)

MIMMS, NORTH (3 miles N.W. from Potter's Bar Station, G.N.R.), is in one of the prettiest districts in the county, although so close to Middlesex. The church and parsonage are in the park, ½ mile from the village. Dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, the church is Dec., unusually pure in style. It is said to have been built by Sir Hugh de Magneville (_temp._ Stephen); I should think it more probable that Geoffrey de Magneville, then Lord of the Manor, was the real founder, as stated by Chauncy. However this may be, the structure is now almost wholly of later date. The monuments and brasses are numerous and very interesting; several of the latter, now in the chancel, were moved from their original positions on the floor during the restoration sixty years ago. Among them we may note (1) large black marble monument in chancel surmounted by a figure of justice, to John Lord Somers, Baron of Evesham (d. 1716); (2) altar tomb in N. aisle, with Elizabethan effigy, to a Derbyshire family named Beresford; the inscription is only in part decipherable; (3) mutilated brass to Sir Robert Knolles (d. 14--), and to Elizabeth his wife (d. 1458); (4) brass to Sir Henry Covert (d. 1488); (5) fine old brass to Richard Boteler and Martha (Olyff) his wife (_circa_ 1560); (6) brass, probably of Flemish workmanship, thought to be a memorial to William Kesteven, vicar (d. 1361). This effigy is closely described in Murray. "It is apparently Flemish, and resembles in style that of Abbot de la Mare at St. Albans. He is vested in a chasuble and stole, has a chalice on his breast, and over him is a rich canopy, with, on the dexter side, St. Peter, and underneath SS. John the Evangelist and Bartholomew, and in corresponding places on the sinister SS. Paul, James the Great, and Andrew, with their respective emblems. Above is the Almighty holding the soul of the deceased; at the sides are two angels swinging censers." Separated from the chancel by an oaken screen is the chantry-chapel of St. Catherine, dating from early fourteenth century.

_North Mimms Park_ surrounds the fine Jacobean manor house of red brick, recently in part restored, but originally built about 1600 by Sir Ralph Coningsby; it is very extensive and can show some good carving, and a chimney-piece dating from sixteenth century. E. from this park is _Potterels_, a modern house standing in another but smaller park, and E. again from Potterels is the more famous _Brookman's Park_, where, in 1682, Andrew Fountaine erected the mansion soon afterwards purchased by the great Lord Somers who died here in 1716. The house was completely burnt down thirty years ago and has only in part been rebuilt. The further stretch of park adjoining Brookman's on the S. is _Gubbins_, or more correctly _Gobions_, where formerly stood the old manor house in which Sir Thomas More lived awhile with his family. The walks in each of these parks are very fine, and most beautifully wooded; they command distant views in many directions, and, in the autumn, are a perfect study in colour. No London cyclist should fail to visit this picturesque and interesting neighbourhood.

MIMMS, SOUTH, recently included in the administrative county of Herts, has a restored, E. Perp. church, with fine massive W. tower. The Frowyk chantry, at E. end of N. aisle, contains a very ancient tomb with recumbent effigy of a knight in armour, under a richly designed canopy. The knight was a Frowyk, and there are also some mutilated brasses to this family. The village is prettily situated on rising ground, 1½ mile W. from Potter's Bar Station, G.N.R. (Middlesex).

_Moneybury Hill_ is on the Bucks border, close to the Bridgewater Column, 2 miles S.W. from Tring Station.

_Moor Green_ (3 miles W. from Buntingford Station, G.E.R.) is a hamlet in Ardeley parish.

_Morrell Green_ is a hamlet 2 miles E. from Barkway on the Essex border. The nearest station is Buntingford, nearly 6 miles S.E.

_Mortgrove_, on the Beds border, is little more than a modern house, 1½ mile S. from Hexton.

_Munches Green_ lies in the centre of that quiet district of villages and hamlets which stretches between the G.N.R. and G.E.R. It is a hamlet a little S.E. from _Ardeley Bury_ and nearly 4 miles W. from Westmill Station, G.E.R.

MUNDEN, GREAT, formerly Mundon Furnival, from Gerrard de Furnival, who was Lord of the Manor in the time of Richard I., is a village 2 miles W. from Braughing Station, G.E.R. There is a Norman doorway on the N. side of the church, and a small Perp. reredos which was discovered during restoration in 1865. There is a brass in the chancel to John Lightfoot, Canon of Ely (d. 1675). The hamlet of Nasty, a little N.E. from the church, now takes Munden Furnival as its alternative name, but the older historians give that title to the district around the parish church.

MUNDEN, LITTLE, or Munden Frewell, is 2¼ miles S.W. from the above, and 4 miles W. from Standon Station, G.E.R. The church, conspicuously placed on the hill, dates from the thirteenth century; it was restored in 1866-68. It is a structure of many parts, consisting of nave of three bays, chancel, N. chapel, N. aisle, N. and S. porches, and W. tower. Note the two altar tombs beneath the chancel arcade, at the S. side of the chapel, each supporting the stone effigies of a male and female, presumably man and wife. They bear no inscriptions, but from the arms and shields figured on one of them it is conjectured to be the tomb of Sir John Thornbury, Kt., and his lady; whilst the other is probably that of his son Philip Thornbury and his wife: the former dates from about 1340-50. Early in the fourteenth century the manor belonged to a Knight named Frewell or de Freville, hence the old adjunct of the village. _Rowney Abbey_, now a modern mansion, takes its name from Rowenea Priory, founded by Conan, Duke of Brittany, about 1164, and occupied for several generations by a Benedictine prioress and nuns. At Munden Street, or Dane End, ¼ mile S. from Little Munden, were formerly two or three large tumuli, long since levelled.

_Nash Mills_, on the river Gade, is a hamlet in the parish of Apsley End, 2 miles S. from Hemel Hempstead. The House was the seat of Sir John Evans, K.C.B., F.R.S., etc., the great archæologist, who had a rich collection of coins, prehistoric flints, implements, etc., some of which were discovered in the neighbourhood.

_Nettleden_ was formerly in Bucks, but was transferred to Herts a few years ago. The village is beautifully situated at the foot of a wooded hill, at the meeting of the roads from Great Gaddesden and Little Gaddesden. The small parish church is a Perp. structure of stone, with a N. porch; it was partly rebuilt by the last Duke of Bridgewater, and was restored in 1887. Note the carved oak pulpit, which, like that in Little Gaddesden Church, was the gift of Lady Marian Alford (d. 1888). Sir John Cotton, Vice-Chamberlain to Edward VI., was buried here. The nearest station is Berkhampstead, L.&N.W.R., 2½ miles S.W.

_New Mill_ is 1 mile N. from Tring, between the hamlets of Little Tring and Tring Grove. The famous reservoirs, often the resting-place of rare water-fowl, are within a short walk.

_Newgate Street_, a small hamlet in Hatfield parish, is, however, 6 miles S.E. from that town. It is in a prettily wooded district, close to _Ponsbourne Park_.

NEWNHAM (2½ miles N. from Baldock) is a village lying on high ground, with an E.E. battlemented church on a little knoll above a brook. It consists of chancel, nave of four bays with clerestory, S. aisle and porch, and W. tower. The interior can show little of interest, but there are brasses, (1) on chancel floor, to Sir William Dyer, Bart. (d. 1680); (2) to a family, the man in civic costume (_circa_ 1490); (3) to Joan, wife of James Dowman (d. 1607), and her eight children.

_Newsell_, a hamlet 1 mile N. from Barkway, lies a little W. from the Cambridge Road. The nearest station is Royston, G.N.R., 3½ miles N.W. Newsell Park is a modern mansion S. from the hamlet.

_No Man's Land_ is a large tract of common, partly covered by furze, stretching left from the road between Sandridge and Wheathampstead. Some years ago a farmer close by collected quite a museum of stuffed birds, etc., shot in the neighbourhood, which many persons visited, but I understand the collection is now dispersed.

In 1884 Sir John Evans showed to Mr. W. G. Smith "a good white ovate palæolithic implement," one of two found on No Man's Land Common. In December, 1886, Mr. Smith visited the gravel pits there and found a somewhat similar implement _in situ_; this latter is engraved in his _Man the Primæval Savage_. At the same time Mr. Smith found two neolithic celts on the common.

_Nobland Green_ (1¼ mile N.W. from Widford Station, G.E.R.) is little more than a farm and a few cottages.

NORTHAW (2 miles E. from Potter's Bar Station, G.N.R.) is a village on the Middlesex border, near the source of the river Colne, and a place of considerable interest. In the wood N. from the village there lived a hermit named Sigar, the subject of some monkish legends. He lived about the time of Henry I., and was buried beside Roger the Monk (see Markyate Street) in the S. aisle of the Baptistery of St. Alban's Abbey. There was originally a small church close to the village, E.E. or perhaps late Norman; this was replaced by the cruciform church of St. Thomas Becket, a pseudo-Perp. structure, destroyed by fire in 1881; the present cruciform building of Ancaster stone is Dec. with a conspicuous W. tower carrying four pinnacles. Note the piscina, three sedilia and credence table in chancel; also the finely carved font of Ancaster stone, on marble pillars, presented by the children of the parish. There are several memorial windows, of only local interest; but the pulpit and reredos are both good, the former showing the four Evangelists in canopied recesses. Unfortunately, only a portion of the old registers were saved from the fire of 1881.

NORTHCHURCH, or Berkhampstead St. Mary, forms one long street with Great Berkhampstead, but is a separate village, 1 mile W. from Berkhampstead Station, L.&N.W.R. The cruciform church is Dec.; it stands in a small graveyard close to the high road to Tring. The most curious memorial is the brass near the porch to Peter the Wild Boy, who was found wild in a forest in Hanover in 1725 and brought to England at the desire of Queen Caroline. He lived at a farm at Broadway (_q.v._) and died in 1785. There is also a curious sentence about this church in Chauncy: "Henry Axtil, a rich Man starved himself, and was buried here April 12, 1625, 1 Car. I." The church was entirely restored in 1883, when the present N. aisle was added.

_Northfield_, a small hamlet, is a little S. from Ivinghoe (Bucks).

NORTON, near the tiny river Ivel and the Roman Icknield Way, is 1 mile W. from Baldock. The large building on the hill-top close by is the Three Counties Asylum. The manor belonged to the Abbot of St. Albans at the time of the Conquest; and in the year 1260 Roger de Norton, who took his name from this village, became the twenty-fourth abbot of that monastery. The church, E.E., is of great antiquity, some parts of it having been little altered; it is of flint, and stands at the N.E. end of the village. It contains two or three old memorials, but none of historic interest. A pretty walk from the church leads through Norton Bury and beside the Ivel to Radwell Mill.

_Norton Green_, between Knebworth Park and Stevenage, is ½ mile W. from the Great North Road. It is a small hamlet.

_Nup End_ (1½ mile W. from Knebworth Station, G.N.R.) is almost one with Knebworth Green. Codicote church is 1 mile S.W.

_Nuthampstead_ (about 5 miles N.E. from Buntingford Station, G.E.R.) is a large hamlet on the Essex border. The parish churches of Barkway (W.), Anstey (S.W.), and Meesdon (S.E.) may all be reached within a short walk.

OFFLEY or OFFLEY ST. LEGER (3 miles S.W. from Hitchin) is a village at the meeting of the ways from Hitchin, Temple Dinsley, and Lilley. It owes its name to Offa, King of the Mercians, who had a palace here, as we learn from his life by Matthew Paris, and its adjunct to the St. Legiers, who became Lords of the Manor soon after the Conquest. Miss Hester Salusbury, who became Mrs. Thrale, and afterwards Mrs. Piozzi, used as a child to visit at _Offley Place_, in the park close to the church. The old mansion was built by Sir Richard Spencer in 1600, and in part rebuilt early last century, when its style was changed from Jacobean to a form of Gothic.

The church (restored Perp.) stands in the park, close to the road. Note (1) monument in chancel to Sir H. Penrice, Kt. (d. 1752); a figure of Truth standing on a sarcophagus of black marble, the whole finely executed; (2) monument in white marble, by Nollekens, to Sir Thomas Salusbury, Kt. (d. 1773), and Sarah his wife (d. 1804); (3) brass with effigy, to John Samwell (d. 1529), and his wives Elizabeth and Joan; (4) brass to a civilian and his family (_circa_ 1530); (5) well carved Perp. font.

_Offley, Little_, is a hamlet 1¼ mile N.W. from the above.

_Offley Green_ is 4 miles N.W. from Buntingford Station, G.E.R. The walk beside Julians[l] Park to Rushden, 1 mile S.W., is very pleasant.

_Offley Holes_ (2½ miles S.W. from Hitchin) is a small hamlet. Offley Grange, Offley Hoo, Offley Cross and Offley Bottom are all in the immediate neighbourhood, W. and N.W.

_Old Hall Green_ (1½ mile W. from Standon Station, G.E.R.) lies W. from the Old North Road. It is a small hamlet.

OXHEY (2 miles S. from Watford) is a hamlet on the Middlesex border. It has a good modern church, E.E. in style. N. lies _Oxhey Place_, on the site of the old home of the Heydon family, rebuilt by Sir William Bucknall in 1668, and again by Hon. William Bucknall in 1799. The chapel, close to the old mansions, was spared by both those renovators, but has since been repeatedly restored. It contains many interesting monuments, conspicuous among which is that on the S. wall to Sir James Altham (d. 1617) who had built the chapel on the site of an earlier structure in 1612. The old judge is represented kneeling in his robes between two pillars, beneath a canopy of alabaster; behind him is the effigy of his third wife Helen (Saunderson). Note the carved oak seventeenth century reredos, occupying the whole of the E. end of the chapel. It is divided into three compartments by two columns, massive and twisted, with Corinthian capitals; these support a frieze, with cornice and pediment. Note also the oak ceiling, and the five Tudor windows (replaced). _Oxhey Hall_, N.W. from the chapel, is now a farm; but can still show the wonderful ceiling of carved oak, in sixteen panels, which must be very ancient.

PANSHANGER PARK, Lord Desborough, K.C.V.O, should be visited by all who love an historic home surrounded by beautiful scenery. It lies almost midway between Hatfield and Ware Parks; the house itself is 1½ mile N. from Cole Green Station, G.N.R. The park is very extensive (about 900 acres); the river Maran flows through it from W. to S.E., opening into a lake S. from the house. It is famous for its splendid timber; the wonderful "Panshanger Oak," one of the very largest in England, stands W. from the house.

Panshanger is not a "correct" structure from an architectural standpoint; the writer of Murray's Handbook describes it well as "a stucco-fronted, semi-castellated Gothic mansion of the Walpole-Wyatt type". Most ramblers, however, are not architects, and the grey stone mansion and its surroundings are, as a whole, as picturesque as they can well be. The greater part of it was built by Peter, fifth Earl Cowper, in 1801; but the picture gallery, overlooking the terrace and gardens, was a later addition. The house was partially burnt in 1855. The older home of the family stood at Cole Green--then called Colne Green.

The famous _Cowper Collection_ is largely the result of the taste and perseverance of the third earl, who resided for some years at Florence. Only a few of the pictures can be named here: Madonna, by Raphael (1508); Holy Family, by Fra Bartolommeo; Mountainous Coast (fishermen in foreground), by Salvator Rosa; Nativity, by Carlo Dolce; Virgin Enthroned, by Paul Veronese; Third Earl Cowper and His Family; First Earl Cowper, by Sir Godfrey Kneller; Francis Bacon, by Van Somer; Turenne, by Rembrandt; Charles Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, by Janssens. The whole collection is worth careful study. Permission to view may be obtained when the family are away.

PARK STREET, a large hamlet with station 1/3 mile W. (L.&N.W.R.), is on the river Colne, 2 miles S. from St. Albans. The parish church is at Frogmore (_q.v._).

_Parker's Green_ (4 miles S.W. from Westmill Station, G.E.R.) is a hamlet adjoining Wood End.

_Patient End_ may be reached from Braughing Station, G.E.R., 4 miles S.E., the road being more direct than that from Westmill Station, about the same distance as the crow flies. The hamlet lies between Albury and Furneaux Pelham.

_Patmore Heath_ is 1 mile S.E. from the above.

_Pepperstock_, a hamlet on the Beds border, is a little W. from the Harpenden-Luton road, and close to Luton Hoo Park.

_Perry Green_ (1¼ mile S.E. from Hadham Station, G.E.R.) is a small scattered hamlet.

_Peter's Green_, on the Beds border, lies at the meeting of several roads; the Half Moon and Rising Star with a few cottages comprise the hamlet. The descent W. towards Chiltern Green Station, M.R., commands a fine view, looking towards Luton Hoo Park. The several ways (one is hardly more than a lane) lead S.E. to Kimpton, S. to Harpenden, N. to Lawrence End Park, and N.E. to Breachwood Green and Bendish.

_Piccotts End_ is passed when going from Hemel Hempstead to Great Gaddesden. It is on the river Gade, at the N.E. extremity of Gadesbridge Park.

_Pin Green_ (1½ mile E. from Stevenage Station, G.N.R.) lies between the Great North Road and the river Beane.

PIRTON (3½ miles N.W. from Hitchin) is an ancient village on the Beds border, said to owe its name to one Peri, who possessed it in Saxon times. William I. gave it to Ralph de Limesie, or Limesy, who founded the church and gave the tithes of it to the Abbey of St. Albans. The site of the castle built by Ralph is thought to be at Toot Hill, W. from the church, where a moat may be traced. The church was originally cruciform, but the transepts have long disappeared; the tower, massive and embattled, still standing between nave and chancel. Restoration has been carefully carried on recently; the tower was rebuilt in 1877, but some Norman work may still be traced in its arches. Note (1) monument and curious inscription to Jane, wife of Thomas Docwra (d. 1645); (2) double piscina, fourteenth century, in S. wall of chancel.

Pirton should be visited for the fine old houses in its neighbourhood. _High Down_, S. from the church, is Elizabethan, with gables, twisted chimneys and mullioned windows; it was formerly the home of the Docwras. _Pirton Hall_, on a hill N.W. from the village, is also Elizabethan, and the _Rectory Manor House_ and _Hammond's Farm_ are both ancient. In the latter is some fine old carved oak.

_Plummers_ is 1½ mile S.W. from Knebworth Station, G.N.R. It consists of a few cottages.

_Ponfield_ lies between Bedwell and Bayfordbury Parks. It is a small hamlet nearly 2 miles S.E. from Cole Green Station, G.N.R.

_Poplar's Green_ is on the river Maran, on the W. edge of Panshanger Park. The old church at Tewin is less than 1 mile N.W. The station is Cole Green.

_Potten End_ (2 miles N.E. from Berkhampstead Station, L.&N.W.R.) has a modern chapel-of-ease to Nettleden (1 mile N.). The hamlet is prettily situated between the rivers Gade and Bulbourne.

PRESTON (4 miles W. from Stevenage Station, G.N.R.) is a hamlet beautifully situated on high ground. The Church of St. Martin is a small building a few yards W. from the green, a modern erection; close by is the Bunyan Chapel, and ½ mile N. is Bunyan's dell, where the author of the _Pilgrim's Progress_ often preached. _Temple Dinsley_, a manor house a little E. from the Red Lion, stands on the site of the preceptory of the Knights Templars, founded by Bernard de Baliol in the reign of Stephen.

_Primrose Hill_ is a hamlet in King's Langley parish, ½ mile N. from the station, L.&N.W.R.

PUCKERIDGE, a village on the Old North Road, nearly 1 mile S.W. from Braughing Station, G.E.R., was visited by Pepys on more than one occasion. Here, at the White Hart Inn, the road divides, going left nearly due N. to Royston and right to Cambridge. The village lies partly in Standon and partly in Braughing parish. The nearest church is at Standon, 1 mile S.E., but divine service is conducted in the church schoolroom.

_Puddephats_ (3 miles N.W. from Redbourn Station, M.R.) is a hamlet in Flamstead parish.

_Purwell Mill_, on the river Purwell or Pirrel, 1 mile E. from Hitchin, stands near the spot where the tesselated pavement of a Roman villa was discovered many years ago, in excellent preservation.

PUTTENHAM (1½ mile S. from Marston Gate Station, L.&N.W.R.) lies near the Clinton chalk hills, in the extreme W. of the county, on the Bucks border. The church, close to the village, is of several periods, parts of the structure being E.E. and other portions Perp. and Tudor. Several portions should be carefully noted: (1) very large embattled W. tower, built of blocks of Ketton stone with flints laid in squares between each block; (2) roof of nave, thought to date from _temp._ Edward IV.; with two shields under the ridges, one bearing the arms of Zouch, the church having belonged to the Priory of Ashby; (3) solid oak pews, probably coeval with nave roof. The S. porch was rebuilt in 1889. The vill of Puteham belonged to Leofwin, brother to Harold Godwin; William I. gave it to his half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux.

_Queen Hoo Hall._ (See Bramfield.)

_Rabley Heath_ (1 mile S.W. from Knebworth Station, G.N.R.) adjoins Sallow Wood. Knebworth and Codicote churches are about equidistant (1¼ mile), N.W. and S.W. respectively.

RADLETT, with station on M.R. (main line), is about 5 miles S. from St. Albans, on the high-road from the Marble Arch to that city. Seen left from the train the neighbourhood is very pretty, the spire of the church showing among the trees some distance before the station is reached. The cruciform church is modern (1864), E. Dec. in style, with several good windows of stained glass. A picturesque ramble may be taken by turning into any lane in the vicinity, especially towards the Valley of the Colne, W. A potter's kiln of the Roman Age was discovered here.

RADWELL, on the Beds border, is in a charming district, threaded by the little river Ivel, 1½ mile N.N.W. from Baldock. The mill is reached by turning left after passing The Compasses, a quaint old inn, where a story is told of the "Maid of the Mill," a local beauty, who captured many hearts in days long past.[5] Between The Compasses and the mill stands the little Perp. church, very ancient, but in part restored on several occasions. It has no tower, the two bells hanging in a small turret at the W. end of nave. Here, as at Norton, there are several memorials to the Pym family; and a few others worth noting: (1) brass, with effigies, to John Bell, Gent. (d. 1516), and his two wives; this was discovered during restoration, about twenty-five years ago, but the inscription was copied by Chauncy, so it must have been hidden by some alterations effected after, say, 1690; (2) marble monument to John Parker, Kt. (d. 1595), and Mary, his wife (d. 1574); the latter was buried at Baldock. There is also a small brass to Elizabeth (Gage or Cage), wife of John Parker (d. 1602). The font is fourteenth century. Radwell, formerly Reedwell, is said to owe its name to the many reeds that grew by the river-side. There are plenty of moor hens, coots and dab-chicks on the lake-like expansion of the Ivel near the mill.

[Footnote 5: The story of the "Maid of the Mill" is, I understand, told in an early number of _Temple Bar_.]

_Red Heath_ is in the parish of Croxley Green, 2 miles N.N.E. from Rickmansworth.

_Red Hill_, 4 miles E. from Baldock, is a small hamlet in a very quiet neighbourhood. The nearest church is at Wallington, ¾ mile N.W. _Julians_, a substantial house in the park, ½ mile S., was built early in the seventeenth century.

REDBOURN (_i.e._, the road by the burn) lies on the old Watling Street, 4 miles N.W. from St. Albans. The river Ver, here a small stream, skirts the E. side of the village. The old manor, like that of Abbots Langley, was given to the Abbey of St. Albans by Egelwine the Black and Wincelfled, his wife, in the days of Edward the Confessor. St. Amphibalus was probably buried here after his martyrdom; his barrow was on the Common, and the story of the removal of his bones to St. Albans is narrated in Matthew Paris, and is referred to in the Introduction (Section IX.). The church of St. Mary, at Church End, ¾ mile W. from the station (M.R.), dates from Norman times; the only existing portions of the ancient structure are the three columns of the N. aisle arcade, but much thirteenth and fourteenth centuries work still stands. It was largely rebuilt by Abbot John Wheathampsted (_temp._ Henry VI.). Note (1) almost unique carved oak rood screen, double canopied; (2) pointed arches of S. side of nave, replacing those defaced during the Commonwealth; (3) Eastern sepulchre and sedilia in chancel; (4) piscinæ in N. aisle and lady-chapel; (5) brass in chancel, with eight kneeling effigies, without date; (6) brass in chancel to Richard Pecock, or Pekok (d. 1512). There are silk and corn mills on the Ver, close by.

REED lies on the chalk range, midway between Buntingford and Royston, about 3½ miles S. from Royston Station, G.N.R. The village lies right from the Old North Road. One of the best Norman doorways in the county is on the N. of the little church, which also contains good Dec. portions. The tower alone was untouched during the restoration of sixty years ago. Some remains of two moats are a little E. from the village; Reed End, Reed Green and Reed Wood, are in the vicinity. The neighbourhood is less wooded and picturesque than most of the county.

_Revel End_ (1½ mile S.W. from Redbourn Station, M.R.) is a hamlet.

RICKMANSWORTH is in the extreme S.W. of the county; the rivers Colne, Chess, and Gade unite here, close to the Grand Junction Canal; and it is easy to understand why the place was formerly called "Rykemereswearth," _i.e._, the rich moor-meadow. It is a compact little town with many quaint houses and quainter by-paths. The residence now called _Basing House_, in the High Street, was for some time the home of William Penn, the Quaker; a photograph of it was long since reproduced in the _Quiver_. The manor was given by Offa to the Abbots of St. Albans, who retained it till the Dissolution, after which Edward VI. granted it to Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London. Henry III. granted a market to be held in the town every Wednesday; it was subsequently held on Saturday, but has long been discontinued. Paper-making and brewing are now largely carried on in the neighbourhood.

The church, at the S. end of Church Street, was rebuilt (except the tower) in 1826; and again in 1870, from designs by Sir Arthur Blomfield. It is Perp., almost entirely embattled, and is constructed of flints, with stone dressings. Note (1) sedilia, piscina and modern oak stalls in chancel; (2) restored marble altar tomb carrying shield of arms, and inscription to Sir Henry Cary, Baron of Leppington and Earl of Monmouth (d. 1661); (3) brass with effigy to Thomas Day (d. 1613), and his wives Alice (d. 1585), and Joane (d. 1598); a separate inscription in the "Ashbie Chapple" ran--I am not sure if it is still preserved:--

"Here ly byrid undyr this stone
Thomas Davy and his two Wyfs Alice and Joan".

The vicarage is thought to be the oldest in Hertfordshire; it still retains portions dating from the middle of the fifteenth century.

One mile S. is _Moor Park_ (Lord Ebury). The house has undergone many changes. George Nevil, Archbishop of York, built a house in the park in the reign of Edward IV., and sometimes entertained that monarch, and we read of a lodge (was it Nevil's house?) being here when Cardinal Wolsey owned the manor of "More Park". The estate changed hands several times before we find it in the hands of the unfortunate James Fitzroy, Duke of Monmouth, who is believed to have built a large mansion on the site of the present house. This mansion was almost rebuilt by B. H. Styles, a man who made a fortune over South Sea Shares, and is said to have spent £130,000 in erecting and adorning his house in this beautiful park, with the assistance of the architect Leoni. The house that Styles built still largely survives in the present structure, after several alterations and much embellishment during eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is a large and stately mansion of Portland stone, with fine Corinthian portico, the columns of which are about 50 feet high. The vast hall was almost covered with classical and mediæval designs by Sir James Thornhill, who had to sue Styles before he could obtain his remuneration; note the huge statues supporting the five marble doorways. The house may be seen to advantage some distance from the terrace; but it must be remembered that it no longer retains its wings, which were removed when Mr. T. B. Rous lived at Moor Park towards the end of the eighteenth century.

Permission must be obtained before the park, grounds or house can be inspected. The park contains about 500 acres and is famous for its splendid timber, some of its oaks being of almost perfect development and proportions.

_Rickmansworth Park_, N. from the town, has a modern house well situated. The park stretches nearly to Loudwater Mill on the river Chess, and is, like Moor Park, beautifully wooded.

RIDGE (2½ miles S.W. from Potter's Bar Station, G.N.R.) is on the Middlesex border, close to South Mimms. The village doubtless owes its name to its situation on the hill. The small church is mainly Perp., but the chancel is E. Dec.; it contains several memorials to the Blount family, including one to Charles Blount (1654-93). He was an infidel of more bitterness than ability, as may be seen from his translation of Philostratus's _Apollonius Tyanæus_; readers may remember that his _Just Vindication of Learning_, etc., was stigmatised by Macaulay as "garbled extracts" from Milton's _Areopagitica_. On being refused a licence to marry his deceased wife's sister, he committed suicide--Pope says he "despatch'd himself". The Blount family resided in the neighbourhood for many generations; Sir Henry Pope Blount, father of the above-mentioned Charles, "built here a fair structure of Brick, made fair Walks and Gardens to it, and died seiz'd thereof". He was the author of _A Voyage into the Levant_.

_Ringshall_ is a hamlet on the Bucks border, in the parish of Little Gaddesden.

_Roe Green_ (4 miles S.E. from Ashwell Station, G.N.R.) is in a pleasant and very quiet neighbourhood. The nearest parish church is Sandon, about 1 mile N.E. Roe Wood is a little N. from the hamlet.

_Roestock_, a hamlet in the parish of North Mimms, is 1 mile N. from the Park. Smallford Station, G.N.R., is 1 mile N.W.

_Round Bush_ consists of a few cottages, 1½ mile S.W. from Radlett Station, M.R.

_Row Green_ (1¼ mile S.W. from Hatfield) lies close to the road from St. Albans to Hatfield. Row Hyde is a little farther S.W.

_Rowley Green_, on the road from Barnet Gate to Shenley, is nearly 2 miles E. from Elstree Station, M.R.

ROYSTON, an ancient market town on the Icknield Way at its junction with Ermine Street, was until recently partly in Cambs. It is supposed to owe its name to a Dame Roesia who placed a cross here on the highway, near which spot a monastery of Black Canons was founded by Eustace de Mere and others in the reign of Henry II. Early in the reign of Henry IV. the town was almost destroyed by fire. Royston enjoyed several market privileges in the good old days, and it is recorded that early in the fifteenth century wheat was so plentiful that it was sold in Royston market for 12d. a quarter.

The church was erected close to the monastery late in the thirteenth century, and at the Dissolution was constituted the parish church. Thirty years ago it was restored, and more recently enlarged, and is now an imposing structure of flint and rubble, E.E. in style. The tower (W.) is embattled and carries four pinnacles. The fine lancet windows in the chancel were discovered during restoration in 1872, as were also the fragments of the old screen, since pieced together to form the present pulpit and reading desk. The alabaster effigy in the chancel, of a knight in armour, is believed to represent one of the Scales family. There are several old brasses: (1) to William Taberam, Rector of Therfield (d. 1432), this was large, but only the upper part now remains; (2) to a civilian and his wife (_circa_ 1500); (3) to Father William Chamber, who founded an annual sermon to be preached in the church on Rogation Mondays (d. 1546). There are some good modern windows of stained glass.

James I., who had been entertained at Royston by Robert Chester during his progress from Scotland to London, built a lodge near Royston Heath, to which both he and Charles I. occasionally resorted, the latter being brought here as prisoner in 1647. Some cottages still standing on the outskirts of the Heath are said to have been used for stables when James I. used to hunt in the neighbourhood, and by inquiring for the "Old Palace" visitors will be shown what little remains of his Majesty's hunting lodge. The Heath is now famous for its fine golf links.

Beneath the old boundary between the two counties, and close to the Post Office, is the famous _Royston Cave_, which visitors should not fail to see. It was accidentally discovered in 1742 by some men who were digging a hole in the market-place, and is now entered by a specially constructed passage under the street. It was visited by Louis XVIII. Hewn out of the solid chalk, its greatest height is about 25 ft., its diameter about 17 ft. It contains curious, and in some cases uncouth figures and coloured reliefs of saints, kings, queens, etc., of all sizes and ages, and some crucifixes. The late Joseph Beldam, F.S.A., was of opinion that the cave dates from pre-Christian times, that it became in turn a Roman sepulchre and an oratory, and that it was closed during the Reformation.

There are still the traces of several tumuli in the neighbourhood, and ancient coins, etc., have been found, but the evidences of any Roman occupation are not very convincing.

Royston is a somewhat quaint town, with some narrow byways and odd-looking houses, amongst which the Old Plough Inn is not the least noticeable.

_Rush Green_ (1 mile S. from Ware) is a small hamlet.

_Rushden_, formerly Risendene and Risden (5 miles S.E. from Baldock), has a stuccoed brick church, Dec. and Perp. Chauncy saw in it, "no Inscription, Monument, or other Remark," but in 1754 the monument of Sir Adolphus Meetkerke, Kt., was brought here from St. Botolph's, Aldersgate. Meetkerke was Ambassador from Flanders to the Court of Queen Elizabeth, and the author of several volumes. Note the canopy in nave, thought to have covered a statue of the Virgin. In the reign of Henry II. the patronage of the church was given by William Basset, Sheriff of Leicestershire, to the Canons and Church of St. Peter's at Dunstable.

_Rustling Green_ is midway between Knebworth and St. Paul's Walden Parks. The district is prettily diversified by small woods. By the shortest way through the park Knebworth Station is about 3½ miles E.

THE RYE HOUSE, on the W. bank of the river Lea, is a famous resort of fishermen, excursionists and folk wishing to see the Great Bed of Ware, brought here from Ware in 1869. The bed is a huge construction of solid oak, quaintly carved, and large enough to hold twelve adults, as is proved by a story which can readily be found by the curious, but which is unfit for repetition in these pages. It is alluded to by Shakespeare, Byron and other writers. The present Rye House is modern, but attached to it are some remains of the old House, some account of which must be given here.

In his description of the "Mannor of the Rye" Chauncy says, "King Henry VI. granted licence to Andrew Ogard and others, that they might impark the scite of the Mannor of Rye, otherwise called the Isle of Rye in Stansted Abbot, fifty Acres of Land, eleven Acres of Meadow, eight Acres of Pasture and Sixteen Acres of Wood, erect a Castle there with Lime and Stone, make Battlements and Loopholes &c."[6] The castle built by Ogard passed into the hands of the Baesh family; it was doubtless in part rebuilt at different times, for what remains of it is of brick. In course of time it became the property of Lieut., afterwards Col., Rumbold, known as "Hannibal" among his associates, who had been a private in Fairfax's famous regiment of 1648. This man was the originator of the _Rye House Plot_.

[Footnote 6: _Hist. Antiq. of Hertfordshire_, etc., vol. i., p. 383, ed. 1826.]

The story of that plot may be recapitulated in few words. In the spring of 1683 Charles II. and James Duke of York were at Newmarket. Rumbold and some of his ultra-Republican friends heard that the Royal party would return to London by way of Rye House. They met together and arranged to secrete some men in the house, to create a disturbance as the King passed and to kill him in the confusion which would follow. The King escaped--probably, as most writers agree, because he left Newmarket earlier than was expected. The plot soon became known, the Rye House was searched and many persons were charged with High Treason. Two illustrious men became implicated, through the allegations of Howard of Escrick and others--Algernon Sidney and Lord Russell. Both were certainly innocent, but both were beheaded, and Russell was buried at Chenies in Bucks (almost on the Herts border). Rumbold fled to Holland, joined the expedition which Argyle headed in Scotland, and was hanged in Edinburgh in 1685. Visitors to the neighbourhood of the Rye House will perhaps be assured that Rumbold suffered on a tree near by, but such was not the case.

SACOMBE (4 miles N.W. from Ware) lies scattered over a considerable district. It was long ago called Suevecamp (_i.e._, Suaviscampus) because of its pleasant situation. The small Dec. church stands on the hill, at the N. end of the Park; it is of ancient foundation, but was entirely restored about fifty years ago. There are two sedilia and a piscina in the chancel, and two brasses, to John Dodyngton and Eleanor his wife (d. 1544 and 1550 respectively). Sacombe Park is beautifully timbered; the present house of red brick dates from about 1800.

ST. ALBANS is one of the most ancient and interesting places in England; it became a city on the foundation of the Bishopric of St. Albans in 1877. It may be approached by road from London, (1) by way of Barnet and London Colney, the G.N.R. Station (branch from Hatfield) being passed on the left nearly a mile from the old clock tower and market-place; (2) by way of Edgware, Elstree and Radlett, by which route, after passing St. Stephens, the L.&N.W.R. Station (branch from Watford) is on the right and the steep Holywell Hill leading to High Street is straight before. The river Ver skirts the entire S. limits of the city itself; the field that slopes upwards from the silk mill, in a N. direction, is called the Abbey Orchard, and on the summit of the slope stands the great Abbey of St. Alban.

As the ancient Roman city--the _Verulamium_ of Antoninus--stood some distance to the W., a brief account of it will be found under the heading Verulam. The history of St. Albans itself commences with the death of Alban, the proto-martyr of Britain, who was flogged with rods and beheaded by the Romans for having sheltered the priest Amphibalus, connived at his escape, and adopted his faith (_circa_ 285-305; the date is very uncertain). During the fifth century the Saxons captured and destroyed Verulam and built a new town on the hill some distance E. This they named _Watlingceaster_ (the town on Watling Street), but when (793) Offa built a monastery to the memory of Alban on Holmhurst Hill, the traditionary site of the martyrdom, the town itself became known as St. Albans. Gildas, Bede and other old authorities agree that an earlier church stood on this spot; they state, indeed, that it was built soon after the death of St. Alban.

The plan of the city is, like the Abbey, cruciform, four old high-roads meeting together near the Clock Tower, N.W. from Dunstable, S.W. from Watford, S.E. from London, N.E. from Wheathampstead. The latter unites with the road from Harpenden and Luton at The Cricketers, ¼ mile N.W. from St. Peter's Church. The four roads, on entering the city, are respectively called Verulam Road, Holywell Hill, London Road and St. Peter's Street; one of the oldest thoroughfares, however, is that called Fishpool Street, which runs from near the W. end of the Abbey to the flour mill on the Ver. Quite recently several of the oldest houses in the neighbourhood were in this street; but some have now been pulled down.

We will enter the city from the direction of St. Stephens. Crossing the bridge over the Ver, we turn left by the Duke of Marlborough, pass through the gate near the river side and keeping the cress-beds on the left reach the silk mill. Turning right we ascend the hill W. of the Abbey orchard, obtaining meanwhile a fine view of the stately W. front of the Abbey itself, as reconstructed by Lord Grimthorpe. Our way into the city lies through the old, partially ivy-clad _Gate House_, a relic of the Benedictine Monastery; note the Perp. pointed arch and vaulted roof. This was originally the entrance to the Abbey court, the "Magna Porta" of the old monastic days. There was a former structure on or near the same spot; this was blown down and the present building dates from the rule of Thomas de la Mere, thirtieth abbot (1349-96). Used as a jail some centuries ago, it has long been known as St. Alban's _Grammar School_; the battlemented house S.W. of the archway is the residence of the head master. The claims of this school to be _the oldest in England_ cannot be adequately discussed here. Suffice it to say that documents attesting its existence date from Abbot Richard de Albini (1097-1119); his successor, Geoffrey de Gorham, came from Normandy to become its master. Matthew Paris records that the school was afterwards kept by a nephew of Abbot Warine (or Warren) de Cambridge, and had at that time more scholars than any school in England. Passing through the arch we notice on the left a small, triangular burial ground. The spot is called Romeland. Here George Tankerville was burnt by order of Bishop Bonner, on 26th August, 1556.

Passing straight forward into Spicer Street the _Congregational Chapel_, founded in 1797, is on the right. A little farther on is College Street; on the left side stands the house in which Cowper was placed under the charge of Dr. Cotton when his insanity was most pronounced. To reach the old _Clock Tower_ we turn right into Verulam Street and left into High Street. The Tower stands at the S. end of the Market Place; note the quaint, narrow thoroughfare at its W. side, called French Row. The Tower is Perp., of flint and dressed stone, battlemented, and surmounted by a small spire; the basement has long been utilised as a saddler's shop. It dates from the fifteenth century,[7] but was restored by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1864. In it hangs the great bell "Gabriel" cast early in the reign of Edward III.; it is now used for striking the hour and formerly tolled the curfew. In the foreground, where the drinking fountain now stands, was "Eleanor's Cross," erected, like the cross at Waltham (_q.v._), by Edward I. in memory of his Queen. It was destroyed about 1700. The old market-place, so quaint even fifty years ago, is now largely occupied by modern shops; partly by reason of a fire which occurred many years back.

[Footnote 7: Clutterbuck says it was erected between 1402 and 1427.]

Continuing our way up the market-place we pass the _Town Hall_ or _Court House_ on the right, an Italian structure dating from 1826, and the broad St. Peter's Street opens before us, leading to the old church dedicated to that saint. The church is one of three built by Abbot Ulsinus in Saxon times; the date of their foundation is very uncertain, but we may bear in mind that the first abbot, Willegod, ruled at the close of the eighth century, that Ulsinus was the sixth abbot, and that six others ruled during Pre-Norman times. St. Peter's Church, largely restored by Lord Grimthorpe, is therefore of great antiquity as a foundation; the present structure is chiefly late Perp. with a lofty E. tower carrying four pinnacles, the latter an addition by the restorer. The position of the tower (elsewhere almost invariably W.) is explained by the fact that the old church was cruciform, and that when, at the beginning of last century, the extreme E. of the chancel and the transepts were found much dilapidated they were pulled down, the old tower thereby losing its central position. Note the E. Perp. arches separating nave and aisles; the pulpit a good example of Belgian carving, and the old stained glass in windows of N. aisle; the stained glass in other windows is modern. Concerning the brass to Roger Pemberton, Sheriff of Herts (d. 13th November, 1627), a story is told. If the visitor passes out of the churchyard by the N.W. gate he will be _vis-à-vis_ to the almshouses founded in 1627 on the W. side of what was then "St. Peter's Street, Bowgate". Pemberton is said to have been shooting in the woods, to have shot a widow by accident, and to have founded these almshouses for widows, and endowed them with £30 per annum for ever as a salve to his conscience. There is an iron arrow over the old brick gateway before the houses, which seems to countenance the story. There were formerly many other brasses in the church, but the inscriptions on some of them must now be sought in the county histories. A few, however, remain, _e.g._, one with shield of arms to Mrs. Elizabeth Wyndham (d. 1735). In the N. aisle is the tomb of Edward Strong (d. 1723), "Master Mason" of St. Paul's Cathedral; in the churchyard lies Dr. Nathaniel Cotton, the friend of Cowper (see page 180) (d. 1788). Among those who fell in the battles of St. Albans (of which more will be said presently) and were buried in this church or graveyard were (1) Sir Bertin Entwysel, Kt., Baron of Brybeke in Normandy; (2) Ralph Babthorpe and Ralph his son, of an old Yorkshire family. As a matter of fact a great number of the slain were buried here; Chauncy says "this Church and Churchyard was filled with the Bodies of those that were slain in the two battles fought in this town".

The two other churches founded by Abbot Ulsinus are those of St. Stephen and St. Michael.

_St. Stephen's Church_ stands ¾ mile S.W. from the Clock Tower, at the junction of the roads from Edgware and Watford. It was restored by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1861-62; but still retains some ancient features; _e.g._, the late Norman arch in N. wall, formerly in part separating the nave from the N. aisle (now absent), and two Norman windows, widely splayed, in W. wall. Note (1) brass eagle-lectern, believed to have been formerly in the Abbey at Holyrood; (2) double piscina in S. aisle; (3) fifteenth century font. The oldest brass, much worn, is in the S. chapel; it is to the memory of William Robins, Clerk of the Signet to Edward IV., (d. 1482) and Katherine his wife.

_St. Michael's Church_, about ¾ mile W. from the Clock Tower, stands on gently rising ground close to the carriage road to Gorhambury. It is believed to occupy, approximately, the centre of what was the ancient city of Verulam (_q.v._) and to mark the site of a Roman temple. It has been restored, and the tower rebuilt, by Lord Grimthorpe; the work was only completed two or three years ago. Flint and tiles taken from the surrounding ruins by the builders still exist in the walls; but repeated restorations have almost obliterated the evidences of its antiquity. There are brasses (1) to Thomas Wolvey, an Esquire to Richard II. (d. 1430); (2) to "John Pecok et Maud sa femme" (_circa_ 1340-50); but the monument of paramount interest is that in the recess N. of the chancel, to Francis Bacon, Baron Verulam and Viscount St. Albans (d. 9th April, 1626). The great philosopher and Lord Chancellor is represented as sitting in a tall chair, leaning his head upon his left hand; a Jacobean ruff is round his neck and a wide hat upon his head; the sculptor (unknown) has succeeded admirably in imparting an air of abstraction to the countenance. Of Bacon's house at _Gorhambury_, 1½ mile farther W., little remains except some fragments of wall and tower, with projecting entrance[m] porch. In the yet remaining spandrels of the arches are medallions of Roman Emperors; over the porch are the arms of Elizabeth. The present mansion, a little E. from the ruins, was commenced in 1778 by James third Viscount Grimston; it has been considerably altered, but retains the grand N. portico; the pediment, supported by ten Corinthian columns, reaches to the roof. The hall is very large, and contains portraits of Francis Bacon, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, and other worthies. There are numerous pictures in other apartments, including portraits of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Stafford, Queen Elizabeth, Robert Devereux, Catherine of Braganza and William Pitt.

There were three monastic institutions on the outskirts of the town:--

(1) The Leper Hospital of _St. Julian_, founded by Geoffrey de Gorham, sixteenth Abbot of St. Albans, on a spot close to St. Stephen's Church. Of this no vestige remains.

(2) The Hospital of _St. Mary de Pré_, for women-lepers, founded about fifty years after the above by Warren de Cambridge, twentieth abbot, on either side of the old Watling Street. Some of the graves in the churchyard attached to the hospital were visible so recently as 1827, and the cottages known as the "Three Chimnies," originally part of the hospital itself, were pulled down in 1849.[8]

[Footnote 8: _Vide_ _Historical Records of St. Albans_, by A. E. Gibbs, F.L.S., etc.; a most interesting little volume.]

(3) _Sopwell Nunnery_, founded by Abbot Geoffrey de Gorham about 1140, at a spot a little S. from the Old London Road, on the river Ver. The masses of ivy-mantled ruins still to be seen, and usually called the "ruins of Sopwell Nunnery," are, at least for the most part, the remains of the house built by Sir Richard Lee, to whom the manor was granted at the Dissolution.