Chapter IV: Part 4

In this place mention may conveniently be made of the New River, running from the valley of the Lea near the Rye House, at a gradually increasing distance from that river, to the metropolis. The New River, or Middleton’s Waters, as it used also to be called, was constructed in the reign of James I, at first almost entirely by Sir Hugh Middleton, but later on by a company with a special charter, for the purpose of supplying north London with drinking-water. The chief sources of the New River are the springs at Chadwell and Amwell. At the present time an original £100 share in the New River Company is worth an almost fabulous price.

20. Administration and Divisions--Ancient and Modern.

The present administration and administrative divisions of Hertfordshire, like those of other English counties, have been gradually evolved and developed from those of our Saxon forefathers; each alteration in the form of local government and of local administrative boundaries being based on the previously existing system. By the Saxons each county was divided into a number of main divisions known as hundreds, or wapentakes, each governed by a hundreder, or centenary (the equivalent of the Old German _Zentgrafen_), and each having a name of its own. Hertfordshire is now divided into eight hundreds, the names of which, commencing on the western side of the county, are as follows: Dacorum (including Tring), Cassio (with the important towns of St Albans, Watford, and Rickmansworth), Hertford, Braughing, Broadwater (occupying nearly the centre), Hitchin and Pirton (on the north-west corner), Odsey (in the extreme north), and Edwinstree (on the north-east). Originally they were more numerous, Cassio, for instance, being much smaller than at present, while the Hitchin division was reckoned only as a half-hundred. The origin of the names of most of the hundreds are self-apparent; but that of Cassio (originally Kayso) appears to be unknown, while that of Dacorum has some connection with the Danes, perhaps referring to a Danish settlement.

One of the most remarkable facts connected with the hundreds of Hertfordshire is that three of them do not lie within what farmers call a ring-fence. Dacorum, for instance, has two outlying areas in the south-eastern corner of Cassio, and a third wedged in between Cassio on the west, Broadwater on the north, and an outlying portion of Cassio on the east. Broadwater, again, has a small outlier on the Middlesex border of the south-eastern “peninsula” of Cassio; while Cassio itself, inclusive of the one already mentioned, has no less than eight of these curious outliers, one situated in the extreme north in the hundred of Odsey.

Each hundred originally had its own court, or “hundred-mote,” which met monthly; and it was divided, as at present, into townships, or parishes. The parish, in turn, had its own council, or _gemot_, where every freeman had a right to appear. This assembly or council made its own local by-laws, to enforce which it had a reeve, a bailiff, and a tithingman, with the powers of a constable. The reeve was chairman of the township _gemot_, and could summon that assembly at pleasure.

Passing on to more modern times, we find Hertfordshire occupying a peculiar position in regard to local government and administration in that it possessed a kind of _imperium in imperio_ in the shape of what was known as the Liberty of St Alban; in other words, a large area on the western side of the county originally under the jurisdiction of the abbots of St Albans, who had the power of inflicting the death-penalty. Originally there was a separate Commission of the Peace for the Liberty, so that a Justice for the County had no jurisdiction in the former unless he had been specially inducted. This arrangement was found, however, to be inconvenient, and the Liberty, as such, was abolished, although it was taken as a basis for the splitting of the county into a western and an eastern division for judicial purposes.

The chief officers of the county are the Lord Lieutenant and the High Sheriff; the former (who in Hertfordshire is always a nobleman) being the direct local representative of the sovereign, and having the appointment of magistrates and the officers of the territorial forces, while the latter (who is a commoner) is the head of the executive department in the administration of justice. The Lord Lieutenant holds office for life, or during the sovereign’s pleasure, but the Sheriff is appointed annually by the Crown. Deputy Lieutenants are supposed to act, in case of need, for the Lord Lieutenant.

Formerly the greater part of the business of the county was conducted by the Justices of the Peace, or Magistrates, at Quarter Sessions, but most of this is now transferred to the County Council, which, as previously stated, often meets in London. This County Council, which was first established in 1888, is composed of Aldermen and Councillors; the latter of whom are elected, while the former are what is called “co-opted,” that is to say, selected by the Council itself, either from its own body, or from the general public. The duties of the County Council include the maintenance of high roads and bridges; the appointment and control, in conjunction with the magistrates, of the police; the management of reformatories and lunatic asylums; and, in a word, the general carrying out of the laws enacted by Parliament.

According to a scheme elaborated in an Act of Parliament passed in 1894, the more important minor local bodies are denominated District Councils, and those whose function is less Parish Councils; the former having control of the more populous towns and villages, other than cities and boroughs, and the latter those with fewer inhabitants. For this purpose many parishes are divided into a more populous Urban and a less populous Rural District. Certain towns in the county rank, however, as cities, or boroughs, and have larger powers and different forms of government; being ruled by a Mayor and Corporation, and having magistrates and a police force distinct from those of the county. Among these privileged towns, St Albans ranks as a city, while Hertford and Hemel Hempstead are boroughs. Hemel Hempstead is a very ancient borough, and has, in addition to its Mayor, an official known as the High Bailiff.

The county is likewise divided into a number of Poor Law Unions, each with a Board of Guardians, whose duty it is to manage the workhouses, and appoint officers to carry out the work of relieving the poor and those incapacitated by age or other cause from earning their own living.

As regards the administration of justice, Assizes are held by His Majesty’s Judges three or four times a year at the Shire Hall, Hertford, for the whole county; the Grand Jury on such occasions being composed entirely, or mainly, of magistrates. Quarter Sessions, on the other hand, are held four times a year at Hertford for the eastern, and at the Court House, St Albans, for the western division of the county; these courts being constituted by the magistrates for the county and the mayors of the boroughs and city. Petty Sessions are held weekly, fortnightly, or monthly at a number of the towns and larger villages. In most cases the county magistrates in the immediate neighbourhood preside at these sessions; but the city of St Albans and the two boroughs have magistrates of their own, who also hold petty sessions for trying cases which occur within the area of their jurisdiction.

St Albans is the centre of an episcopal diocese, which includes most of that portion of London situated within the county of Essex. Arrangements are, however, now in progress for relieving the Bishop of St Albans of the care of that part of the diocese commonly known as “London Over the Border.”

The diocese, so far as Hertfordshire is concerned, is divided into archdeaconries, rural deaneries, and parishes. The latter are very numerous, although somewhat less so than the civil parishes, for the purposes of which, as already mentioned, the ecclesiastical parishes are frequently split into an urban and a rural section. There are 170 ecclesiastical parishes situated wholly or partly within the old county, of which 164 are included in the diocese of St Albans; while three belong to Ely, two to Oxford, and part of one (Northwood) to London.

The larger towns, the city, and the two boroughs have Education Committees of their own; but for the rest of the county a Committee of this nature is appointed by the County Council.

Hertfordshire has four parliamentary divisions, namely, Hertford, Hitchin, St Albans, and Watford, each of which returns one member to the House of Commons. The county is thus represented only by four members, as against fifteen for Kent.

21. The Roll of Honour of the County.

Hertfordshire cannot hope to rival such counties as Norfolk or Kent in its roll of distinguished names, but it can show a fairly long list of persons connected with the county who have been famous.

Since reference has already been made in several of the foregoing sections to the visits of English sovereigns to the county, or to their residence within its borders, very brief mention of the connection between royalty and the county will suffice in this place. Neither here nor elsewhere in these pages is any attempt made to give a complete list of such visits.

The names of Boadicea, queen of the Iceni, and of Offa, king of Mercia, who had his palace at Offley, dying there in 796, will always be specially connected with Hertfordshire. In a somewhat less degree the same may be said of William the Conqueror, to whom, as already mentioned, the crown of this realm was offered at Berkhampstead. Edward II and Edward III frequently resided at Langley Palace, where Edmund de Langley, the founder of the White Rose faction, was born in 1341; and the same residence was also used by Richard II. Henry I and his consort Matilda were present at the dedication of St Albans’ Abbey on its completion by Abbot Paul; and Henry VI was at the first battle of St Albans, where he was wounded. Henry VIII, as mentioned on page 82, was still more intimately connected with Hertfordshire, and the manor of Hitchin was conferred by him in turn on Anne Boleyn and her successors. Reference has already been made to the residence of Queen Mary, in her youth, at Ashridge, and of Queen Elizabeth (before her ascent to the throne) both there and at Hatfield; while, as sovereign, Elizabeth also visited St Albans on two or three occasions as the guest of Sir Nicholas Bacon at Gorhambury, and also went to other great houses in the county. James I, as mentioned on the same page, spent much time at Royston, and died at Theobalds. The Rye House plot, so called from the meeting-place of the conspirators at Broxbourne, as stated in an earlier section, was devised for the purpose of assassinating Charles II while on his way through the county.

In connection with personages of royal blood, mention may be made of Humphry, Duke of Gloucester, whose name is so intimately associated with St Albans’ Abbey, to the monastery of which he was admitted a member in 1423; and also of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, who was born at Sandridge in the eighteenth century, and built and endowed the almshouses bearing her name in St Albans.

Among great statesmen connected with the county a prominent place must be assigned to Queen Elizabeth’s councillors and favourites, Lord Burleigh and the Earl of Essex. To her reign likewise belongs Sir Nicholas Bacon, Keeper of the Great Seal, and owner of Gorhambury, where he died in 1578. Nearly a century later (1652), Gorhambury came into the possession of Sir Harbottle Grimston, well known as Speaker of the House of Commons.

Passing on to the Victorian age, we have two great statesmen, namely, Lord Melbourne and Lord Palmerston, both of whom lived at Brocket, where the former died; and, subsequently, the late Marquis of Salisbury, owner of stately Hatfield. The first Viscount Hampden, sometime Speaker of the House of Commons, was also a Hertfordshire man, with his residence at Kimpton Hoo. Cecil Rhodes, the South African premier and “Empire-builder,” likewise claims a place in the roll of honour of the county, having been born at Bishop’s Stortford rectory, and Commodore Anson, the great circumnavigator, though not a native, lived at Moor Park, where he died in 1762.

Dame Juliana Berners, imaginary prioress of Sopwell nunnery, who was supposed to have written the immortal _Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle_, the first work on angling ever published in England, has been shown to be a myth. Among names famous in literature and science the greatest connected with the county is perhaps that of the great philosopher Sir Francis Bacon, afterwards Lord Verulam and Viscount St Albans, who, during his father’s residence at Gorhambury, lived in Verulam House, at the Pondyards. On the death of his father Sir Nicholas Bacon he succeeded to Gorhambury. By a curious error he is frequently called Lord Bacon, although no such title was ever in existence. John Bunyan claims a place among Hertfordshire literary worthies as he was connected with a chapel at Hitchin.

Two of the greatest literary names connected with the county are those of William Cowper the poet, and Charles Lamb, author of the _Essays of Elia_, unsurpassed as a master of delicately humorous prose, whether as essayist or letter-writer. The former was born at Berkhampstead rectory in the year 1731; but Lamb was chiefly a visitor to the county, though, as he tells us in the _Essays_, he was once a Hertfordshire landowner, and his cottage at West Hill Green, about 2½ miles from Puckeridge, still exists. Mackery End Farm was the residence of the Brutons, who were his relatives, and it was to their house that his visits were made; so that the neighbourhood is essentially Lamb’s country. It is a question whether the Lyttons or the beauties of Knebworth, their home, are the more famous. The great novelist, author of _The Last Days of Pompeii_, _The Caxtons_, and innumerable other tales, as well as such successful plays as _The Lady of Lyons_ and _Money_, was best known to readers in the middle of the last century as Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, though he began life as Mr Bulwer and died Lord Lytton. His son, poet, Ambassador, and Viceroy, who wrote under the name of “Owen Meredith,” was scarcely less distinguished, and received an Earldom in 1880. Here, too, mention may be made of Mrs Thrale, the friend of Dr Johnson, who was often at Offley Place, where her husband, whose family was long connected with St Albans, was born. Offley Place was at this time a fine old Elizabethan mansion, although it has since been rebuilt. Gadebridge Park, Hemel Hempstead, was the residence of the great surgeon Sir Astley Paston Cooper. But a greater distinction attaches to the name of Rothamsted, near Harpenden, as being the residence of the late Sir John Bennet Lawes, Bart., who, with his scientific colleague Sir Henry Gilbert, conducted the experiments which made their names famous throughout the agricultural world. Sir John Lawes first obtained the idea of using fossilised phosphates for manure from Professor Henslow, the great Cambridge botanist (himself sometime a resident at Hall Place, St Albans), who sent him specimens obtained from the Essex “Crag,” with a suggestion that they might be used as a source of phosphoric acid. Yarrell, the naturalist, lies buried in Bayford churchyard, with many members of his family. Last in the scientific and literary list, we have the name of Sir John Evans, the great antiquarian and numismatist of Nash Mills, Hemel Hempstead, who died so recently as 1908. To Evans, in conjunction with the late Sir Joseph Prestwich, is mainly due the credit of definitely establishing the fact that the so-called flint “celts” are really the work of prehistoric man. His most important and best work is _Ancient Stone Implements_.

Among great ecclesiastics mention must be made of Nicholas Breakspear, born near Abbot’s Langley towards the close of the eleventh century, who subsequently became Pope as Adrian IV; being the only Englishman who has occupied the papal chair. Reference may also be made to Cardinal Wolsey, who spent a considerable portion of his time at Delamere House. Nor must we omit Young, the author of the _Night Thoughts_ and Rector of Welwyn, or that great maker of hymns, Dr Watts, who as the 36-year guest of Sir Thomas Abney resided at Theobalds, where he died. Among distinguished lawyers, the most prominent name is that of Lord Grimthorpe (formerly Sir Edmund Beckett), who was, however, connected with the county, not in his professional capacity, but as the restorer of St Albans’ Abbey and other churches in the neighbourhood. Much criticism has been expended on Lord Grimthorpe’s modes of “restoration,” which were certainly of a drastic character. It must, however, be remembered that when he undertook the restoration of St Albans’ Abbey it was in a dangerous condition, and sufficient money was not forthcoming to make it secure. The result is that the abbey, although in many ways unlike its former self, will stand for centuries. Lord Grimthorpe, who was a Yorkshireman, built himself a residence at Batchwood, near St Albans.

As another well-known lawyer and also a judge, mention may be made of Lord Brampton (Sir Henry Hawkins), who came of a family long connected with Hitchin, at which town he was born.

Sir Henry Chauncy, the antiquary and historian of the county, to whom reference has so often been made in this book, lived, and died in 1700, at Yardley; and Balfe, the composer, made his home at Rowney Abbey, close by, till his death in 1870.

22. THE CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES OF HERTFORDSHIRE.

(The figures in brackets after each name give the population in 1901,
and those at the end of the sections give the references to the
text.)

Abbot’s Langley (3342), a village situated on the Gade, with a station on the North-Western Railway; it was bestowed in the time of Edward the Confessor upon the then abbot of St Albans, whence its name. Hunton Mill, on the Gade, was granted to Sir Richard Lee in 1544, and both this and Nash Mills were farmed from the abbot of St Albans between 1349 and 1396. The present church, dedicated to St Lawrence, cannot be traced farther back than the close of the twelfth century. A west tower was added about 1200. (pp. 72, 90, 105, 149.)

Aldenham (2437), a village and manor lying to the north-east of Watford. It has a grammar school; and near by is Aldenham Abbey, the seat of Lord Aldenham. In 1898 two Roman kilns were discovered in the parish. The church, which has been restored, contains one small twelfth-century window; no trace of the chancel remains.

The Amwells--Great Amwell (1421), and Little Amwell (930)--small villages not far from the Rye House. Amwell is associated with the name of the Quaker poet, John Scott, who lived there for some time after 1740. Near by is Haileybury, formerly the training college for the officials of the East India Company, but now a public school. (p. 135.)

Ashridge, a domain in Little Gaddesden parish, situated on the Buckinghamshire border of the county, and celebrated for its splendid beech woods. It was formerly the property of the Dukes of Bridgewater, being acquired by the Egertons in 1604, but it is now owned by Earl Brownlow. A building, formerly the porter’s lodge, includes some remains of an old monastic college. The present house, which stands partly in Buckinghamshire, was built by the eighth Earl of Bridgewater. (pp. 115, 142.)

Ashwell (1281), a village on the Cambridgeshire border of the county, with a station some distance away on the Royston and Cambridge branch of the Great Northern Railway. Ashwell, which was formerly a town, had a fair and a market in the time of William the Conqueror. It was severely visited by the plague. Its church-tower is the only one in the county built wholly of stone. (pp. 92, 113.)

Baldock (2057) is a market-town on the Icknield Way, to the north-west of Hitchin, with a station on the above-mentioned branch of the Great Northern Railway. It dates from Norman times, when it was known as Baudok. During the Crusades, Baldock, like St Albans, Berkhampstead, and Hoddesdon, had a lazar-house for lepers, who were at that time numerous all over England. The list of Rectors is complete from the days of the Knights Hospitallers in 1317. The church contains much Decorated and Perpendicular work. (pp. 90, 94, 128.)

Barkway (661), originally Berkway, is a small town and manor situated a few miles to the north-east of Buntingford. (p. 96.)

Barnet, or Chipping Barnet, originally Chipping Bernet (7876), a large and important market-town near the Middlesex border of the county, with a station (High Barnet) on a branch of the Great Northern Railway. Near by are New Barnet and East Barnet, with a station on the main line, and having a population of 10,024. The name Barnet is a corruption of the Saxon _Bergnet_, signifying a little hill; the site of the town then forming a small rising in the midst of the great forest; the prefix Chipping = market is a word of Scandinavian origin, represented in the Swedish Jonköping and the Danish Kjøbenhavn = (Copenhagen). Barnet was the scene of a battle in 1471, when the Yorkists defeated the Lancastrians, killing their leader, Warwick the king-maker. The market was famous for its cattle; and in addition to this there is an annual horse-fair, which formerly attracted dealers from all parts of the country. (pp. 9, 53, 54, 82, 99, 128.)

East Barnet (2867), known as La Barnette in the thirteenth century, and Low Barnet in the fifteenth century, is situated on the stream known as Pymmes’ Brook, on the western side of the valley of which stands the almost deserted old parish church.

Bayford (330), a village nearly midway between Hatfield and Hoddesdon. In the churchyard is buried William Yarrell the naturalist. Bayfordbury is celebrated for its collection of portraits of members of the Kitcat Club painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller. (p. 147.)

Bengeo (3063), formerly Bengehoo, a village in the valley of the Beane one mile north of Hertford. The old church, now little used, is one of the oldest in the county, dating apparently from the early Norman period. Together with Great Wymondley church, it is peculiar, so far as Hertfordshire is concerned, in having an apsidal chancel. In place of a tower, it has a wooden bell-cote. Panshanger, formerly the property of the late Lord Cowper, is near by.

Bennington (522), a market-town and manor, situated on the Beane, from which it takes its name; it was an important place in the ninth century, when it was the residence of the kings of Mercia. The church is fourteenth century. (pp. 53, 54, 56, 78, 111.)

Berkhampstead, or Berkhampstead Magna (5140), an important market-town[3] on the London and North-Western Railway and Grand Junction Canal, and one of the oldest in the county, the castle dating from Norman times, and being possibly on the site of an earlier Saxon edifice. It was here that the crown of England was offered to William the Conqueror. The manor and castle were granted first to Piers Gaveston and subsequently to Edward the Black Prince, but were afterwards annexed to the Duchy of Cornwall. Berkhampstead, which is now a petty-sessions town, and has an ancient grammar school, formerly returned burgesses to Parliament. Its almshouses were built in 1684. Cowper was born here. Berkhampstead Parva and Berkhampstead St Mary’s--the latter now generally known as Northchurch--are villages in the neighbourhood. The church dates from the thirteenth century; it contains the beautiful Torrington tomb. (pp. 2, 7, 63, 80, 81, 82, 91, 92, 109, 111, 131, 132, 141.)

[3] The market at Berkhampstead has been discontinued for many years.

Bishop’s Stortford (7143) is the most important town on the Essex border of the county, and has a station on the main line of the Great Eastern Railway, and a bridge over the Stort. The town, which has a market, possessed a considerable trade in Saxon times, and was the property of the Bishop of London, and to protect this, and for the purpose of consolidating his own rights, William the Conqueror built a small castle here. Bishop’s Stortford has a grammar school, and formerly returned members to Parliament. The church, which dates from the tenth century, is an imposing Perpendicular edifice, and stands on the site of an earlier building. (pp. 23, 24, 79, 92, 112, 132, 144.)

Boxmoor (1127), a small town on the Grand Junction Canal and North Western Railway. A Roman villa was discovered here some years ago. (pp. 132, 133.)

Braughing (930), a village to the north-west of Stortford, on the Cambridge road, with a station on the Great Eastern Railway, situated in the valley of the Quin. It dates from Saxon times, when it was known as Brooking; and it was granted a market by Stephen. A Roman sarcophagus and many Roman coins have been discovered in the parish. (pp. 22, 113, 136.)

Broxbourne (748) is also a village on the Great Eastern Railway, to the south of Hoddesdon: it contains an almshouse for poor widows founded in the year 1728. The village is intimately connected with the Rye House Plot. (pp. 128, 142.)

Buntingford (1272) is a market-town, with almshouses, on a branch of the Great Eastern Railway running northwards from Stortford. It was granted a market by Edward III. (pp. 54, 128.)

Bushey (2838), a parish in the south of the county, separated from Watford about 1166. The village is now the site of the Herkomer Art School. The church was “restored” in 1871, when a late Gothic window was removed.

Bygrave (148), a small market-town a short distance north-east of Baldock.

Cassiobury, a park and mansion at the north-west of Watford which has for many generations been the residence of the Earls of Essex. The present house is modern. (pp. 20, 21, 45, 84, 85, 136.)

Cheshunt (12,292) is a large market-town in the south-eastern corner of the county, nearly north-west of Waltham Abbey, with a station on the Great Eastern and some distance from the town itself. It is celebrated for its nursery gardens, roses being especially cultivated. Within Cheshunt parish is situated Theobald’s Park, at one time a royal residence. Cheshunt Park is on the opposite, or north side of the town; and near by are the remains of an old nunnery. (pp. 43, 99, 100, 128.)

Codicote (1145), a small village to the north-west of Welwyn. The church was an ancient one, but a drastic “restoration” in 1853 destroyed much of the evidence of the age of its constituent portions. (pp. 43, 128, 130.)

Elstree (1323), a village on the southern border of the county lying a little west of the Midland Railway, on which it has a station. It is rapidly becoming a suburb of London. (pp. 7, 11, 52, 126, 132.)

Flamstead (1039), a village near the Watling Street to the north of Redbourn. The name is supposed to be a corruption of Verlampstead, the Ver flowing in the valley below the village. The Thomas Saunders almshouses were built in 1669. Beechwood, the seat of the Sebright family is in the parish.

Great Gaddesden (746), a village in Dacorum Hundred to the north of Hemel Hempstead. Gaddesden Place, which was burnt down in 1905 and rebuilt, is the seat of the Halsey family, who possessed the neighbouring “Golden Parsonage” so long ago as 1544. The church probably dates from the twelfth century. (pp. 19, 35, 42.)

The Hadhams--Much Hadham (1199), Little Hadham (655)--two villages lying respectively to the south-west and north-west of Bishop Stortford, and known to have been in existence in the time of the Conqueror. The manor of Hadham Hall was granted by the crown to the Bishops of London at the time when the survey recorded in Domesday books was made. (pp. 12, 117.)

Harpenden (4725), a large village or small town on the Midland Railway, almost exactly half-way between St Albans and Luton. During the last twenty years Harpenden (“the valley of nightingales”) has nearly doubled in size, and is rapidly increasing. Within the parish is the agricultural experiment-station of Rothamsted; the laboratory being situated on the borders of the village itself. About a mile to the north is Shire-Mere, a small green partly in Hertfordshire and partly in Bedfordshire, and in consequence a favourite site for prize-fights in the old days. Harpenden has branch-lines connected with the Great Northern and the North-Western Railways. With the exception of the more modern tower, the church, which was largely Norman, was pulled down and rebuilt in the sixties. A Norman arch remains in the tower. (pp. 7, 36, 37, 38, 43, 45, 47, 66, 67, 75, 96, 117, 130, 132.)

Hatfield, or King’s Hatfield (4330), is a small town on the main line of the Great Northern Railway, chiefly noteworthy on account of its connection with Hatfield House, the seat of the Cecils, Marquises of Salisbury. As mentioned above, Hatfield was at one time a royal palace; but the original building is now used as a stable and riding-school, the present house being of Jacobean date. The residence at Hatfield of Queen Elizabeth is connected with the old palace. Among the features of Hatfield House are the marble hall, its oak-panelled walls hung with tapestry, and its panelled ceiling painted; the grand staircase, hung with portraits; the long gallery, with its armour and pictures; King James’s drawing-room, a magnificently decorated apartment; the great dining-room, with a bust of Lord Burleigh; the armoury; and the beautiful chapel, with its exquisite Flemish window and a marble altar-piece. Hatfield is an important railway centre for the county, the Great Northern having branches to Hertford, St Albans, and Harpenden and Luton. Petty sessions are held in the town. In the church are the monuments of the Cecil family, and a statue of the late Lord Salisbury, erected by county subscription, stands at the park entrance. (pp. 20, 23, 31, 34, 43, 83, 115, 116, 128, 132, 142.)

Hemel Hempstead (11,264) is an ancient borough and market-town on the western side of the county connected with the main line of the North-Western Railway at Boxmoor, and also served by a branch joining the main line of the Midland at Harpenden. In addition to a mayor, Hempstead has a borough official known as the high bailiff[4]. The town, which is situated in the Gade valley, and formerly returned members of its own to Parliament, is remarkable for the length of its main street--part of which is known as Marlowes. Its market-day is Thursday, and there is an annual wool-sale. Corn and cattle are its chief trade, the straw-plait industry having nearly died out; but near by is Nash Mills, the site of a large paper factory. The church, which stands to the west of the main street, is a fine example of a cruciform twelfth-century parish church; it was commenced about 1140 and finished some 40 years later. There is no evidence of any earlier building on the site. (pp. 43, 47, 101, 102, 122, 131, 132, 133, 138, 147.)

[4] The office of high bailiff of Hemel Hempstead is held by the mayor.

Hertford (9322), although by no means the largest town as regards the number of its population, occupies the first place, as being the county-town, and the only one in Hertfordshire where assizes are held. It is also a market-town and borough (with a mayor and corporation), and formerly returned members of its own to Parliament, although now it is only the centre of a parliamentary division of the county. In addition to the assizes for the whole county, quarter-sessions for the eastern division of Hertfordshire are held in the Shire Hall. The site of Hertford Castle--a building of great antiquity--is now used as the Judges’ lodgings in assize time. Hertford has branches of Christ’s Hospital, for both boys and girls; and within a short distance is Haileybury College, now a public school, but formerly the training-place for the civil service of the old East India Company. Hertford is served by branches of both the Great Eastern and Great Northern Railways, and has also water communication with London by way of the Lea. It is a centre of the waning malting industry. The old church was burnt down some years ago. (pp. 3, 20, 31, 34, 79, 81, 84, 92, 94, 111, 126, 134, 136, 138, 139, 141, 147.)

Hertingfordbury (733), a village on the railway to the west of Hertford, dating from Norman times. The manor of Roxford was granted by William the Conqueror to Goisfrede de Beck for good service rendered.

Hexton (155), a village in a small parish of Cassio Hundred on the north border of the county jutting into Bedfordshire. Ancient coins have been found in the parish, which includes the old earthwork known as Ravensburgh Castle. Hexton seems to have been granted on two occasions to the monastery of St Alban.

Hitchin (10,072) is one of the most ancient towns in the county, and is now an important railway centre, as it is the starting point of the Royston and Cambridge branch of the Great Northern Railway, on the main line of which the town itself is situated. Hitchin is one of the four parliamentary centres of the county, and is noted for its corn and cattle market, and also as being one of the few places in England where lavender is cultivated for commercial purposes. Hitchin preserves the remnant of an ancient monastery in the almshouses known as the Biggin, and teems with buildings and sites of antiquarian interest. Petty sessions are held in the town. The parish church is one of great beauty and interest, mainly of the Decorated and Perpendicular styles. A picture of the Adoration of the Magi presented in 1774 is believed to be by Rubens. (pp. 14, 68, 69, 74, 105, 106, 108, 120, 128, 136, 141, 142, 145, 149.)

Hoddesdon (4711), an ancient market-town on the eastern border of the county, approached from either the Broxbourne or Rye House stations of the Great Eastern Railway. It is intimately connected with the story of the Rye House Plot (see page 85). It may be mentioned here that the “great bed of Ware” is now preserved at the Rye House. (pp. 85, 86.)

The Hormeads--Great Hormead (376), Little Hormead (128)--two villages, near the Quin about two miles east of Buntingford, while the latter is about half a mile south of the same. Both date from the time of the Conqueror.

Ippolits or Hippolits (840), a village in the Hundred of Hitchin, dedicated to St Hippolytus patron saint of horses. Travellers used to take their horses to the high altar, where miracles were performed on untamed colts.

Kensworth (516), a small and ancient village in Dacorum Hundred dating from the time of Edward the Confessor, and formerly belonging to St Paul’s Cathedral. The small church dates from about the year 1100, although the tower is later. (pp. 88, 90, 98.)

King’s Langley (1579), a village on the North-Western Railway notable as the site of the ancient Tudor Palace of Langley, and of a friary of which portions still remain. The royal palace and park date at least from 1299. The friary belonged to the Dominican order. (pp. 81, 82, 107, 141.)

Layston (983); the original village is now represented only by the ruined church of St Bartholomew, situated a short distance from Buntingford, and of great antiquity.

Letchworth, till recently a very small village on the Great Northern Railway a little north of Hitchin, has now sprung into importance as the site of the “Garden City”; an endeavour to aid in bringing the population back to the land.

North Mimms (1112), a village on the North road, situated some distance to the south-east of St Albans. A manor of North Mimms was in existence at the Conquest. The parish includes three large parks, Brookman’s, Potterells, and North Mimms. The church, which is rich in monuments, dates from the fourteenth century.

Offley (1001), or Great Offley, which lies on the Bedfordshire border of the county, between Luton and Hitchin, takes its name from Offa II, king of Mercia, who died there in his palace. The church of St Mary Magdalene is built in the Perpendicular style, with an apsidal chancel. Mrs Thrale, the friend of Dr Johnson, lived as a girl at Offley Place. (pp. 14, 105, 128, 141, 147.)

Redbourn (1932), a village on the Chester and Holyhead road, in the valley of the Ver, about four miles north-west of St Albans; it has a station on the Harpenden and Hemel Hempstead branch of the Midland Railway. The manor of Redbourn was given to St Albans’ Abbey in the reign of Edward the Confessor. The church, which is some distance from the main street, was dedicated between 1094 and 1109, but the chancel appears to have been rebuilt about 1340. Near Church End are the ancient earthworks known as the Aubreys. (pp. 12, 67, 72, 126.)

Rickmansworth (5627), at the junction of the Colne, Gade, and Chess rivers, is a town in the south-western corner of the county, close to the Bucks and Middlesex borders. It has several ancient almshouses, of which one dates from 1680. Immediately to the south-east is Moor Park, the seat of Lord Ebury, where Lord Anson formerly lived. This once belonged to the abbots of St Albans, but was given by Henry VII to the Earl of Oxford, and in the reign of Henry VIII was the property of Cardinal Wolsey. The present house is of comparatively modern date. The Bury is an excellent specimen of an early seventeenth century mansion. The church appears to have been rebuilt in the fifteenth century. Rickmeresworth was the old name of the town. There are a number of manors in the parish. (pp. 20, 31, 71, 73, 131, 132.)

Royston (3517) is situated on the Icknield Way, actually on the Cambridgeshire border, and is served by a station on the Cambridge branch of the Great Northern. The town, which has a market, stands just at the foot of the chalk downs; it has the honour of giving the name to one of the species, or races, of British birds, to wit, the Royston crow. The church is that of an Augustinian priory now demolished. James I had a hunting seat here. (pp. 32, 33, 45, 93, 128.)

St Albans (16,019), situated about twenty miles north-west of London by rail, enjoys the distinction of being the only town in Hertfordshire entitled to style itself a “city.” It is the direct modern successor of the Roman city of Verulamium, lying on the opposite side of the Ver, and itself dates from Saxon times, its ancient monastery having been founded by the Mercian king Offa II in 793, in memory of Alban, the first English Christian martyr. The city has a mayor and corporation, and was formerly a parliamentary borough in its own right, although at the present day it forms the centre of an electoral district returning one member to the House of Commons. It is also the centre of the western division of Hertfordshire;--a division corresponding in the main to the old Liberty of St Albans, the area lying within the jurisdiction of the abbot. Quarter-sessions for the western division of the county are held in the Court House, and likewise petty-sessions for the St Albans division of the county, as well as city petty-sessions for St Albans itself. At these last the city magistrates sit; the cases being brought before them by the local police force, which is distinct from that of the county. The city is the see of the bishopric of St Albans, and its crowning glory is its Abbey, now raised to the dignity of a cathedral. Offa’s abbey was attacked and plundered by the Danes, and a rebuilding of the monastic church was contemplated by Ealdred, the eighth abbot, who collected building materials from Verulam. The long-deferred work, on a new site, was however not undertaken till the time of Paul of Caen, the first Norman abbot (1077–93). This abbot rebuilt the church and nearly all the monastic buildings with the materials collected by his predecessor; and apparently made a clean sweep of the original structures. Although the fabric appears to have been completed by Abbot Paul, the consecration did not take place till 1115. Between 1195 and 1214 Abbot John de Cella commenced a new west front, but only part of the original design was carried out. In 1257 the eastern end was in a dangerous condition, and the two easternmost bays were pulled down; and eventually a presbytery and a Lady Chapel with vestibule were added. Extensive alterations and rebuilding were carried out previous to 1326, and again between 1335 and 1340. Other works were carried out by John de Wheathampstead between 1451 and 1484, including the rebuilding of St Andrew’s chapel. In 1553 the abbey was sold to the Mayor and Burgesses as a parish church, when the Lady Chapel was cut off from the rest of the building by a public passage and used as a grammar school. This passage remained till about 1870, when the Lady Chapel was once more rejoined to the main fabric. About this time a restoration of portions of the building was undertaken by a county committee, when the low-pitched roof of the nave was replaced by a high-pitched one on the lines of a much earlier structure. Soon after, the tower was in danger of collapsing, owing to crush in the supporting pillars, and the whole structure had to be shored up previous to underpinning. Finally, the late Lord Grimthorpe undertook the completion of the “restoration,” which was carried out in substantial but drastic style. His most notable work comprised the complete rebuilding of the west front in a peculiar style, the repointing of the tower, and the replacing of its brick turrets by stone “pepper-pots.”

The clock-tower in the centre of the city, from which the curfew was rung till the sixties, is another interesting building, as is also the old gateway of the monastery, now used as a grammar school. Near by the city are the ruins of Sopwell nunnery. The city has three parishes, those of the Abbey, St Peter, and St Michael, but it is also extending into the parish of Sandridge. On the further side of the Ver is situated St Stephen’s. St Albans is rapidly increasing as a residential district, and also as a manufacturing centre, a number of industrial establishments from London having been recently set up in its environs. Straw-plait still remains, however, the chief trade, although the actual plaiting of the straw has been killed by foreign competition. A market is held every Saturday. St Albans has a museum, unfortunately not restricted to local antiquities and natural history objects. There are three railway stations, one on the Midland, the second the terminus of a branch line from the North-Western at Watford, and the third that of a branch of the Great Northern from Hatfield. St Peter’s church stands on the site of a Saxon church built in the latter half of the tenth century; this was replaced in less than 200 years by a Norman edifice, remains of which were found during the alterations carried out by the late Lord Grimthorpe. St Michael’s church contains Bacon’s tomb.

Two notable battles were fought at St Albans during the Wars of the Roses. In 1455 the Yorkists and in 1461 the Lancastrians were victorious. (pp. 14, 18, 35, 57, 59, 60, 61, 71, 72, 75, 80, 81, 82, 84, 94, 98, 102, 103, 104, 105, 107, 123, 124, 126, 128, 130, 137, 138, 140, 141, 142, 149.)

Sawbridgeworth (2085), pronounced Satsworth, is a town on the eastern border of the county, to the south of Bishop’s Stortford, with a station on the Great Eastern Railway. It was originally known as Sabricstworth, being the seat of the family of Say, or de Say. It has a history dating from the Conquest. (pp. 113, 132.)

Shenley (1120) a village about four miles to the southward of St Albans; the manor in the time of Stephen belonged to the de Mandeviles, who had also the church.

Standon (1577), a village and manor, with a station on the Great Eastern Railway about midway between Buntingford and Stanstead Abbots. Standon Lordship was the seat of the Lords Aston of Forfar, who inherited it from the Sadler family. The living originally belonged to the Knights Templars.

Stanstead Abbots (1484), now a parish and manor, but formerly a borough, is a village lying east of Hertford, near St Margaret’s station on the Great Eastern Railway.

Stevenage (3957), a market-town on the Great North Road and Great Northern Railway, between Welwyn and Hitchin. The town originally stood near to the church of St Nicholas, now half-a-mile distant; but after a disastrous fire, a new settlement sprang up on each side of the North Road, which runs to the south-west of the old church. The fortieth, and last, abbot of St Albans was Richard Boreham de Stevenage, elected in 1538, and dismissed the following year on the dissolution of the monasteries. Elmwood House, now pulled down, was the home of Lucas, the Hertfordshire hermit. (pp. 14, 39, 116, 128, 129.)

Tring (4349) forms the extreme western outpost of Hertfordshire, being situated in the peninsula projecting from this part of the county into the heart of Buckinghamshire. It has a station on the North-Western Railway some considerable distance from the town itself; and of late years has become well-known in the scientific world on account of the private natural history museum established by the Hon. Walter Rothschild in Tring Park, the seat of Lord Rothschild. Tring was formerly one of the centres of the straw-plait industry. (pp. 18, 42, 46, 47, 54, 72, 90, 99, 105.)

Waltham Cross (5291), a town on the Essex border of the county, with a station on the Great Eastern Railway, which takes its name from one of the crosses erected at the resting-places on the funeral route of Queen Eleanor from Grantham. (pp. 124, 125.)

Ware (5573), an ancient town to the north-east of Hertford, situated on the river Lea (which is here navigable), and on a branch of the Great Eastern Railway. Ware, which is associated with the story of “John Gilpin,” is the chief centre of the malting industry in the county; the grant of a market was made by King Henry III in the year 1254. (pp. 5, 44, 70, 80.)

Watford (29,327) is by far the largest town in the county, being the only one with a population which exceeded 20,000 at the census of 1901. It is situated in the south-western corner of the county, and is traversed by the Colne; it has a station on the North-Western Railway, from which a branch line runs to St Albans. A market has existed since the time of Henry II, and is stated to have been granted by Henry I. Watford played an important part in Wat Tyler’s rising. The Grove, the seat of the Earls of Clarendon, and Cassiobury, that of the Earls of Essex, are situated in the vicinity of the town. Watford is the centre of the West Herts parliamentary division and has numerous mills and factories. The parish church contains some magnificent monuments by Nicholas Stone. (pp. 6, 31, 34, 44, 99, 122, 123, 131, 132, 141.)

Watton or Watton-at-Stone (710), a village in the valley of the Beane, near the centre of the county, taking its name from the number of springs in the neighbourhood--_Wat_, in Saxon, signifying a moist place. Watton, which was in existence as a manor in the time of the Conqueror, was the home of the ancient family of Boteler, whose seat was the present Woodhall Park, now the property of the Abel Smith family. Near by is the manor house of Aston Bury, a fine example of a sixteenth century house, also once belonging to the Botelers, with tall, twisted chimneys, a magnificent staircase, and an upper room occupying the whole width of the building. (p. 113.)

Welwyn (1660), a village on the Great Northern Railway between Hatfield and Stevenage. Young, who was born near Bishop’s Waltham in Hampshire, became Rector of the place, wrote his _Night Thoughts_ here, and is buried in the churchyard. Two centuries ago Welwyn was celebrated for its chalybeate springs. (pp. 62, 128, 149.)

Wheathampstead (2405), a village in the valley of the Lea, between Luton and Hatfield, with a station on the Luton and Dunstable branch of the Great Northern Railway. The parish originally included Harpenden, which was separated about 1860. One of the oldest buildings is Wheathampstead Place, or Place Farm, which dates back to the time of Queen Elizabeth, and has some fine Tudor chimneys; it was formerly the property of the Brockett family, whose monuments are in the church. The church itself, which is a cruciform edifice with a central tower, is dedicated to St Helen, and was judiciously restored in the sixties; the chancel with its three beautiful lancet windows was built about 1230, the tower was rebuilt towards the close of the thirteenth century, and the north transept between 1330–40. The parish includes the manors of Mackery End and Lamer; the latter taking its name from the de la Mare family, by whom it was held in the fourteenth century. Lamer House was rebuilt about 1761. (pp. 38, 67, 90, 97, 101.)

173,280 1861
192,226 1871
203,140 1881
220,162 1891
250,152 1901

Fig. 1. Diagram showing the increase in the population of Hertfordshire from 1861 to 1901]

England and Wales 558
Herts 409
Lancashire 2347

Fig. 2. Comparative density of the population of Hertfordshire to the sq. mile in 1901. Each dot represents 10 persons]

ENGLAND & WALES _Total 32,527,843_
HERTS

Fig. 3. The population of Herts (258,423) as compared with that of England and Wales]

ENGLAND & WALES _Total 37,327,479 acres_
HERTS

Fig. 4. The area of Herts (404,518 acres) as compared with that of England and Wales]

_Permanent Pasture 125,267_
_Area not under Permanent Pasture 277,589_

Fig. 5. Proportionate area of Permanent Pasture to total area of County]

_Area not under Corn Crops 286,156_
_Corn Crops 116,700_

Fig. 6. Proportionate acreage of Corn Crops to total area of County]

_Barley 27,960_
_Wheat 51,691_
_Oats 36,946_

Fig. 7. Proportionate acreage of Oats, Wheat, and Barley in Herts]

_Meadows and Permanent Pasture 125,267_
_Green Crops and Rotation Grasses 72,848_
_Corn Crops 116,700_
_Woodlands 26,568_
_Bare Fallow, Fruits 16,736_
_Remaining area of Herts 44,737_

Fig. 8. Proportionate acreage of land under Cultivation and Not under Cultivation in the County]

_Horses 15,070_
_Pigs 25,338_
_other Cattle 38,636_
_Sheep 94,461_

Fig. 9. Comparative numbers of Live Stock in Herts]

Cambridge:

PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY, M.A.

AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

GEOLOGICAL MAP OF HERTFORD

_George Philip & Son, Ltd._ _The London Geographical Institute._
]

Transcriber’s Note

On page 43, in the diagram of geological systems, the Names of Systems were originally printed in bold.

In the last chapter, the Names of Towns and Villages were originally printed in bold and in a large font.

Under each map, “Ltd.” or “LTD.”, in the name of the printer was originally printed with the “td” or “TD” raised above the line with a dot underneath.

The errata listed on a slip bound into this book have been applied to this text. It reads:

_Hertfordshire_

ERRATA

Page 33, line 12 from bottom, _after_ Baldock, _add_ and also near
Tring.

” 61, line 6 from top, _for_ Great Western _read_ North-Western.

” 132, line 13 from top, _for_ Stortford, _read_ St Margaret’s.

” 144, line 2, _for_ The late Viscount Peel _read_ The first
Viscount Hampden.

” 153, line 5 from top, _dele_ has a castle and.

” 154. The market at Berkhampstead has been discontinued for
many years.

” 159. The office of high bailiff of Hemel Hempstead is held by the
mayor.

The changes to pages 154 and 159 have been made by adding footnotes.

Figures have been moved to be near the text they illustrate. The page numbers in the Table of Illustrations refer to the page number of their original position in the printed book.