Hertfordshire – The Eastern Towns

The county of Hertfordshire lies to the north of Greater London and many of its towns serve as commuter towns for the great city itself. Among these towns are the county town Hertford, a historic town with a population of around 30,000 inhabitants. The name of the town derives from the Anglo-Saxon for a ford visited by harts (or stags). Remains of Hertford Castle date from 1463, when it was rebuilt by King Edward IV, later the English Parliament moved to the town temporarily when London was hit by the Great Plague. Another nearby town, Ware, has a history going back even further, as settlements in the area date back some 6,000 years. The Romans also established a settlement in Ware and it was situated on the important road Ermine Street. To the south-east of Hertford and Ware, the town of Hoddesdon grew around a coaching station, which was a popular stopping off point for travellers between Cambridge and London, the coaching trade reached its height in the 18th century. South of Hoddesdon lies the town of Cheshunt, mostly famous as the location of the death of Richard Cromwell (Lord Protector of the Commonwealth) in the year 1712. Cheshunt these days is a sizeable town with a population of over 50,000. Hertfordshire Map.