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.

Harpenden Hertfordshire – A Short History

A small town in the county of Hertfordshire, Harpenden is within the district of St Albans and has an interesting history. Roman remains discovered in areas around Harpenden suggest of settlements in the centuries BC, however the original village of Harpenden developed as woodland was cleared under Edward the Confessor during the eleventh century, to make room for farming around Wheathamstead Manor, the first church to be built was the St Nicholas church (1217). Somewhat later during the Wars of the Roses, a common close to Harpenden was the site of the Second Battle of St Albans. During the early 19th century, Harpenden was the location of the 1st annually run steeplechase race, and was a popular location for horse racing throughout the century. The face of Harpenden changed forever with the arrival of the railway, as farms were replaced with residential development. During WW2 the town was used for the evacuation of children from bomb torn London. Harpenden today is mostly a commuter town, which enjoys excellent road and rail links with London. Harpenden Map.

Tring and Berkhamsted

Two small towns located in the county of Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom, Tring and Berkhamsted have populations of 11,000 and 16,000 respectively. Both have long and interesting histories and both were mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1089. Berkhamsted in fact was the site of Edgar Aetheling’s surrender to William of Normandy (who thus became William the Conqueror), Berkhamsted’s stone castle was built on the site of a former wooden Saxon fortification in the 1080’s until finally abandoned in the late fifteenth century, in the 14th century Edward the Black Prince spent his honeymoon there. Tring Manor was once owned by the great grandfather of George Washington (U.S president), and later by the Rothschild family who founded the well known Natural History Museum in the town. The four Tring reservoirs were built to supply water to the Grand Union canal, which runs north of the town. Tring Map.

Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire

A bustling town within the UK county of Hertfordshire, Hemel Hempstead was possibly settled as long ago as the Roman times, with remains of a Roman villa being found in nearby Boxmoor. The first records mentioning the town date from the 8th century and its name drived from the Anglo-Saxon Hean-Hempsted (or High Hempstead), in the Domesday Book it was named as Hamelamesede. The Norman conquest saw its land owned by Robert, Count of Mortain, it was later controlled by Thomas Becket, it was later granted a Royal Charter by Henry 8th. The town has mostly grown however since WW2 as it was developed as a ‘new town’, it now has a population of around 81,000. Map of Hemel Hempstead.

A Short History of Watford

First mentioned in Anglo Saxon chronicles of 1007, the town of Watford, in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, was never listed in the Domesday Book, and remained a small rural community ruled by a succession of feudal lords for many centuries, becoming a market town during the 18^th century. The Industrial Revolution of the late 18^th and 19^th centuries brought industry to the town, accelerated by the arrival of both the Grand Union Canal and the railway. As the factories and mills fell into ruin and disappeared, Watford became an important commercial centre for the Home Counties. Watford these days has a population of just under 80,000 and is well known for its football club Watford FC, and its chairman musician Elton John who grew up in the area. Watford Map.