Munden, about 4 miles W. from Standon Station; (2) in the parish of
Sandon, about 4 miles N.W. from Buntingford Station (both stations
G.E.R.); (3) ½ mile N. from Boxmoor Station, L.&N.W.R.
_Green Street._--There are two hamlets of this name in Herts, (1) 2½
miles N.W. from Bishop's Stortford; (2) 1½ mile N.E. from Boreham Wood
Station (M.R.).
_Green Tye_ is 1½ mile N.E. from Hadham Station, G.E.R.
_Grub's Barn_ (2 miles S.E. from Welwyn Station, G.N.R.) consists of a
farmhouse and several cottages on open breezy ground between Hatfield
and Tewin.
_Grub's Lane_ is near the outskirts of Hatfield Park, 3 miles S.E. from
the town.
_Gubblecot_ (3 miles N.W. from Tring) is near the Aylesbury Canal. The
Tring reservoirs, famous for the rare waterfowl shot on those waters on
many occasions, are a little to the S.
_Gustard Wood_ (1 mile N. from Wheathampstead Station G.N.R.) may be
visited for its golf links, of which there are few in the county.
HADHAM (GREAT or MUCH) is an ancient village and parish near the river
Ash. The station, G.E.R., is 1¼ mile S.W. We read that the Manor was
given by King Edgar to the Bishops of London, several of whom have
resided at the old manor house. Katherine, mother of Henry VI. and wife
of Owen Tudor, gave birth to a son here, known as Edmund of Hadham. The
church of St. Andrew, near the river, is E.E., dating from about 1300.
It has been much altered and restored. The very fine S. porch is thought
to be the work of Bishop Kemp (1459-89); the massive, embattled W. tower
is probably by Bishop Braybroke (_circa_ 1400). Note (1) floriated cross
and inscription to Simon Flambard, Rector of Hadham Magna in 1331, and
chaplain to Edward III.; (2) brass to one Alban, also rector here (d.
1372); (3) monument in chancel to Judith Aylmer, widow of John Aylmer,
Bishop of London (d. 1618); (4) fourteenth-century glass in E. window,
a memorial to Thomas Randolph, a recent rector; (5) three brasses in
nave to members of the Newce family (1579-1610); (6) fine oak chancel
screen; (7) two piscinæ in chancel. The old House, or Palace, dated from
about 1400. Close to the village (S.W.) lies _Moor Park_, which readers
or tourists must not confound with Moor Park, Rickmansworth (_q.v._).
The present mansion dates from about 1780; its predecessor was an
Elizabethan structure, once the property of Sir John Gore, Kt. (see
Gilston), and previously of Sir Garratt Harvey, in whose day Archbishop
Usher was a guest at "Moore Place". At _Perry Green_, 1 mile E. from
Hadham Station, is a chapel-of-ease, in E.E. style, erected in 1853.
_Hadham Cross_ is beautifully situated in the valley, S. from the
village and partly hidden among trees.
_Hadham Ford_ (3 miles E. from Standon Station, G.E.R.) is on the river
Ash, 1 mile S.W. from
HADHAM (LITTLE) formerly Hadham Parva. The parish enjoys considerable
historic importance through its connection with the Capel family, Earls
of Essex. The present earl owns large properties in the neighbourhood,
and has the title of Baron of Hadham. The church stands between the
village and the river, and is widely known for its fine S. porch of
timber, which it possibly owes to the proximity of Essex, in which
county such porches are comparatively common. The building is mostly
E.E., probably late twelfth century, but the tower, embattled and
pinnacled, is Perp. (_circa_ 1380). Note (1) brass to Rd. Waren, a
rector of Great Hadham (_circa_ 1470); (2) brass to a knight, his wife
and daughters (_circa_ 1485); (3) Perp. chancel screen of oak; (4) on S.
side of chancel, memorial stone to "Arthur Lord Capel, Baron of Hadham,
who was murder'd for his loyalty to King Charles the First, March the
9th, 1648". This was the Lord Capel whose heart was preserved in a
silver box and given to Charles II. at the Restoration, the earl having
wished his heart to be "buried with his master". The chancel was
restored by Sir A. W. Blomfield in 1885. _Hadham Hall_ (½ mile E. from
the church) is late Elizabethan, and has a magnificent corridor
extending the entire length of the house (135 feet) with finely
mullioned windows. _Little Hadham Place_ (½ mile W. from the church) is
prettily situated. The manor of Hadham Parva formed part of the revenue
of Saxon Kings until King Edgar gave it to the monks of Ely.
HAILEYBURY COLLEGE (2 miles S.E. from Hertford) was founded at Hertford
in 1805 as the training college of the East India Company. It is now one
of our most famous public schools. The house, conspicuous from the S.E.,
stands on high ground, and commands beautiful views over the valley of
the Lea, and, looking S.E., the neighbourhood of Epping Forest. Note (1)
the noble chestnut avenue towards the W. entrance; (2) the great size of
the quadrangle; (3) the beautifully decorated chapel (by A. W.
Blomfield), surmounted by a lofty dome; (4) the library, containing some
good portraits of former masters, one of which, Canon Bradby, was
painted by Herkomer.
_Hall's Green_ (4 miles N.E. from Stevenage) is on the hillside, 1 mile
S.E. from Weston church. A little farther S. note the fine view over
Cromer and Cottered, with windmill to the left.
_Hammond Street_ is between Cheshunt Common and Flamstead End. The
nearest Station is Cheshunt, G.E.R., 2½ miles S.E.
_Hammond's End_, on the outskirts of Rothamstead Park, is in the centre
of the pleasant varied scenery between the M.R. and the St.
Albans-Dunstable road. The nearest station is Redbourn, 1¼ mile S.W.
_Handside (Upper and Lower)_ is the name of two hamlets in Lemsford
parish, both near Brocket Hall Park. Hatfield (about 3 miles S.) is the
nearest station, G.N.R.
HARE STREET.--There are two places in the county bearing this name: (1)
a small hamlet partly in Ardeley and partly in Cottered parish; (2) a
large village on the Cambridge Road, 2 miles E. from Buntingford. The
village has several quaint old cottages, and is by no means
unpicturesque; but it contains little of historic importance. It
affords, however, a good centre from which to visit several old and
interesting churches (described elsewhere in these pages); Layston,
Wyddial, Anstey, and Great and Little Hormead being all within a short
walk.
_Harmer Green_ (½ mile N.E. from Welwyn Station) is a small hamlet N.
from the Maran Valley.
HARPENDEN is well worth a visit and may be easily reached from St.
Pancras (24 miles), or from King's Cross by changing at Hatfield.
Visitors wishing to inspect the church, or to ramble through the large
village, beautifully situated at the N. end of Harpenden Common, should
be careful not to choose the day of the annual races, the Friday before
Epsom week. The church was rebuilt (except the tower) in 1862, in E.
Dec. style; prior to 1859 the old structure had been a chapel-of-ease to
Wheathampstead (3 miles E.). It probably dated from say 1140 (_temp._
Stephen) and was originally cruciform and late Norman. The first tower
is believed to have been destroyed by fire about 1470, after which the
present W. tower was built. Many alterations were made during the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the original Norman clerestory, in
particular, being superseded by one of Low Perp. Note (1) Norman font;
(2) brass to William Cressye Esq. (d. 1558) and Grace (Johnson) his wife
(d. 1571); (3) brass to William Annabull (d. 1456), and Isabella his
wife. Chauncy quotes an inscription to one William Seabrooke (d. 1462)
and Joanna his wife, which is of some interest from the fact that the
name of Seabrooke is common to-day in this part of Herts; (4) E. window
of stained Munich glass; (5) window in N. transept to the family of the
late Sir J. B. Lawes of Rothamstead. _Rothamstead_ (1 mile S.W.),
formerly the seat of the above, is in a finely wooded park. Erected
about 1470, it has been almost rebuilt at different times. From the
grand entrance, under the clock tower, there is a fine view looking S.
There is an annual Flower Show in the park. Harpenden Bury is 1 mile
N.W. from Rothamstead, on the river Ver.
_Hatching Green_ is a hamlet on Harpenden Common, 1 mile S.W. from the
station, M.R.
HATFIELD may be visited by fast train from King's Cross, G.N.R. (17
miles), the station being opposite the W. gates of the park. The older
parts of the town lie on the western slope of a hill close to the
railway; at the top stand the church and portions of the old palace,
beyond which, in the park, stands the fine mansion of the Cecils. The
town is of great antiquity; the Saxon Kings, who called it Heathfield
(the _Hetfelle_ of _Domesday Book_), owned the manor until it was given
by Edgar to the monks of Ely. After Ely had been converted into a
bishopric by Henry I., the bishops made Hatfield one of their several
residences, which gave rise to its former name of Bishop's Hatfield.
Their palace became a royal home during the reign of Henry VIII., and
was at one time occupied by his children Edward, Mary and Elizabeth. It
was to this old palace that Elizabeth was brought from the Tower soon
after her removal from Ashridge; whilst here she was in the custody
of Sir Thomas Pope, who treated her with kindness not always shown even
to royal prisoners. The story of her reception of the news that she was
Queen, of her first Council, held here in the palace, and of her
subsequent journey to London, has been too often narrated to need
repetition. Immediately after her death James I. paid a visit to
Theobalds Park, and had an interview with Sir Robert Cecil, a younger
son of Lord Burleigh, whom he presently created first Earl of Salisbury.
The exchange by the King of his manor of Hatfield for that of Theobalds
has been mentioned in the Introduction (Section X). The King promised to
build for Sir Robert a new house at Hatfield; the work was carried out
on a magnificent scale, and was completed sometime in 1611. The new
house stood a little E. from the old palace. To this house James paid an
early visit; one of its most stately apartments is called "King James's
Room".
[Illustration: HATFIELD HOUSE]
_Hatfield House_ is still a fine example of early Jacobean architecture.
To be appreciated it must certainly be seen: any adequate account of its
architecture, its history and its treasures would fill such a volume as
this. In shape it is a parallelogram, about 280 feet long by 70 feet
wide, with two wings on the S. front. The centre between the two wings
is Italian Renaissance in style; the central tower, pierced by the great
gate, being of rich Elizabethan design. On the face of the third storey
of the tower are the armorial bearings of the Earl of Salisbury. This S.
front and the two wings enclose on three sides a quadrangle about 130
feet wide by 100 feet deep, beautifully laid out with flower beds and
lawns. The extremities of each wing take the shape of square, three
storeyed towers, surmounted by cupolas 20 feet high. Between the wings
runs a basement arcade, of eight arches on Doric pilasters, four on each
side of the gateway below the armorial bearings. The entire floor above
the arcade is occupied by the long gallery, 160 feet by 20 feet, and 16
feet high. At the W. end of this gallery is the library, at the E. end
is King James's Room. The aspect of the house from the N. is not so
imposing; but there is a noble view over the grounds from the N.
terrace, and the central clock tower is a conspicuous object from the
most distant spots in the park. The library, graced by Zucchero's
portrait of Robert, Earl of Salisbury, contains one of the most valuable
collections of MSS. in the country, but the State Papers have recently
been lodged in a room of greater security. A few of the treasures of
these two rooms may be mentioned: (1) more than 12,000 autograph letters
of the early Cecils; (2) the Diary of the "great Lord Burleigh"; (3) the
forty-two articles of Edward VI. with his autograph attached; (4) a
vellum MS. with miniature of Henry VII.; (5) the Norfolk correspondence;
(6) the Council Book of Mary Tudor; (7) early MS. of the Chronicle of
William of Malmesbury; (8) autograph MS. by Ascham.
[Illustration: KING JAMES'S DRAWING-ROOM, HATFIELD HOUSE]
_King James's Room_ has three fine oriel windows and is profusely
decorated. The great chimney-piece of marble mosaic, 12 feet wide, is
supported on black Doric columns, and surmounted by a statue in bronze
of James. Note the costly candelabra and gilt-framed furniture.
_The Grand Staircase_ is hung with portraits of many Cecils, by Lely,
Vandyck, Kneller, Reynolds and other masters. Note the huge dimensions
of the carved balustrade; the strange rustic figures portrayed thereon;
and the lions grasping shields bearing heraldic devices. There are five
landings.
Among other apartments the following should be visited: (1) _The
Chapel_, with its fine Flemish windows representing scriptural stories,
marble altar-piece, and open stalls; (2) the _Winter Dining Room_,
looking out upon the N. terrace, about 30 feet square; this room
contains many valuable pictures, including Wilkie's Duke of Wellington,
Van Somer's James I. and Charles I., and Kneller's Peter the Great; (3)
_Great Banqueting Hall_; (4) _Summer Dining Room_, near the foot of the
great staircase; the bust of Burleigh, in white marble, is above the
door; (5) the _Armoury_, full of treasures "rich and rare," suits of
armour, relics of the Spanish Armada, various arms, etc. Other pictures
in various parts of the house include (1) William III., and Lady
Ranelagh, by Kneller; (2) half-length of Elizabeth with jewelled
head-dress and grotesquely embroidered gown; Mildred Coke, mother of
the first earl; Thomas Cecil, Earl of Exeter: all by Zucchero; (3) fine
whole-length of Mary, first Marchioness of Salisbury, by Reynolds.
The Park is the largest in the county, being about 9 miles in
circumference; it is undulating and beautifully wooded. There are some
superb avenues. Of Queen Elizabeth's oak, N.E. from the N. terrace,
little is left saving a portion of trunk, railed round; but the Lion
Oak, between the house and the great W. gates, still puts forth leaves
in its season. The maze close to the house is only less famous than that
at Hampton Court.
The Church of St. Ethelreda is cruciform, largely Dec. and one of the
largest in the county. A Norman arch in the S. transept is thought to be
a portion of the original structure. It was completely restored, indeed
almost rebuilt, in 1872. The nave is 102 feet by 20 feet; the chancel
about 40 feet by 20 feet. There are N. and S. porches; the former looks
almost directly upon the great gate-house of the old palace. The most
important among many features of interest is the--
_Salisbury Chapel_, N. side of chancel, from which it is divided by an
arcade of three arches on Ionic granite columns. The whole is enclosed
by beautifully designed iron gates, the work, probably, of an unknown
Italian. Note the marble wainscotting, and the finely conceived and
executed allegorical paintings and mosaics on walls and roof. At the E.
side, on a slab of black marble supported by four kneeling figures in
white marble (representing the cardinal virtues) lies the recumbent
effigy of Sir Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury, Lord High Treasurer
of England (d. 1612). The effigy is in robes, with official staff in
hand. Beneath the slab is a skeleton in white marble. Note also in this
chapel mezzo-relievo effigy to William Curll, Esq. (d. 1617), with
inscription, almost illegible, to the effect that he was a most
Christian knight who died in hope of a joyful resurrection.
On the opposite (S.) side of the chancel is the _Brockett Chapel_,
containing monuments to the Reades and Brocketts of Brocket Hall (see
below). Among them note (1) two recumbent female figures, above them the
arms of the Brockett family and beneath an inscription to Dame Elizabeth
Brockett (d. 1612) and an epitaph to Dame Agnes Saunders (d. 1588); (2)
medallion of a female by Rysbrack (1760); (3) bust of Sir James Reade,
Bart. (d. 1701), and of Sir John Reade, Bart. (d. 1711); (4) helmet of
Sir John Brockett on wall. There are piscinæ in the chancel and N.
transept, both discovered during restoration. The reredos, alabaster and
mosaic, has a fine crucifixion group, with SS. Alban and Etheldreda on
either side, carved by Earp, who also carved the pulpit of Caen stone.
Note the beautiful clustered shafts of marble on the font of Tisbury
stone, the gift of the late Marchioness of Salisbury.
Three miles N.N.W. is _Brocket Hall_. The Great North Road skirts the
park on the E. and the river Lea flows past the house from N.W. to S.E.
The present edifice was designed by Paine for Sir Matthew Lamb, Bart.,
whose son, Sir Peniston Lamb, Bart., became Viscount Melbourne in 1780.
By this nobleman the Prince Regent was sometimes entertained here, and
here, as stated in the Introduction, Lord Palmerston died in 1865. The
drawing-room and grand staircase have always been admired, but, as a
whole, the house is large and stately rather than beautiful. Elizabeth
is said to have visited here before she became Queen, and in the park,
as at Hatfield, an oak is shown as the one under which she loved to sit.
From the Hall the most charming walks may be taken in any direction;
_e.g._, through the park S.E. to Lemsford Mill, or S.W. to Cromer Hyde,
N.W. to Water End, or N.E. to Ayot Green. More charming still is the
ramble--permission should be requested--beside the winding Lea towards
Old Marford and Wheathampstead.
_Hatfield Hyde_ (1¾ mile N.E. from Hatfield) is a hamlet in a pretty
district, with the river Lea and Hatfield Park a little S.
_Haultwick_ lies 3 miles W. from the Old North Road; it is a hamlet 1
mile N. from Little Munden. The nearest station is Braughing, G.E.R.
(about 3½ miles E.), passing the S. side of Hamel's Park.
_Heavensgate_ (2 miles W. from Redbourn Station, M.R.) consists of a
few cottages in the centre of a district of small hamlets. The walk (2
miles N.) to Flamstead through Trowley Bottom is pleasant.
[Illustration: HEMEL HEMPSTEAD]
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD.--Visitors from London should book to Boxmoor
(L.&N.W.R.) and walk N.E. over the little common or take the motor-bus
through Marlowes to the town (1½ mile). From St. Albans it is a pleasant
walk by way of Gorhambury and the village of Leverstock Green; from
Redbourn it is but a few minutes' journey (M.R.). The town, until
recently an old "Bailiwick," is on a hill, with central market place,
town hall and corn exchange. The church is very ancient; it is
cruciform, of flint and clunch stone. The oldest portions can hardly be
less than 750 years old; the nave, arcade and W. doorway are fine
examples of the period. Note (1) groined roof and Dec. windows S. side
of chancel; (2) transept roof, fourteenth century, restored in 1880; (3)
nave roof, fifteenth century, restored 1885; (4) great height of
octagonal, leaded spire, conspicuous for miles round (see illustration).
Among monuments note (1) figured brass, representing an armed man, to
Robert Albyn and Margaret his wife (1480); the inscription I transcribe
from Chauncy:--
"Robert Albyn gist icy
Et Margareta sa femme oubike luy
Dieu de lez almes eyt mercy";
(2) monument to Sir Astley Paston Cooper (d. 1841).
Hemel Hempstead, according to Norden, owed its name (Heanhamsted) to
the high hemp-land on the E. side of the town. Offa, King of the
Mercians, gave six houses at _Hemelhamstede_ to the Abbey of St. Albans;
but the remainder of the _vill_ remained in the hands of Saxon Kings
until it was given to Earl Moreton by William I. The entry in _Domesday
Book_ is in this case unusually interesting; the property held by Earl
Moreton is thus described: "Earl Moreton held Hamelhamstede in Treung
hundred, it was rated for 10 hides ... there are two Frenchmen born,
with thirteen Bordars, ... there are eight Servants, and four Mills of
seven and thirty Shillings and four Pence Rent by the Year, and three
hundred Eels wanting five and twenty, Meadow four Carucates, Common of
Pasture for the Cattle, and two Shillings Rent by the Year, Wood to feed
one thousand and two hundred Hogs; in the whole value it is worth two
and twenty Pounds, when he received it five and twenty Pounds, and Rent
in the time of King Edward (the Confessor). Two were Brethren, Men of
Earl Lewin, they held this mannor." From Priory Hill, W. from the
church, a fine view may be obtained of the town below and the cornfields
beyond. _Bury Mill_ is on the river Gade, at the foot of the hill.
_Gadesbridge Park_ is on the left as you pass from High Street to
Piccott's End; the House is on a beautifully wooded slope, W. from the
Gade; it is the residence of Sir Astley Paston Paston Cooper, Bart.,
J.P., etc. A good deal of straw plait is still made by the women of
this neighbourhood.
_Heronsgate_ (3 miles W. from Rickmansworth) is a hamlet on the Bucks
border, with a small chapel-of-ease to St. Peter's, Mill End, 1¼ mile E.
The building is modern, with one window of stained glass.
[Illustration: HERTFORD]
HERTFORD, the county town, is of immemorial antiquity. The origin of the
name has elicited much learned conjecture, and Hertford is one of
several places held to be the _Durocobrivis_ mentioned by Antonine. It
is the _Herudsford_ (_i.e._ red ford) of the Venerable Bede. That it was
a town of some importance on the river Lea even in the days of the
Trinobantes seems indisputable. Norden conjectured that the true name of
the town was Hartford, so called because in Saxon times, when the
surrounding country was densely wooded, the harts crossed the river by a
natural ford at this spot. However this may be, the old borough seal,
three or four centuries ago, bore as a device a hart in shallow water.
The rivers Rib, Beane, and Maran all unite with the Lea in the immediate
neighbourhood. Some reference may be here made to the doings of Alfred
the Great in this neighbourhood. By putting together what is recorded by
William of Malmesbury, Henry of Huntingdon, Asser and others we learn
that in the twenty-third year of Alfred's reign the Danes infested the
Thames with their ships, sailed up the Lea in the lighter of their
crafts, and built a fort about 20 miles from London, at or near what is
now the town of Ware. Presently, in the course of their many foraging
excursions, they sailed farther up the river towards Hertford, stripped
the people in the town and burnt down many houses. They afterwards
established a garrison near the town. Alfred brought his army down to
the river side the following year and made a careful survey of the
Danish fort and of the character and position of their ships. He is said
to have passed from place to place in a boat, drawn by a horse, and to
have carefully ascertained the depth of the water at different points.
The precise nature of his subsequent operations is not well known, but
he is said to have diverted the course of the river, to have erected a
dam (Shass) at Blackwall, and by these means to have grounded the Danish
fleet. The Danes held a treaty, and eventually withdrew into
Cambridgeshire and Gloucestershire; the Londoners came down to the scene
of Alfred's ingenuity and destroyed or appropriated the Danish ships.
Of the castle, built by Edward the Elder in 905, there still remain
several large fragments of an embattled wall, partly Norman, and a
postern gate. Of its history only a few leading facts can be mentioned
here. William I. entrusted it to the keeping of Peter de Valoignes; it
was besieged by Louis the Dauphin, and capitulated on the Feast of St.
Nicholas in 1216; it was granted, together with the town, to John of
Gaunt, Earl of Richmond, in whose time Kings John of France and David
of Scotland were prisoners within its walls, and after the Earl had been
created Duke of Lancaster he held a court in the castle for three weeks.
It was the last prison house of Isabella, widow of Edward II. Henry IV.
gave the castle to his wife Joan; Henry V. to his wife Katherine of
France; and Henry VI. to his wife Margaret of Anjou. Elizabeth and James
I. are both said to have visited this castle. Charles I., on 3rd May, in
the sixth year of his reign, transferred it to William Earl of
Salisbury. It was seized by the Parliament during the Great Rebellion.