G.E.R., ½ mile W. It was a place of considerable trade at the time of
the Conquest. The old flint church is E.E., with a chapel on the N.
side, built by Edward Baesh--whose monument it contains--in 1577. He
was lord of the manor of Stanstead Abbots and "General Surveyor of the
Victuals for the Navy Royal and Marine affairs within the Realms of
England and Ireland" (d. 1587). He married Jane, a daughter of Sir Ralph
Sadleir. (See Standon.) The six Baesh Almshouses were built and endowed
by his son, Sir Edward Baesh. Several brasses, some mutilated, are in
the church, notably one near the altar-rails to William Saraye or
Saxaye, late of "Grais In" (d. 1581). _Stansteadbury_, a huge gabled
mansion, largely rebuilt, stands in extensive grounds, and was the home
of the Baeshs and of their successors, the Feildes.
_Stapleford_, a village on the river Beane, is 3 miles N.N.W. from
Hertford. The church is Perp. with N. porch; it was enlarged nearly
fifty years ago, when the present tower was added.
STEVENAGE, a town on the Great North Road, has shifted from its original
position. It once stood farther N.E. and close to the church; but after
a terrible fire which destroyed a large proportion of its houses the
village was gradually rebuilt more directly on the famous old coaching
road. The first paper mill in England is said to have been built in this
parish. Several of its inns were standing when the regular coaches were
on the road.
[Illustration: STEVENAGE CHURCH]
The old Church of St. Nicholas, ¾ mile N.E., is reached through an
avenue of limes and chestnuts, headed by a new lich-gate. It is largely
E.E. Note the octagonal pillars and pointed arches of the nave and the
two small chapels attached to the chancel. The font at the W. end is
under an Early Norman arch. There are several modern windows of stained
glass, and a good brass, early sixteenth century, in the chancel. The
church at the S. end of the town was designed by Sir A. W. Blomfield
about sixty years back, but has since been much enlarged. Half a mile
farther S. on the main road are six almost equidistant mounds, thought
to be of Danish origin.
At the old Castle Inn, E. side of High Street, great numbers of persons
have been shown on the rafters in a barn the coffin of Henry Trigg,
whose will was proved in 1724; one of its provisions was that his body
should not be buried, but disposed of in that way. Little more than a
mile N.W. from the station, at Redcoats Green, stood, until 1893,
"Elmwood House," the home of the Hermit of Hertfordshire. This man,
James Lucas, was descended from a good family, but for reasons never
satisfactorily explained he lived alone, and in a most filthy condition,
from October, 1849, to April, 1874. A concise and reliable account of
this peculiar man is issued by Messrs. Paternoster and Hales of Hitchin.
STOCKING PELHAM, on the Essex border (5½ miles N.E. from Braughing
Station, G.E.R.), has an E.E. church dating from early fourteenth
century; it has no tower. The chancel was restored in 1864. The manor is
very ancient, and was held by Simon de Furneaux in the reign of Edward
I., but the village now shows little of interest.
_Swangles_ (2¼ miles N.E. from Ware) is a small hamlet a little S. from
the river Rib.
_Symonds Green_ (¾ mile S.W. from Stevenage Station, G.N.R.) is a hamlet
between the Great North Road and the ruins of Minsden Chapel.
_Symonds Hyde_ Farm and Wood are in a pleasant district, very
diversified, a little S.W. from Brocket Hall Park. Smallford and
Hatfield Station (G.N.R.) are from 2 to 3 miles S. and S.W.
respectively.
_Tea Green_, a hamlet near the Beds border, lies between Breachwood
Green and Putteridge Bury.
_Tednambury_ and _Tednam Mill_ are on the river Stort and right on the
Essex border. Sawbridgeworth Station (G.E.R.) is 1 mile S.
TEWIN (about 2 miles S.E. from Welwyn Station, G.N.R.) is most
charmingly situated on high ground above the river Maran. The village is
divided into the Upper and Lower Green; the church, ¼ mile from the
latter, stands on a hill that slopes steeply to the river. Note the
altar-tomb in churchyard to Lady Anne Grimston (d. 1710). The tomb is
forced asunder by ash and sycamore trees growing together, a
circumstance popularly attributed to the sceptical opinions of Lady
Anne, who is said to have denied the doctrine of immortality, and to
have expressed the wish that such a phenomenon should happen if the
doctrine were indeed true. The church, which looks very old, is of
flint, brick and rubble, with a large diamond-faced clock on one side of
the tower. In the S. porch (entrance blocked up) is the marble monument
to Sir Joseph Sabine (d. 1739); who fought under Marlborough. Note the
pyramid, 15 feet high, and the recumbent effigy, dressed as a Roman
soldier. There is also in the S. aisle a good brass to one Thomas Pygott
(d. 1610), and a slab with an imperfect Lombardic inscription to Walter
de Louthe. _Tewin Water_, in the park, N.W., is prettily surrounded by
trees. Beautiful walks may be taken in almost any direction, especially
in the trend of the river Maran towards Digswell and Welwyn.
_Tharbes End_ is 1½ mile N.W. from Sawbridgeworth.
THEOBALD'S PARK. (See Waltham Cross.)
THERFIELD (3 miles S.E. from Ashwell Station, G.N.R.) was, according to
Dugdale's _Monasticon Anglicanum_, given to the church of Ramsey by
Etheric, Bishop of Sherbourne, about 980, and Chauncy "guesses" that an
abbot of Ramsey built Therfield church. The present church is a modern
Dec. structure, a little W. from the centre of the scattered village.
The _Icknield Way_ skirts the parish on the N. and many Roman relics
have been discovered in the neighbourhood. There are also several tumuli
in the parish, which lies on high, chalky soil.
THORLEY (2 miles S.W. from Bishop's Stortford) can show a good Norman
doorway on the S. side of the little church; note the dog-tooth moulding
and twisted nook-shafts. The remainder of the building is largely E.E.;
there is a piscina in the chancel and--at the W. entrance--a niche for a
holy water basin. The font, as at Bishop's Stortford, was a modern
discovery. Thorley Wash and Thorley Street are between the church and
the G.E.R.
THROCKING (2 miles N.W. from Buntingford Station, G.E.R.) stands on a
hill. The church is E.E. and Dec., except the upper part of the tower,
of brick, added in 1660. The monuments include one by Nollekens and one
by Rysbrack, to members of the Elwes family, of whose manor house there
are still some traces adjacent to the _Hall Farm_. The walk N.W. to
Baldock, by way of Julians Park (7 to 8 miles), leads across open,
breezy country.
THUNDRIDGE and WADE'S MILL are on the Old North Road, about 2 miles N.
from Ware. The river Rib crosses the road at Wade's Mill. The present
parish church, E.E. in style, was built about seventy years ago, close
to the bridge over the Rib; the tower of the old church; "Little St.
Mary's," with a Norman arch stands in the lower meadows ½ mile E. On the
W. side of the Old North Road, close to Wade's Mill, a low obelisk marks
the spot where Thomas Clarkson resolved to give his life to the cause of
the abolition of slavery.
_Titmore Green_ is 1½ mile N.W. from Stevenage Station, G.N.R.
_Tittenhanger._ (See London Colney.)
_Todd's Green_ adjoins Titmore Green.
_Tonwell_, on the main road from Ware or Stevenage, is a hamlet near
the river Rib. It has a modern chapel-of-ease. Ware is 2½ miles S.E.
TOTTERIDGE, on the Middlesex border, is 1 mile W. from the Station
(G.N.R.). Richard Baxter lived here for a short time. The neighbourhood
is well wooded and very pleasing to the eye. The church, on the
hill-top, dates only from 1790; but the site was occupied by an earlier
structure. The memorials are of no historic interest; but near the
enormous yew tree in the churchyard stands the tomb of the first Lord
Cottenham (d. 1851). Near by, too, lies Sir Lucas Pepys, physician to
George III. (d. 1830). _Totteridge Park_, W. from the village, was the
residence of Baron Bunsen, and of the above-mentioned Lord Cottenham;
the large, plain structure in which they lived, recently in part
rebuilt, was erected about a century ago, taking the place of the fine
old manor house, for some generations the home of the Lee family. At
_Copped Hall_, near the church, the late Cardinal Manning was born in
1808.
TRING is the most westerly place of any importance in Herts. The station
(L.&N.W.R.) is nearly 2 miles E. from the town, which is sheltered on
the N.W. by the chalk hills, a fresh spur of which crops out 3 mile N.E.
at Aldbury (_q.v._). The church (Perp.) stands near the centre of the
town and is fortunate in having been restored under the direction of Mr.
Bodley in 1882. It is an embattled, flint structure; the tower has a
corner turret and is, like that at Hitchin, unusually massive. Note (1)
the clustered columns of the nave, (2) the quaint corbels, (3) the
large, imposing monument to Sir William Gore and his wife (d. 1707 and
1705 respectively); Sir William was Lord Mayor of London; (4) good Perp.
windows in each aisle.
Tring was formerly a considerable centre of the straw-plait industry,
which is still pursued to a less extent. The place is of great
antiquity, _Treung_ hundred dating from the days of Alfred the Great.
William I. gave it to Robert Earl of Ewe, and Stephen kindly bestowed it
upon the monks of Faversham, "in perpetual Alms for the Health of the
Souls of Maud his Queen and all faithful People". Edward II. granted to
Tring market rights.
_Tring Park_ (property of Hon. N. C. Rothschild) is surrounded by
perhaps the most exquisite woods--largely of beech--in the whole county.
Much altered in modern times, it is said to have been designed by Wren,
and to have been visited by Charles II. The park is well kept, and
contains many living curiosities placed here by Lord Rothschild, a lover
of natural history. The _Museum_, at the top of Akeman Street,
containing a fine zoological collection, is the outcome of his
lordship's energy and benevolence. The _Museum House_, to which it is
attached, is a prettily designed structure of red brick, with gables.
_Tring, Little_, is a hamlet 1¼ mile N.W. from the town, and Tring
Grove, a hamlet 1¼ mile N.E. The former is near the large reservoirs,
upon which several of the rare birds mentioned in the Introduction
(Section IV.) were observed.
_Trowley Bottom_ (3 miles N.W. from Redbourn Station, M.R.) is a hamlet
a little S. from Flamstead, in one of the most thoroughly rural
districts in the county. The Roman _Watling Street_ (St.
Albans-Dunstable road) is 1 mile N.E.
_Turnford_ (1¼ mile S.W. from Broxbourne Station, G.E.R.) is a hamlet in
Cheshunt parish, on the New River. _Broxbourne Bury Park_ is 1 mile N.
_Two Waters_ owes its name to its position at the junction of two small
rivers--the Gade and the Bulbourne. It is in Hemel Hempstead parish, and
about 1 mile E. from Boxmoor Station.
_Tyttenhanger._ (See Tittenhanger.)
_Upwick Green_ (4 miles N.W. from Bishop's Stortford) is a hamlet on the
Essex border. _Hadham Hall_ (see Little Hadham) is 1 mile S.
VERULAM. Of the old Roman _municipium_ (_Verulamium_) there now remains
above ground little more than some large fragments of crumbling wall in
the valley of the Ver, immediately S.W. from St. Albans. Passing under
the old Gatehouse and crossing the bridge at the Silk Mill the visitor,
instead of turning right and following the course of the Ver, should
keep straight on and pass the small gate into Verulam Woods. On his
right as he follows the broad footpath will be the outer E. wall of the
Roman city; on his left what appears a long gorge, overgrown by bushes
and trees of many species, was once the _fosse_. Note the great
thickness and solidity of the walls, and the tile-like bricks, similar
to those in the Abbey tower, mingled with flints. Presently both wall
and fosse turn sharply W. and may be followed in that direction for a
considerable distance. The walls may also be traced at other spots
farther W., particularly a large mass known as Gorhambury Block,
believed to mark the boundary of the _municipium_ in that direction.
It has been mentioned in the Introduction (Section IX.) that the only
Roman theatre known to have existed in England stood in this
neighbourhood. Its remains were discovered rather more than seventy
years ago in a field immediately W. from St. Michael's Church; nothing
is now to be seen, for the excavations have been again covered. The
discovery included that of the stage, somewhat narrow, the _auditorium_,
with many rows of seats, and portions of the frescoed walls. Many coins
were found among the ruins.
Mention must be made of the fact that the Roman _Verulamium_ was the
scene of the awful massacre in the time of Boadicea, when the Queen of
the Iceni, with a great number of followers, slew alike the British and
Roman inhabitants and partially destroyed the city (A.D. 61). An
account of this is in the _Annals_ of Tacitus. The place was
subsequently rebuilt and occupied by the Saxons, who called it
_Watlingceaster_, or _Werlamceaster_.
_Wade's Mill._ (See Thundridge.)
_Wakely_ (2 miles W. from Westmill Station, G.E.R.) is a hamlet in
Westmill parish, consisting of a farm and a few cottages.
WALKERN (4½ miles E. from Stevenage) is a large village, with many
picturesque nooks and cottages. The river Beane skirts it on the E.
side. The manor is very ancient; Chauncy speaks of "Walkerne" as a town,
and mentions a mill which stood in his day (1632-1719) at its S. end,
presumably where Walkern Mill now stands. The church, on a knoll sloping
to the Beane, is mostly Perp., but retains Norman work in the S. aisle;
the chancel is modern, E.E. in style. The effigy in Purbeck marble in a
recess of S. wall, of a knight in chain mail, is thought to represent
one of the Lanvalei family. If so, it forms an interesting link with a
remote past, for in the reign of King John one Alan Basset paid a
hundred marks to that monarch, and gave him a palfrey "that his daughter
might marry the heir of William de Lanvalley". There are also effigies
on brass to the Humberstone family (sixteenth century). _Walkern Hall_
(1 mile S.E.) stands in a small but pretty park; _Walkern Bury_ (1 mile
E.) can still show some remains of a castle.
WALLINGTON (3½ miles E. from Baldock) lies in one of the most quiet
districts of the county, a district almost entirely agricultural. The
village is small; a few cottages are ancient and picturesque, but there
is little to notice. Take the lane opposite the Plough Inn to reach the
church, which can show a good Perp. roof and screen, and some mutilated
monuments and brasses in the chapel. The main structure is Dec.; but the
chancel was rebuilt forty years ago. A walk affording views very
characteristic of Herts may be taken from the footpath near the walled
pond adjoining the church, by bearing S.S.E. to Red Hill, Rushden and
Cottered.
_Walsworth_, a hamlet, is almost a suburb at the N.E. end of Hitchin, ½
mile from the station.
[Illustration: WALTHAM CROSS]
WALTHAM CROSS, on the London-Cambridge road, owes its name, as is well
known, to the Cross which Edward I. erected to the memory of Queen
Eleanor about 1¼ mile W. from Waltham Abbey. The cross stands a little
W. from Waltham Station (G.E.R.), where the above-mentioned road meets
that which leads E. to the Abbey. Although frequently restored it is
perhaps even now more complete than any other Eleanor Cross still
existing. (That erected at St. Albans, as already stated, was destroyed
about 200 years ago.) It is, I believe, disputed as to whether it was
designed by Pietro Cavalini or not; it was completed in 1294. It is
hexagonal in shape, of three stages, diminishing from basement to
summit; the details of its sculpture can be readily seized by examining
Mr. New's drawing. The restoration of 1833 was worked in Bath stone;
this was largely replaced by new material, in Ketton stone, only a
few years ago, at which time the Old Falcon Inn, which projected almost
to the cross, was pulled down, thus affording a view of the monument
from all sides.
The Four Swans, close to the cross, dates from 1260, as is testified on
the large, quaint sign-board which swings above the road; but only a few
portions of the present structure are of any great antiquity. There is a
modern church a little N. from the cross; but much of the district
commonly called Waltham is in Essex. Of great interest to visitors,
however, and about 1 mile W. from the Cross, is _Theobald's Park_, a
brick mansion erected about 150 years back by Sir G. W. Prescott, Bart.
At one of the entrances to the park stands Temple Bar, brought here from
Fleet Street and erected in its present position in 1888. The house does
not occupy the site of the historic manor house visited by so many
sovereigns, which stood on a slight eminence some distance to the N.W.
It was William Cecil, afterwards Lord Burghley, who commenced to build
that famous mansion in 1560, and enlarged it considerably when he found
it pleasant in the eyes of many persons of high degree. Queen Elizabeth
was frequently a visitor at Theobalds. It was Burghley's son, Robert
Cecil, who entertained James I. here as that monarch was on his way to
London and the English Crown, and James became so pleased with the house
and its surroundings that he obtained it from Cecil, giving him the
royal manor of Hatfield in its stead. It was from _Theobalds_ that
Charles I. set out to raise his standard at Nottingham (1642). The house
was partially destroyed during the turmoil that ensued; after the
Restoration it was given by Charles II. to George Monk. It was
subsequently the property of the Earl of Portland and of several other
persons.
WARE was for a long period, and is perhaps now, the centre of the malt
trade in Herts, but brickmaking is also extensively carried on. The
river Lea skirts the town on the S. side, and is crossed by an iron
bridge near the Barge Inn. The High Street displays many new houses and
shops, but by turning into the smaller by-ways visitors may find quaint
cottages and picturesque nooks and corners. The town is very ancient,
but contained only a few persons at the time of the Conquest.
The cruciform church of St. Mary has been much restored; the body of the
present structure is Dec.; but the tower and chancel are Perp. Note (1)
the carved oak screen separating the S. transept from the Lady-chapel;
(2) sedilia, piscina and ambries in the chapel itself; (3) octagonal
font (_temp._ Henry IV.), bearing figures of saints on its panels; (4)
mural monument in S. transept to Sir Richard Fanshawe; (5) brass to W.
Pyrry or Pyrey (d. 1470) and his wives Agnes and Alice, the inscription
was apparently never completed; (6) curious brass figure near pulpit.
There is also a modern church in the New Road, E.E. in style, of Kentish
Rag and Bath Stone.
There was a Franciscan Priory a little W. from the church, which,
although sometimes said to have been founded by Margaret, Countess of
Leicester (_temp._ Henry III.), was probably of much earlier foundation,
though doubtless enlarged by that lady. It fell into decay after the
Dissolution, but some remains of the old buildings are still to be seen
at _Ware Priory_, a mansion occupying the site. The property formed a
separate manor, which was given to the Countess of Richmond by her son,
Henry VII.
Ware is not without literary association. The Johnny Gilpin, on the road
to Amwell, commemorates the hero of Cowper's ballad; Pepys mentions his
visits to the town on several occasions; Dick Turpin, as the story runs
in Ainsworth's _Rookwood_, passed through Ware in his famous ride to
York; Godwin, who figures so largely in the Lamb literature, was for
some years the Independent minister of the town. By a long ascent N.
from the town, we reach, by turning right, the hamlet of _Ware Side_,
picturesquely scattered over a slight depression close to _Widford_
(_q.v._). W. from the town is _Ware Park_, a mansion on a beautiful
eminence.
_Warren's Green_ (about 4 miles N.E. from Stevenage Station, G.N.R.) is
a small hamlet.
_Water End_, on the river Gade, is on the S.W. confines of Gaddesden
Park. There are also hamlets of the same name (1) close to Ayot Station,
G.N.R.; (2) at the E. extremity of Mimms Park, 2 miles N.W. from
Potter's Bar Station (Middlesex).
_Waterford_ and _Waterford Marsh_ are in Bengeo parish, on the river
Beane. On the marsh is some grazing common, free to all parishioners.
_Waterside_ is the name of a few cottages (1) on the river Gade, near
King's Langley village; (2) at Mill Green, 1 mile N.E. from Hatfield.
WATFORD, including its quickly rising suburbs, is much the largest town
in Hertfordshire. The Colne crosses the high road where it dips before
rising towards Bushey, and Chauncy says that the town derives its name
from the Wet Ford by which the river is crossed. The building of the
Junction Station (L.&N.W.R.), N.E. from the High Street, did much to
facilitate the growth of Watford and extend its trade; the railroad
diverges S.W. to Rickmansworth only, and N.E. to Bricket Wood, Park
Street and St. Albans; the main line from London passes through a long
tunnel before reaching King's Langley Station. The antiquities of the
town itself are less interesting and indeed less known than those of
other towns in the county, and Chauncy, _e.g._, finds little to say
about it. The manor was long held by the abbots of St. Albans; then it
became Crown property, and after several changes of ownership passed to
William, fourth Earl of Essex, whose descendants are still lords of the
manor.
The parish church, on a small yard adjoining the S. side of the High
Street, is Perp., and was well restored about fifty years ago; with its
_Katherine-_ and _Essex Chapels_ it forms a large and imposing
structure. The latter chapel was built in 1595 by Bridget, Countess of
Bedford. Its monuments are very numerous and comprise (1) to Sir Charles
Morison, Kt. (d. 1599), and Dorothy his wife; note the fine kneeling
effigies; (2) to Sir Charles Morison, K.B., son of the foregoing (d.
1628), and the Hon. Mary (Hicks) his wife, with recumbent effigies one
above the other, and attendant figures of a daughter and two sons (note
the Corinthian columns which support the canopy overshadowing the
whole); both these Morison monuments were the work of Nicholas Stone,
mentioned in Walpole's _Anecdotes_; (3) altar-tomb to the founder of the
chapel (d. 1600); (4) altar-tomb with Tuscan columns and recumbent
effigy to Elizabeth, wife of Sir William Russell (d. 1611). Among the
brasses are those to (1) Henry Dickson (d. 1610); George Miller (d.
1613) and Anthony Cooper, "servants to Sir Charles Morryson, Kt."; (2)
imperfect, Hugo de Holes, Justice of the King's Bench (d. 1415), and
Margaretta his wife (d. 1416); (3) Henry Baldwyn of Reedheath (d. 1601),
Alice, his wife, and three children; (4) James Moss, a messenger to
George II. (d. 1758).
There are modern churches: (1) St. John's, in the Sutton Road, a Gothic
edifice completed in 1893; (2) St. Andrew's, near the Junction, E.E. in
design, with a good stained glass window in the S. aisle, and a
beautiful Roman Catholic church by Bentley, architect of Westminster
cathedral. In Beechen Grove is one of the finest Nonconformist (Baptist)
chapels in the county; it dates from 1878 and is Italian in design.
Market day is on Tuesday.