K /M HE RTFORDSH I RE T H E L I T T L E G U I D E S l th s leather s . d . net. P ott 8 vo , c o , 3 . , 3 6 O AN OLLE E S . C ! C G O N W ALL . S a m o n . O F RD D ITS R . By A L l l W lls M . I s t t A u r te B B u r . B . e I a . C . o e y J , ll d by l New . l u s tr ated by E . H . B AN . Bar Y. S in F ou r th E d ztw n. RITT By g u s tr ate is s G o u ld . Ill d by M CA AN I TS OL ie . MBRIDGE D C J. Wyll L B . H am ilt o n EGES . y A o m s o I us tr ate Th n . am er t . p ll d by S U RRE Y. By F . H . L b w E . Ne . u s t E H N w H Ill tr a e d by . e . ’ S HAKE S P EARE S C O U N TRY . O . E lla . I l C . G b R M E . By y B B . C . in e y A W dl , C . B u ter . l u s tr ated by B . o l I s E H . A. u tr ate . M . ll d by N ew . S ec o nd E d I tzo n . N . eo r e C inc h KE T By G g l , N . B Y F . G . S . us WESTM I STE R ABBE y Ill tr ate d by F . I u s G . E . r o u t ec k B e . T b ll D . dfo r d t D . B e fo r . tr a ed by F . d d U K N A . B E . B C I GH M SHIRE y S . S U G . B r a n t ! . B . a SSE y F b , u s tr at . R o s c o e . Ill e d by F A ustr ate E . M . I . ll d by H f B e o r . D . d d New . O . TH E MA L V ERN C OU N TR Y. HERTF RDSHIRE By H W o m k i n s . I u s tr ate B . C . in e D . S c . p d By A W dl , , T ll by . New . E . F . R. S . u s tr ate b E Ill d y . H . New . H ’ S AU L A AL . T . P S C THEDR By H ir h. u s r t u G . B c t a e NO RFO LK . By W . A . D tt . Ill d k . C . Bo u t r . Beatr i c e c o c Ill u s tr ated by B . l e by Al r an t . I u s T E E N L A K . G . B a tr ate H G ISH L ES By F . b ll d by E . New . Cloth leather s . 6d . net. H , , 4 IN PRE PARATI ON ' S O P . i D Y . C . C o x . k HR SHIRE By J A N c ERB SHIRE By J , lin . LL. D . u s tr at C . Ill e d by J. W all . A P . C . C o x E N L C U M SHIR . J , G ISH AR C HITE T RE . By H E By LL. D . tk i s u s F O A n o n . Ill B . D u tt t th S U OL K . r ate d by e A utho r . FF y W A . TH E N ORTH RIDIN G OF YORK B E . o r r is . SH IR . y J. ! O . G O F RDSHIRE By F . E M B r a ant . I s u tr at G . Br b ll ed by BER KSHIRE . By F . a E . New ant . H . b HE RTFORD SH I RE By H E RBE RT W T M PK I NS . O I llustr ated éy E D M U ND H NE W . ear t ho m e o v in er t or s hir e H y , ly , l g H f d — C H ARLE s LAM B L O N D O N M E T U E N O H 81 C . E ssex St Str and 36 . M D C CC C I I I PRE FACE I N the follo wing pages I have endeavo ured to give a brief descripti o n o fHertfordshire on the ’ o f . lines Mr . F G Brabant s book in this e / series . Th general features Of the county are briefly described in the Introduction , in sections approximately co rresponding to the o o f secti ns the volume on Sussex . I have to o I n thought it wise, however, c mpress the tr o du c tio n o within the briefest limits, in rder fo r that, in the Gazetteer, I might have space more adequate treatment than wo uld otherwise have been possible . I have visited a large pro porti o n o f the o o f t wns, villages and hamlets Hertfordshire , so o and have, far as possible, written fr m o personal observati n . t o o o o I desire thank Mr . J hn H pkins n , fo r etc . , his kindness in writing o n Climate B otan . the sections and y Mr A E . fo r Gibbs, his permission to PRE FACE o f o his make use several miscellanies fr m pen , o f and Mr . Alfred Bentley New Barnet for his co urtesy in placing so me photo graphs from o f . his co llection at the disposal Mr . New V U LA ER M , S OU TH E N a v S E A, 1903 . viii L I ST OF I L L USTRATI O N S P AGE RAILROA D M AP OF H ERTS Fr ont Geezer ' ' Fr nt s z e TH E BBE H H ST . B e z e e A Y C URC , AL ANS p By kind permission o f the Gra ho to n e o E n field C . p , ’ B ISHOP S STORTFORD s From a pho tograph by Me srs . C o . Frith , Ltd BROXBOURN E HATFI E L D H OU SE Fro m a pho to graph by Messrs . 8c Valentine Sons, Ltd . ’ K G E D RAwI NC - H AT IN JAM S S ROOM , F I E L D HOU SE o From a phot graph by Messrs . 8c Valenti ne Sons, Ltd . H E M EL H EMPST EA D I TE RTPORD LI ST OF ILLUSTRATION S H ITCH IN o o Fr m a phot graph by Messrs . 8c C c . Frith , Ltd . KN EBWORTH PARK ’ BACON s MONUM E NT o Fr m a photograph by Messrs . 8c C o . Frith , Ltd . ’ RU INS OF BACON S HOUSE From a photograph by Messrs . 8c o C . Frith , Ltd ’ B H E ST . AL AN S S RIN By kind permission o fthe Gra ho o ne o E n fi l t C . e d p , . ST EV ENAG E CHURCH From a photograph by Messrs . 8c Co . Frith , Ltd WALTHAM CROSS M AP OF H ERTFORD SH IRE INTRODUCTI ON E AN D D E I . SITUATION , EXT NT BOU N ARI S E RTFORDSH I RE o r , Herts, is a E county in the S . of England . On d o n W the S . it is bounded by Mi dlesex ; the S. W by Buckinghamshire ; on the N . by Bedford ’ o n shire on the N . by Cambridgeshire ; the E . by Essex . Its extreme measurement from W due E . to . , say from Little Hyde Hall to 8 S Puttenham , is about 3 miles ; from N . to . , ’ from Mobb s Hole at the top o fAshwell o f Commo n to a point just S . Totteridge 0 6 Green , about 3 miles ; but a longer line , 3 ’ miles in length , may be drawn from Mobb s W Hole to Troy Farm in the S . Its boundaries are very irregular the neighbourhood o fLong Marston is almost surrounded by Buckingham o f Shire and Bedfordshire, that Hinxworth by Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire , and that of e Barnet by Middlesex . Its xtreme points are ° ' 2 N . Lat . 5 5 (N ) ° 0 E . Long . ° ’ 0 W W . Long . 45 ( . ) ° 6 ’ 1 N . S . Lat . 5 3 ( ) a o 6 Its rea is acres r 26 square miles . HE RTFORDSHI RE o f It is one the smallest counties i n England , the still smaller counties being Rutland , Middlesex, Huntingdon , Bedford and Mon mouth . Hertfordshire is one o fthe six home counties . H E E I I . P YSICAL F ATUR S Hertfordshire , being an inland county, is naturally devoid o fmany charms to be found - s in those counties which have a sea coa t . But o f it has beauties its own , being particularly varied and undulating . I ts scenery is pleasantly diversified by many woods, which however are o f mostly but small extent, by swelling corn fi elds , and by several small and winding streams .