Britannia: or a Geographical description of the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, with the Isles and Territories thereto belonging.
Blome, Richard
1687
HARTFORDSHIRE: BEING Part of the TRINOBANTES, and ancient KINGDOM of the East-Saxons.
HARTFORDSHIRE: BEING Part of the TRINOBANTES, and ancient KINGDOM of the East-Saxons.
of a circular form, making two almost of an equal and cross each other in the for the one giving the length from in the East to in the West, 25 and the other from in the South to in the North 27; making the whole circumference to contain near about 130 | |
It is bounded on the East with on the South with on the West with the Counties of and and on the North with | |
It is blest with a sweet and wholsome and as to its is for the most part chalky, although the upper crust in the South and West parts (for the most part) is of a red mixed with nevertheless, by reason of the under it, is found to yield good and but of its own nature it is most apt to bear and The North part of the hath dirty wayes, and is apt to bear and other especially in the Vale of or It is well stored with and many pleasant and ancient seats of commonly called which are or and for ancient there is scarce its fellow in that can shew so many in so little room. It hath plenty of and which feed good store of the best of which are about the River those about being generally cold and moist. | |
It is well watered with fresh and delightful streams, the principal whereof are the or &c. | |
The that possessed these parts before the coming in of the were the and the or and was afterwards part of the Kingdom of the | |
This County is subdivided into eight as doth appear in the in which are seated 120 besides 15 of Ease; and for the accommodation of its for the uttering of their hath 18 most of which are of good account, | |
113 | and the rather for its being so great a thorough-fare to and from Northwards. |
The as well for the ease of themselves, as the common have divided the County into three parts, for the diciding of matters of small concernment; one division includeth the of and and meet at or another hath the of and and meet at or and the other hath the of & & meet at | |
But for matters of the greatest concernment, the meet all at where the common County is kept. For this belongeth in part to the Diocess of and part to | |
The chief places in this County, are | |
seated on the which is said to have yielded passage for even to the of its but now scarcely receiveth small It hath been of greater state, estimation, and beauty, then now it is, and had five two of which are now decayed being rob'd of its pristine glory, by the turning the through yet is it the where the is kept, and as a hath the election of It is governed by a 9 16 a who is alwayes a a of the Court of & 2 and hath a on which is well frequented. The was defended by a once strong built, as 'tis said, by K. the elder, and had also a of here established by a Noble person, both which are long since reduced to ruin by the scourge of time, as well as divers other famous, and richly endowed which in former times have gorgeously adorned this County. It is honored with the Title of being one of the Titles appertaining to his Grace the Duke of | |
seated on the river a of good antiquity (raised from the ruins of that famous City which I shall anon take notice of) and was so called from one a Citizen of by blood a who here suffered martyrdom in the time when went about to extirpate the out of this being first converted from to the of by and in honour of him the Monastery of was also founded, which hath been enlarged by sundry of this and such were the priviledges of this that the could make no secular over them, but by their free consent. They were freed from the ducies of through they made of and also and within themselves; they had and within the which yet it keepeth, having one for the and another for the It is at present a fair, large, well inhabited and frequented thorough-fare and enjoying several immunities, electeth and is governed by a 10 a a and other It is divided into 4 in every of which it hath a and two and for Divine worship hath three It is dignified with the Title of an Earldom, enjoyed at present by the Right Honorable E. of Lord Chamberlain of his Majesties Houshould. Is also of note for its once stately built by King of the whose is yet standing, which was purchased by the at the price of four hundred pound, and at present made use of for a in which lyeth interr'd the bodies of many there slain, in the contention between the Houses of and also here lyeth buried the famous Sir lively formed in marble. | |
114 | And here is, or was, a of solid brought out of in which the were wont to be baptized. In the North- west end of this was formerly a stately called whose ruins do yet appear. And its which is on is well served with |
In and about this have been fought several bloody two of which are more remarkable; the first on the 23 of , by Duke of and his Consorts the Earls of and and the Lords and against K. the Sixth; in whose defence, the Duke of the Earl of and the L. with the slaughter of about 5000 more, besides abundance and taken amongst which was the who with an was wounded in the neck, and after taken and brought to where a reconciliation was made; and in this conslict, of the Dukes party about 600 were slain. The other was on at a place called or by Q. against the Dukes of and and the Earls of and who kept with them the King her Husband by constraint, where the Qu.gained the day, and received the King with great joy. | |
The City of formerly spoken of, was of great antiquity, esteem, and beauty in the time when the wayed the English Scepter; as doth appear by the and frequently raised out of their obscure by the laborious husbandman. It was a City enfranchised, and endowed not only with the aid of the by a but with several other also the for the most part were of the ancient who deserving well at the hands of the were made (as it were free Citizens) o having their and free amongst them, and permitted to live under their aid and protection, until it was (by the fury of the and ) sack't and subverted; so that of a proud it became a or heap of and within its ruinous now groweth Liquorish, or And by this City passed which was one of the great Roads of which went from into the North. | |
or a large, dry, and pleasant highly seated, and on the Road; of some account for its good and medicinal as also for its Swine- on which makes it to be well frequented, and hath in it several good Here was fought a bloody between the of the houses of and on an in which the Fourth became the Victor. | |
seated on the a large and well inhabited whose which is on is well frequented, affording all necessaries, especially in great plenty. | |
Not far from is belonging to the of wherein was born surnamed who was afterwards Bishop of and called Pope IV; a man of so proud a spirit, that he had his stirrup held by the he was the first that taught the the and ended his dayes by an untimely death. | |
Not far from is where K. II. and Q. his wife, with many of the kept a royal and when the King deceased was here interr'd, but afterwards removed to Here D. of was born, and also afterwards interr'd. | |
seated also on the very low and waterish; an indifferent on | |
seated on and on a branch of the a on | |
115 | of some note for being the place where King of the ended his dayes. |
a on chiefly for here was formerly a of good account, built by the It hath a fair free founded by Dean of a native of this place. And here it was that the met in Councel for the shaking off the yoke. | |
a small on | |
once dignified with a of the which now belongeth to the Right Honorable the Earl of and is a place of great delight and recreation by reason of its and other places of pleasure, which for and all other accommodations is inferiour to none in hath a on | |
a fair seated in the and on the River and hath a well frequented on | |
Not far from but more near unto in is one of the pleasantly scituate amongst delightful and first built by Sir and afterwards beautified by his Son Sir both Lord of | |
a large, well frequented and inhabited thorough-fare seated on the River a place well known to many for its great and its which is cut from thence to where it serveth many hundreds of with the conveniency of water. This began to be most famous in the reign of K. at which time it became a thorough-fare Its on is well frequented, and provided of | |
formerly a on but discontinued since the making of | |
or seated on the side of a a very large, fair and well inhabited and frequented full of for the giving entertainment to strangers. And its which is on is well resorted unto, and provided with On the East side of the there is the ruins of a called the of standing in an upon an artificial very steep, and though of a small circuit, yet seemeth to have been of great strength, and within it is a dark and deep called the which doth denote some great to belong unto it in former time; it was spoiled and laid flat by King | |
a thorough-fare | |
hath a small on lately erected. | |
a large Hamlet, and a good thorough-fare which hath a on | |
seated near a great called whose make great store of hath a very good on and is governed by a and four | |
a considerable large seated between the in a chalkie fit for of chief note for the many here residing; yet its which is on is but small. | |
a pretty thorough-fare which had formerly the benefit of a on | |
a much frequented by the who have beautified it with many good houses. | |
formerly a on but now disused. | |
a famous which is kept on for and here made; being seated in a fat and between in a bottom. The is large, part of which standeth in & is well inhabited, frequented, and full of | |
Footnotes: [] Its bounds. [] Its soil and fertility. [] The Vale of Ringtayl very fertile. [] Its Meadows. [] Its Rivers. [] Ancient Inhabitants. [] Its Hundreds Markettowns. and Parithes. [] The division of the Shire by the Justices. [] Its chles places. Hartford. [] St. Albans. Raised from the ancient City of Verolam. [] Ancient City of Verolam. [] High-Barnet. [] Watford, [] Langley Abbey. [] Kings-Langley [] Rickmansworth. [] Hemsted. [] Berkhamsted. [] Tringe. Hatsield. [] Hodsdon. [] Theoballs. [] Ware. [] Sabsworth. [] Bishops Strotford. [] Puckeridge. [] Stoudon. [] Buntingford. [] Hitching. [] Baldock. [] Stevenedge, [] Totteridge. [] Barkway. [] Royston. |