![]() King Edward the Elder, in his reconquest of Norse-held lands in what was to become England, established a " burh" or fort in Hertford, which was to curb Norse activities in the area. In the midst of the Norse invasions, Hertfordshire was on the front lines of much of the fighting. The region finally became an English shire in the 10th century, on the merger of the West Saxon and Mercian kingdoms. This relatively short-lived kingdom collapsed in the 9th century, ceding the territory of Hertfordshire to the control of the West Anglians of Mercia. By the 6th century, the majority of the modern county was part of the East Saxon kingdom. With the departure of the Roman Legions in the early 5th century, the now-unprotected territory was invaded and colonised by the Anglo-Saxons. His martyr's cross of a yellow saltire on a blue field is reflected in the flag and coat of arms of Hertfordshire as the yellow field to the stag or Hart representing the county. Saint Alban, a Romano-British soldier, took the place of a Christian priest and was beheaded on Holywell Hill. 293 the first recorded British martyrdom is traditionally believed to have taken place. This was followed by tribes settling in the area during the Iron Age.įollowing the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43, the Catuvellauni tribe quickly submitted and adapted to the Roman life resulting in the development of several new towns, including Verulamium (St Albans) where in c. It was first farmed during the Neolithic period and permanent habitation appeared at the beginning of the Bronze Age. There is evidence of human life in Hertfordshire from the Mesolithic period. Many of the names of the current settlements date back to the Anglo-Saxon period, with many featuring standard placename suffixes attributed to the Anglo-Saxons: "ford", "ton", "den", "bourn", "ley", "stead", "ing", "lett", "wood", and "worth", are represented in this county by Hertford, Royston, Harpenden, Redbourn, Cuffley, Wheathampstead, Tring, Radlett, Borehamwood and Rickmansworth. The name Hertfordshire is first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1011. ![]() Hertford is derived from the Anglo-Saxon heort ford, meaning deer crossing (of a watercourse). In 913, Hertfordshire was the area assigned to a fortress constructed at Hertford under the rule of Edward the Elder. The volume of intact medieval and Tudor buildings surpasses London, in places in well-preserved conservation areas, especially in St Albans, which includes remains of the Roman town of Verulamium. The county's landmarks span many centuries, ranging from the Six Hills in Stevenage built by local inhabitants during the Roman period, to Leavesden Film Studios. See the List of places in Hertfordshire and also List of settlements in Hertfordshire by population articles for extensive lists of local places and districts. Hertfordshire is well served with motorways and railways for access to London, the Midlands and the North. Services have become the largest sector of the county's economy. Hertfordshire's undeveloped land is mainly agricultural, with much of it protected by green-belt policies. The county centres on the headwaters and upper valleys of the rivers Lea and the Colne both flow south, and each is accompanied by a canal. Welwyn Garden City, Hoddesdon and Cheshunt are close behind with around 47,000 residents.Įlevations are higher in the north and west, reaching more than 800 feet (240 m) in the Chilterns near Tring. In 2013 Hertfordshire had a population of about 1,140,700, with Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford and St Albans (the county's only city) each having between 50,000 and 100,000 residents. Since 1903 Letchworth has served as the prototype garden city Stevenage became the first town to expand under post-war Britain's New Towns Act 1946. ![]() Hertfordshire County Council is based in Hertford, once the main market town and the current county town. It derives its name – via the name of the county town of Hertford – from a hart (stag) and a ford, as represented on the county's coat of arms and on the flag. ![]() For government statistical purposes, it forms part of the East of England region. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. Hertfordshire ( / ˈ h ɑːr t f ər d ʃ ɪər/ ( listen) HART-fərd-sheer or /- ʃ ər/ -shər often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England.
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