King’s Langley (1579), a village on the North-Western Railway notable as the site of the ancient Tudor Palace of Langley, and of a friary of which portions still remain. The royal palace and park date at least from 1299. The friary belonged to the Dominican order. (pp. [81], [82], [107], [141].)
Layston (983); the original village is now represented only by the ruined church of St Bartholomew, situated a short distance from Buntingford, and of great antiquity.
Letchworth, till recently a very small village on the Great Northern Railway a little north of Hitchin, has now sprung into importance as the site of the “Garden City”; an endeavour to aid in bringing the population back to the land.
Letchworth, Open Air School
North Mimms (1112), a village on the North road, situated some distance to the south-east of St Albans. A manor of North Mimms was in existence at the Conquest. The parish includes three large parks, Brookman’s, Potterells, and North Mimms. The church, which is rich in monuments, dates from the fourteenth century.
Offley (1001), or Great Offley, which lies on the Bedfordshire border of the county, between Luton and Hitchin, takes its name from Offa II, king of Mercia, who died there in his palace. The church of St Mary Magdalene is built in the Perpendicular style, with an apsidal chancel. Mrs Thrale, the friend of Dr Johnson, lived as a girl at Offley Place. (pp. [14], [105], [128], [141], [147].)
Redbourn (1932), a village on the Chester and Holyhead road, in the valley of the Ver, about four miles north-west of St Albans; it has a station on the Harpenden and Hemel Hempstead branch of the Midland Railway. The manor of Redbourn was given to St Albans’ Abbey in the reign of Edward the Confessor. The church, which is some distance from the main street, was dedicated between 1094 and 1109, but the chancel appears to have been rebuilt about 1340. Near Church End are the ancient earthworks known as the Aubreys. (pp. [12], [67], [72], [126].)
Rickmansworth (5627), at the junction of the Colne, Gade, and Chess rivers, is a town in the south-western corner of the county, close to the Bucks and Middlesex borders. It has several ancient almshouses, of which one dates from 1680. Immediately to the south-east is Moor Park, the seat of Lord Ebury, where Lord Anson formerly lived. This once belonged to the abbots of St Albans, but was given by Henry VII to the Earl of Oxford, and in the reign of Henry VIII was the property of Cardinal Wolsey. The present house is of comparatively modern date. The Bury is an excellent specimen of an early seventeenth century mansion. The church appears to have been rebuilt in the fifteenth century. Rickmeresworth was the old name of the town. There are a number of manors in the parish. (pp. [20], [31], [71], [73], [131], [132].)
Royston (3517) is situated on the Icknield Way, actually on the Cambridgeshire border, and is served by a station on the Cambridge branch of the Great Northern. The town, which has a market, stands just at the foot of the chalk downs; it has the honour of giving the name to one of the species, or races, of British birds, to wit, the Royston crow. The church is that of an Augustinian priory now demolished. James I had a hunting seat here. (pp. [32], [33], [45], [93], [128].)