Hertford: The county town with a solid history

The town of Hertford has long been a location where historians could spend a lifetime writing about it, such is the rich history of this quaint little town, nestled in the middle of the county of Hertfordshire.

The town of Hertford developed around a ford on the River Lea, near its confluences with the rivers Mimram, Beane, and Rib. The Lea is navigable from the Thames in London, right up to Hertford. Fortified settlements were built on each side of the ford at Hertford in 913 AD. The county of Hertfordshire was established at around the same time, being named after and governed from Hertford itself. Hertford Castle was built shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and remained a royal residence until the early seventeenth century.

What does the name Hertford mean?

The earliest reference to the town of Hertford appears in the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written by Bede in 731 AD, which refers to Herutford. Herut is the Old English spelling of hart, and a hart is a fully mature stag; thus the meaning of the name is a ford where harts are found. To this day, the Hart is the county emblem and is used by the county council, the Hertfordshire Constabulary and the local fire service amongst others. The Domesday Book of 1086 gives a spelling of Hertforde.

One possible earlier mention of Hertford was in 673 AD: the first synod of a number of the bishops in England was held either in Hertford or possibly at Hartford, which was in Cambridgeshire. The synod met to discuss amongst other ecclesiastical topics, the calculation for the date of Easter.

Hertford Castle: From royal residence to an event venue

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 913 AD, Edward the Elder ordered the construction of two earthwork fortifications either side of the ford over the River Lea at Hertford as part of his campaign against the Danes.

The Normans built Hertford Castle to control the river and the town, and to dominate the surrounding area. Henry II enlarged and strengthened Hertford Castle as part of the defences of the capital further up the Thames, alongside such castles as Berkhamsted and Windsor.

By the time of the Domesday Book, Hertford had two churches, two markets and three mills. The Normans began work on Hertford Castle, and Hertford Priory was founded by Ralph de Limesy. King Henry II rebuilt Hertford castle in stone, but in 1216, during the First Barons’ War, it was besieged and captured after twenty five days by Prince Louis of France. The castle was regularly visited by English royalty and in 1358, Queen Isabella, wife of Edward II, died there. The priory was dissolved in 1536 and subsequently demolished.

Hertford Castle today is owned and operated by Hertford Town Council and is available to hire out for wedding receptions and other festivities. The grounds of Hertford Castle are open to the public seven days a week and free of charge.

Hertford Castle as Parliament

Although the English Parliament is held in Westminster in the capital, in 1563, the Parliament of England met at Hertford castle because of a sudden outbreak of plague in London.

Hertford Castle during the Tudor period

Henry VII married Elizabeth of York in 1486 and the following year he conferred Hertford Castle to his wife. Henry himself spent little time at the castle in Hertford, but he is recorded as having made two visits to nearby Sele Paper Mill, just outside Hertford, where he sourced a supply of paper. His son Henry VIII spent quite a considerable sum of money turning Hertford Castle into a civilian palace, including building the gatehouse, which still stands. Subsequently, Edward VI granted Hertford Castle to Princess Mary. During her eventual reign, Hertford Castle was used to imprison Protestant martyrs, possibly before they were to endure a more grisly and agonising death in the flames when burned at the stake. Mary’s younger sibling Elizabeth I was a frequent visitor to Hertford Castle and stayed there and at nearby Hatfield House on many occasions.