518 



HERTFORD HERTFORDSHIRE. 



year 1798, he published an account of the Battle 

 of the Nile, drawn up from the minutes af an olli- 

 cer of rank in the squadron, which passed through 

 several editions. He died on the 29th July, 1833. 



HERTFORD OR HARTFORD, the county 

 town of Hertfordshire, is situated on the river Lea, 

 twenty-one miles north from London. The Saxon 

 monarchs often kept their court here ; Alfred built. 

 a fortress to defend it against the Danes, who 

 being entrenched at Ware, kept the surrounding 

 country in a state of alarm. The town, in its 

 outline, approaches to the shape of the letter Y ; 

 the castle being placed between St Andrew's street 

 on the north, and West street and Castle street on 

 the south, forming the horns of this figure ; while 

 the remaining part consists chiefly of Maidenhead 

 and back streets, extending in one line east and 

 west, and Fore street, which runs in a parallel 

 direction with them. Among the principal edi- 

 fices are the castle, founded by Edward the elder 

 about 905, but rebuilt and probably enlarged after 

 the conquest. In the reign of Edward III., John, 

 king of France, taken prisoner at the battle of 

 Poictiers, was an occasional resident in this for- 

 tress, as also was another captive prince, David, 

 king of Scotland. It is now the property of the 

 marquis of Salisbury. Other public buildings are 

 the shire-house, or town-hall, erected from a de- 

 sign of Mr Adams, and completed in 1771 ; a neat 

 sessions-house, where the assizes are held ; a 

 gaol, and penitentiary-house, built on the plan of 

 Howard ; and a market-house. The commerce of 

 Hertford chiefly depends on the navigation of the 

 Lea; and the most important articles of trade are 

 wheat, flour, malt, and wool, much of which is 

 sent to London, whence coal and other commodi- 

 ties are brought in exchange. Population in 1841, 

 5463. 



HERTFORDSHIRE OR HERTS; an inland 

 county of England, of a very irregular form. On 

 the north it is bounded for a few miles by Cam- 

 bridgeshire: at a small building called Knowle's 

 Folly, the counties of Cambridge, Herts, and 

 Essex, meet. Essex forms the eastern boundary, 

 divided from Herts by the Stort, and from Bishop's 

 Stortford to its confluence with the Lea, east of 

 Hoddesdon, toWaltham Abbey, near which it quits 

 Hertfordshire : from Waltham Cross to West Hide, 

 Hertfordshire abuts on Middlesex; the western 

 boundary is formed by Buckinghamshire: and 

 Bedfordshire bounds it on the west and north. Its 

 greatest length is about thirty-eight miles, and its 

 breadth about twenty-six miles : the extreme ir- 

 regularity of its outline renders it very difficult to 

 judge of its extent; it may be reckoned at about 

 one hundred and forty miles in its boundaries; its 

 superficial contents are estimated to amount to 

 about 340,000 acres, or 530 square miles. Herts 

 is in the province of Canterbury, in the dioceses of 

 London and Lincoln, and is in the home circuit. 

 Previously to the Roman invasion this county 

 formed part of the territories of the Cassi and 

 Trinobantes ; at that period, Cassibelanus is said 

 to have reigned at Verulam, now St Alban's, and 

 was elected generalissimo of the British troops. 

 When the southern parts of this country were af- 

 terwards settled by the Romans, this county formed 

 part of the district called Flavia Caesariensis. 

 Under the Saxon heptarchy, Hertfordshire was 

 <li\ided between the kingdoms of the east Saxons 

 and Mercia. 



The climate is mild and the general aspect of 



the county is pleasant ; it is most hilly towards the 

 north, where several streams take their rise, and by 

 their clearness show the nature of the soil to be 

 rather hard in this part, which is not the case on 

 the western side, the land being there rich and 

 well-cultivated. The produce in wheat, barley, 

 and oats is very considerable, and of the best 

 quality. The grass lands are confined chiefly to 

 the south side in the vicinity of Barnet. The 

 chief trade of the county is in corn and malt, 

 which is conveyed to London by means of the 

 navigation of the river Lea. The manufactures, 

 with the exception of some extensive paper-mills, 

 are not of any importance. 



The principal rivers are the Lea, and the Colne. 

 The Lea rises near Lea Grave, in Bedfordshire, en- 

 ters Herts near Bower-heath, and traverses the 

 county from north-west to south-east, to its junc- 

 tion with the Stort, about a mile east of Hoddes- 

 don ; then runs nearly south, and partly forms the 

 boundary of the county towards the east. The 

 Maran, or Mimerun, rises near Frogmore, and with 

 the Beane, which rises near Cromer, joins the Lea 

 near Hertford: the Stort rises in Essex, and is 

 navigable from Bishop's Stortford to the Lea, 

 which is navigable from Hertford to its confluence 

 with the Thames. There are many smaller streams, 

 as the Rib, the Quin, the Ash, the Verulam, Ver- 

 lam, or Mize, the Gade, and some others, but they 

 are principally devoted to mills. The Grand Junc- 

 tion canal, which commences at Branston wharf on 

 the Coventry canal, and runs to Old Brentford, where 

 it joins the Thames, and also to Paddington, where 

 it joins the Regent's canal, enters Herts above 

 Berkhamstead, and follows the course of the Gade, 

 and afterwards of the Colne, until it enters Mid- 

 dlesex. 



The New River derives its supply from the Lea, 

 the Maran, the Rib, the Quin, and Emma's Well. 

 Perhaps no artificial stream in the world can boast 

 of such services to the health and comfort and 

 well-being of almost countless multitudes as the 

 New River. Commenced by Sir Hugh Myddleton 

 upwards of two centuries ago, it has fully realized 

 all his most sanguine expectations, and although it 

 effected his total ruin, it has furnished a princely 

 revenue to his assigns. 



The boroughs of Hertfordshire are Hertford and 

 St Alban's ; and the market-towns Baldock, Bar- 

 net, Berkhamstead, Bishop Stortford, Buntingford, 

 Hatfield, Kernel Hempstead, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, 

 Redbourn, Rickmansworth, Royston, Stevenage, 

 Tring, Ware, and Watford. Three members of 

 parliament are returned for the county, and two 

 each for the boroughs of Hertford and St Alban's. 

 Population in 1841: Males, 77,617; females, 

 79,590 : total, 157,207- 



HEXHAM, a town in the county of Northum- 

 berland, seated near the confluence of the North 

 and South Tyne, twenty-one miles W. from New- 

 castle, and 278 N.N.W/from London. The town 

 contains some good buildings, though the streets 

 are narrow and irregular ; in the centre is the mar- 

 ket-place, a spacious and handsome quadrangle, on 

 the south side of which are piazzas and other 

 buildings ; on the east, an ancient stone tower, 

 forming the court-house of the manor of Hexham; 

 and on the west, are the remains of the cathedral 

 and conventual buildings. The peculiar manu- 

 facture of this place is tanned leather, for gloves, 

 shoes, boots, &c. Many Roman antiquities have 

 been discovered in the neighbourhood, which al 





