Hertfordshire (pop. 1,198,798) is a county in southern England that is known for its fine scenery, its beautiful old houses, its new towns, and its high technology and aerospace industries. Much of Hertfordshire’s agriculture is geared to the markets of London.
People and government
Recreation.
Watford has a soccer team that plays in the Football League. The county cricket team plays in the minor counties league.
Local government.
Hertfordshire is divided into 10 local government districts for administration. These districts are Broxbourne, which includes Cheshunt and Hoddesdon; Dacorum, which includes Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead, and Tring; East Hertfordshire, which includes Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford, and Ware; Hertsmere, which includes Borehamwood, Bushey, Potters Bar, and Radlett; North Hertfordshire, which includes Baldock, Hitchin, Letchworth, and Royston; St. Albans, which includes Harpenden; Stevenage; Three Rivers, which includes Chorleywood and Rickmansworth; Watford; and Welwyn Hatfield.
Hertfordshire has several new towns. These towns are Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, and Welwyn Garden City. The county has two police forces. The Hertfordshire Constabulary, based at Welwyn Garden City, polices most of the county. The Metropolitan Police operate in the south. The crown court meets at St. Albans. Hertford is the headquarters of the county council, which provides some public services throughout the county.
Economy
Manufacturing.
The county has a wide variety of manufacturing industries, many of them attracted to the new towns in recent years. Letchworth, St. Albans, and Watford have important engineering industries. Hatfield, St. Albans, and Stevenage have aerospace and aircraft industries. Paper and printing industries are located at Hemel Hempstead, Letchworth, and Watford, and food-processing industries are at Watford and Welwyn Garden City. Pharmaceuticals manufacture and research is an important industry throughout the county, with major sites in Stevenage, Ware, Welwyn Garden City, and Hoddesdon. Hemel Hempstead, Letchworth, and Stevenage are significant centers of the computer industry.
Agriculture.
Fewer than 3 percent of employed people in Hertfordshire work in agriculture. Arable farms in the north grow crops of barley, cattle fodder, oats, and wheat, and root crops, such as potatoes and turnips. Some farmers in northern and eastern Hertfordshire grow sugar beet.
Harpenden has apple and cherry orchards. Kimpton, near Codicote, and Redbourn also have apple orchards. In the southeast, farmers grow cucumbers, flowers, lettuces, spinach, and tomatoes in greenhouses.
Market gardens are located at Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford, Ware, and Watford, and in the Lea valley. Hertfordshire also has dairy farms that produce fresh milk for the London area. Other important agricultural products include mushrooms, watercress, and black grapes, which are grown in greenhouses. Hertfordshire also has some major agricultural research institutions. The well-known Rothamsted Experimental Station for Agricultural Research is located at Harpenden.
Transportation and communication.
Most of the main routes run northward from London, including two stretches of highway, the M1 and the Al(M), and the A10. The M25 highway runs east-west in the southern part of Hertfordshire.
Railroad lines link most of Hertfordshire’s main towns with London. They carry many commuters who work in London. Most towns publish weekly newspapers. The BBC local radio station, Three Counties Radio, serves the county.
Land and climate
Location and size.
Hertfordshire is bordered by Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the southwest. The unitary authorities of Central Bedfordshire and Luton are on the northwest. The longest north-south distance is about 25 miles (40 kilometers), and the longest east-west distance is about 35 miles (55 kilometers).
Land features.
Chalk deposits occur in the East Anglian Heights in northeastern Hertfordshire and in the Chiltern Hills in western Hertfordshire. Clay covers the chalk of the East Anglian Heights.
The Hitchin-Stevenage gap is a valley about 33/4 miles (6 kilometers wide. The gap separates the East Anglian Heights from a chalk ridge that is a continuation of the Chiltern Hills. This ridge rises to about 800 feet (244 meters). About three-quarters of the county lies on the southern slopes of the Chiltern Hills.
South of the East Anglian Heights lies the East Hertfordshire Plateau, which extends to the Lea valley. Another important natural region is the Vale of St. Albans which is drained by the River Colne and its tributaries.
Rivers.
The River Lea rises in Central Bedfordshire. It flows through the towns of Hatfield, Hertford, and Ware and then turns south out of Hertfordshire and reaches the River Thames. The Stort is a tributary of the Lea. The River Colne rises west of Hatfield and flows through the town of Watford to the Thames.
Climate.
About 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain fall every year on the Chiltern Hills. On lower ground in the east, the rainfall averages about 22 inches (56 centimeters). The average January temperature in St. Albans is about 37 °F (3 °C). The average July temperature in St. Albans is about 63 °F (17 °C).
History
The Romans left much evidence of their rule in the area. They built roads, such as Ermine Street, Stane Street, and Watling Street. They also built the city of Verulamium near the site of present-day St. Albans, which got its name from Albanus, a Roman soldier martyred, probably in A.D. 209, because he was a Christian.
In the 800’s and 900’s, the Danes attacked parts of the county. In 896, Alfred the Great’s army defeated the Danes in a battle that took place between Hertford and Ware. But the Danes occupied the land east of the River Lea. In 1066, William the Conqueror defeated the Saxons. He built castles at Berkhamsted and Hertford.
Many battles and skirmishes took place in Hertfordshire. The armies of King Stephen and, later, King John fought for the possession of Hertford. In 1381, John Ball, a priest and a leader of the Peasants’ Revolt, was executed at St. Albans. In the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485), important battles were fought at St. Albans and Barnet.
In 1801, Hertfordshire had a population of 97,000. The population expanded slowly until industries were established in the 1900’s. By 1961, the population had increased to more than 830,000, but changes to the southern boundary in an administrative reorganization led to a drop of about 45,000 in 1965.
Famous people born in Hertfordshire include Nicholas Brakespear, who became Pope Adrian IV in the 1100’s, the only Englishman to become pope; the inventor Sir Henry Bessemer; the poet Thomas Campion; and the statesman Cecil Rhodes.
