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THE RIGHT HONORABLE

GEORGE CAPEL CONINGSBY,

EARL OF ESSEX,

VISCOUNT MALDEN, AND BARON CAPEL OF HADHAM, LORD LIEUTENANT OF THE COUNTY OF HERE ford,

HIGH STEWARD OF LEOMINSTER,

AND

VICE PRESIDEnt of thE BENEVOLENT, INSTITUTION,

THIS VOLUME

OF

Topographical, Historical, Descriptive, and Literary,

DELINEATIONS IN THE COUNTIES OF

HERTFORD, HUNTINGDON, & KENT,

IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED,

IN

GRATEFUL MEMORIAL

FOR THE

FAVORS CONFERRED BY HIM

ON HIS OBEDIENT SERVANT, EDWARD WEDLAKE BRAYLEY.

Newman Street, Oxford Street,

August, 1808.

405217

THE completion of the present VOLUME once more gives me

an opportunity of speaking in the first person; and I seize it with eagerness, to express the grateful and strong sense which I feel for the many kindnesses I have received from the numerous Gentlemen of whom I have had occasion to make enquiries during its progress and also to acknowledge my obligations to the many Friends and Correspondents who have favored me with information, either verbally or by letter. The extent of my own researches, though by no means commensurate with my wishes, has been fully equal to what can be accomplished in a Periodical Publication of this kind, and will be readily appreciated by those acquainted with the Counties herein described. Taking the Histories of Chauncy and Salmon for a ground-work in the account of HERTFORDSHIRE, I have been enabled to correct various mistakes of those Authors, to supply many of their omissions, and to add much new matter; particularly as to what regards the present state of places and parishes. In these efforts I have been greatly assisted (and for that assistance I return my most sincere thanks) by my friends, MR. THOMAS FISHER, and THOMAS BLORE, Esq. The former Gentleman, with a liberality which can be duly estimated only by those acquainted with the expence and trouble of making Topographical Memoranda on the spot, has not scrupled to lay open his extensive Collections, both in this County and in Kent, for my service; a privilege of which I have made great use, as it saved me the labor of travelling over much ground; the unquestionable accuracy of his remarks and drawings, rendering any corroboration from personal review utterly superfluous. With a similar degree of liberality, Mr. Blore, also, who has made many Collections relating to the descent of property in Herts, permitted me to make whatever extracts from his papers I judged sufficiently to accord with the nature of my own Work. For reading the proof sheets of St. Alban's, and for various useful remarks and notices, I am highly indebted to JAMES BROWN, Esq. of that town; who, to the information of the scholar, unites the urbanity of the gentleman. Among the other individuals whose polite attentions I am at liberty to acknowledge, I have the pleasure to include the EARLS of CLARENDON and ESSEX, (the latter for the loan of a very searce and valuable book,) LORD VISCOUNT GRIMSTON, and MISS GRIMSTON, the COUNTESS DOWAGER SPENCER, the RIGHT HONORABLE CHARLES Yorke, George ANDERSON, Esq. RICHARD GOUGH, Esq. the Rev. MR. NEWCOME, GEORGE HARRIS, Esq. THOMAS BROOKE, Esq. George FOSTER, Esq. and MR. J. ANDREws.

For

For the Description of HUNTINGDONSHIRE, independent of my own researches, I have been principally indebted to the Cotton Manuscript, (of which some account will be found in the List of Books,) and to the Latin Histories of Ramsey and Ely, published by Gale these, with the general accounts given in Camden and Gough, and the scattered notices in Noble's Cromwell, constitute nearly the whole of my authorities. Many of the Parishes described, I have myself visited in three different excursions; and I should again have traversed the County, but from the miscarriage of some materials, which lost me much time; from the necessity of completing the Volume during the present month; and from a continued indisposition of several weeks. This explanation will, I hope, be sufficiently satisfactory to those Gentlemen whom I had engaged to call on in Huntingdonshire, as well as to some others who have favoured me with introductory Letters, which I have not been enabled to use; and particularly J. Brydges, Esq. the Rev. F. Wrangham, and the Right Hon. Lord Carysfort. I stand equally indebted to their friendly intentions, though thus prevented from deriving that advantage from their favours which I had fondly promised to myself. For many personal civilities, and various information in respect to this County, I have to return my acknowledgments to the REY. MR. BAYLEY, the REV. MR. PANCHEN, and Desborough, Esq. of Huntingdon; the REV. MR. SHERARD, Godmanchester; the REV. F. G. PANTING, St. Ives; CAPTAIN WILLIAMS, Norman Cross Barracks; OLINTHUS GREGORY, ESQ. Woolwich; the REV. J. ALLANSON, Uppingham; the REV. R. TILLARD, Bluntisham; WILLIAM OWEN, ESQ. COLONEL WHITE, J. A. THOMPSON, ESO. and MR. WALMSLEY. The Engravings of Colney House, Herts. and the Interior of Rochester Cathedral, are contributed to this Work; the former by George Anderson, Esq. the latter by Mr. Thomas Fisher.

As I purpose immediately to proceed with the description of MIDDLESEX for the Tenth Volume, I shall be much obliged by the Communication of any materials, either in correction or addition, to what has been published relating to that County. The permission to look over any Illustrated Copies of Pennant, Lysons, or Malcolm, will be considered as a favor.

August 29, 180s.

E. W. BRAYLEY, Newman Street, Oxford Street.

THE

BEAUTIES

ОР

England and Wales.

HERTFORDSHIRE.

HERTFORDSHIRE, with the adjoining counties of BEDFORD

and BUCKINGHAM, was, previous to the Roman Invasion, chiefly possessed by the CASSII, or CATIEUCHLANI: both these appellations are nearly of the same import, and signify men in hostility, or, of battle; but the latter has an addition, denoting, that they lived in coverts, or woods. In the British language, the term Cassii would be written Casi, Casiaid, Casion, &c. The other would be Cati-y-Gwyllon, Catau-y-Gwyllon, Catwylloni Cadwylloniaid, Catwylloni, and Catwyllonwys; implying the Battlers, or Warriors of the Coverts.*

Cassivelaunus, the Sovereign of the Cassii, who was chosen to lead the associated Britons against the Romans under Cæsar, is thought to have had a principal residence, or city, at Verulam; at that period a strong situation, contiguous to the modern St. Albans, and afterwards advanced to the rank of a Municipium. On his defeat, and the consequent fall of his capital, he submitted to the Roman arms; though Cæsar, even according to the evidence of his own Commentaries, was obliged to depart from the Island without securing the full advantages of his recent success. After Nov. 1805.

A 3

the

*Owen's Cambrian Register. It should be observed, that Mr. Whitaker gives a different explanation of the term Catieuchlani, which, according to him, is, "only Catieu-chlan-i; the Clan of the Catti, or Cassii." Hist, of Manchester, Vol. I. p. 66.