Markyate

Last updated

Markyate
Cell Park, Markyate (geograph 2584464).jpg
Cell Park, Markyate
Hertfordshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Markyate
Location within Hertfordshire
Population3,135 (2011 Census) [1]
OS grid reference TL065165
Civil parish
  • Markyate
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town ST ALBANS
Postcode district AL3
Dialling code 01582
Police Hertfordshire
Fire Hertfordshire
Ambulance East of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Hertfordshire
51°50′10″N0°27′18″W / 51.836°N 0.455°W / 51.836; -0.455

Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Contents

Geography

The name of the village has had several former variants, including Markyate Street, Market Street and Mergyate. Markyate historically straddled Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire until boundary changes in 1897 placed it entirely in Hertfordshire. Markyate is close to the source of the River Ver, which has occasionally flooded the centre of the village, though the watercourse is often dry during parts of the year.

Markyate forms part of the borough of Dacorum (administered from Hemel Hempstead), but has Luton (01582) phone numbers and a St Albans postal code (AL3). Although historically a rural and agricultural area, it is now a dormitory village for Luton and the surrounding region, as it is a short distance from junction 9 of the M1 motorway.

The village lies near the junction of the A5183 Watling Street (formerly the A5 until de-trunking) and the B4540 (for Luton and Caddington). A bypass for the A5 was constructed to the east of the village in 1955.

History

Markyate lies on the Roman road of Watling Street, approximately halfway between St Albans and Dunstable. Through the village Watling Street is called High Street.

A Benedictine convent was founded in 1145 in a wood just north of Markyate, which was known as both "Holy Trinity in the Wood" and Markyate Priory. The first prioress was Christina of Markyate. The priory was dissolved around 1537, following the Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535. [2] Shortly after the priory's dissolution a large country house was built on the site, called Markyate Cell, and now known as Cell Park.

Markyate's position on Watling Street made it a coaching stop on the stagecoach routes from London to Birmingham and Holyhead, especially after the road was upgraded by Thomas Telford in the early 1800s, when it became known as the Holyhead Road. At one point Markyate had over forty inns and public houses along the main road.

The village was one of the earliest sites of the Pickfords transport service.[ citation needed ] One road in the village is now called Pickford Road.

Growth since the 1950s has been by infilling with new housing in the gap between the High Street and the newer Markyate by-pass. In 2014 most of the village's light industry area off Hicks Road was demolished, to be replaced by new housing and shops.

Governance

Markyate historically straddled three parishes and two counties. The southern part of the village (south of Buckwood Road and Hicks Road) was in the parish of Flamstead in Hertfordshire. The north-eastern part of the village (east of High Street and north of Hicks Road) was in the part of the parish of Caddington which was in Hertfordshire. The north-western part of the village (west of High Street and north of Buckwood Road) was in a detached part of the parish of Studham, known as Humbershoe. Humbershoe became a separate civil parish in 1866, although remained part of the ecclesiastical parish of Studham. [3] [4] When Poor Law Unions were established in 1835, the parish of Flamstead was included in the Hemel Hempstead Poor Law Union, whilst Caddington and Studham parishes were included in the Luton Poor Law Union, meaning that the poor from Markyate were sent to either Hemel Hempstead or Luton workhouses depending on where in the village they lived. [5] [6]

An ecclesiastical parish was created on 30 October 1877, called "St John Markyate Street", covering parts of the parishes of Caddington, Flamstead, Studham (Humbershoe) and an exclave of Houghton Regis known as Buckwood Stubbs, which was a rural area to the north-west of the village. [7] [8] [9] A chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist had been built in 1734 on the edge of the Markyate Cell estate as a chapel of ease to Caddington, and it became the parish church of the new ecclesiastical parish. [10] [11]

Proposals to change the civil boundaries to match the ecclesiastical parish were put forward in 1888, but not implemented at that time. When district councils were established in December 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894, the ecclesiastical parish of Markyate found itself straddling three districts: Markyate Rural District, which despite the name only covered the parts of the village in the civil parish of Caddington, Hemel Hempstead Rural District covering the parts of the village in Flamstead, and Luton Rural District covering the parts of the village in Humbershoe and Houghton Regis civil parishes. This gave rise to confusion, with one candidate's nomination at the election in December 1894 being invalid for assuming that Humbershoe was in the Markyate district, when it was in the Luton district. [12]

An inquiry was held at Luton in February 1896 into a proposal to create a civil parish to match the ecclesiastical parish of Markyate and make other changes to rationalise the border between Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in this area. As an illustration of the absurdity of the existing arrangements in Markyate, it was said that dogs did not have to be muzzled on one side of the road, but they did on the other. There was general agreement that Markyate should be brought into a single parish and district, but some debate as to whether it should be placed in the Luton Rural District in Bedfordshire or the Hemel Hempstead Rural District in Hertfordshire. [13] Eventually it was decided to place the new civil parish in Hemel Hempstead Rural District in Hertfordshire. The changes came into effect on 30 September 1897, with Markyate then being united as a single civil parish entirely in Hertfordshire. [14] [15]

The first meeting of Markyate Parish Council was held on 10 November 1897 in the village school. Frederick William Partridge, a Liberal, was elected the first chairman of the parish council. He had previously been the chairman of the Markyate Rural District Council. [16] [17]

The Hemel Hempstead Rural District was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, and since 1 April 1974 the civil parish of Markyate has formed part of the district of Dacorum (which gained borough status in 1984).

The Gainsborough film The Wicked Lady was based on events surrounding the life of Lady Katherine Ferrers the wife of the major landowner in the area at Markyate Cell. Parts of the film The Dirty Dozen were also filmed in the village and surrounding area, the stockade being built in the grounds of the local preparatory school.

Facilities

The Old School House, Cheverell's Green The Old School House, Cheverell's Green - geograph.org.uk - 233178.jpg
The Old School House, Cheverell's Green

Markyate has two junior schools: Markyate JMI (state) and Beechwood Park School (independent). The latter is south-west of the village in Beechwood Park, the site of a former Benedictine nunnery. Adjacent to the park was an Army Y-station during the Second World War. Beechwood Park lent its name to a song by the Zombies, written by the group's bassist Chris White. [18] The song has since been covered by Beck in live shows. [19]

The parish church of St John Markyate dates from the 18th century, and retains some round-arched windows from that time. Due to enlargement in the nineteenth century it now appears gothic from most directions. St John's is home to a worshipping community of the Church of England and is part of the united parish of Flamstead and Markyate. [20]

From its height in the coaching era, only two public houses now remain in the village: the Plume of Feathers and the Swan. The White Hart closed in the early 1970s, followed by the Red Lion at the end of 2009 and Sun Inn in 2014, all of which became private dwellings. A micro-pub 'the Local' opened within the village in 2016. Being near the M1 motorway and Luton Airport, there is a large three-star Holiday Inn hotel just south-east of the village.

Markyate has four Indian restaurants including Saffron (on the A5183) plus The Pavilion, Markyate Tandoori, and Markyate Spice all on the High Street, with the latter being named Best Chef at the Curry Life Awards 2018. [21] There has also been a fish and chips shop in the village since the 1960s.

Markyate also offers a gym, a pharmacy and doctors' surgery, a general store, and a bakers.

Notable residents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dagnall</span> Human settlement in England

Dagnall is a village in the parish of Edlesborough, in Buckinghamshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nettleden</span> Human settlement in England

Nettleden is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Nettleden with Potten End, in the Dacorum district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is in the Chiltern Hills, about four miles north-west of Hemel Hempstead, near Little Gaddesden, Great Gaddesden and Frithsden. In 1931 the parish had a population of 133.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dacorum</span> Local government district in England

Dacorum is a local government district with borough status in Hertfordshire, England. The council is based in Hemel Hempstead. The borough also includes the towns of Berkhamsted and Tring and surrounding villages. The borough had a population of 155,081 in 2021. Dacorum was created in 1974 and is named after the ancient hundred of Dacorum which had covered a similar area. The borough of Dacorum is the westernmost of Hertfordshire's ten districts. It borders St Albans, Three Rivers, Buckinghamshire and Central Bedfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Studham</span> Human settlement in England

Studham is a village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire. It has a population of 1,128. The parish bounds to the south of the Buckinghamshire border, and to the east is the Hertfordshire border. The village lies in the wooded south facing dip slope of the Chiltern Hills. The hamlet of Holywell is located to the north of Studham, and forms part of the same civil parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemel Hempstead (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom 1918-1983 & 1997 onwards

Hemel Hempstead is a constituency in Hertfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system. Since 2005, it has been represented by Mike Penning, a member of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caddington</span> Human settlement in England

Caddington is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is between the Luton/Dunstable urban area, and St.Albans/HarpendenHertfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luton Rural District</span> History of Bedfordshire

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemel Hempstead Rural District</span> Former English rural district

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flamstead</span> Human settlement in England

Flamstead is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, England, close to the junction of the A5 and the M1 motorway at junction 9. The name is thought by some historians to be a corruption of the original Verulamstead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slip End</span> Human settlement in England

Slip End is a village and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. The village is located very near to Luton. As well as the village of Slip End, the parish contains the hamlets of Lower Woodside, Woodside and Pepperstock. In 2001 it had a population of 1,976, reducing to 1,831 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whipsnade</span> Human settlement in England

Whipsnade is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, about 2+12 miles (4.0 km) south-south-west of Dunstable on the top of the Dunstable Downs, which drop away steeply to the south of the village.

Luton is a large town located in the south of Bedfordshire, England.

Ballingdon Bottom is a valley in Hertfordshire, England. It forms part of the boundary between the civil parishes of Flamstead and Great Gaddesden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Gaddesden</span> Human settlement in England

Great Gaddesden is a village and civil parish in Dacorum Hundred in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, north of Hemel Hempstead. The parish borders Flamstead, Hemel Hempstead, Nettleden and Little Gaddesden and also Studham in Bedfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kensworth</span> Human settlement in England

Kensworth is a village and civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The parish is located on the edge of Dunstable Downs, and includes the hamlets of California and Kensworth Lynch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markyate Priory</span>

Markyate Priory was a Benedictine priory in Bedfordshire, England. It was established in 1145 and disestablished in 1537.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechwood Park (mansion)</span> Preparatory day and boarding school in St Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Beechwood Park was a mansion, near Markyate, Hertfordshire, England. It now houses Beechwood Park School.

References

  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  2. "Houses of Benedictine Nuns: The Priory of Markyate". A History of the County of Bedford, Volume 1. London: Victoria County History. 1904. pp. 358–361. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  3. "Humbershoe Hamlet / Civil Parish". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  4. "Humbershoe". Bedfordshire Archives. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  5. Higginbotham, Peter. "Hemel Hempstead Poor Law Union". The Workhouse. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  6. Higginbotham, Peter. "Luton Poor Law Union". The Workhouse. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  7. "The hundred of Manshead: Introduction | British History Online". British-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  8. "Notes concerning the title to Buckwood". The National Archives. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  9. "Tithe map of Buckwood Stubbs [Buckwood Stubs] (district in the parish of Houghton..." The National Archives. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  10. London Gazette, 30 October 1877, page 5853
  11. "Church of St John the Baptist". Historic England. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  12. The Guardians’ and Rural District Councillors’ Nominations, Bedfordshire Advertiser (Luton), 7 December 1894, page 6
  13. The Beds and Herts Boundary Question, Bedfordshire Advertiser (Luton), 6 March 1896, page 7
  14. Last Meeting of the Markyate District Council, Luton News and Bedfordshire Chronicle, 30 September 1897, page 4
  15. Local and Personal Acts. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1897. p. 561. Retrieved 26 September 2021. The Counties of Bedford and Hertford (Caddington, &c.) Order 1897
  16. Markyate Street: Parish Council, Luton News, 18 November 1897, page 3
  17. Death of Mr. F.W. Partridge, Herts Advertiser (St Albans), 21 July 1900, page 2
  18. "Beechwood Park by the Zombies in Hertfordshire, London". songplaces.com. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  19. "Beck Song Information - Beechwood Park". whiskeyclone.net. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  20. "Welcome to Church 2021". St Leonard's Church Flamstead and St John's Church Markyate. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  21. "MARKYATE SPICE (Best Chef) – Currylife Awards" . Retrieved 25 April 2019.