HERTFORD, County of, Hertfordshire, or Herts, an inland county in the south-east of England, is situated between 51° 36’ and 52° 5’ N. lat. and 0° 13’ E. and 0° 45’ W. long. It is bounded on the N. by Cambridgeshire, N.W. by Bedfordshire, E. by Essex, 8. by Middlesex, and S.W. by Buckinghamshire. The area comprises 391,141 acres or 611 square miles.
The aspect of the county is pleasant and picturesque, its surface being broken by gentle undulations which in some parts form a quick succession of hills and valleys. The highest summit is Kensworth Hill on the border of Bedfordshire, about 910 feet above sea-level. Fine oak and other trees are grown in the hedges, and from being pruned obliquely they form high walls of living timber shading narrow winding lanes. The arable and pasture lands of the farms are intermingled with the parks and ornamental woods of the country seats which are scattered thickly throughout the county. These features, varied by its winding rivers, impart to it a peculiar beauty, while in luxuriance it is not surpassed by any county in England.
The principal rivers are the Lea, which, rising some miles beyond Luton in Bedfordshire and entering Hertfordshire at Hidemill, flows south-east to Hatfield and then east by north to Hertford and Ware, whence it bends southward, and passing along the eastern boundary of the county falls into the Thames a little below London, having received in its course the Maram, the Beane, the Rib, and the Stort, which all flow southward in the north-eastern part of the county, the Stort for some distance forming the boundary between it and Essex; the Colne, which, flowing through the south-western part of the county, falls into the Thames at Brentford, having received in its course the Ver, the Bulborne, and the Gade; the Ivel, which, rising in the north-west of the county, soon passes into Bedfordshire. The New Miver, one of the water supplies of London, made by Sir Hugh Myddelton (1607–13), has its source in some springs near Ware, and runs parallel for many miles with the Lea. The Grand Junction Canal from London to Bir- mingham traverses the south-west corner of the county, passing by Watford and Berkhampstead. There are mineral springs in the parishes of Chipping Barnet, Northaw, and Watton.
Geologically the county consists of Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks, the greater part being Lower, Middle, and Upper Chalk, which in the south-eastern part of the county are covered by Tertiary deposits belonging to the London basin. Over a large part of the eastern side of the county there are superficial deposits of glacial origin, and on the western side there are traces of the Lower Tertiary beds having formerly extended over a much wider area, outliers of the beds being of not unfrequent occurrence, and the drift deposits on the chalk hills being largely composed of their debris. The vales traversed by the rivers and streams exhibit in the bottoms a rich sandy loam > the sloping sides are covered by loams of inferior quality ; and the flat surface of the high ground is generally formed of a loam of reddish hue tending towards common clay, with which it is often confounded.
The climate is mild, dry, and remarkably salubrious. On. this account the London physicians were accustomed to recommend the county for persons in weak health, and 1t was so much coveted by the noble and wealthy as a place of residence, that it was @ common saying—<“‘ He who buys a home in Hertfordshire pays t ra pays two years’ pur chase for the air,”
According to the agricultural returns for 1879, the total area of arable land was 339,187 acres, of which 145,666 acres were under corn crops, 39,443 under green crops, 88,416 under rotation grasses, 97,548 permanent pasture, and 18,111 fallow. The area under woods was 20,714 acres. It will thus be seen that the main produce of Hertfordshire iscorn. The principal crop is wheat, which in 1879 occupied 59,363 acres. The varieties mostly grown are white, amd they are not surpassed by those of any county in England. Wheathampstead on the river Lea receives its name from the fine quality of the wheat grown in that district. Of barley, which is largely made use of in the county for malting purposes, there were 49,129 acres in 1879, and of oats only 25,779. Little or no rye is grown, and of pease and beans together there were in 1879 only a little over 11,000 acres. Of green crops, turnips and Swedes occupied in 1879 an area of 21,578 acres, while potatoes had only 2576. Vetches are largely grown for the London stables, extending to 8191 acres in 1879. The greater part of the permanent grass is made use of for hay. There are some very rich pastures on the banks of the river Stort, extending from Hertford to Hockeril on the borders of the river Lea, and also near Rickmansworth, where they are watered by the river Colne. The percentage of cultivated area in 1879 was 86°7 instead of 85°71 in 1870; of area under corn crops 37°2 instead of 38°5; under green crops 10°1 instead of 11°5 ; under rotation grasses 9°8 instead of 10°2; and of permanent pasture 24-9 instead of 22°0. The most common system of rotation is the five-course—turnips or fallow, barley, clover, wheat, oats. In the south-west part of the county large quantities of cherries and apples are grown for the London market. On the best soils nearest to London culinary vegetables are forced by the aid of rich manure, and more than one crop are sometimes obtained in a year.
Generally- speaking, the quantity of stock kept is small. Not much attention is paid to the breeds of cattle, but among cows the Suffolk variety is the most common. The number of cattle in 1879 was only 31,754, or an average of 9°3 to every 100 acres under cultivation, the average for England being 11°9, and for the United Kingdom 21:0. Of these the number ef cows in milk or in calf was 11,802. The number of horses in 1879 was 15,022, or an average of 4°4 to every 100 acres, theaverage for England being 4°5 and for the United Kingdom 4°1. The horses used for agricultural purposes are chiefly Suffolk punches. The number of sheep in 1879 was 171,133, or an average of 50°4 to every 100 acres under cultivation, the average for England being 75°3, and for the United Kingdom 68°0. The principal kinds are the Southdown and Wiltshire, and a cross between Cotswolds and Leicesters.- Pigs in 1879 numbered 30, 404, or an average of 8-9 to every 100 acres under cultivation, the average for England being 7-2, and that for the United Kingdom 6:7.
In Hertfordshire the number of resident proprietors is very large, which circumstance, as well as the proximity to London, has doubtless greatly aided the development of agricultural enterprise. The average extent of the farms is about 200 acres, and the modern improvements are everywhere adopted.
According to the return of owners of land for 1872-73, the soil was divided among 12,387 proprietors, holding land the pross annual rental of which was £1,163,192. Of the owners 77 per cent. held less than one acre, and the total annual value for the county was £2, 17s. 34d. per acre. There were only eight proprietors who held upwards of 4000 acres, viz., Marquis of Salisbury, Hatfield, 13,389; Abel Smith, Watton, 10,212; Earl Cowper, Panshanger, 10,122; Earl of Verulam, Gorhambury, St Albans, 8625 ; Earl Brownlow, Ashridge Park, 8551; Lord Dacre, The Hoo, Welwyn, 7100; Charles C. Hale, King’s Walden, 6558; and Earl of Essex, Cashiobury Park, Watford, 6157. W. R. Baker, Bayfordbury, comes next with 3911 acres.
The staple trade of the county is in corn and malt, most of which is sent to the metropolis. There are numerous flour-mills, as well as breweries, tanneries, tile-works, and coach factories, but the principal manufactures are paper, silk, and straw plait.
Hertfordshire is so much intersected by railways that no place in any part of the county is more than 5 miles distant from a station. On the eastern border there is the Great Eastern, with branches to Hertford and Buntingford. The middle of the county is traversed by the Great Northern, with branches from Hatfield to Hertford, Luton, Dunstable, and St Albans, and from Hitchin to Royston, and thence to Cambridge. The Midland passes through St Albans, with branches to the Great Northern and London and North- Western. The London and North-Western traverses the south- western corner.
The county comprises 8 hundreds, and the municipal boroughs of Hertford and St Albans. The principal towns are the municipal and parliamentary borough of Hertford (municipal borough, 7169), the city of St Albans (8298), Hitchin (7630), Watford (7461), Bishop Stortford (6250), Hemel-Hempstead (5996), Ware (4917), Berkhampstead (4083), Tring (4045), Barnet (3720). For parliamentary representation the county is an undivided constituency, and returns three members, while one member is returned for the borough of Hertford. Hertfordshire is in the south-eastern circuit. There were formerly two courts of quarter sessions, one for the
