HERTFORD, an inland county, bounded on the NW by Beds, on the N by Cambridgeshire, on the E by Essex, on the S by Middlesex, on the SW by Bucks. Its outline is very irregular, but may be described as ovoidal, extending from NE to SW, pretty regular in the NE half, but very much indented in the SW half. Its E boundary, from about the middle southward, is traced by the rivers Stort and Lea. It greatest length is about 39 miles; its greatest breadth is about 27 miles; its circuit is about 135 miles, and its area, according to the returns furnished by the Ordnance Survey Department, is 406,161 statute acres. Its general appearance, though not strictly picturesque, is diversified and very pleasant. A portion of the Chiltern Hills is in the NW and the W, and has elevations of 904 feet at Kensworth and 664 at Little Offley. A range of high ground strikes from the neighbourhood of Kings Langley toward Berkhampstead and Tring, and in many parts commands extensive views. Another high ridge goes from St. Albans in a north-westerly direction toward Market Street, and several other ridges run nearly parallel with this from the vicinity of Sandridge, Wheathampstead, and Whitwell. Vantage-grounds to the S command charming views over Middlesex to the hills of Surrey, and scenes around Ware, North Mimms, Watford, Berkhampstead, Hemel Hempstead, and other places are very beautiful. Much beauty also is given to even the more common landscapes by parks, groves, and the prevalence of high live hedges, intermixed with fine trees.
The chief rivers are the Lea, the Rib, the Beane, the Quin, the Colne, the Ver, the Maran, and the New River. Mineral springs are at Barnet, Clothall, Northaw, and Watton. Small pendicles on the NW and N border consists of upper greensand and gault; the great bulk of the county, from end to end, consists of chalk, and a considerable tract along the SE and the S, contiguous to Essex and Middlesex, consists of lower eocene formations, chiefly London clay and plastic clay. A very small proportion of the area is waste or common, a fair proportion is under wood, and the rest, excepting what is occupied by towns, buildings, ways, and water, is all arable. The prevailing soils are loam and clay, and the former occurs in almost all varieties, more or less intermixed with chalk or sand.
The territory now forming Hertfordshire was chiefly possessed, prior to the Roman invasion, by the Casii or Cattieuchlani, became part of the Roman Flavia Cęsariensis, and was divided in the Saxon times between the East Saxon and the Mercian kingdoms. The Danes in the time of Alfred menaced it by going up the Lea, but were checked by the diverting of the Lea's waters into another channel. William the Conqueror's march through it was checked and modified by the Abbot of St. Albans. The barons in the time of Edward II. encamped at Wheathampstead. Many of the ringleaders of the insurrection under Wat Tyler were executed at St. Albans, where the king, with a guard of 1000 men, attended. Two sanguinary battles, in the war of the Yorkists and the Lancastrians, were fought in 1455 and 1461 at St. Albans. An early exploit of Cromwell, when he was yet only captain of his own troop of horse, consisted in seizing the high sheriff of the county on his way to St. Albans to denounce the parliamentary men as traitors. The Roman roads Watling Street, Icknield Street, and Ermine Street traverse the county. Roman stations were at Verulam and Brockley Hill, and Roman camps at other places. Roman coins have been plentifully found at Newsells and Ashwell. A Danish camp is at Ravensburgh, and barrows are at Stevenage and Widford. Old castles are at Hertford, Berkhampstead, Kings Langley, Bishops Stortford, Rye House, and Standon. Ancient monastic edifices are at St. Albans, Ware, Boyston, Sopwell, Rownea, and Cheshunt; a Templars' preceptory was at Temple Chelsing, and old churches are at Baldock, Royston, Kensworth, Tewin, and Ayot St Lawrence.
The administrative county contains 140 entire civil parishes, and parts of 5 others. The ancient county contains 159 entire ecclesiastical parishes or districts, and parts of 8 others, most of which are in the diocese of St. Albans, and is divided into the boroughs of Hertford and St. Albans, and the hundreds of Braughing, Broadwater, Cashio, Dacorum, Edwinstree, Hertford, Hitchin, and Odsey. The capital town is Hertford, but it has a smaller population than St. Albans, which in 1877 was created, by letters patent, a cathedral city. The other towns are Baldock, Barnet, Berkhampstead, Bishops Stortford, Cheshunt, Much Hadham, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, Rickmansworth, Royston, Sawbridgeworth, Stevenage, Tring, Watford, Ware, and Welwyn. The market-towns are Barnet, Great Berkhampstead, Bishops Stortford, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, Royston, St. Albans, Tring, Ware, and Watford, and there are upwards of 450 villages and hamlets. The chief seats are Hatfield House, Cashiobury, Gorhambury, the Grove, Panshanger, Tyttenhanger Park, Moor Park, Balls Park, Batchwood, Bedwell Park, Gadebridge, Brockett Hall, Lockleys, Theobalds, Wormley Bury, Albury Hall, Aldenham, Ashlyns, Aspenden Hall, Ayot House, Bennington, Brickendonbury, Briggins Park, Brookmans, Broxbourne Bury, Champneys, Cheshunt, Childwick, Cokenatch, Coles Park, Dane End House, Danesbury, Digswell House, Essendon Place, the Frythe, Gaddesden Place, Gilston Park, Hadham Hall, Hamels Park, Julians, King's Walden, Knebworth House, Marden Hill, Newsell's Park, North Mimms Park, Oaklands, Offley, Potterells, Rickmansworth Hall, Rothamsted Hall, Tewin Water, Tring Park, Ware Park, Wheathampstead House, Woodhall Park, Woolmers, Wyddial Park, and Yew-Tree House.