Boundary changes affecting the English county of
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...
. The county borders
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...
to the west,
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
and
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to t ...
to the north,
Essex
Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
to the east and
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness
Greatness is a concept of a state of superiority affecting a person or object in a particular place or area. Greatness can also be attributed to individuals who possess a natural ability to be better than al ...
to the south. Until 1965 it had a southern boundary with
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
.
Summary
Apart from a number of minor exchanges of land with surrounding counties, the alterations in Hertfordshire's boundaries involved the following:
*The county had four exclaves that were integrated into their surrounding counties in 1844, and a set of six small enclaves of Bedfordshire was annexed.
*In the south, the boundary with Middlesex was somewhat complex, with Hertfordshire forming a long protrusion into it. In 1889 Hertfordshire gained some territory in this area and when Greater London was formed in 1965 the whole area, including Barnet and East Barnet, became part of the new county. Potters Bar in Middlesex was surrounded by Hertfordshire on three sides, and it was transferred to it in 1965, along with South Mimms.
*In the north, the town of Royston was partly in Cambridgeshire until 1896
*In the north west there were various irregularities in the boundaries with Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire which were adjusted in the years from 1883 to 1897.
*In the south west the growth of the towns of Chorleywood and Rickmansworth necessitated an adjustment of the boundary with Buckinghamshire in 1906.
*More recently, the boundary with Greater London has been partially aligned to the
M25 motorway
The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 the lon ...
.
List of changes
See also
Notes
* These areas were merged with other areas to form the urban district and civil parish of Royston 1 October 1897 (Local Government Board Order 36,608)
* The area included the following places:
Arkley
Arkley is an area of north London, England, within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located north-northwest of Charing Cross.
It consists of a long village strung out between Barnet and Stirling Corner, roughly centred on the "Gate" pub, ...
,
Barnet,
East Barnet,
Monken Hadley
Monken Hadley is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. An ancient country village north of Barnet, it is now a suburban development on the very edge of Greater London north north-west of Charing Cross, while retaining much of its rural c ...
,
New Barnet
New Barnet is a neighbourhood on the north east side of the London Borough of Barnet. It is a largely residential North London suburb located east of Chipping Barnet, west of Cockfosters, south of the village of Monken Hadley and north of O ...
,
Totteridge
Totteridge is a residential area and former village in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a mixture of suburban development and open land (including some farmland) situated 8 miles (13 km) north north-west of Charing Cross. It ...
References
{{Hertfordshire
History of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...