BERKHAMPSTEAD, or ST-PETER'S (GREAT), a market-town and parish, in
the hundred of DACORUM,
county of HERTFORD, 25rj
miles (W. by S.) from Hertford,
and 26 (N. W. by W.)
from London, on the road to
Holyhead, containing 2310
inhabitants. The Saxonname
of this place, Berghamstede,
is derived from its situation,
either on a hill, or near a fortress, which latter, from
the site of the present town, appears to be the more probable.
It is a town of considerable antiquity, the kings
of Mercia having had a castle here, to which circumstance
its early growth and subsequent importance may
be attributed. According to Spelman, Wihtred, King
of Kent, assisted at a council held here, in 697. At
the time of the Conquest, William, on his arrival at
this place, was met by Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury,
who tendered his submission; but on leaving
Berkhampstead, his march was greatly obstructed by
the opposition of Frederick, abbot of St. Albans, who
caused'the roads to be blocked up, by cutting down the
trees, and, on his arrival at St. Albans, exacted from
him an oath that he would observe the ancient laws of
the realm, particularly those of Edward the Confessor.
Robert, Earl of Moreton, to whom the Conqueror gave
this town, built a castle here, which was subsequently
taken from his son William, who had rebelled against
Henry I., and by that monarch's order rased to .the
ground. Henry II. held his court here for some time,
and conferred many privileges on the town. The castle
was rebuilt in the reign of John, and soon after besieged
by Lewis, Dauphin of France, who had come over to
assist the barons that were in arms against the
king. In the 11 th of Edward III., Berkhampstead sent
two representatives to the great council at Westminster.
James I., who selected this place as a nursery for his
children, granted the inhabitants a charter of incorporation;
but they were so impoverished during the
civil war in the reign of his son Charles I., that they
were unable to maintain their privileges, whereby the
charter became forfeited. The town is pleasantly situated
in a deep valley, on the south-western bank of the
river Bulbourne, and consists of two streets intersecting
at right angles, the principal of which, nearly a
mile in length, contains several handsome houses: the
air is highly salubrious, and the inhabitants are amply
supplied with water. Assemblies are held regularly
during the season. The manufacture of wooden bowls,
spoons, and other articles of a like kind, formerly prevailed,
but it is on the decline; and the making of lace,
which was also carried on extensively, has given place
to the platting of straw, in which, at present, the female
part of the population are principally employed. The
Grand Junction canal, which passes by the town,
affords an extensive line of inland navigation. The
market is on Saturday; the market-house is an ancient
building in the centre of the town. Fairs are held on
Shrove-Tuesday and Whit-Monday, and there is also a
statute fair at Michaelmas. The county magistrates hold
a petty session on the first and third Tuesdays in every
month; and courts leet for the honour of Berkhamp-
stead, which is part of the duchy of Cornwall, are held
at Whitsuntide and Michaelmas. The prison is used as
a house of correction, and for the temporary confinement
of malefactors previously to their committal to
the county gaol.
The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Huntingdon,
and diocese of Lincoln, rated in the king's
books at £20, and in the patronage of the King, as
Duke of Cornwall. The church, dedicated to St. Peter,
is a spacious cruciform structure, exhibiting some fine
portions in the several styles of English architecture:
the tower, rising from the intersection, and highly enriched
with sculpture, was built by Richard Torrington,
in the reign of Henry VIII.: within the church are two
chapels at the eastern end, one dedicated to St.
John, the other to St. Catherine, and some interesting
monuments. There are places of worship for Baptists,
the Society of Friends, and Independents. The
free grammar school was founded in the reign of
Henry VIII., and endowed with lands belonging to the
dissolved guild of St. John the Baptist. In the succeeding
reign it was made a royal foundation, the
master, usher, and chaplain, were incorporated by act
of parliament, and the Warden of All Souls' College,
Oxford, was appointed visitor. The school was originally
endowed for one hundred and forty-four scholars, but,
for the last twenty years, not one boy has received
any instruction; the establishment is at present under
investigation in the court of Chancery. The premises
are situated on one side of the churchyard, and consist
of a school-room and houses for the master and
usher. A charity school, for twenty boys and ten girls,
was founded in 1727, by Mr. Thomas Bourne, who endowed
it with £ 8000: the property now consists of
£9300 in the New South Sea annuities, and there are
at present thirty boys and twenty girls in the school.
Almshouses for six aged widows were founded, in
1681, and endowed with £1000, by Mr. John Sayer;
the endowment was augmented with £300 by his widow,
and subsequently with £26. 5. per annum by Mrs.
Martha Deere. King James I. gave £ 100, and Charles I.
£200, for providing employment and fuel for the poor,
and there are also several other bequests for charitable
uses. There are slight vestiges of the ancient
residence of the Mercian kings, on the north side of
the town, and at the north-east end of Castle-street are
the remains of the castle, consisting principally of
walls of an elliptical form, defended on the north-west
side by a double, and on the other sides by a triple,
moat; the entrance was at the south-east angle, where
there are two wide piers, between which probably was the
drawbridge. At the end of the High-street is a spring
of clear water, called St. James' Well, to which medicinal
properties are attributed. An ancient hospital,
dedicated to St. James, formerly existed here, but there
are no vestiges of it. The poet Cowper was born here
in 1731.