HATFIELD

This article appears in Volume V13, Page 62 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: HAN-HEG

HATFIELD , a town in the Mid or St Albans parliamentary division of

Hertfordshire

HERTFORDSHIRE [HERrs]

, England, 171 M. N. of London by the

Great

GREAT

Northern railway. Pop. (1901), 4754. It lies picturesquely on the flank of a wooded bill, and about its foot, past which runs the

Great

GREAT

North Road. The church of St Etheldreda, well situated towards the top of the hill, contains an Early English round arch with the dog-tooth moulding, but for the rest is Decorated and Perpendicular, and largely restored. The chapel north of the chancel is known as the Salisbury chapel, and was erected by Robert Cecil, first

earl

EARL

of Salisbury (d. 1612), who was buried here. It is in a mixture of classic and

Gothic

GOTHIC

styles. In a private portion of the churchyard is buried, among others of the family, the third marquess of Salisbury (d. 1903). In the vicinity is Hatfield

House

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

, close to the site of a palace of the bishops of Ely, which was erected about the beginning of the 12th century. From this palace comes the proper form of the name of the town, Bishop's Hatfield. In 1538 the manor was resigned to

Henry

VIII. by Bishop Thomas Goodrich of Ely, in exchange for certain lands in

Cambridge

, Essex and Norfolk; and after that monarch the palace was successively the residence of Edward VI. immediately before his accession, of Queen Elizabeth during the reign of her sister Mary, and of James I. The last-named exchanged it in 1607 for Theobalds, near Cheshunt, in the same county, an estate of Robert Cecil,

earl

EARL

of Salisbury, in whose family Hatfield

House

has since remained. The west wing of the present

mansion

MANSION (through O. Fr. mansion, mod. maison, from Lat. mansio, dwelling-place, stage on a journey; manere, to remain)

, built for Cecil in 16o8-1611, was destroyed by fire in November 1835, the dowager marchioness of Salisbury, widow of the 1st marquess, perishing in the flames. Hatfield House was built, and has been restored and maintained, in the richest style of its period, both without and within. The buildings of mellowed red brick now used as stables and offices are, however, of a period far anterior to Cecil's time, and are probably part of the erection of John Morton, bishop of Ely in 1478-1486. The park

measures

MEASURES

some Io m. in circumference. From the eminence on which the

mansion

MANSION (through O. Fr. mansion, mod. maison, from Lat. mansio, dwelling-place, stage on a journey; manere, to remain)

stands the ground falls towards the river Lea, which here expands into a small lake. Beyond this is a rare example of a monks' walled vineyard. In the park is also an ancient oak under which Elizabeth is said to have been seated when the news of her sister's death was brought to her. Brocket Park is another fine demesne, at the neighbouring

village

VILLAGE

of Lemsford, and the Brocket chapel in Hatfield church contains memorials of the families who have held this seat.

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