Hitchin
Hitchin is a market town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills. It is north-west of the county town of Hertford, and north of London. The population at the 2021 census was 35,220.
Hitchin grew around a market place and the adjoining parish church of St Mary on the western banks of the River Hiz. At the southern end of the town centre is Hitchin Priory, a former monastery dating back to 1317, which was partially rebuilt into a large country house with extensive parkland following the dissolution of the monasteries. The ancient parish of Hitchin covered a large rural area as well as the town itself, including several hamlets which subsequently became separate parishes, including Langley, Preston, St Ippolyts and Walsworth.
The town's economy was historically based on serving as the market town for the surrounding agricultural area, which was primarily arable with some sheep farming. Lavender has long been grown in the fields around the town, and an early industry in the town was lavender distilleries.
The Great Northern Railway built its main line from London King's Cross to York through the town; Hitchin railway station opened with the line in 1850. The Cambridge line opened shortly afterwards, diverging from the main line just north of Hitchin, which therefore became an important junction station. The A1 motorway passes Hitchin a short distance to the east. The town's historic character and accessibility make it popular with commuters.
History
Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people, a tribe holding 300 hides of land as mentioned in a 7th-century document, the Tribal Hidage. Hicce, or Hicca, may mean the people of the horse. The tribal name is Old English and derives from the Middle Anglian people. The ancient Icknield Way runs just north of Hitchin, passing through the neighbouring village of Ickleford. It has been suggested that Hitchin was the location of 'Clofesho', the place chosen in 673 by Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury during the Synod of Hertford, the first meeting of representatives of the fledgling Christian churches of Anglo-Saxon England, to hold annual synods of the churches as Theodore attempted to consolidate and centralise Christianity in England.By 1086 Hitchin is described as a Royal Manor in Domesday Book: the feudal services of avera and inward, usually found in the eastern counties, especially Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, were due from the sokemen, but the manor of Hitchin was unique in levying inward. Evidence has been found to suggest that the town was once provided with an earthen bank and ditch fortification, probably in the early tenth century but this did not last. The modern spelling of the town first appears in 1618 in the "Hertfordshire Feet of Fines".
The name of the town also is associated with the small river that runs through it, most picturesquely in front of the east end of St. Mary's Church, the town's parish church. The river is noted on maps as the River Hiz. Contrary to how most people now pronounce the name, that is to say as spelt, the 'z' is an abbreviated character for a 'tch' sound in the Domesday Book. It would have been pronounced 'River Hitch'. The Hicca Way is an walking route along the River Hiz Valley, believed to have been used for trade between the Danes and English in the Anglo-Saxon age. It is also likely that Hitch Wood, which lies some south of the town also derives its name from the Hicce tribe, who gave their name to Hitchin.
St Mary's Church is remarkably large for a town of its size and was once a minster. The size of the church is evidence of how Hitchin prospered from the wool trade. It is the largest parish church in Hertfordshire. Most of the church dates from the 15th century, with its tower dating from around 1190. During the laying of a new floor in the church in 1911, foundations of a more ancient church building were found. In form, they appear to be a basilican church of a 7th-century type, with a later enlarged chancel and transepts, perhaps added in the 10th century. This makes the church older than the story that the church was founded by Offa, king of Mercia 757-796.
In 1697, Hitchin were subject to what is thought to have been the most severe hailstorm in recorded British history. Hailstones over 4 inches in diameter were reported.
In the High Medieval Period the town was surrounded by open arable fields, divided into shotts and narrow strips, that survived into the early 19th century. The town flourished on the wool trade, the sheep being pastured on the high hills to the south. By the 17th century the town was a staging post for coaches coming from London. By the middle of the 19th century, the railway had arrived, and with it a new way of life for Hitchin. Hitchin established itself as a major centre for grain trading after the Corn Exchange was built in the market place in 1853. Hitchin was also a centre for manufacturing products from the lavender which was cultivated in the surrounding area, with multiple lavender distilleries operating in the town.
The latter half of the 20th century has also brought great changes in communication to Hitchin. Motorways have shortened the journey time and brought Luton, a few miles away on the M1, and the A1 even closer. By the close of the 20th century, Hitchin had developed a strong commuter interest being midway between London and Cambridge. Hitchin also developed a fairly strong Sikh community based around the Walsworth area.
During the medieval period, both a priory and a friary were established, both of which closed during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. They were never reformed, although The Biggin was for many years used as almshouses.
The British Schools Museum in Hitchin is home to the world's only surviving complete Lancasterian Schoolroom, which was built in 1837 to teach boys by the Lancasterian method. This unique community project demonstrates the foundation of education for all.
Girton College – a pioneer in women's education – was established on 16 October 1869 under the name of College for Women at Benslow House in Hitchin, which was considered to be a convenient distance from Cambridge and London. It was thought to be less 'risky' and less controversial to locate the college away from Cambridge in the beginning. The college moved to Cambridge a few years later and adopted its present name, Girton College.
Governance
Hitchin is in the district of North Hertfordshire. There is no town council in Hitchin, which is an unparished area, administered directly by North Hertfordshire District Council, with higher order functions provided by Hertfordshire County Council. Residents elect 13 members to the North Hertfordshire District Council. There are five electoral wards in Hitchin: Bearton, Highbury, Oughton, Priory and Walsworth. The 13 Hitchin councillors on the district council meet as the Hitchin Committee.The town is represented in Parliament by the constituency of Hitchin. The incumbent Labour Party MP for the former Mid Bedfordshire constituency Alistair Strathern was elected in 2024. Before 1997 Hitchin was included in the constituency of North Hertfordshire. From 1997-2024 it was in the constituency of Hitchin and Harpenden.
Parish
The ancient parish of Hitchin covered an extensive rural area as well as the town itself, including Langley, Preston and St Ippolyts; the latter became a separate parish in the middle ages. The parish of Hitchin was administered by its vestry, in the same way as most rural areas; no borough corporation was established for the town, despite some limited moves in that direction in the thirteenth century. Hitchin also gave its name to one of the hundreds of Hertfordshire. The Hitchin Poor Law Union was established in 1835, covering the parish of Hitchin and many of the surrounding parishes in north-western Hertfordshire, plus the parish of Holwell which was in Bedfordshire. In 1891 the parish had a population of 9,510.Local Board
In 1850 a local board of health was established for the town. Such boards were created under the Public Health Act 1848, and were focussed on improving public health in towns. The first election to the Hitchin Local Board was held on 2 May 1850. The board proceeded to build a waterworks and install new sewers for the town, which had previously used the River Hiz as a public sewer. However, the board quickly became embroiled in legal disputes with Joshua Ransom, owner of Grove Mill, who complained about the flow of water and sewage at his mill. No solution could be found which would allow the board to continue to operate, and gradually all the board members resigned.By December 1857 the board only had three members, at which point it effectively ceased to function. New members were elected in March 1858, but none was prepared to take the declaration of office unless Ransom accepted an offer of settlement which had been put to him. He did not accept the offer and so the board became defunct, and the town was once again governed by the parish vestry alone. The Times was scathing of the Hitchin Local Board's inability to negotiate a solution, saying "...they simply resigned, like rustics of unfertile brains...". Legal action continued for some years afterwards trying to resolve who was liable for the old board's debts.
In August 1872 sanitary districts were established, with public health and local government responsibilities being given to boards of guardians of the poor law unions for all areas which did not have urban authorities. As Hitchin's previous local board was defunct, the town therefore became part of the Hitchin Rural Sanitary District, governed by the Hitchin Board of Guardians. On 31 October 1872 a meeting was held in the town with the aim of securing a new board to allow the town to govern itself independently. A new board was eventually granted, with the first meeting being held on 24 December 1873 at the Town Hall.