Hertford Town Defences

Has been described as a Possible Urban Defence

There are no visible remains

NameHertford Town Defences
Alternative Names
Historic CountryHertfordshire
Modern AuthorityHertfordshire
1974 AuthorityHertfordshire
Civil ParishHertford

It is not known if any use was made of two C10 burh defences north and south of river as urban defences. Bond puts the defences in his 'of no post-Conquest significance' list.

AD 913. This year, about Martinmas, King Edward had the northern fortress built at Hertford, betwixt the Memer, and the Benwic, and the Lea. After this, in the summer, betwixt gangdays and midsummer, went King Edward with some of his force into Essex, to Maldon; and encamped there the while that men built and fortified the town of Witham. And many of the people submitted to him, who were before under the power of the Danes. And some of his force, meanwhile, built the fortress at Hertford on the south side of the Lea. (ASC)

Gatehouse Comments

George Clark (1884) was of the opinion that {parts of} the defences of the southern burh were reused by the Norman castle and the Saxon burh itself possibly reused Iron Age fortification. Given map reference is for St Andrew's church on the speculative presumption this was within the northern burh. The northern burh seems to have become the heart of the medieval town, where the market was, whilst the southern burh was occupied by the castle. The river Memer is now called the Mirmam and the Benwic is now called the Beane. These natural water courses would have provided many of the functions of town walls with the bridges acting as gates and toll collection points.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceTL323125
Latitude51.7959899902344
Longitude-0.0824299976229668
Eastings532300
Northings212500
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 157 (mention)
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 26, 64, 202, 258
  • Kiln, R.J. and Partridge, C.R., 1995, Ware and Hertford: the story of two towns from birth to middle age p. 78, 79-82, 125-6
  • Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report 61) p. 92-116 online copy
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 222
  • Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 126
  • Page, Wm (ed), 1912, VCH Hertfordshire Vol. 3 p. 490- (borough history) online transcription
  • Clark, G.T., 1884, Mediaeval Military Architecture in England (Wyman and Sons) Vol. 2 p. 119-23 online copy

Journals

  • Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  • Petchey, M.R., 1977, 'Excavations in Hertford, 1973-4' Hertfordshire Archaeology Vol. 5 p. 157-75

Primary Sources

  • Ingram, James, (ed) 1912, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Everyman Press, London) AD913 view online transcription (Ingram's translation and notes date from 1823. More recent translations of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles should be consulted for serious study)

Other

  • Isobel Thompson, 2005, Extensive Urban Survey - Hertfordshire (English Heritage) Download copy