Markyate

Coordinates: 51°50′10″N 0°27′18″W / 51.836°N 0.455°W / 51.836; -0.455

Markyate
Markyate  Markyate shown within Hertfordshire
OS grid reference	TL065165
District	Dacorum
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ST ALBANS
Postcode district	AL3
Dialling code	01582
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Hemel Hempstead
List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire

Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Geography

Having a number of former names, including Markyate Street and Mergyate, it has been a part of all three counties since it was first founded as the county boundaries have changed over the years. At one point the boundary was the line of the main road itself; Hertfordshire to the east and Bedfordshire to the west. Markyate is located close to the source of the River Ver which has occasionally flooded the centre of the village, though the watercourse is often dry during parts of the year.

Part of the Dacorum Borough Council district (centred on Hemel Hempstead), it has Luton (01582) phone numbers and a St Albans postal code (AL3). Although historically a rural and agricultural area it is now a dormitory village for Luton and the surrounding region as it also lies a short distance from the M1 motorway.

Lying on Watling Street, the Roman road (now the A5), between St Albans and Dunstable it was a major coaching stop on the highway from London to Birmingham, at one point having over forty inns and public houses along its main road, and the village was one of the earliest sites of the Pickfords transport service, one road out of the village being named Pickford Road. During the twelfth century Christina of Markyate was the Prioress of a Benedictine community in the area.

The village lies near the junction of the A5 and the B4540 (for Luton and Caddington). A bypass for the A5 was constructed to the east of the village in 1955. South along the A5 is Flamstead and junction 9 of the M1.

History

Initially two adjacent hamlets – Markyate and Humbershoe – separated by the road towards Berkhamsted, slow expansion melded them into the current village area, though most growth since the 1950s has been by in-filling with new housing in what was the gap between the old A5 High Street and the new A5 Markyate by-pass.

The Gainsborough film The Wicked Lady was based on events surrounding the life of Lady Katherine Ferrers — the wife of the major landowner in the area – at Markyate Cell. Parts of the film The Dirty Dozen were also filmed in the village and surrounding area, the stockade being built in the grounds of the local preparatory school.

Markyate was scene of one of the first motoring accidents in the United Kingdom.

Facilities

Markyate has two junior schools, Markyate JMI (state) and Beechwood Park School (independent). The latter is located in Beechwood Park, the site of a former Benedictine nunnery and satellite airfield during WW2. Beechwood Park lent its name to a song by The Zombies, written by the group's bassist Chris White, who lived in Markyate. The song has since been covered by Beck Hansen.

From its height in the coaching era, only three public houses remain in the village; The Plume of Feathers, The Sun Inn and The Swan. The White Hart closed in the early 1970s followed by The Red Lion at the end of 2009, both became private dwellings. Given its proximity to M1 Motorway and London Luton Airport, a large three-star hotel is located within the village.

Notable residents

• William Cowper, who was sent to boarding school here between the ages of four and eight years old.
• Lady Katherine Ferrers, according to popular legend, the "Wicked Lady", a 17th century highwaywoman.
• Nicholas Lyell, Baron Lyell of Markyate, British Conservative politician and Attorney General.
• Chris White, bass player and songwriter of The Zombies rock group, grew up in the village, where his parents owned a grocery store.
• Sir Charles Masefield, head of DESO (1994-1998) vice chairman of BAE (2002-2005?) and a trustee of the Qatar Foundation. Knighted in 1997 for services to industry.
• Martin Benson (10 August 1918 – 28 February 2010) was an English character actor, who appeared in films, theatre and television. He appeared in both British and Hollywood productions. He lived and died in the village.

External links

• Markyate Local History Society
• Humbershoe pages at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service
• Primary school
• Village history (A Guide to Old Hertfordshire)
• Christina of Markyate
• Markyate Amateur Dramatics Society (MADS)
• Pictures from Geograph TL0616