Nettleden
Encyclopedia
Nettleden is a village
in Hertfordshire
, England
. It is in the Chiltern Hills
, about four miles north west of Hemel Hempstead
, surrounded by Little Gaddesden
, Great Gaddesden
and Frithsden
. Nettleden with Potten End is a civil parish in Dacorum
District.
The village name of Nettleden is Anglo Saxon
in origin, and means 'valley where nettles grow'. In manorial
records of the late Twelfth century the village was recorded as Neteleydene.
Anciently the village was a hamlet
in the parish
of Pitstone
in Buckinghamshire
, though the boundary of the hamlet was surrounded by the county of Hertfordshire. Nettleden was transferred from Buckinghamshire to Hertfordshire, and made a parish in its own right, in 1895. The church, St Lawrence, was first mentioned in 1285 when it became a part of the endowment of Ashridge Monastery. The church, except for the tower, was largely rebuilt in brick by John, earl of Bridgewater in 1811. Until 1895 it was a chapelry of Pitstone.
When Nettleden became a parish the hamlet of St Margaret's, formerly belonging to Ivinghoe
in Buckinghamshire, was connected to Nettleden. At this place Henry de Blois bishop of Winchester founded the nunnery St Margaret's de Bosco. After the Dissolution
in 1539 St Margaret's came in private hands. During the Second World War the St Margaret's Camp was a school for evacuee
s - children from London and surroundings. Since 1984 it is the place of the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
.
Today the village sits in a very attractive location, on the periphery of Ashridge
. From Nettleden to Frithsden
goes the Roman Lane or Spooky Lane, named after the ghost of an Ashridge monk. In the early 19th century the lane was dug deep in the hill with high revetted walls on both sides and a bridge was built over the lane, in order that people using the driveway leading to Ashridge do not meet the villagers. Another feature of Nettleden is the steep Pipers Hill east of the village.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is in the Chiltern Hills
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
, about four miles north west of Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
, surrounded by Little Gaddesden
Little Gaddesden
Little Gaddesden is a village and civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire three miles north of Berkhamsted. As well as Little Gaddesden village , the parish contains the settlements of Ashridge , Hudnall , and part of Ringshall .Part of the parish was formerly in Buckinghamshire...
, Great Gaddesden
Great Gaddesden
Great Gaddesden is a village and civil parish in Dacorum Hundred in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, north of Hemel Hempstead. The parish borders to Flamstead, Hemel Hempstead, Nettleden and Little Gaddesden and also to Studham in Bedfordshire.The Church St. John the...
and Frithsden
Frithsden
Frithsden is a small hamlet in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about two miles north of Berkhamsted, to which it belongs.The village name is derived from the wood le Fryth...
. Nettleden with Potten End is a civil parish in Dacorum
Dacorum
The Borough of Dacorum is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England that includes the towns of Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring and Kings Langley. The district, which was formed in 1974, had a population of 137,799 in 2001...
District.
The village name of Nettleden is Anglo Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
in origin, and means 'valley where nettles grow'. In manorial
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
records of the late Twelfth century the village was recorded as Neteleydene.
Anciently the village was a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Pitstone
Pitstone
Pitstone is a village and civil parish within the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, about seven miles east of Aylesbury and six miles south of Leighton Buzzard...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, though the boundary of the hamlet was surrounded by the county of Hertfordshire. Nettleden was transferred from Buckinghamshire to Hertfordshire, and made a parish in its own right, in 1895. The church, St Lawrence, was first mentioned in 1285 when it became a part of the endowment of Ashridge Monastery. The church, except for the tower, was largely rebuilt in brick by John, earl of Bridgewater in 1811. Until 1895 it was a chapelry of Pitstone.
When Nettleden became a parish the hamlet of St Margaret's, formerly belonging to Ivinghoe
Ivinghoe
Ivinghoe is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, close to the border with Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. It is four miles north of Tring and six miles south of Leighton Buzzard, close to the village of Pitstone.The village name is Anglo-Saxon in...
in Buckinghamshire, was connected to Nettleden. At this place Henry de Blois bishop of Winchester founded the nunnery St Margaret's de Bosco. After the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1539 St Margaret's came in private hands. During the Second World War the St Margaret's Camp was a school for evacuee
Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II
Evacuation of civilians in Britain during the Second World War was designed to save the population of urban or military areas in the United Kingdom from aerial bombing of cities and military targets such as docks. Civilians, particularly children, were moved to areas thought to be less at risk....
s - children from London and surroundings. Since 1984 it is the place of the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
Amaravati is a Theravadin Buddhist monastery at the eastern end of the Chiltern Hills in south east England. The centre, in practice as much for ordinary people as for monastics, is inspired by the Thai forest tradition and the teachings of the late Ajahn Chah....
.
Today the village sits in a very attractive location, on the periphery of Ashridge
Ashridge
Ashridge is an estate and house in Hertfordshire, England; part of the land stretches into Buckinghamshire and it is close to the Bedfordshire border. It is situated in the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, about two miles north of Berkhamsted and twenty miles north west of...
. From Nettleden to Frithsden
Frithsden
Frithsden is a small hamlet in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about two miles north of Berkhamsted, to which it belongs.The village name is derived from the wood le Fryth...
goes the Roman Lane or Spooky Lane, named after the ghost of an Ashridge monk. In the early 19th century the lane was dug deep in the hill with high revetted walls on both sides and a bridge was built over the lane, in order that people using the driveway leading to Ashridge do not meet the villagers. Another feature of Nettleden is the steep Pipers Hill east of the village.