Buntingford Explained

Static Image Name:High Street, Buntingford.jpg
Static Image Width:240
Static Image Caption:Buntingford
Country:England
Coordinates:51.9445°N -0.016°W
Official Name:Buntingford
Population:7,879
Population Ref:(2021 census)[1]
Civil Parish:Buntingford
Shire District:East Hertfordshire
Shire County:Hertfordshire
Region:East of England
Constituency Westminster:North East Hertfordshire
Post Town:BUNTINGFORD
Postcode District:SG9
Postcode Area:SG
Dial Code:01763
Os Grid Reference:TL363292

Buntingford is a market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies next to the River Rib and is located on the historic Roman road, Ermine Street. As a result of its location, it grew mainly as a staging post with many coaching inns and has an 18th-century one-cell prison known as The Cage, by the ford at the end of Church Street. It has a population of 7,879, as of the 2021 UK census.

Name

Despite popular belief, the name of Buntingford does not come from the bunting bird.[2] Instead, it probably originates from the Saxon chieftain or tribe Bunta and the local ford running over the River Rib.[3] Buntingford was the name of the ford and its surrounding areas, with Bunting being the name of a village located six miles to its north, which is translated from Old English as "place or people of Bunta".[4] The earliest forms of the name Buntingford are Buntas Ford and Buntingeford, both of which date back to 1185.[5] The modern form Buntingford dates back to 1255. This roughly translates to "Ford of the people of Bunta".

History

Buntingford was first recorded in an 1185 Knights Templar land document. Henry III designated it a market town by royal charter in 1253.[6] [7] Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster, relocated her market in Chipping to Buntingford in 1360,[8] under permission from Edward III. She then gave the market to the town's residents, turning it into one of England's first community owned markets.

Buntingford was located traditionally within the parish of Layston – St Bartholomew's Church (Layston), previously derelict and now a house, lies about half a mile to the north-east of the town. St Peter's Church, formerly a relief chapel, is the Anglican church in Buntingford and is an almost unique brick building from the age of the 17th-century Puritans. St Richard's serves the Roman Catholic community. There is also a United Reformed Church in Baldock Road.Queen Elizabeth I is claimed to have stayed at Buntingford in a building now called the Bell House Gallery, on a coach journey to Cambridge.[9] Just up the High Street, The Angel Inn, now a dental surgery, was a staging post for coaches travelling from London to Cambridge. The town has an annual firework display at The Bury, presented by Buntingford Town Football Club. The Prime Meridian passes to the east of Buntingford. The town has many Georgian and medieval buildings, such as Buntingford almshouses, Buntingford Manor House and the Red House. Buntingford was a stop-over on what was the main route between London and Cambridge, now the A10.

Governance

Buntingford is in East Hertfordshire, a shire district in the county of Hertfordshire,[10] and the parliamentary constituency of North East Hertfordshire (formerly North Hertfordshire),[11] a Conservative safe seat represented by Sir Oliver Heald since 1992.[12] [13] Previously, between 1983 and 1997, Buntingford was located in the constituency of Hertford and Stortford,[14] [15] which at the time was represented by Conservative Bowen Wells.[16]

Hertfordshire has three-tier local government, meaning responsibilities for local government are split between county councils, district councils, and parish councils (including town councils). Buntingford is managed by Buntingford Town Council, East Hertfordshire District Council and Hertfordshire County Council. Buntingford is represented on the district council by Stan Bull and Jeff Jones of the Buntingford Conservatives,[17] the local branch of the Conservative Party founded in 2015.[18] Jones also represents Buntingford in the county council.[19] The district and county councils are headquartered in Hertford, while the town council is headquartered in Buntingford. The town council is based from Buntingford Manor House[20] and elects councillors every four years. The Town Clerk is currently Jill Jones and the Town Council Officer is currently Alexander Georgiou. Town Mayor Graham Waite was elected in 2018 and is serving with his deputy, Steve Bowman.[21] [22]

Before the creation of East Hertfordshire on 1 April 1974, Buntingford was part of the Braughing Rural District, which was abolished on 31 March 1974. The district was headquartered in Buntingford and Bishop's Stortford and was formed from the merger of the Hadham and Buntingford Rural Districts on 1 April 1935.[23] Buntingford Rural District evolved from Buntingford Rural Sanitary District, existing between 28 December 1894 and 31 March 1935.[24]

Culture

Market day is Monday, and early closing Wednesday. The Buntingford Cougars (youth grassroots) Football Tournament is held every year at The Bury, drawing in teams from around the area. There is also a classic car show held in the town each year, on the first Saturday in September. The town has a number of public houses – The Fox and Duck, The Black Bulland The Crown. The 'World Sausage Tossing Championship' has taken place at The Countryman Inn, in Chipping near Buntingford, every August since 2014.[25]

Transport

Buntingford railway station, opened in 1863, was closedin 1964,[26] under the Beeching cuts. This was the terminus for the Buntingford Branch Line. Recently it has been redeveloped into housing.

Economy

Buntingford is home to various independent shops, restaurants and pubs mainly located in the town's high street. Buntingford has a Co-op food supermarket and a Sainsbury's Local. Just outside the town are two fuel stations one at each end of the bypass. One is operated by BP, the other by Esso that opened in 2022. The town was previously home to the Sainsbury's Anglia Distribution Centre, but this was vacated and eventually knocked down for housing in 2014. The site had previously been used as a Royal Army Ordnance Corps munitions factory, known locally as "the Dump".[27] Team BMR and Triple Eight Racing, two major UK auto racing teams, were based in the town.[28] [29]

Education

Buntingford is one of two towns in Hertfordshire using a three-tier school system (the other being Royston). In this system, children are educated in first schools until they enter middle school in Year Five, after which they join upper school in Year Nine, remaining there until the completion of sixth form.[30] This system was enacted in Buntingford in 1969 by order of the county council.[31]

First and middle schools

There is currently one middle school and two first schools, with a third opening in September 2023:

Secondary education

Buntingford currently has one upper school, Freman College (formerly Ward Freman School). The school is a mixed upper school and sixth form with academy status, situated at Bowling Green Lane, Buntingford, under the control of its own single-academy trust.[45] It was established in either 1970 or 1971[46] [47] as an 11 to 16 comprehensive school,[48] replacing the Buntingford Secondary Modern School which was established between both world wars.[49] It was named after Bishop Seth Ward and Elizabeth Freman of the Freman family as both were benefactors of Buntingford's old grammar school that closed in 1900. Previously a foundation school, Freman converted to academy status in 2011, being one of the first schools to do so. It has had an Ofsted grading of good since 2006[50] [51] and has a student population of 961, with a capacity for 903.

A grade II listed house situated at Layston Court 20, High Street, was formerly used as the building and master's house for Buntingford Grammar School until 1877.[52] Buntingford Grammar School was Buntingford's first secondary school, having been built by its endower, Elizabeth Freman, between 1630 and 1633 for 25 schoolboys and a master. It was a two-storey building, with the attic being added at a later date sometime before 1830. The school was endowed again in 1684 by former pupil Seth Ward, who had become the Bishop of Salisbury, and Lady Jane Barkham. After its disuse in 1877, the building was modified into a house. The Town Council took ownership of the rest of the school's site and have preserved it as a park.[53] The school itself survived elsewhere until 1900.

Notable people

Athletes

Bishops

Politicians

Others

Twin towns

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and BBC London on BBC One, and by ITV Anglia and ITV London on ITV1. Television signals are received from either the Sandy Heath or Crystal Palace TV transmitters.[69] [70] Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio and Heart Hertfordshire. The town is served by the local newspaper, Hertfordshire Mercury (formerly The Buntingford and Royston Mercury).[71]

Other media

The Beehive, a pub situated at Hare Street, Buntingford, is featured in the 1981 television adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series.[72] It reappears in the series' 2005 film adaptation as the Horse and Groom, which is named the "last pub in the world".[73] [74]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Buntingford (Hertfordshire, East of England, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information .
  2. Web site: Blatchley . Nicholas . 2012-05-22 . Hertfordshire's Smallest Town . 2022-04-15 . Herts Memories . en.
  3. Web site: Where the town touches the countryside . 2022-04-15 . Wheatley . 5.
  4. Web site: Bunting . Frank . 2015-05-18 . Origin of Buntingford Name. . 2022-04-15 . Herts Memories.
  5. Web site: Buntingford . 2022-04-15 . English Place-Name Society.
  6. Web site: The Town of Buntingford – Historic Overview . 2022-04-15 . Buntingford Town Council.
  7. Web site: 1999-04-26 . Out and About . 2022-04-15 . buntingford.com.
  8. Web site: A Brief History of Buckland & Chipping . https://web.archive.org/web/20180901135904/http://bucklandandchippingpc.org.uk/history.php . 2018-09-01 . 2022-04-15 . Buckland and Chipping Parish Council.
  9. Web site: Blatchley. Nicholas. Around Buntingford. Herts Memories.
  10. Web site: Information on East Herts East Herts District Council . 2022-03-09 . www.eastherts.gov.uk.
  11. Web site: Constituency . 2022-03-09 . Sir Oliver Heald . en.
  12. Web site: Barrow . Georgia . 2019-12-13 . General Election 2019: Conservative Sir Oliver Heald holds seat in North East Herts . 2022-03-09 . The Comet . en-UK.
  13. Web site: About Sir Oliver . 2022-03-09 . Sir Oliver Heald . en.
  14. Web site: The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 . 2019-02-25 . www.legislation.gov.uk.
  15. Web site: The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995 . 2019-02-25 . www.legislation.gov.uk . en.
  16. Web site: 1998-06-28 . UK Politics: People in Parliament . BBC News.
  17. Web site: 2022-03-14 . Your Councillors . 2022-03-14 . East Hertfordshire District Council . en.
  18. Web site: Buntingford Journal September 2015 Volume 40, No. 7 . 2022-03-14 . Buntingford Civic Society . 20.
  19. Web site: 2022-03-14 . Your Councillors . 2022-03-14 . Hertfordshire County Council . en-gb.
  20. Web site: 2022-03-09 . Parish council - Buntingford Town Council . 2022-03-09 . democracy.eastherts.gov.uk . en.
  21. Web site: 2021-09-06 . The Council . 2022-03-09 . www.buntingford-tc.gov.uk . en-GB.
  22. Web site: 2019-05-07 . Cllr Graham Waite . 2022-03-09 . www.buntingford-tc.gov.uk . en-GB.
  23. Book: BRAUGHING RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL . Braughing Rural District Council, Hertfordshire . English.
  24. Ministry of Health Order No. 80108: The County of Hertford Review Order, 1935
  25. http://www.sausagetosser.com World Sausage Tossing Championship website
  26. http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/b/buntingford/index.shtml Disused Stations
  27. News: Former Buntingford depot development could bring 600 jobs. Ciaran. Gold. Hertfordshire Mercury. 20 February 2012. 26 May 2012. https://archive.today/20120908060639/http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/Buntingford-and-Royston/Former-Buntingford-depot-development-could-bring-600-jobs-20022012.htm. dead. 8 September 2012.
  28. Web site: Contact US Triple Eight Racing Champions . . 7 July 2018.
  29. Web site: Contact Team BMR BTCC Racing Team . . 7 July 2018.
  30. Web site: Types of school . 2022-03-23 . Hertfordshire County Council . en-GB.
  31. Web site: School History . 2022-03-23 . Layston C of E First School . en-GB.
  32. Web site: Layston Church of England First School . 2022-03-23 . GOV.UK . en.
  33. Web site: Church Foundation . 2022-03-23 . Layston C of E First School . en-GB.
  34. Web site: 2020-10-08 . Layston Church of England First School URN: 117390 . 2022-03-23 . Ofsted.
  35. Web site: Millfield First and Nursery School . 2022-03-23 . GOV.UK . en.
  36. Web site: 2021-04-22 . Millfield First and Nursery School URN: 117309 . 2022-03-23 . Ofsted.
  37. Web site: School Animals . 2022-03-23 . Millfield First and Nursery School.
  38. Web site: Executive Headteacher's Welcome . 2022-03-23 . Buntingford First School.
  39. Web site: Buntingford First School . https://web.archive.org/web/20211208055249/https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/schools-directory/school.aspx?schoolcode=241 . 2021-12-08 . 2022-03-23 . Hertfordshire County Council . en-GB.
  40. Web site: Buntingford First School . https://web.archive.org/web/20220302050638/https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/schools-directory/school.aspx . 2 March 2022 . 2022-10-13 . Hertfordshire County Council . en-GB . bot: unknown .
  41. Web site: 2021-06-30 . Trust appointed to run new sustainable first school in Buntingford . 2022-03-23 . InYourArea.co.uk.
  42. Web site: 2021-03-30 . Views sought on plans for new first school in Buntingford . 2022-03-23 . InYourArea.co.uk.
  43. Web site: Edwinstree Church of England Middle School . 2022-03-23 . GOV.UK . en.
  44. Web site: 2021-01-14 . Edwinstree Church of England Middle School URN: 117554 . 2022-03-23 . Ofsted.
  45. Web site: Freman College - GOV.UK . 2022-03-23 . www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk . en.
  46. Web site: 2022-02-08 . Working at Freman College . 2022-02-09 . Freman College . en.
  47. Web site: 2022-02-09 . History . 2022-02-09 . Freman College . en.
  48. Web site: Portfolio Lewis . 2022-04-15 . www.buntingford.com.
  49. Web site: 'Every human being has a value and a talent, and it is my job to help them find and exploit it' . 2022-03-07 . . en.
  50. Web site: 2019-12-15 . Freman College URN: 117540 . 2022-03-23 . Ofsted.
  51. Web site: 2020-10-08 . Freman College URN: 137002 . 2022-03-23 . Ofsted.
  52. Web site: LAYSTON COURT, Buntingford - 1101341 Historic England . 2022-03-23 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  53. Web site: Around Buntingford . 2022-03-23 . Herts Memories . en.
  54. Web site: Charles Pigg . www.cricketarchive.com . 31 December 2014.
  55. Web site: Herbert Pigg . www.cricketarchive.com . 31 December 2014.
  56. Time. "Death of a Voice". 29 March 1943.
  57. Web site: History. 2022-03-09. Freman College. en.
  58. News: Cassidy . Sarah . 8 September 2014 . Sam Gyimah interview: Life-changing events often occur in early days of learning . . 2022-03-09.
  59. The Illustrated London News vol. 60, 1872, pg 258
  60. Alumni cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1900, entry "Harold Herbert Williams", University Press, Cambridge, 1922
  61. Bicheno p. 314
  62. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1904/46452_b294259-00123?pid=21606555&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D1904%26h%3D21606555%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Ddjv3399%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=djv3399&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.253867208.1717337076.1589227109-1197399642.1515349816 England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Annie Louise Mary Macdermott: 1980 - Ancestry.com
  63. Web site: Welcome to Freman College! . https://web.archive.org/web/20051120070704/http://www.fremancollege.herts.sch.uk/index.htm . 2005-11-20 . 2022-02-12 . Freman College.
  64. The Green Record Book, issue 1, Steve Hazon, Takeley Local History Society, 2006, Takeley Chapel Marriages
  65. Web site: Your local church Holy Trinity Baptisms, Holy Trinity Church, Takeley. https://web.archive.org/web/20190418145042/https://www.tlcchurch.co.uk/downloads/Holy%2520Trinity%2520Baptisms.xls . 2019-04-18.
  66. Akpan Chapter III: Employment
  67. Dod's Peerage 1860, p.79
  68. Web site: 2014-01-14. Twin Towns & Villages. 2022-02-11. Buntingford Town Council. en-GB.
  69. Web site: Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter . May 2004 .
  70. Web site: Crystal Palace (Greater London, England) Full Freeview transmitter . May 2004 .
  71. Web site: Buntingford & Royston Mercury. 4 September 2013. British Papers. 3 November 2023.
  72. Web site: Prim . Justin K. . 2018-03-04 . Filming Locations for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and More . 2022-04-18 . Medium . en.
  73. Web site: Beehive in Buntingford . 2022-04-18 . Pubs Galore . en-gb.
  74. Web site: Filming Location Matching "Beehive Pub, Hare Street, Nr Buntingford, Hertfordshire, England, UK" . 2022-04-18 . IMDb.

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