13 Facts About Markyate

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

Markyate historically straddled Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire until boundary changes in 1897 placed it entirely in Hertfordshire.

Markyate is 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.

Benedictine convent was founded in 1145 in a wood just north of Markyate, which was known as both "Holy Trinity in the Wood" and Markyate Priory.

At one point Markyate had over forty inns and public houses along the main road.

Related searches

When Poor Law Unions were established in 1835, the parish of Flamstead was included in the Hemel Hempstead Poor Law Union, whilst Caddington and Studham parishes were included in the Luton Poor Law Union, meaning that the poor from Markyate were sent to either Hemel Hempstead or Luton workhouses depending on where in the village they lived.

An ecclesiastical parish was created on 30 October 1877, called "St John Markyate Street", covering parts of the parishes of Caddington, Flamstead, Studham and an exclave of Houghton Regis known as Buckwood Stubbs, which was a rural area to the north-west of the village.

When district councils were established in December 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894, the ecclesiastical parish of Markyate found itself straddling three districts: Markyate Rural District, which despite the name only covered the parts of the village in the civil parish of Caddington, Hemel Hempstead Rural District covering the parts of the village in Flamstead, and Luton Rural District covering the parts of the village in Humbershoe and Houghton Regis civil parishes.

An inquiry was held at Luton in February 1896 into a proposal to create a civil parish to match the ecclesiastical parish of Markyate and make other changes to rationalise the border between Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in this area.

The changes came into effect on 30 September 1897, with Markyate then being united as a single civil parish entirely in Hertfordshire.

Markyate had previously been the chairman of the Markyate Rural District Council.

Markyate has two junior schools: Markyate JMI and Beechwood Park School.

Markyate offers a gym, a pharmacy and doctors' surgery, a general store, and a bakers.