Lilley is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It lies north-east of the centre of Luton, its post town, and west of Hitchin. The parish had a population of 384 at the 2021 census.
Geography
The village lies in a dry valley within the Chiltern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The valley continues for several miles to the south of the village, where it is known as Lilley Bottom, extending into the parishes of Offley and King's Walden. There is a ridge of high ground to the east of the village known as Lilley Hoo, which reaches its highest point at Telegraph Hill, above sea level.
The Icknield Way Path passes the edge of the parish on its 110-mile course from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Suffolk. There is one public house in the village, the Lilley Arms on West Street.
History
Lilley was already a settlement at the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, in the hundred of Hitchin, when it was owned by Geoffrey of Bec. It was described as having a priest, suggesting it was also an established parish.
thumb|left|St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church is known to have existed from at least the 12th century. It was completely rebuilt between 1870 and 1872, with a couple of features from the earlier building re-used in the new one.
According to tradition, in the early 19th century Lilley was the residence of John Kellerman, an alleged occultist described by Sir Richard Phillips as the "last of the alchemists."
Governance
thumb|Cassel Memorial Hall
There are three tiers of local government covering Lilley, at parish, district, and county level: Lilley Parish Council, North Hertfordshire District Council, and Hertfordshire County Council.
For national elections, Lilley forms part of the Hitchin constituency.
thumb|The Lilley Arms