Watton-at-Stone is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It lies north of Hertford, its post town, and south-east of the centre of Stevenage. It lies in the valley of the River Beane and is served by Watton-at-Stone railway station. As well as the village itself, the parish also covers surrounding rural areas, including the hamlet of Whempstead and much of the Woodhall Park estate. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 2,616.

History

Etymology

The name Watton first appeared in writing in an 11th-century collection of 10th-century Anglo-Saxon wills as Wattun. It was later recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as both Wodtune and Watone. The origin of the word is uncertain, and is variously ascribed to Old English wád or woad, and ton meaning small farming settlement; or waden meaning ford; or from waétan meaning watery.

The suffix -at-Stone dates from the early 13th century and may be derived from the presence of two large examples of Hertfordshire puddingstone, now situated at the former Waggon and Horses public house. However, it is far more likely that the suffix refers to the Roman road (anciently described as a Stone Street) that ran from Verulamium (modern St Albans), fording the River Beane at Watton-at-Stone. The area where the bridge over the railway was built was shown on tithe maps as a common, and the fields to the east and west of this point were named Stoneyfield and Further Stoneyfield. It is deduced that the Roman Road passed through this area, and the later village took its name from the important routeway. In the 1950s, sections of the road agger or embankment, composed of large flint nodules, could still be seen at several points in the village; most obviously, the northern boundary of the grounds of Chestnut House preserves the line of the road

Prehistoric archaeological finds

Archaeological finds indicate prehistoric activity in the Watton-at-Stone area before the village was established. The earliest finds are Paleolithic hand axes found in the village and also at the Frogmore gravel pit, and there are traces of a Mesolithic site near the roundabout at the northern end of the bypass. and Roman field boundaries off Station Road suggesting some permanent occupation. Watton was possibly a market place trading to travellers as they slowed to cross the River Beane, and the High Street may have been a pre-existing track and therefore the new Roman road formed a crossroads here.

Anglo-Saxon settlers developed Watton further into a village, with evidence of early Anglo-Saxon field boundaries and a crematorium off Station Road.

Middle Ages and early modern period

thumb|200px|Henry fitz Ailwin statue at [[Holborn Viaduct, London]]

The Domesday Book of 1086 states that Watton village then consisted of 18 households (10 villagers, 4 smallholders and 4 slaves), suggesting a population of between 65 and 90. The manor was worth £5 and it had a mill, woodland with 100 pigs and a meadow. It was jointly held by Derman (of London) and Alward (the noble), There was an additional manor associated with Watton that had 6 households and a church, which could have been the Woodhall manor. The first mention by name of the Woodhall manor was in about 1130 when it was held by Ralph de Watton.

There is little employment directly within the village and it largely serves as a dormitory for commuters to London or to the nearby towns with half-hourly trains to Moorgate station.

The village has a primary school and nursery school. The co-educational Heath Mount private school is located on the outskirts in the private estate of the Grade II* listed Woodhall Park.

The A602 formerly ran through the centre of the village between Stevenage and Hertford before a bypass was built in 1984 through farmland to the north-east. The County and Parish Councils favour the hyphenated version, it appearing in that form on their respective websites and literature. Both variants are valid. Locally, the '-at-Stone' suffix is frequently dropped.

Church of St Mary and St Andrew

thumb|340px|St Andrew and St Mary's Church

The parish church is dedicated to St Andrew and St Mary. It stands on thirteenth-century foundations and dates from the early to mid-fifteenth century,

A chapel was added to the north side of the church in the late fifteenth century. The building is constructed from flint, and is protected by a Grade II* heritage listing. A war memorial lies in a field adjoining the church.

Notable people

The evangelical author and social campaigner Edward Bickersteth was rector of the church for twenty years from 1830 until his death in 1850. His one-time curate was the theological scholar Thomas Birks.thumb|150px|Rupert Grint in 2012

In the summer of 1923, Alan Turing and his family stayed with their friends the Meyer family for six weeks at the rectory, Alan being the founder of computer science and the leading cryptologist at Bletchley Park in World War II. Andrew Hodges in his biography: Alan Turing: The Enigma tells of how a gypsy fortune teller at the church fête foretold that he would be a genius.

The locomotive engineer Sir Nigel Gresley lived in Watton House until his death in 1941.

Watton-at-Stone was the childhood home of actor Rupert Grint.

Watton was home to the boxing promoter Frank Warren.

Footballer Harry Toffolo grew up in the village.

The 2009 psychological horror found footage short film and web series No Through Road by Steven Chamberlain follows four seventeen-year-old teenagers en route to Stevenage who find themselves trapped in a time loop along two road signs marking an intersection between Benington and Watton.

References

  • Parish council website
  • Village primary school website
  • Heath Mount school website
  • Watton-at-Stone (A Guide to Old Hertfordshire)
  • The Aston mirror
  • Image gallery