Dacorum
Encyclopedia
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. Its name was taken from the old hundred
of Dacorum which covered approximately the same area.
and the River Lea. Its name in Latin
means "of the Danes" . In the 11th century, the Domesday Book
records that the hundreds of Tring
and Danais
overlapped areas of the hundred of Dacorum.
In 1974, the modern district of Dacorum was formed under the Local Government Act 1972
. Major components were the municipal borough of Hemel Hempstead
, the urban district
s of Berkhamsted
and Tring
, the rural district
s of Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead
and those parts of the rural districts of St Albans
and Watford
which were within the designated area of Hemel Hempstead new town
.
The district was granted borough status
in 1984. Hemel Hempstead had maintained Charter Trustees
from 1974 to 1984. The amalgamation of the former local authorities was symbolised in the seven oak leaves which surround a tudor rose
on the Dacorum coat of arms
.
Aldbury
, Bovingdon
, Berkhamsted
, Bourne End
, Bulbourne, Chipperfield
, Cow Roast
, Flamstead
, Flaunden
, Frithsden
, Gaddesden Row, Great Gaddesden
, Hemel Hempstead
, Kings Langley
, Little Gaddesden
, Little Tring, Long Marston
, Markyate
, Nettleden
, New Mill, Northchurch
, Potten End
, Ringshall
, Tring
, Tringford, Water End
and Wigginton
.
The borough is entirely parished
, apart from Hemel Hempstead.
consists of 51 elected members, representing twenty-five electoral wards
. 14 of the wards elect two councillors each. Six, denoted below, elect three councillors each. Five, also denoted below, elect one.
The council is currently controlled by the Conservatives
, who hold 43 of the 51 seats. The Liberal Democrats
hold 6, making them the second-largest group and Labour
hold 2.
} Neu-Isenburg
, Germany
Two of the civil parishes in the borough also maintain their own separate twinning arrangements:
} Beaune
(France)
} Baku
(Ghana
).
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
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...
that includes the towns 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 ....
, Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
, Tring
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
and Kings Langley
Kings Langley
Kings Langley is a historic English village and civil parish northwest of central London on the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills and now part of the London commuter belt. The major western portion lies in the borough of Dacorum and the east is in the Three Rivers district, both in the county of...
. The district, which was formed in 1974, had a population of 137,799 in 2001. Its name was taken from the old hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
of Dacorum which covered approximately the same area.
History
The hundred of Dacorum was first recorded in 1196 although its existence dates from the 9th and 10th century when it lay on the margins of the southern boundary of DanelawDanelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
and the River Lea. Its name in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
means "of the Danes" . In the 11th century, the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
records that the hundreds of Tring
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
and Danais
Danais
Danais may refer to* Danais , a Greek epic* Danais , a historic subdivision of Hertfordshire in England* Danais , a genus of Rubiaceae...
overlapped areas of the hundred of Dacorum.
In 1974, the modern district of Dacorum was formed under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
. Major components were the municipal borough 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 ....
, the urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
s of Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
and Tring
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
, the rural district
Rural district
Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...
s of Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead Rural District
Hemel Hempstead was a rural district in Hertfordshire, England from 1894 to 1974.It was created in 1894 by the Local Government Act 1894, based on the Hemel Hempstead rural sanitary district. It originally included the town of Hemel Hempstead, which was made a municipal borough in 1898...
and those parts of the rural districts of St Albans
St Albans Rural District
St Albans was, from 1894 to 1974, a rural district in the administrative county of Hertfordshire, England.The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1894 from the area of the existing St Albans rural sanitary district. An elected rural district council replaced the rural sanitary authority...
and Watford
Watford Rural District
Not to be confused with the Watford Rural civil parish.Watford was a rural district in Hertfordshire, England from 1894 to 1974. It originally consisted of contiguous land to the west, north and east of Watford, which was a separate urban district...
which were within the designated area of Hemel Hempstead new town
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
.
The district was granted borough status
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
in 1984. Hemel Hempstead had maintained Charter Trustees
Charter Trustees
In England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a parish council is established...
from 1974 to 1984. The amalgamation of the former local authorities was symbolised in the seven oak leaves which surround a tudor rose
Tudor rose
The Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
on the Dacorum coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
.
Main settlements
The main towns and villages of the borough are:Aldbury
Aldbury
Aldbury is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, near the borders of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, in a valley close to Ashridge Park. The nearest town is Tring; Tring railway station, 1 mile west, is in the parish of Aldbury...
, Bovingdon
Bovingdon
Bovingdon is a large village in the Chiltern Hills, in Hertfordshire, England, four miles south-west of Hemel Hempstead and it is a civil parish within the local authority area of Dacorum...
, Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
, Bourne End
Bourne End, Hertfordshire
Bourne End is a village in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated on the A41 between Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead. There was a rail disaster on the West Coast Main Line at Bourne End on September 30, 1945 when an express train was derailed with many fatalities.Its name comes from the Bourne...
, Bulbourne, Chipperfield
Chipperfield
Chipperfield is a village and civil parish in the Dacorum district of Hertfordshire, England, about 5 miles southwest of Hemel Hempstead and 5 miles north of Watford. The parish includes the hamlet of Tower Hill....
, Cow Roast
Cow Roast
Cow Roast is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Wigginton, Hertfordshire, England. It is located between Tring and Berkhamsted along the A4251 and nearby Grand Union Canal. Today it comprises a row of 20th century cottages together with one or two older properties including a public house.Cow...
, Flamstead
Flamstead
Flamstead is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, England, close to the junction of the A5 and the M1 motorway at junction 9. The name is thought by some historians to be a corruption of the original Verulamstead...
, Flaunden
Flaunden
Flaunden is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England on the Bucks/Herts border. Old Flaunden was on the banks of the River Chess in Buckinghamshire but owing to constant flooding was moved up the hill into Hertfordshire in the early 19th century...
, 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...
, Gaddesden Row, 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...
, 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 ....
, Kings Langley
Kings Langley
Kings Langley is a historic English village and civil parish northwest of central London on the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills and now part of the London commuter belt. The major western portion lies in the borough of Dacorum and the east is in the Three Rivers district, both in the county of...
, 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...
, Little Tring, Long Marston
Long Marston
Long Marston may refer to:*Long Marston, Hertfordshire*Long Marston, North Yorkshire*Long Marston, Warwickshire...
, Markyate
Markyate
Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.-Geography:Having a number of former names, including Markyate Street and Mergyate, it has been a part of all three counties since it was first founded as the county...
, Nettleden
Nettleden
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...
, New Mill, Northchurch
Northchurch
Northchurch is a village and civil parish in the Bulbourne valley in Hertfordshire lying between Berkhamsted and Tring.Situated on the Roman road Akeman Street, a major Roman villa dating from about AD 60 was discovered in the village in the 1970s. The settlement predates the neighbouring larger...
, Potten End
Potten End
Potten End is a village in west Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, two miles east-north-east of Berkhamsted, three miles north west of Hemel Hempstead and two miles south east of the National Trust estate of Ashridge. Nearby villages include Nettleden, Great Gaddesden and...
, Ringshall
Ringshall
Ringshall is the name of more than one place.In the United Kingdom:*Ringshall, Berkhamsted, a hamlet on the border between Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire*Ringshall, Suffolk*Ringshall Stocks, Suffolk...
, Tring
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
, Tringford, Water End
Water End
Water End is a hamlet located on the A40 between Piddington and Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire, England. Together with the adjacent hamlets of Horsleys Green, Beacon's Bottom and Studley Green, it is in an area known collectively as 'Studley Green'. It is within the Chiltern Area of Outstanding...
and Wigginton
Wigginton, Hertfordshire
Wigginton is a large village and civil parish running north-south and perched at on the edge of the Chiltern Hills in the county of Hertfordshire and aside the border with Buckinghamshire...
.
The borough is entirely parished
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
, apart from Hemel Hempstead.
Political representation
Dacorum Borough CouncilDacorum Borough Council
Dacorum Borough Council is the local authority for the Dacorum non-metropolitan district of England, the United Kingdom. Dacorum is located in the north-west of Hertfordshire, in the East of England region. The Council itself is based in Hemel Hempstead, the largest settlement in the district.The...
consists of 51 elected members, representing twenty-five electoral wards
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
. 14 of the wards elect two councillors each. Six, denoted below, elect three councillors each. Five, also denoted below, elect one.
The council is currently controlled by the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, who hold 43 of the 51 seats. The Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
hold 6, making them the second-largest group and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
hold 2.
Composition
| Party | Councillors | Change (on 2010) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | +1 | ||
| 6 | 0 | ||
| 2 | -1 | ||
| Total | 51 | ||
| Source: DBC | |||
Wards
Dacorum consists of twenty-five wards. Wards electing three members are denoted with asterisks (*). Those electing one member are denoted an obelisk (†).
|
Boxmoor Boxmoor, or Boxmoor Village, is a district of Dacorum in Hertfordshire, England. It is now part of Hemel Hempstead. It is a district of mainly nineteenth century housing and meadowland, repeatedly cut through by transport links from London to the The Midlands.... * |
Grovehill Grovehill is an area of Hemel Hempstead, it comprises two distinct developments. 'Precinct A' laid out and developed by the New Town Commission in 1967/8 and from the beginning a mixture of private and rented housing specifically intended to accommodate families of migrating management and... * 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 .... Highfield, Hertfordshire Highfield is a neighborhood district in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. It was constructed on a green field site as part of the construction of the postwar newtown expansion of Hemel Hempstead. It is located north of the old town centre... Kings Langley Kings Langley is a historic English village and civil parish northwest of central London on the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills and now part of the London commuter belt. The major western portion lies in the borough of Dacorum and the east is in the Three Rivers district, both in the county of... Leverstock Green Leverstock Green is a suburb in Hemel Hempstead, in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is located on the eastern edge of the town.Leverstock Green contains a village school , village cricket club, village football club , village hall, village shops, village pubs and Holy Trinity church... * Nash Mills Nash Mills is a civil parish within Hemel Hempstead and Dacorum Borough Council on the northern side of the Grand Union Canal, formerly the River Gade, and in the southernmost corner of Hemel Hempstead... † |
Northchurch Northchurch is a village and civil parish in the Bulbourne valley in Hertfordshire lying between Berkhamsted and Tring.Situated on the Roman road Akeman Street, a major Roman villa dating from about AD 60 was discovered in the village in the 1970s. The settlement predates the neighbouring larger... † Woodhall Farm Woodhall Farm is a neighbourhood on the northern tip of Hemel Hempstead in the county of Hertfordshire. It was built on the former Brocks Fireworks site.... |
Political control
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1973–1976 | |
| Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
1976–1995 | |
| Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1995–1999 | |
| No overall control No overall control Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament... |
1999–2003 | |
| Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
2003–present |
Town twinning
- The Borough of Dacorum, is twinnedTown twinningTwin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
} Neu-Isenburg
Neu-Isenburg
The “Huguenot Town” of Neu-Isenburg with its outlying centres of Gravenbruch and Zeppelinheim is found in the Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany, right near Frankfurt am Main...
, Germany
Two of the civil parishes in the borough also maintain their own separate twinning arrangements:
- BerkhamstedBerkhamsted-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
Town Council is twinned with:
} Beaune
Beaune
Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Cote d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Paris and Geneva.Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France and the annual wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune is the primary wine auction in France...
(France)
- Kings LangleyKings LangleyKings Langley is a historic English village and civil parish northwest of central London on the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills and now part of the London commuter belt. The major western portion lies in the borough of Dacorum and the east is in the Three Rivers district, both in the county of...
Parish Council with:
} Baku
Baku, Ghana
Baku is a town on the coast of Ghana. It is twinned with the English town of Kings Langley, Hertfordshire....
(Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
).