List of Hertfordshire boundary changes
Encyclopedia
Boundary changes affecting the English county of 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...

. The county borders Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

 to the west, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

 and Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...

 to the north, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

 to the east and Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...

 to the south. Until 1965 it had a southern boundary with Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...

.

Summary

Apart from a number of minor exchanges of land with surrounding counties, the alterations in Hertfordshire's boundaries involved the following:
  • The county had four exclaves that were integrated into their surrounding counties in 1844.
  • In the south, the boundary with Middlesex was somewhat complex, with Hertfordshire forming a long protrusion into it. In 1889 Hertfordshire gained some territory in this area and when Greater London was formed in 1965 the whole area, including Barnet and East Barnet, became part of the new county. Potters Bar in Middlesex was surrounded by Hertfordshire on three sides, and it was transferred to it in 1965.
  • In the north, the town of Royston was partly in Cambridgeshire until 1896
  • In the north west there were various irregularities in the boundaries with Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire which were adjusted in the years from 1883 to 1897.
  • In the south west the growth of the towns of Chorleywood and Rickmansworth necessitated an adjustment of the boundary with Buckinghamshire in 1906.
  • More recently, the boundary with Greater London has been partially aligned to the M25 motorway
    M25 motorway
    The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...

    .

List of changes

Date Legislation Effect
20 October 1844 Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
The Counties Act 1844 , which came into effect on 20 October 1844, was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which eliminated many outliers or exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes....

  • Coleshill
    Coleshill, Buckinghamshire
    Coleshill is a village and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near Amersham and just to the north of Beaconsfield....

     (part) transferred to Buckinghamshire
  • Meppershall
    Meppershall
    Meppershall is a hilltop village in Bedfordshire near Shefford, Campton, Shillington, Stondon and surrounded by farmland. The Village and the Manor House are mentioned in the Domesday book in 1086....

     (part) transferred to Bedfordshire
  • Studham
    Studham
    Studham is a village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire. It has a population of 1,125. The parish bounds to the south the Buckinghamshire border, and to the east is the Hertfordshire border. The village lies in the wooded south facing rolls of the Chiltern Hills...

     (part) transferred to Bedfordshire
  • Ickleford
    Ickleford
    Ickleford is a large village situated on the northern outskirts of Hitchin in North Hertfordshire in England. It lies on the west bank of the River Hiz and to the east of the main A600 road...

     (part) transferred from Bedfordshire
25 March 1883 Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act 1882
Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act 1882
Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act 1882 was an Act of Parliament in Britain which gave the Local Government Board increased powers relating to dissolving and creating Poor Law Unions. It followed the Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act 1876 ....

, Local Government Board Order 19622
  • Parts of Drayton Beauchamp
    Drayton Beauchamp
    Drayton Beauchamp is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the east of the county, near the border boundary Hertfordshire, about six miles from Aylesbury and two miles from Tring.-History:...

     and Marsham
    Marsham
    Marsham might refer to:People* Joan Marsham* Robert Marsham, founder of phenology* Thomas Marsham, English entomologist* Charles Marsham, 4th Earl of Romney...

     transferred from Buckinghamshire
  • 25 March 1885 Local Government Board Order 16585
  • Part of Edlesborough
    Edlesborough
    Edlesborough is a village and is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is adjacent to the village of Eaton Bray over the county boundary in Bedfordshire, about three miles WSW of Dunstable....

     (Hudnall) transferred from Buckinghamshire
  • 24 March 1888 Local Government Board Order 21701
  • Part of Edlesborough transferred from Buckinghamshire
  • 1 April 1889 Local Government Act 1888
    Local Government Act 1888
    The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales...

  • Monken Hadley
    Monken Hadley
    Monken Hadley is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. An ancient country village north of Barnet, it is now a suburban development situated on the very edge of Greater London north north-west of Charing Cross, while retaining much of its rural character....

     parish and parts of Enfield
    London Borough of Enfield
    The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...

     and South Mimms parishes transferred from Middlesex
  • 30 September 1895 Local Government Board Order P 1170
  • The parish of 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...

     and part of the parish of Ivinghoe
    Ivinghoe
    Ivinghoe is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, close to the border with Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. It is four miles north of Tring and six miles south of Leighton Buzzard, close to the village of Pitstone.The village name is Anglo-Saxon in...

     transferred from Buckinghamshire
  • 30 September 1896 Local Government Board Order P 1173
  • The part of the parish of Royston
    Royston, Hertfordshire
    Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the towns western boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the county on the same latitude of towns such as Milton Keynes and...

     in Cambridgeshire transferred from Cambridgeshire to become North Royston parish
  • Part of Bassingbourn
    Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth
    Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth is a civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles south-west of Cambridge. Since the 1960s the parish contains the villages of Bassingbourn and Kneesworth and is situated just north of Royston in Hertfordshire...

     parish transferred from Cambridgeshire to become South Bassingbourn parish
  • Part of Kneesworth parish transferred from Cambridgeshire to become South Kneesworth parish
  • Part of Melbourn
    Melbourn
    Melbourn is a large village in the far south west of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located next to the A10 just north of Royston. Melbourn has over 4,400 inhabitants...

     parish transferred from Cambridgeshire to become South Melbourn parish
  • 31 September 1896 Local Government Board Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 13) Act 1896
  • South Mimms
    South Mimms
    South Mimms, sometimes spelt South Mymms, is a village and civil parish forming part of the Hertsmere district of Hertfordshire County Council in the East of England although geographically and historically is in the County of Middlesex.-History:...

     (part) transferred from Middlesex
  • 30 September 1897 Local Government Board Order P 1312
  • Humbershoe and part of Houghton Regis
    Houghton Regis
    Houghton Regis is a town and civil parish sandwiched between the major towns of Luton to the east and Dunstable to the west. The parish includes the ancient hamlets of Bidwell, Thorn and Sewell...

     transferred from Bedfordshire to Hertfordshire to form the new parish of 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...

  • Local Government Board Order P 1313
  • Part of Shillington
    Shillington, Bedfordshire
    Shillington is an English village and civil parish located in the county of Bedfordshire. In the south of the parish, the hamlet of Pegsdon is almost encircled by Hertfordshire, and since 1985 the parish has included the village of Higham Gobion to the west...

     parish transferred from Bedfordshire to Hertfordshire
  • 1 October 1900 Local Government Board Order 41337
  • Parts of the Buckinghamshire parish of Ashley Green
    Ashley Green
    Ashley Green is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district of Buckinghamshire, England. The parish is on the boundary with Hertfordshire, midway between Chesham and Berkhamsted....

     exchanged with parts of parishes of 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...

     and 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...

    , Hertfordshire.
  • 1 April 1907 Counties of Bedford and Hertford (Alteration of County Boundaries) Order 1906
  • Parts of parishes of Caddington, Hyde and Studham transferred from Bedfordshire
  • Parts of parishes of Flamstead, Harpenden Rural and Markyate transferred to Bedfordshire
  • Counties of Buckingham and Hertford (Alteration of County Boundaries) Order 1906
  • Exchanges of small unpopulated areas: between the Buckinghamshire parishes of Ashley Green
    Ashley Green
    Ashley Green is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district of Buckinghamshire, England. The parish is on the boundary with Hertfordshire, midway between Chesham and Berkhamsted....

    , Chalfont St Peter
    Chalfont St Peter
    Chalfont St Peter is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in south-east Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe and Rickmansworth. Chalfont St Peter is...

    , Chenies
    Chenies
    Chenies is a village in the very eastern part of south Buckinghamshire, England, near the border with Hertfordshire. It is situated to the east of Chesham and the Chalfonts. Chenies is also a civil parish within Chiltern district....

    , Denham
    Denham, Buckinghamshire
    Denham is a village and civil parish in the South Buckinghamshire district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is north west of Uxbridge and north of junction 1 of the M40 motorway. Denham contains the Buckinghamshire Golf Club.-Origin:...

    , Gerrards Cross
    Gerrards Cross
    Gerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980...

    , Hawridge
    Hawridge
    Hawridge, is a small village in the Chilterns in the county of Buckinghamshire, England and bordering the county boundary with Hertfordshire. It is from Chesham, from both Tring and Berkhamsted....

     and Latimer
    Latimer, Buckinghamshire
    Latimer is a village and civil parish that sits on the border between Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, in England. The parish forms part of the Buckinghamshire district of Chiltern. Latimer parish includes the villages of Latimer, Ley Hill and Tyler's Hill.Latimer was originally joined with the...

     with the Hertfordshire parishes of Chorleywood
    Chorleywood
    Chorleywood is a village and civil parish in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It had a population of 6,814 people at the 2001 census. The parish of Chorleywood as a whole has a population of 10,775. The town lies in the far south west of Hertfordshire, on the...

    , Northchurch, Rickmansworth Rural 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...

  • 1 October 1926 Ministry of Health Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 10) Act 1926
  • Minor exchanges between Ridge, Hertfordshire
    Ridge, Hertfordshire
    Ridge is a village and civil parish in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, situated between Potters Bar and Shenley. It has a small church, St Margaret's and a small playground. There is a public house called the Old Guinea which serves food on most days. The village also holds a fete day on...

     and South Mimms, Middlesex
    South Mimms
    South Mimms, sometimes spelt South Mymms, is a village and civil parish forming part of the Hertsmere district of Hertfordshire County Council in the East of England although geographically and historically is in the County of Middlesex.-History:...

     and Shenley, Hertfordshire and Hendon
    Hendon
    Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...

    , Middlesex
  • 18 September 1934 Ministry of Health Declaration under section 145 of the Local Government Act 1933
    Local Government Act 1933
    The Local Government Act 1933 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated and revised existing legislation that regulated local government in England and Wales...

     (Alteration of Watercourses)
  • Realignment of boundary with Essex due to alteration of watercourses.
  • 1 April 1935 The County of Hertford Review Order (Ministry of Health Order No. 80168)
    The County of Essex Review Order (Ministry of Health Order No. 83994)
  • Transfer of small areas of Eastwick and Gilston
    Gilston
    Gilston is a village located near the town of Harlow and the village of High Wych, in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England.- External links :* http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/places/places-g/gilston.htm...

     to Essex
  • 28 September 1947 Ministry of Health Declaration
  • Part of Arlesey
    Arlesey
    Arlesey is a small industrial town and civil parish in the district of Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire. It is located on the border with Hertfordshire, about three miles north-west of Letchworth Garden City, four miles north of Hitchin and six miles south of Biggleswade. Arlesey railway...

     transferred from Bedfordshire
  • 13 August 1956 Ministry of Health Declaration
  • Part of Arlesey
    Arlesey
    Arlesey is a small industrial town and civil parish in the district of Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire. It is located on the border with Hertfordshire, about three miles north-west of Letchworth Garden City, four miles north of Hitchin and six miles south of Biggleswade. Arlesey railway...

     transferred from Bedfordshire
  • 1 April 1965 London Government Act 1963
    London Government Act 1963
    The London Government Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which recognised officially the conurbation known as Greater London and created a new local government structure for the capital. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the area,...

  • Potters Bar Urban District
    Potters Bar Urban District
    South Mimms Rural District and Potters Bar Urban District were local government districts occupying the area around the town of Potters Bar, England....

     gained from Middlesex
  • Former area of Barnet Urban District
    Barnet Urban District
    Barnet was a local government district in south Hertfordshire from 1863 to 1965 around the town of Barnet.-Creation:Barnet Local Government District was created on September 25, 1863 under the Local Government Act 1858, and was governed by a local board...

     and East Barnet Urban District
    East Barnet Urban District
    East Barnet was a local government district in south Hertfordshire from 1863 to 1965 around the town of East Barnet.The district was created under the Local Government Act 1858 on September 25, 1863, as East Barnet Valley Local Government District. The district was governed by a local board...

     transferred to Greater London
  • 1 April 1989 The Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire (County Boundaries) Order 1989
  • Transfers from South Cambridgeshire
    South Cambridgeshire
    South Cambridgeshire is a mostly rural local government district of Cambridgeshire, England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambridgeshire Rural District. It surrounds the city of Cambridge, which is administered separately from the district by...

     to North Hertfordshire
    North Hertfordshire
    North Hertfordshire is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Letchworth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the amalgamation of the urban districts of Baldock, Hitchin, Letchworth, and Royston and the Hitchin Rural District.From eastward clockwise,...

     (mainly to Royston parish)
  • 1 April 1993 The Greater London and Hertfordshire (County Boundaries) Order 1992
  • Southern part of Elstree
    Elstree
    Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5 road, about 10 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765, and forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree....

     village from Barnet/Harrow to the Elstree and Borehamwood parish in Hertfordshire
  • Some streets on the edge of Barnet
    Barnet
    High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...

    town gained by Barnet from unparished area of Hertsmere, Hertfordshire
  • 1 April 1993 The Essex and Hertfordshire (County Boundaries) Order 1992
  • Changes to Essex/Hertfordshire boundary
  • 1 April 1994 The Essex, Greater London and Hertfordshire (County and London Borough Boundaries) Order 1993
  • Changes to the Greater London/Hertfordshire boundary: some alignment to the M25 motorway
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