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Coordinates: 51°50'10?N 0°27'18?W? / ?51.836, -0.455
Markyate is a village in north-west Hertfordshire adjacent to its border with Bedfordshire. Formerly known as Markyate Street and Mergyate it has been a part of both counties since it was first founded as the county boundary has changed over the years, at one point the boundary being along the line of the main road itself; Hertfordshire to the east and Bedfordshire to the west. It is located near 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.
Part of the Dacorum Borough Council district (centred on Hemel Hempstead), it has Luton (01582) phone numbers and a St Albans postal code (AL3). Although historically a rural and agricultural area it is now a dormitory village for Luton and the surrounding region as it also lies a short distance from the M1 motorway.
Lying on Watling Street, the Roman road (now the A5), between St Albans and Dunstable it was a major coaching stop on the highway from London to Birmingham, at one point having over forty inns and public houses along its main road, and the village was one of the earlier parts of the Pickfords transport service. During the twelfth century Christina of Markyate was the Prioress of a Benedictine community in the area.
The Gainsborough film The Wicked Lady was based on events surrounding the life of Lady Katherine Ferrers — the wife of the major landowner in the area — at Markyate Cell. Parts of the film The Dirty Dozen were also filmed near here, the stockade being built in the grounds of a local school.
Another notable past resident was William Cowper, who was sent to boarding school here between the ages of four and eight years old. More recently, Chris White, bass player and songwriter of The Zombies rock group, grew up in the village, where his parents owned a grocery store.
The village presently has a football team named Markyate Football Club.
(Source: Wikipedia) |