Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people, a tribe holding 300
hides of land as mentioned in a 7th-century document, the
Tribal Hidage. Hicce, or Hicca, may mean
the people of the horse. The tribal name is
Old English and derives from the
Middle Anglian people. The ancient
Icknield Way runs just north of Hitchin, passing through the neighbouring village of
Ickleford. It has been suggested that Hitchin was the location of '
Clofesho', the place chosen in 673 by
Theodore of Tarsus the
Archbishop of Canterbury during the
Synod of Hertford, the first meeting of representatives of the fledgling
Christian churches of
Anglo-Saxon England, to hold annual synods of the churches as Theodore attempted to consolidate and centralise Christianity in England. By 1086 Hitchin is described as a
Royal Manor in the
Domesday Book: the feudal services of
avera and inward, usually found in the eastern counties, especially
Cambridgeshire and
Hertfordshire, were due from the
sokemen, but the manor of Hitchin was unique in levying inward. probably in the early tenth century but this did not last. The modern spelling of the town first appears in 1618 in the
"Hertfordshire Feet of Fines". (as in the name of the town). It would have been pronounced 'River Hitch'.
The Hicca Way is an walking route along the River Hiz Valley, believed to have been used for trade between the Danes and English in the Anglo-Saxon age. , the Hitchin parish church
St Mary's Church is remarkably large for a town of its size and was once a
minster. The size of the church is evidence of how Hitchin prospered from the wool trade. It is the largest parish church in
Hertfordshire. Most of the church dates from the 15th century, with its tower dating from around 1190. During the laying of a new floor in the church in 1911, foundations of a more ancient church building were found. In form, they appear to be a
basilican church of a 7th-century type, with a later enlarged
chancel and
transepts, perhaps added in the 10th century. This makes the church older than the story (not recorded before the 15th century) that the church was founded by
Offa, king of
Mercia 757-796. In 1697, Hitchin (and the nearby village of
Offley) were subject to what is thought to have been the most severe
hailstorm in recorded British history. Hailstones over 4 inches in diameter were reported. In the High Medieval Period the town was surrounded by open arable fields, divided into shotts and narrow strips, that survived into the early 19th century. The town flourished on the wool trade, the sheep being pastured on the high hills to the south. By the 17th century the town was a staging post for coaches coming from
London. By the middle of the 19th century, the railway had arrived, and with it a new way of life for Hitchin. Hitchin established itself as a major centre for grain trading after the
Corn Exchange was built in the
market place in 1853. Hitchin was also a centre for manufacturing products from the lavender which was cultivated in the surrounding area, with multiple lavender distilleries operating in the town. The latter half of the 20th century has also brought great changes in communication to Hitchin. Motorways have shortened the journey time and brought
Luton, a few miles away on the
M1, and the
A1 (M) even closer. By the close of the 20th century, Hitchin had developed a strong commuter interest being midway between London and Cambridge. Hitchin also developed a fairly strong
Sikh community based around the
Walsworth area. During the medieval period, both a priory (Newbigging, now known as The Biggin) and a friary (now known as
Hitchin Priory) were established, both of which closed during
Henry VIII's
Dissolution of the Monasteries. They were never reformed, although The Biggin was for many years used as
almshouses. The
British Schools Museum in Hitchin is home to the world's only surviving complete
Lancasterian Schoolroom, which was built in 1837 to teach boys by the
Lancasterian method (
peer tutoring). This unique community project demonstrates the foundation of education for all. Girton College – a pioneer in women's education – was established on 16 October 1869 under the name of College for Women at Benslow House in Hitchin, which was considered to be a convenient distance from Cambridge and London. It was thought to be less 'risky' and less controversial to locate the college away from Cambridge in the beginning. The college moved to Cambridge a few years later and adopted its present name,
Girton College. ==Governance==