The earliest known settlement was founded by the
Catuvellauni, Celts from northeastern
France. The Celts began to arrive around 250 BC. The
Belgae arrived around 180 BC. A Roman town existed just to the north of the existing village and the village is at the crossroads of two major Roman roads,
Ermine Street and
Stane Street. By 200AD the Romans had built a town, at the north of the current village, called Ad Fines. It was a regional capital and was also the start point for the roads to
St Albans and
Baldock – all-important pre-Roman Celtic centres. Ad Fines had a large temple dedicated to
Minerva. It also had at least two
bath houses on the banks of the River Rib. The town survived until the end of the 5th century. The neighbouring villages of
Standon and
Braughing are recorded in the
Domesday Book of 1086, but Puckeridge is not although it was probably in existence. It survived the
Black Death in the 14th century. A number of
charities were established in Puckeridge in the 17th century, which gave grants of land that enabled the expansion of the village. The village developed and thrived because it was on the coaching route between London and Cambridge;
Samuel Pepys records that he stopped at the Falcon (now the
Crown and Falcon). Eventually, the coming of the railway in the 19th century led to a decline in the fortune of the many Taverns and Inns in the village. The village is now a popular place to live, being close to good road networks leading into and around London. Near Puckeridge, there was Puckeridge DECCA tower, a free-standing
tower radiator used for
DECCA. ==Today==