Kings Langley is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

, former manor and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in Hertfordshire, England, north-west of

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

in the historic centre of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and to the south of the

Chiltern Hills The Chiltern Hills is a chalk escarpment in England. The area, northwest of London, covers stretching from Goring-on-Thames in the southwest to Hitchin in the northeast - across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshi ...

. It now forms part of the London commuter belt. The village is divided between two local government districts by the River Gade with the larger western portion in the Borough of Dacorum and smaller part, to the east of the river, in

Three Rivers District Three Rivers is a local government district The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England use ...

. It was the location of Kings Langley Palace and the associated

King's Langley Priory King's Langley Priory was a Dominican priory in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England. It was located adjacent to the Kings Langley Royal Palace, residence of the Plantagenet English kings. History Langley was founded in 1308 by Edward II ...

, of which few traces survive. It is situated south of

Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500. Developed after the Second World War as a new ...

and north of Watford. The earliest mention in surviving documents of the manor of ''Langalega'' is in a Saxon charter dated ''circa'' 1050. It appears as ''Langelai'' in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086, and is recorded as ''Langel' Regis'' ("Langley of the King") in 1254. The name means "long wood or clearing".

History

A Roman villa has been excavated just south of the village.Site of Kings Langley Roman Villa
at Online Archaeology – UK Archaeology Resource. accessed 5 April 2010 The manor was probably a possession of the Abbey of St. Albans, the records of which have been lost. Following the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

of 1066 the manor was one of hundreds given to Robert, Count of Mortain, uterine half-brother of King

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

. His tenant was a certain Ralf. The present village developed as a linear village along the old road from London to Berkhamsted and beyond to the Midlands.Lionel M, Munby, ''The History of Kings Langley'' In the Domesday Book of 1086, Langley was in the hundred of Danish. By 1346 the place was known as ''Kyngeslangley'' and by 1428 as ''Lengele Regis''. In about 1276 the manor was purchased by Queen Eleanor of CastileBritish History On-line
/ref> (1241–1290), wife of King Edward I, and Kings Langley Palace was built on the hill to the west of the village with a deer park extending to the south.

, of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

, of which remains survive, was founded next to the palace. The palace and the grand priory church fell into disrepair at the Dissolution of the Monasteries and little remains above ground level. The Church of All Saints was built during the 14th century on the site of an earlier church. It was the birth-place of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341–1402), 4th surviving son of King Edward III (grandson of Edward I), whose tomb survives in All Saints Church.Kings Langley Local History and Museum Society The body of King Richard II, eldest grandson and successor of King Edward III, was buried here after his probable murder at

Pontefract Castle Pontefract (or Pomfret) Castle is a castle ruin in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. King Richard II is thought to have died there. It was the site of a series of famous sieges during the 17th-century English Civil W ...

in 1400. It was later removed to

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

, next to the Palace of Westminster. The 18th century Sparrows Herne turnpike road (later the A41 trunk road) traversed the Chilterns via the valley of the River Gade and ran down the village high street. The 16th century Saracen's Head

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

is a

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tr ...

which flourished in this period. The

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter ...

dating from 1797, and the 1838, London and Birmingham Railway which later became the West Coast Main Line, (the main railway line from

to the north west) pass just east of the village at

Kings Langley railway station Kings Langley railway station is almost under the M25 motorway near Junction 20. It serves the village of Kings Langley, and the nearby villages of Abbots Langley and Hunton Bridge. The station is north west of London Euston on the West Coas ...

. There are many businesses located near the station in Home Park Industrial Estate which is also the site of the Construction and Engineering Centre of West Herts College. 20th century housing developments have led to the village spreading out on either side of the main road. The A41 has now been diverted west of the village leaving the high street to local traffic for the first time in centuries. The Priory and allotments, Kings Langley (geograph 2310899)

The Priory and allotments, Kings Langley (geograph 2310899)

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the village was home to the secret headquarters in Britain of the Polish Underground army based at Barnes Lodge just off the Hempstead Road near Rucklers Lane. Kings Langley was the site of the factory making

Ovaltine Ovaltine (also known by its original name Ovomaltine) is a brand of milk flavoring product made with malt extract (except in the blue packaging in the United States), sugar (except in Switzerland), and whey. Some flavors also have cocoa. Ovalt ...

chocolate drink; the listed factory facade, designed c.1923 by James Albert Bowden is now all that is left and still stands alongside the railway line among a new housing development. The Ovaltine factory itself has been converted into a series of flats and duplexes. The former Ovaltine Egg Farm was converted into energy-efficient offices which house Renewable Energy Systems. The complex incorporates a highly visible 225 kW Vestas V29

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...

alongside the M25. Kings Langley School is the local comprehensive school, situated on Love Lane to the west of the village. Kings Langley was also the site of a Waldorf School, the Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley which closed in 2019. This was built on the grounds of the old palace, of which only a small basement part of a pillar remains to be seen. There was a small display cabinet of finds from the palace period in the school entrance foyer. The village became twinned with Achiet-le-Grand in France in November 2009, in honour of

Christopher Cox Charles Christopher Cox (born October 16, 1952) is an American attorney and politician who served as chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a 17-year Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, and member of ...

from the village who won a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

in fighting near Achiet-le-Grand in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Roads

The M25, the London orbital

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

, passes just south of the village on an imposing viaduct across the River Gade valley. To the north of junction 20 with the A41, a dual-carriageway bypasses Kings Langley and continues to the south of Tring where it flows into the original motorway-standard by-pass. The old route through Kings Langley is now classified the A4251.

Rucklers Lane

Just to the north of Kings Langley is a small village called Rucklers Lane, named after the road it is built on. The origin of the settlement in the early 20th century was the construction of a number of

mock tudor Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

houses for the workers on the nearby Shendish Manor estate. A community hall was also built for the workers in 1909 as a memorial to Arthur Longman, the owner of the estate; it was originally intended as a chapel of ease to avoid the long walk to the parish church. Further west along the lane is Phasels Wood Scout Camp and Activity Centre which opened in 1937.

Mentions in literature

Kings Langley, Former Ovaltine factory - geograph

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's'' Richard II'' (1595), Act III, Scene IV, is set in the garden of the palace at Langley. * Emily Sarah Holt's novel ''The White Rose of Langley'' (1875) has many scenes in the palace.
Download available
at

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...

) * In the 2010 book ''Beautiful Darkness'' the character Olivia Durand is from Kings Langley. * Mentioned by housekeeper Mrs Swabb in the 1973 play ''

Habeas Corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, ...

'' written by Alan Bennett

Sport

Football

Kings Langley FC, as of 2016, currently play in the Premier Division of the Southern Football League. Watford LFC, Kings Langley FC is now the home of Watford Ladies who play in FA WSL2.

Cricket

Kings Langley CC currently play in Divisions Two, Six, Ten and 14 of the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League.

Bowls

Kings Langley Bowls Club is situated in Green Park at the end of the Nap car park. It is a popular lawn bowls club with club and district competitions for bowlers of all abilities. It includes a club house with licensed bar and good social programs.

Notable people

*Ancestors of U.S. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

with the Carter surname lived in village 1361–1588 *

Christopher Augustus Cox Private Christopher Augustus Cox VC (25 December 1889 – 28 April 1959), was a British Army soldier and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be ...

VC (1889–1959), soldier decorated for working as a stretcher bearer under heavy fire in France, 1917 * Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341–1402), the fourth surviving son of King

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...

and Philippa of Hainault and the founder of the House of York *Captain Alan Rice-Oxley DFC (1898–1961), RAF officer, First World War fighter ace * Griff (born 2001), singer and songwriter * Benny Green (1927–1998), saxophonist and radio personalityKings Langley Information page
* Bruce Grocott, Baron Grocott (b. 1940), former Labour MP for The Wrekin and Telford and current Chancellor of the University of Leicester * Graham Taylor OBE, (1944–2017), former England football manager and former manager and chairman of Watford F.C. * Luke Donald (b. 1977), professional golfer and former world no.1 lived in Kings Langley and attended the

Rudolph Steiner School Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical skil ...

* Frank Toovey Lake, (1849–1868) a member of the mill-owning Toovey family and a Victorian sailor who died in Japan while a member of

Richard Henry Brunton Richard Henry Brunton FRGS MICE (26 December 1841 – 24 April 1901) was the so-called " Father of Japanese lighthouses". Brunton was born in Muchalls, Kincardineshire, Scotland. He was employed by the government of Meiji period Japan as ...

's lighthouse survey party * Steven Finn (b. 1989), former England cricket international * Anthony Joshua (b. 1989), former World Heavyweight Champion attended Kings Langley School *

Stuart Slater Stuart Ian Slater (born 27 March 1969) is an English football coach and former professional footballer. He played as a winger and forward from 1986 to 2009, notably played for West Ham United, Celtic, Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Watfo ...

(b. 1969), former West Ham United footballer * John Milbank (b. 1952), Anglican theologian

Notes

See full reference details below.

References

* * *
Kings Langley, its history and local architecture
Kings Langley Local History and Museum Society. Accessed January 2008
Kings langley Roman Villa
at UK Archaeology Map. Accessed January 2008 *Hertfordshire Federation of Women's Institutes; Ann Roxburgh (Forward) (1986). The Hertfordshire Village Book. Countryside Books. Section on Kings Langley. .

External links

Kings Langley Secondary School

Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley

Kings Langley Churches

Kings Langley and Bakau (Gambia) Link
{{authority control Villages in Hertfordshire Dacorum Civil parishes in Hertfordshire Burial sites of the House of York Burial sites of the House of Plantagenet Burial sites of the Mortimer family