Chipping is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
in the
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Buckland in the
East Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire is one of ten Non-metropolitan district, local government districts in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire. The largest town in the district is Bishop's Stortford, and th ...
district, in the county of
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
, England. Situated along the
A10 road (which follows the course of the Roman
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln ('' Lindum Colonia'') and York ('' Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earninga ...
), Chipping was an early, but unsuccessful attempt to create a market town at the crossing of the
River Rib
The River Rib is a tributary of the River Lea, which runs from Buckland in Hertfordshire, England. It flows into the River Lea to the east of Hertford.
Course
The River Rib originates near the East Hertfordshire village of Buckland, Hertfords ...
by Ermine Street.
Situated in a valley, Chipping lies approximately north of
Buntingford
Buntingford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies next to the River Rib and is located on the historic Roman road, Ermine Street. As a ...
and south of
Royston. Chipping is situated half a mile west of the
prime meridian
A prime meridian is an arbitrarily chosen meridian (geography), meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. On a spheroid, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian ...
. Prior to 1750, Chipping was referred to as ''New Chipping'', today this name is rarely used.
History
Early history
The current settlement of Chipping first emerged along the former Roman Road
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln ('' Lindum Colonia'') and York ('' Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earninga ...
as the manor of Pope's Hall (now Chipping Hall) then a part of Buckland village, as mentioned in
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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
. Former earthworks, including a moat (all destroyed in the 1950s) inside Burhill Wood to the west of Chipping, could suggest an earlier
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
settlement or hill fort, predating the present-day Chipping.
Chipping as an independent settlement to Buckland developed around 1220 as ''New Cheping'' (later becoming New Chipping), due to its strategic location along Ermine Street as a final stop-off for passing traffic before confronting several steep hills whilst travelling between London and York, and later, London and Cambridge.
Chipping was the site of a market (every Friday) and fair (three days a year) from 1252 until 1360 before its transferral to nearby
Buntingford
Buntingford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies next to the River Rib and is located on the historic Roman road, Ermine Street. As a ...
by
Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster
Elizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Clarence, ''suo jure'' 4th Countess of Ulster and 5th Baroness of Connaught ( ; 6 July 1332 – 10 December 1363) was a Norman-Irish noblewoman who married Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence.
Family
Elizab ...
the lord of the manor of Pope's Hall due to its dwindling trade caused by Buntingford's rapid growth compared to Chipping.
The English Civil War
In April 1643, during the second year of the English Civil War, a skirmish occurred in Chipping, which was situated along the worst section of Ermine Street. A group of Parliamentarians were sent by Oliver Cromwell to collect treasures from Cambridge, including a new helmet ordered by Cromwell as he found his old helmet “ill-set”. When passing through Chipping they were “set upon by a Royalist party with so much vigour, and evidently superior numbers that while the fight was proceeding some of the attacking party carried on with most of the baggage”. After much fighting, the Parliamentarians were able to beat off the Royalist assault and escape with Cromwell's helmet.
One Parliamentarian at the skirmish later said, “We went up with the treasure; got sadly mauled coming back by ruffians at Chipping, but lost near all our luggage”. On the delivery of his new helmet, Cromwell commended the victories’ party. With the Chipping helmet becoming the first of Cromwell's recognisable helmets that he wore throughout the remaining civil war.
After 1700

From 1700 until the mid-nineteenth century the main occupation of Chipping's residence was farming, working the dense woodland and farmland surrounding the village, whilst other villages served passing trade along
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln ('' Lindum Colonia'') and York ('' Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earninga ...
. However, Chipping has always been overshadowed by its larger neighbours of
Buntingford
Buntingford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies next to the River Rib and is located on the historic Roman road, Ermine Street. As a ...
to the south and
Royston to the north, with its population remaining small, it was never large enough for the construction of a church.
Sometime after its closure in 1360 the market was re-established, before it was finally closed in 1883. Until the late nineteenth-century Chipping was divided between the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
of
Therfield
Therfield is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The village stands on a broad chalk ridge, about south-west of Royston. At its northern end, the parish includes the common land of Therf ...
, to the west side of
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln ('' Lindum Colonia'') and York ('' Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earninga ...
and
Buckland parish, to the east.
A
Post mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single central vertical post. The vertical post is supported by four quarter bars. These ar ...
was formerly situated on Mill Hill to the east of the village from around 1737 until 1838. The former
public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
, ''The Royal Oak'', was destroyed by fire sometime in the 1970s, its site now hosts the Cul-de-sac Royal Oak Close.
Today
Population
The population of Chipping in 1851 was 215, however, with the development of the railway, causing decreased road traffic and growing demand for industrial workers in cities, meant Chipping's population fell to below 100 by 1905.
Today Chipping has around 50 houses with a population of around 125 to 150 as of 2011. The parish of
Buckland and Chipping has a combined population of 274 as of 2011, with the population roughly split between both villages.
Local government
Along with its neighbour
Buckland, Chipping elects members to the Buckland and Chipping
parish council.
Chipping is in the
Buntingford
Buntingford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies next to the River Rib and is located on the historic Roman road, Ermine Street. As a ...
ward of the
Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England. The council was created in 1889. It is responsible for a wide range of public services in the county, including social c ...
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
, which is responsible for all significant local government functions. Additionally, Chipping is within the Buntingford ward of
East Hertfordshire District Council
East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...
, having two district councillors.
On the national level, Chipping is in the
North East Hertfordshire
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
parliamentary constituency.
Landmarks
Chipping has an array of historic and modern landmarks, with over half of Chipping's current housing being built since the turn of the twentieth century. Chipping also includes several historic buildings, thatched cottages and a public house, many of which date back to the 17th century and earlier.

''The Countryman (Inn)'' (formerly ''The Red Lion Inn'' until 1975) is a 17th-century
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 t ...
, built in 1663, it has operated as a public house since 1760. Situated in the centre of the village, ''The Countryman'' has hosted the yearly 'World Sausage Tossing Championship' every August since 2014.
Chipping also includes the
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
of Chipping Hall (formerly Pope's Hall), with the current hall dating from the early eighteenth-century, the main hall, dovecot and walled gardens are constructed in early
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Han ...
from red brick. The manor of Pope's Hall was inherited by
Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence
Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, (; 29 November 133817 October 1368), was an English prince, Earl of Ulster ''jure uxoris'' from 1347, Duke of Clarence from 1362, Guardian of England in 1345–46, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1361–66, Kni ...
from his wife
Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster
Elizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Clarence, ''suo jure'' 4th Countess of Ulster and 5th Baroness of Connaught ( ; 6 July 1332 – 10 December 1363) was a Norman-Irish noblewoman who married Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence.
Family
Elizab ...
after her death in 1363. On the north side of Chipping Hall is a large eighteenth-century farmyard, once a part of Chipping Hall farm, it was sold and converted into housing around 2007.
Chipping also includes a former Congregational Chapel which was constructed in 1844 and a former Mission Room constructed in 1878 for a cost of £380, both are now in private ownership. Six houses along Chipping's ''Brookside'' lane were some of the UK's first
council housing
Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in social housing. D ...
constructed under the
Addison Act of 1919.
Toponym
The name
Chipping likely derives from ''ceapen'', an
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
word meaning 'market', referring to the market hosted in Chipping between 1252 and 1360, though it is also possible the name rather derives from the
Medieval English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...
word ''chepynge'' meaning 'long market square', supported by early references to Chipping as ''New Cheping''.
Chipping is a prefix name used by several places in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, however, only
Chipping, Lancashire
Chipping is a village and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England, within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its grid reference is SD6243, and the nearest substantial settlement is Longridge, ne ...
shares the sole use of the name Chipping.
Chipping's historic name ''New Chipping'' used prior to 1750 (less commonly used until 1900) more specifically meaning 'new market'. The reason why ''new'' was dropped from Chipping's name is unknown, though this change was likely gradual, evolving from being ''New Chipping'' to just ''Chipping'' over several hundred years.
Geography
Landscape

Chipping is situated at the foot of three hills, to the north Chipping Hill, to the east Capons Hill and the west Mill Hill. Though historically Chipping was surrounded by dense woodland used for graving pigs and sheep, today only Capons Wood to the east and Burhill Wood to the west of the village survive (never have public right of way). College Wood (formerly adjacent to Capons Wood) was removed in the 1950s/60s, alongside the reduction in the size of Burhill Wood (around 80% of its total area) to make way for increased farmland.
The
River Rib
The River Rib is a tributary of the River Lea, which runs from Buckland in Hertfordshire, England. It flows into the River Lea to the east of Hertford.
Course
The River Rib originates near the East Hertfordshire village of Buckland, Hertfords ...
runs through the village, with one bridge (Chipping Bridge) across the
A10 and two fords along public footpaths crossing the river.
The village of
Buckland lies one mile north of Chipping, whilst the
prime meridian
A prime meridian is an arbitrarily chosen meridian (geography), meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. On a spheroid, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian ...
passes to the east of Chipping.
Wildlife
The land surrounding Chipping is dominated by farmland growing
Winter wheat
Winter wheat (usually ''Common wheat, Triticum aestivum'') are strains of wheat that are planted in the autumn to germinate and develop into young plants that remain in the vegetative phase during the winter and resume growth in early spring. C ...
,
Rapeseed
Rapeseed (''Brassica napus'' subsp. ''napus''), also known as rape and oilseed rape and canola, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturall ...
,
Borage
Borage ( or ; ''Borago officinalis''), also known as starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae native to the Mediterranean region. Although the plant contains small amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, some parts ar ...
and
Broad beans
''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Vari ...
. Such a habitat has meant farmland birds such as the
grey partridge
The grey partridge (''Perdix perdix'') is a bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The scientific name is the Latin for "partridge".
Taxonomy
The grey partridge formally described in 1758 by the S ...
,
lapwing
Lapwings (subfamily Vanellinae) are any of various ground-nesting birds (Family (biology), family Charadriidae) akin to plovers and dotterels. They range from in length, and are noted for their slow, irregular wingbeats in flight and a shrill, ...
,
skylark
''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially ...
,
yellowhammer
The yellowhammer (''Emberiza citrinella'') is a passerine bird in the Emberiza, bunting family that is native to Palearctic, Eurasia and has been introduced species, introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Most European birds remain in the br ...
and
corn bunting can be found along the many
bridleways
A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a wider ...
and
public footpaths surrounding Chipping, even though these birds are declining nationally.
See also
*
Toponymy of England
The toponymy of England derives from a variety of linguistic origins. Many English toponyms have been corrupted and broken down over the years, due to language changes which have caused the original meanings to be lost. In some cases, words u ...
*
List of generic forms in British place names
This article lists a number of common generic forms in place names in the British Isles, their meanings and some examples of their use. The study of place names is called toponymy; for a more detailed examination of this subject in relation to Br ...
References
External links
*
*https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/26471
*http://www.bucklandandchippingpc.org.uk/
*https://www.sausagetosser.com/
*https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/IOE01/08803/16
*http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/places/places-b/buckland/buckland.htm
{{Authority control
Hamlets in Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire District