Origins

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This is taken directly from the now-defunct pbhistory site.

Anyone living and entering Potters Bar in the last 45 years will believe that Potters Bar forms part of the county of Hertfordshire when in fact it lies within the ancient county of Middlesex.

Middlesex was recorded in the Domesday Book as being divided into six hundreds of Edmonton, Elthorne, Gore, Isleworth, Ossulstone and Spelthorne.

North-western suburbs of the city of London steadily covered large parts of Middlesex, the coming of the railways enforced this and in 1888 these areas became part of the county of London.

The next few decades saw the urbanisation of much of Middlesex by the expanding suburbs of London. By the end of this period many borough demanded independence from the Middlesex County Council as county boroughs. If this was granted Middlesex would have been left as an area with three unconnected fragments in the west, south-east and north of the county.

Instead, in 1965 nearly all of what was left of Middlesex was subsumed into the newly formed Greater London Authority. The area of Potters Bar was one of the few areas ceded to one of the other county councils, for us it was Hertfordshire County Council.

 

A reminder of our Middlesex connections could be found in Warrengate Lane, a small road bridge across the Mimms Brook displayed a River Authority sign with the header "County Council of Middlesex ". It has since been appropriated presumably for it's scrap value.

Click on picture for larger image

Warrengate Lane Bridge Sign

From The National Gazetteer (1868)

EDMONTON HUNDRED

"One of the 6 subdivisions of county Middlesex, outside the metropolis, situated in the N.E. part of the county. It contains the parishes of Edmonton, Enfield, Hadley, South Mimms, and Tottenham. Its area is about 31,000 acres."

ELTHORNE HUNDRED

"One of the 6 hundreds of county Middlesex, situated in the western part of the county, is bounded on the N. by the county of Hertford, E. by the hundred of Gore, S. by the hundred of Isleworth, and W. by the county of Bucks. It contains the parishes of Cowley, Cranford, Great Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield, Harlington, Harmondsworth, Hayes, Hillingdon, Ickenham, Northolt, Norwood Precinct, Perrivale, and Ruislip, together comprising about 36,000 acres."

GORE HUNDRED

"One of the six subdivisions of the county of Middlesex. It is situated in the N. part of the county, and is bounded on the N. by the county of Hertford, on the E. and S. by the hundred of Ossulston, and on the W. by, the hundred of Elthorpe. It includes the parishes of Edgeware, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Hendon, Kingsbury, Pinner, and Great and Little Stanmore, comprising about 28,660 acres."

ISLEWORTH

"A hundred in county Middlesex, contains the parishes of Neston, Isleworth, and Twickenham, comprising about 9,280 acres."

OSSULSTONE

"A hundred in the county of Middlesex, situated between Brentford and the river Lea. It contains the divisions of Finsbury, Holborn, Kensington, and Tower, including London and Westminster, comprising an area of 47,950 acres. The hundred gives title of baron to the Earl of Tankerville."

KENSINGTON

"A division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county Middlesex, contains the parishes of Acton, Chelsea, Chiswick, Ealing, Fulham, Hammersmith, Kensington, Twyford Abbey, and Willesden, comprising about 19,220 acres."

SPELTHORNE

"A hundred in the county of Middlesex, contains the parishes of Ashford, East Bedfont, Feltham, Hampton, Hanworth, Laleham, Littleton, Shepperton, Staines, Stamwell, Sunbury, and Teddington, comprising an area of 23,500 acres."

27th September 2015.

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