History of St Albans facts for kids
St Albans is a historic city in Hertfordshire, England. It started as an ancient settlement called Verlamion, built by a Celtic tribe known as the Catuvellauni. Later, the Romans turned it into a town called Verulamium around AD 50. The city got its current name, St Albans, in the 4th century AD. This was after St Alban was killed for his Christian faith and buried near where the cathedral stands today.
Contents
Ancient St Albans: Before the Romans Arrived
Before the Romans, there was an Iron Age settlement called Verulamium or Verlamion. It was the main power center for the Catuvellauni tribe from about 20 BC until the Romans invaded in AD 43. The name "Verulamium" means "settlement over or by the marsh" in Celtic.
This early town was on Prae Hill, about 2 kilometers west of modern St Albans. Today, this area includes the village of St. Michael's and Verulamium Park. It's thought that the tribal leader, Tasciovanus, moved the capital to this spot. Another leader, Cunobelinus, might have built Beech Bottom Dyke, a large defensive earthwork nearby.
Roman Verulamium: A Major City
The Roman city of Verulamium was built next to the Celtic settlement, closer to the modern city center. It became the second-largest town in Roman Britain, after Londinium. Around AD 50, Verulamium was given the status of a municipium. This meant its citizens had "Latin Rights," a type of citizenship that gave them some legal benefits.
Verulamium grew into an important town. In AD 61, the warrior queen Boudica and her Iceni tribe attacked and burned the city. Archaeologists have found a layer of black ash, which confirms this event. The city was rebuilt and continued to grow. By the early 3rd century, it covered about 125 acres and was protected by a deep ditch and walls. These walls were completed around AD 275.
The Roman city had a forum (a public square), a basilica (a large public building), and a theatre. These were damaged by fires in 155 and around 250 AD. The town was rebuilt with stone instead of timber at least twice over the next 150 years.
The Story of St Alban and Early Christianity
The city is named after St Alban, who is believed to have lived here. He was killed for his Christian beliefs in the 3rd or 4th century AD. He was probably buried outside the city walls in a Roman cemetery. People say his hillside grave became a place where Christians would visit.
In the 8th century, a writer named Bede mentioned a Roman church dedicated to St Alban. This church was built "when peaceable Christian times were restored," possibly in the 4th century. It was still in use during Bede's time. In 429, Germanus of Auxerre visited this church and helped spread the story of St Alban. Some historians believe this church might be the oldest continuous site of Christian worship in Britain.
Medieval St Albans: From Romans to Monks
Life After the Romans
The Roman rule in St Albans ended between 400 and 450 AD. It's not clear how long Roman ways of life continued. The Roman theatre was already falling apart by the early 5th century. However, some large Roman villas were still lived in, and Roman-style buildings were built for another 50 years. This shows that Roman customs lasted longer than once thought.
Gradually, the town became the center of the Anglo-Saxon Waeclingas tribe. Even in the 8th century, the Saxon people knew about the old Roman city. They called it Verulamacæstir or Vaeclingscæstir, which means "the fortress of the followers of Wæcla." The medieval town that grew up later was on the hill to the east of this old Roman site.
The Famous St Albans Abbey
There's a tradition that St Albans Abbey was founded by King Offa in 793. The current building, started in 1077, was the most important abbey in medieval England. It was run by the Benedictines. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, it became a parish church. In 1877, it was made a cathedral.
A famous scribe named Matthew Paris (around 1200-1259) lived and studied at the Abbey. In 1213, the first draft of the Magna Carta, a very important document about rights, was written there.
St Albans School was founded in AD 948. It's the only school in the English-speaking world to have educated a Pope (Adrian IV). Today, it's a public school and has been located west of the Abbey since 1871. It includes the 14th-century Abbey Gateway.
Important Medieval Buildings and Events
A nunnery, Sopwell Priory, was founded in 1140. The head of St Albans Abbey was confirmed as the most important abbot in England in 1154. The Abbey was expanded several times, but money problems limited these later additions.
In 1290, the funeral procession of Eleanor of Castile stopped in St Albans. An Eleanor cross was built in the Market Place to mark the spot. This cross was later taken down in 1701.
The Clock Tower was built between 1403 and 1412. It was a way for the town to show its importance against the power of the Abbot. It's the only medieval town belfry (bell tower) still standing in England. The tower's design was based on the Clock House at Westminster Palace. The Clock Tower was used to sound the curfew (a signal for people to be off the streets) until 1863. It was also used as a signal station during the Napoleonic Wars. The original bell, named Gabriel, is still in use today.
On Abbey Mill Lane, you can find Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, which the Guinness Book of Records says is the oldest pub in England.
St Albans still has a street market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It was started by Abbot Ulsinus and confirmed by King John of England in 1202 and King Edward VI in 1553.
During the 14th century, the Abbey and the townspeople often disagreed. The town wanted more rights. In 1365, the Abbey built a wall and a gateway around itself. The gateway is the only monastic building left besides the Abbey Church.
In 1381, during the Peasants' Revolt, people in St Albans joined the rebellion. They were upset with the Abbey's power. Rebels, led by William Grindecobbe, broke into the Abbey's jail, destroyed its records, and forced the Abbot to give up some of the Abbey's rights. However, when the main rebellion in London failed, Grindecobbe was arrested and executed.
St Albans was also the site of two battles during the Wars of the Roses. The First Battle of St Albans in 1455 was a defeat for the Lancastrian side. The Second Battle of St Albans in 1461, fought north of the town, was a Lancastrian victory.
Modern St Albans: From Market Town to City
Changes in the Early Modern Period
In 1553, after the monasteries were closed, the Abbey was sold to the town for £400 and became a parish church. The Lady Chapel became part of St Albans School, and the Great Gatehouse was used as a prison before the school took it over.
King Edward VI gave St Albans a royal charter, making it a borough with a mayor. The mayor had executive and judicial powers.
During the English Civil War (1642–45), St Albans supported Parliament but was not greatly affected by the fighting.
Growth in the Nineteenth Century
Before the 20th century, St Albans was a quiet market town and a stop for coaches traveling to and from London. This is why it has many old inns. Victorian St Albans was small and didn't have much industry. It grew slowly until the end of the century. Between 1891 and 1901, its population grew by 37%.
Three main roads from medieval times are Holywell Hill, St Peter's Street, and Fishpool Street. New roads like London Road (1754), Hatfield Road (1824), and Verulam Road (1833) were built later. Verulam Road was made to help stage coaches move more easily.
The railway arrived in St Albans relatively late. The first station, St Albans Abbey, opened in 1858. St Albans City station opened in 1868.
In 1877, Queen Victoria granted St Albans city status. The former Abbey Church became a cathedral. The Abbey Church had fallen into disrepair. A local wealthy man, Edmund Beckett (later Lord Grimthorpe), paid a lot of money to restore the church between 1880 and 1883. He rebuilt it in a Neo-Gothic style. Some people didn't like his changes, but without his money, the Abbey Church might be a ruin today.
The city's football club, St Albans City F.C., was founded in 1880.
The Twentieth Century and Beyond
In September 1916, during World War I, a German airship, SL 11, was shot down over St Albans. This was the first airship brought down over England.
Between the two World Wars, St Albans became a center for new high-technology industries, especially in aerospace. Marconi plc, a famous electronics company, became the city's largest employer. These industries are no longer in the area.
After World War II, St Albans grew quickly. The local government built large housing estates in areas like Cottonmill, Mile House, and New Greens. The Marshalswick area also expanded with new homes.
In 1974, several local councils merged to form St Albans District Council. In 2011, the population of the St Albans City and District was 140,664.
What You Can Still See Today
St Albans today shows evidence of its long history. You can still see parts of the Roman city, like sections of the city walls, a hypocaust (an ancient Roman heating system) under a mosaic floor, and the Roman theatre. Many Roman artifacts are displayed in the Verulamium Museum.
Medieval buildings that still stand include the Abbey and the early 15th-century Clock Tower.
Images
-
Remains of the Roman city of Verulamium have been excavated in modern times
-
St Albans has many old coaching inns (pictured: The White Hart, Hollywell Hill)
-
St Albans City station, opened 1868 (pictured in 1958)
-
The Old London Road Station, closed 1951
-
Arthur Melbourne-Cooper's A Dream of Toyland, produced in St Albans in 1907
.jpg)
.jpg)
