Hormead, Little (St. Mary)

HORMEAD, LITTLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Buntingford, hundred of Edwinstree, county of Hertford, 2 miles (E. by S.) from Buntingford; containing 121 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 972 acres, of which 796 are arable, 152 pasture, and 19 woodland. The scenery is rendered picturesque by a hilly surface, interspersed with copses of elm and oak, and enlivened by the stream of the Quin, running along the west of the parish; the soil has the several varieties of clay, gravel, and chalk, and the chief produce is wheat. Granite, sandstone, and jasper are found. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10, and in the gift of St. John's College, Cambridge: the tithes have been commuted for £260, and the glebe contains 82 acres, 16 of which are in the parish of Great Hormead. The church is an extremely ancient building, the nave being of Saxon or Norman architecture, and the chancel in the early English style. A large block of granite, standing on the west side of the turnpike-road, is supposed by some to be a Roman milestone, the Ermin-street having passed near to it.