Stapleford (St. Mary)
STAPLEFORD (St. Mary), a parish, in the union, hundred, and county of Hertford, 3¼ miles (N. by W.) from Hertford; containing 259 inhabitants. It comprises about 1440 acres of land; the soil is gravelly, and the surface alternated with hill and dale. The small river Bene flows through the lands; and a large watercourse, called the New Cut, has been made at the expense of S. Smith, Esq., to diminish the violence of the floods. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £8. 8. 6½., and in the gift of Mr. Smith: the tithes have been commuted for £250, and the glebe comprises 20 acres. The church is an ancient structure, with some details of the Norman style.
Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.