Walkern is a village and civil parish in East Hertfordshire, England, located about two miles from Stevenage. The village offers various amenities including several shops such as a convenience store, hair and beauty salon, craft shop, and a tea shop. Notable establishments include the White Lion and the Yew Tree pubs, as well as Walkern Gallery. Community facilities include a primary school, doctors' surgery, and a recreation ground hosting seasonal clubs like cricket and football at the Walkern Sports and Community Centre. This centre is near the War Memorial and opposite a former watermill, reflecting the village's historical charm and vibrant community life.
History
The village appears as 'Walchra' in Domesday Book of 1086. It has been suggested that the name comes from the Old English wealc-ærn, ‘a fulling mill’ (see note1). Whether or not the village is named after a mill, there has been a watermill in the village since medieval times. The surviving building is 19th-century,2 and is at the bottom of the High Street which runs parallel to the River Beane.
Parish church of St Mary the Virgin
Main article: Church of St Mary the Virgin, Walkern
Most of the village is on the western side of the River Beane, which is a chalk stream. The village street of Church End crosses the river at a ford to reach the parish church. St Mary the Virgin is one of the oldest churches in Hertfordshire, with a Saxon wall and rare chalk rood (crucifix) dating to the mid-10th century.
People from Walkern
William de Lanvalei
Main article: William de Lanvallei
William de Lanvallei, also known as William de Lanvalei, was lord of Walkern in the early 13th century. He was one of the men designated as enforcers of Magna Carta. William died a couple of years after the great charter was formally granted by King John at Runnymede on 15 June 1215.3
Legacy
There is an effigy in Walkern church, made from Purbeck Marble, which may be that of William.4 At the time of the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, Walkern twinned with Lanvallay in Brittany through the connection with this baron.5
Jane Wenham
Main article: Jane Wenham (alleged witch)
Walkern is noted as the home of Jane Wenham, who in 1712 was the last woman in England to be convicted of witchcraft and condemned to death (although the sentence was not carried out).6
Notes
1.^Fulling mills were sometimes known as ‘walk mills’ (wealc-ærn means ‘walk-house’) and were watermills where cloth was thickened by being pounded. However the placename is the only evidence for a mill at Walkern before the 12th century. Domesday Book records mills at other sites on the Beane, such as Sele Mill, but does not mention a mill at Walkern. A possible explanation for this is that the mills it records elsewhere were usually flour-mills, as these were a source of revenue for the lord of the manor.7
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walkern.- Village website
- website for Walkern History Society
- Walkern on A Guide to Old Hertfordshire
- website for the Magna Carta Barons Association
References
"Walkern Inns & Public Houses, Hertfordshire". http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/links/walkern-pubs.htm ↩
Walkern Mill http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-159686-walkern-mill-and-number-161-millers-cott ↩
"The Magna Carta Barons". http://www.magnacartabarons.info/walkern ↩
Nigel, Saul. "William de Lanvallei". Magna Carta Trust. Retrieved 16 March 2022. https://magnacarta800th.com/schools/biographies/the-25-barons-of-magna-carta/william-de-lanvallei/ ↩
"Twinning with Lanvallay". Walkern History Society. http://www.walkernhistorysociety.co.uk/index.php/site-map/about-us/twinning-with-lanvallay/ ↩
"Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern". www.walkernhistorysociety.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130728215137/http://www.walkernhistorysociety.co.uk/index.php/historical-highlights/jane-wenham/ ↩
Fitzpatrick-Matthews (2020). "Walkern". Retrieved 12 March 2022. https://northhertsmuseum.org/walkern/ ↩