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Roland Perry · July 22nd 09, 10:34 AM posted to uk.transport.london

In message , at 15:23:39
on Tue, 21 Jul 2009, remarked:
Tell us which County Royston was in pre-1889 then.

Most of the maps show it on the border, inconsistently one side or the
other. But whatever the answer is, the line between Cambridgshire and
Hertfordshire was in the same place (give or take a mile) all along.

You need to consider the significance of the line, though. Counties had
little administrative role before 1889.

What significance are you hinting at? Court catchment areas spring to
mind, as well as the "Shires" made up from a collection of Hundreds, and
controlled by the Reeve (later Sheriff from Shire-reeve).

Getting back to Royston, it's said that: "Royston is partly in the Odsey
Hundred of Hertfordshire, and partly in the Armingford Hundred of
Cambridgeshire."

Many of the maps I looked at yesterday appeared to have the border going
down the original line of the A505, which is as useful a geographic
boundary as any other (it's nowadays following the A505 *bypass*).

And *bingo* Wonkypedia says: "The Icknield Way used to form part of the
boundary between Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, and at one time
Royston was cut in two by this boundary."
--
Roland Perry