Hitchin

Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, and has an estimated population of 30,360.

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Hitchin is first noted as the site of a religious house founded by Offa, King of Mercia. The name comes from the Hicce Anglo Saxon tribe who settled in northern Hertfordshire and southern Bedfordshire in the 6th century. By 1086 Hitchin is described as a Royal manor in the Domesday Book. Evidence has been found to suggest that Offa had his capital here at some period, possibly on Windmill Hill. The modern name 'Hitchin' first appears in 1618 in a document called the 'Hertfordshire Feet of Fines'.

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In 1697, Hitchin (and the nearby village of Offley) were subject to what is thought to have been the most severe hailstorm in recorded UK history. Hailstones over 4 inches in diameter were reported.

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The town flourished on the wool trade, and located on the Icknield Way and by the seventeenth century Hitchin was a staging post for coaches coming from London. With the advent of the railways in the nineteenth century, the town developed as a centre for the grain trade. By the close of the twentieth century, Hitchin had become a satellite dormitory town for London.

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Hitchin is also the venue for the annual Rhythms of the World festival, which is the largest free festival of world music in the UK.

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Hitchin is divided into five areas for the purposes of electing councillors to North Hertfordshire District Council: Hitchin Bearton, Hitchin Highbury, Hitchin Oughton, Hitchin Priory and Hitchin Walsworth.

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Hertfordshire: Hertfordshire (pronounced "Hartfordshire" or "Harfordshire" and abbreviated as "Herts") is an inland county in the United Kingdom, officially part of the East of England Government region. It is one of the Home Counties....

England: :For an explanation of often confusing terms like England, (Great) Britain and United Kingdom see British Isles (terminology)....

Offa: :For the later king of Mercia, see Offa of Mercia....