Pirton, Hertfordshire
| Pirton | |
|---|---|
St Mary's Church, Pirton | |
Pirton Location within Hertfordshire | |
| Population | 1,452 (Parish, 2021)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TL147317 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Hitchin |
| Postcode district | SG5 |
| Dialling code | 01462 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Pirton is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It lies 3 miles (5 km) north-west of the town of Hitchin, and adjoins the border with Bedfordshire. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 1,452.
History
Pirton first appeared in official records in the Domesday Book in 1086 within the hundred of Hitchin.[2] The village was then recorded as Peritone, meaning 'homestead of pears'.[3]
The parish church of St Mary was rebuilt in 1877, but with the remains of its 12th-century tower. It stands within the bailey of a former castle, Toot Hill.[4] There is also a Methodist church.
Pirton Grange, which was remodelled in the 18th century, is in the north of the parish, and is a particularly interesting, moated Elizabethan house with a timber-framed gatehouse. Hammonds Farm and Rectory Farm, with its tithe barn, are also Elizabethan.
Geography
The designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of the Chiltern Hills covers the western part of the parish, reaching the edge of the village.
The Icknield Way Path passes through the village on its 110-mile (180 km) journey from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Suffolk. The Icknield Way Trail, a multi-user route for walkers, horse riders and off-road cyclists also passes through the village.
Governance
There are three tiers of local government covering Pirton, at parish, district and county level: Pirton Parish Council, North Hertfordshire District Council, and Hertfordshire County Council. The parish council meets at the village hall on High Street, which was built in 1933.[5][6]
Population
At the 2021 census, the population of the parish was 1,452.[1] The population had been 1,274 in 2011.[7]
Education
There is a village school which teaches children from reception to Year 6. Many students continue to The Priory School, Hitchin for secondary education.
References
- ^ a b "2021 Census Parish Profiles". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 March 2025. (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)
- ^ http://opendomesday.org/place/TL1431/pirton/ Open Domesday Map: Pirton, Hertfordshire
- ^ A Foot on Three Daisies - Pirton's Story - Pirton Local History Group, 1987 ISBN 0-9512103-0-0
- ^ Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England) (1911). An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Hertfordshire. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. 161–165.
- ^ "Pirton Parish Council". Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "A brief history". Pirton Village Hall. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "Pirton Parish". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
External links