Among great ecclesiastics mention must be made of Nicholas Breakspear, born near Abbot’s Langley towards the close of the eleventh century, who subsequently became Pope as Adrian IV; being the only Englishman who has occupied the papal chair. Reference may also be made to Cardinal Wolsey, who spent a considerable portion of his time at Delamere House. Nor must we omit Young, the author of the _Night Thoughts_ and Rector of Welwyn, or that great maker of hymns, Dr Watts, who as the 36-year guest of Sir Thomas Abney resided at Theobalds, where he died. Among distinguished lawyers, the most prominent name is that of Lord Grimthorpe (formerly Sir Edmund Beckett), who was, however, connected with the county, not in his professional capacity, but as the restorer of St Albans’ Abbey and other churches in the neighbourhood. Much criticism has been expended on Lord Grimthorpe’s modes of “restoration,” which were certainly of a drastic character. It must, however, be remembered that when he undertook the restoration of St Albans’ Abbey it was in a dangerous condition, and sufficient money was not forthcoming to make it secure. The result is that the abbey, although in many ways unlike its former self, will stand for centuries. Lord Grimthorpe, who was a Yorkshireman, built himself a residence at Batchwood, near St Albans. As another well-known lawyer and also a judge, mention may be made of Lord Brampton (Sir Henry Hawkins), who came of a family long connected with Hitchin, at which town he was born. Sir Henry Chauncy, the antiquary and historian of the county, to whom reference has so often been made in this book, lived, and died in 1700, at Yardley; and Balfe, the composer, made his home at Rowney Abbey, close by, till his death in 1870. 22. THE CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES OF HERTFORDSHIRE. (The figures in brackets after each name give the population in 1901, and those at the end of the sections give the references to the text.) Abbot’s Langley (3342), a village situated on the Gade, with a station on the North-Western Railway; it was bestowed in the time of Edward the Confessor upon the then abbot of St Albans, whence its name. Hunton Mill, on the Gade, was granted to Sir Richard Lee in 1544, and both this and Nash Mills were farmed from the abbot of St Albans between 1349 and 1396. The present church, dedicated to St Lawrence, cannot be traced farther back than the close of the twelfth century. A west tower was added about 1200. (pp. 72, 90, 105, 149.) Aldenham (2437), a village and manor lying to the north-east of Watford. It has a grammar school; and near by is Aldenham Abbey, the seat of Lord Aldenham. In 1898 two Roman kilns were discovered in the parish. The church, which has been restored, contains one small twelfth-century window; no trace of the chancel remains.