Saxony beareth the Title of Lord at this
Day. And this Town, which the Britains perhaps call'd Hesk of Reed,
which doth abound much in this Place; the Sazons call'd Heckstanes-Tune,
that is the Town of Reed and Stones, if not rather Hockstanes-Tune, that
is, the Town of Mire and Stones, for old Englishmen, call deep Mire,
Hocks: Or may be from Grates set in Rivers or Waters before Floodgates,
which are call'd Hecks; neither is it unlikely but that the Danes made
some Use of this Fort, for a Parcel of Ground near thereunto is called
Dane-Furlong to this Day. Some of these Conjectures may be true, but
this is certain, that Offa, a Saxon King, of the Mertians about 795,
founded the Monastery of St. Albans, in Memory of St. Alban, and that
Sexi an honourable and devout Dane (as it is in the Chartulary of the
Abby) about Anno Dom. 1030, gave to the said Monastery the Town of
Heckstane-Tune and the Abbot of St. Albans held this Mannor in the time
of King William the Conqueror.

"This Vill at that time did lie in the Half-hundred of Hiz, and from
that time during the Space of 510 Years, the Abbots of St. Albans were
Lords of the Mannors now call'd Hexton. They were also Patrons of this
Church (dedicated to St. Faith, which Saint had her Statue erected over
a Fountain near this Church Yard, call'd St. Faith's Well) for John de
Hertford, the 23d Abbot, did appropriate this Church of Hexstoneston to
the said Monastery. The Cellarers of which Monastery kept the Court Leet
and the Court Baron, and received the Rents of the Demeasnes and
Customary Tenants of this Mannor; and the Sacrists had the disposing of
the Profits of the Rectory.

"The said Fort, which the common People call Ravensborough Castle, is
cast up in the Form of an Oval, and containeth sixteen Acres, one Rood,
and fifteen Poles of Ground, and is naturally strengthened with mighty
deep and very steep Combs, which the inhabitants call Lyn.

"The Town of Hexton is seated at the Foot of the Mountains, whence issue
many Springs of Water; the Mountains are a continued Rock of Stone."

HIGH CROSS (3 miles N. from Ware) is a village and parish on the Old
North Road. It has a modern Dec. church of grey stone, containing
several good stained-glass windows, but little of architectural
interest. _Youngsbury_, a beautiful but small park, S. from the village,
has a fine Georgian residence (C. B. Giles-Puller, Esq.). The little
river Rib skirts the park on the S. side. There is