Kimpton Mill to Codicote, N. to Bendish and Whitwell, W. to Peter's
Green, or S. to Lamer Park.

KING'S LANGLEY is a large and interesting village. The river Gade flows
between the main street and the station, L.&N.W.R.[k] Paper and straw
plait are both made largely. The village owes its name to the fact that
Henry III. built a palace on a spot still marked by a few fragments of
ruin a little W. from the church, and the royal manor became known as
Langley Regis, whereas the Langley on the E. side of the river belonged
to the Abbey of St. Albans, and was called Abbot's Langley (_q.v._).
Edmund de Langley, fifth son of Edward III., was born in this palace in
1344. He became Duke of York, Earl of Cambridge and Lord Tivedale, and
married Isabel, a younger daughter of Don Pedro of Castile. In 1392
Richard II., with his first Queen, Anne of Bohemia, and many bishops,
earls, lords and ladies, kept Christmas at King's Langley Palace.

Near the palace was founded, by one Roger Helle, a priory of Dominican
monks, which was enriched by Edward II. and several successive monarchs.
The body of Piers Gaveston was brought from Oxford and buried in the
church of this priory in 1315--he was beheaded on Blacklow Hill in
1312--and what was then believed to be the body of Richard II. was
brought to the same spot in 1400 for temporary sepulture. The priory was
dissolved, like most priories, in the days of Henry VIII.; but it was
restored by Mary. It was finally suppressed soon after the accession of
Elizabeth. The church, at the S.E. extremity of the village street, is a
Perp. structure of flint and Totternhoe stone; the W. tower is embattled
and has an angle turret. It has been partially restored. On the N. side
of the chancel stood formerly the tomb of Edmund de Langley and Isabel
of Castile (both mentioned above) which was brought from the priory
church at the Dissolution; it is now in the chapel at the end of the N.
aisle. There is, I believe, no absolute proof that this is the tomb of
Edmund and Isabel, but the evidence that it is so is very strong.
Chauncy, two centuries back, wrote: "On the north side of the chancel
there is a Monument raised about five foot, with the Arms of France and
England, with three Labels upon it, also the Arms of Peter, King of
Castile and Leons, by which Coats it seems to be the Tomb where Edmond
de Langley, the Fifth Son of Edward III. and Isabel his Wife, one of the
Daughters of Don Pedro, King of Castil