use stood on high ground in the
beautiful _Woodhall Park_, E. from Watton Church, on the site occupied
by the present fine mansion (Abel Smith, Esq., J.P.). The Beane flows
through the park and has been widened to form a large sheet of water S.
from the house.

_Welham Green_ is between Hatfield- and Mimms Parks, 2 miles S. from
Hatfield Station.

_Wellbury_ is 3 miles W. from Hitchin. _Wellbury House_ (modern) stands
in a small park; two small places of few inhabitants, called "Old" and
"New" Wellbury, lie on the N.E. outskirts of the Park.

WELWYN, a small town in the Maran Valley, can show little of interest
beyond many quaint cottages, and the church, famous as that in which Dr.
Edward Young, author of _Night Thoughts_, officiated from 1730 to 1765.
He was buried in the church; the mural memorial to him was erected by
his son. The church is Dec., with E.E. portions; the piscina in the
chancel is ancient, the sedilia is modern. An inventory of the church
furniture, taken in 1541, shows that there were formerly three altars in
it. The avenue of limes in the rectory grounds was planted by Young;
there is a Latin inscription to the poet on a pedestal at its upper end.
His son was visited here by Dr. Johnson and James Boswell.

The walk S.E. to the station (11/4 mile) commands a fine view of the Great
Northern viaduct of forty arches over the deeper portion of the Maran
Valley. On the opposite (left) side of the road is _Locksleys_, a good
mansion by the river side, surrounded by charming grounds. One mile S.
is _The Frythe_, long the residence of the Wilshere family; at a rather
less distance N. is _Danesbury_, a prettily designed mansion in a small
park.

"King Etheldred ... willing to relieve his people from the barbarous
usuage and the inhuman actions of the insulting Danes ... sent
instructions to the Governors of all cities, boroughs and towns in his
dominions, commanding, that at a certain hour upon the feast of St.
Brice, all the Danes should be massacred; and common fame tells us that
this massacre began at a little town called Welwine in Hertfordshire,
within twenty-four miles of London, in the year 1012, from which Act,
'tis said this Vill received the name of Welwine, because the Weal of
this county (as it was then thought) was there first won; but the Saxons
long before called this town Welnes, from the many springs which rise in
this Vill; for in old time Wells in their language were term'd Welnes."