Northchurch, a parish in the Bulbourne valley in Hertfordshire, was once a village in its own right but has now become almost enveloped in Berkhamsted.

The Parish Church of St. Mary is one of the oldest in Hertfordshire, believed to date from Saxon times. The church holds copies of the parish registers, dating back to the mid 1600s, which can be viewed by appointment. Nowadays people are rarely buried in the churchyard. There is a cemetery in New Road, Northchurch, which has been used since WW1.

Wild Boy Peter was an infamous character around Berkhamsted & Northchurch. His story has fascinated many generations and every year at Christmas parishioners put flowers on his grave to remember him. The tombstone, in front of the church porch, has the following inscription:


Situated on the south wall of the nave there is a brass tablet which gives some of the history of this character. It reads as follows:

To the memory of Peter, known as the Wild Boy, having been found wild in the forest of Hertswold near Hanover in the year 1725. He then appeared to be about 12 years old. In the following year he was brought to England by the order of the late Queen Caroline, and the ablest masters were provided for him. But proving himself incapable of speaking, or of receiving any instruction, a comfortable provision was made for him at a farm in this parish, where he continued to the end of his inoffensive life. He died on the 22nd of February, 1785, supposed to be aged 72.


Adjacent to the church is the village school, with the George & Dragon situated opposite. The George and Dragon, known locally as the G & D, is the only surviving pub in Northchurch. The other, The Old Grey Mare, was sadly demolished in the 1990s to make way for housing.

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Links

• History of Northchurch
• Hertfordshire Genealogy: Northchurch
• Peter the Wild Boy
• Northchurch Roll of Honour
• George & Dragon (G & D)

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