Norton, Hertfordshire

Norton is a small village in Hertfordshire, one of the three original villages which were absorbed into Letchworth Garden City, the other two being Willian and Old Letchworth. There was a village on the site in Anglo-Saxon times, some of the remains of which lie beneath a field beside the church. However, the history of the village goes back even further than that.

History of Norton
Recent archaeological excavations at Norton have revealed evidence of human activity in the area going back to about 3000 BC. People from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages lived in the area, to be followed by the Romans and then by the Anglo-Saxons. It was during this latter period that the first written evidence about Norton appeared. A charter relating to Norton dating from AD 1007 is the earliest document to survive. Norton appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed in the lands belonging to the Abbots of St Albans. The records of the manorial courts, which date from AD 1244, give an extensive overview of the life of Norton's villagers during the medieval period. Following the Dissolution of St Albans Abbey in 1539 the manor of Norton passed into private hands, but its manorial courts continued to record the activities of its villagers until 1916.

The village church, dating back to 1119 AD, is dedicated to St Nicholas, and has eight light bells hung for change ringing. Since the construction in the same parish of the much larger St George's church in the town, St Nicholas's has become a chapel of ease.

'Gypsy' Smith
Polly and Cornelius Smith, the parents of Rodney "Gypsy" Smith, the famous international evangelist, are buried in the churchyard at Norton. Cornelius Smith was also a well-known evangelist, often preaching the Gospel with his two brothers. 'Gypsy' Smith maintained contact with Norton, visiting his parents grave as often as he could. In 1934, the Letchworth Methodist Circuit decided that a new church was needed in Norton Village. It was thought appropriate to dedicate the new building in memory of 'Gypsy' Smith's parents, and Smith raised a large sum of money for the building himself, with donations being sent from the UK and the United States.

The new chapel was opened by Smith's daughter Zillah and her husband Mr J T Lean in 1934 as Norton Methodist Mission, and it was given a distinctive caravan-shaped pulpit. Later, 'Gypsy' Smith himself and his brother Ezekiel conducted evangelical meetings at the church, one of the very rare occasions when the two brothers appeared on the same platform. The building is still in use today as the North Avenue Methodist Church.

Schools
The village's primary school, named after the church, was founded in 1873. A nearby secondary school, Norton School, founded in 1906, served the village and the area around it but was closed in 2002 with the school and its playing fields being developed for housing.