Plague Village

This wonderful avenue of trees crosses Redbourn common, linking the two halves of the village, the centres of which lie almost a mile apart.

This is taken from the western, Church End aspect, originally a couple of streets of cottages hugging close to the ancient church that was built in the 12 century.
At the other end of the avenue, to the east, lies the current village centre, which at one time had more than 25 pubs and inns, as Redbourn became a major staging post for carriages.

There are several examples of dual centred villages in this area, like Redbourn, which are as a result of the plague also known as the black death that swept through North Western Europe, including Hertfordshire in 1348.

Villagers would leave their homes and build temporary accommodation on the edge of common land some way off, in the hope of avoiding the deadly infection. Invariable some would stay and a new community would grow.

If you come across a village where the ancient parish church is in an outlying position across the common, you may well be looking at a plague village.