From a hedge to The Hague

When I saw the hedges in the Village being trimmed I wondered how long humans have used hedges and how long we have been trimming them for aesthetic purposes.

Very soon into my small level research I was taken in a surprising direction and ‘landed’ in The Hague, Netherlands. Maybe this is common knowledge in Europe but not to me in Australia.

The original name for The Hague and the term still used in some formal documents is ‘s-Gravenhage.

The city’s name recalls the hunting lodge of the counts of Holland, which was located in a woodland area called Hague, or hedge (whence ‘s-Gravenhage, ‘the counts’ private enclosure’ being a hedge.

I don’t think I will ever think of The Hague now without thinking the hedge. It is not a direct translation in present Dutch but an old use of language.

Probably no surprise … hedges have been used for thousands of years.