Hertfordshire - St Albans

St Albans is one of the most historical towns in Hetrfordshire. Verulamium as it was once known in Roman days, was the third biggest city in Roman Britain. although most of Verulamium in now park and agricultural land, some past of the land have built on.
Parts of the ancient city has been excavated and can be seen in St Albans of remains can be found in local musuems.

Who was Alban?
Alban was live in the 6C BC, as a young Roman, Alban helped a Christian priest hide from the Roman army who were hunting him because of his religion. Alban pretended to be the priest, which allowed him to escape. The result of Alban's apperance lead to his capture and beheading. It was after this travisty, that King Offa built a monestary and in 1077 Benedictine monks began building an abbey in the memory of St. Alban.

Before being named "St Albans Cathedral" it was known as "St Albans Abbey", this was until 1877 when it be a cathedral at which point, St Albans Catherdral became the secound longest cathedral in the UK.
St Albans Cathedral nave is 106 metres (348 feet) long making it longest nave in a cathedral in England.

The layout we currently see dates from Paul of Caen (1077 - 1093). Paul of Caen was the first Norman abbot appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury

Shaky Times
Unusual to Hertfordshire an eathquake hit the area and caused damage to catherdral in 1250. Later on in the 1257 the damage caused by the earthquake ment that the effected areas of the cathedral had to been knocked down and replaced.

Source: www.hertfordshiregenealogy.co.uk

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