Harpenden
Major Settlement in the Parish of Harpenden
Historical Forms
- Herpedene c.1060 WDB
- Herpeden(e) 1272,1287 WAM 1299 Ass 1440 Pat
- Herpenden(e) 1296 Ass
- Harpeden(e) 1196 P 13th ADi 1234 WDB 1248 Ass 1272 WAM 1287 Ass 1292 Ch
- Harpedane 1302–5 WAM 1329 Ct
- Harpendena 1285 Ch 1263
- Harpedenstret 1385 WAM
- Harpden grene 1487 ib
- Harpden 1549 FF 1619 WAM
- Hartdon t.Eliz ChancP
- Harden 1558–79 ECP
- Harpeden alias Harding 1637 Recov
- Hardinge 1638 Sess
- Harpenden al. Harding 1719 FF
- Harpenden al. Harden 1728 Recov
Etymology
This is a difficult name. The second element is denu, 'valley'.In the first part of the word the two early spellings with medial en are probably purely sporadic forms which are to be accounted for in the same way as the modern Harpenden , viz. not as a survival of any earlier form but as an attempt to ease the pronunciation of earlier Harp (e )den . An exact parallel to such is found in the late Aspenden (infra 171) for universal earlier Aspeden . If the first element is ME herpe , harpe , the most likely explanation of the name is that this represents OE herepæð , with reference to the St Albans-Luton road (which is certainly an ancient one) as it makes its way along the valley here. For such a use of the term in Hertfordshire cf. Harpsfield infra 94. For similar early reduction to Herpe -, Harpe - cf. Harpford (PN D 540) and the forms there quoted for Harpford (So). This seems more likely than that the first element is (as suggested in DEPN s. n .) the word hearpe used of a musical or other instrument. harp is found in some Hertfordshire field-names by itself and has reference to their shape, but such a sense is not applicable to the Harpenden valley.