Nomansland Common, St Albans, Herts, UK
Posted by: 
bill&ben
N 51° 47.861 W 000° 18.819
30U E 685233 N 5741949
A display board outlining the history of Nomansland Common.
Waymark Code: WMC8F5
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/08/2011
Views: 1
Nomansland Common got its name from the competing ownership claims of the parishes of Wheathampstead and Sandridge. In the 15th century the parishes were in the control of the monasteries of St Albans and Westminster. The dispute was settled in 1429 by a jury that decided that the grazing rights should be shared.
Nomansland common has several claims to fame. In 1461 the Second Battle of St Albans was fought here, several artefacts from that period have been excavated on the common. In the 1700s the highway woman known as the Wicked Lady, in reality Lady Ferrers of Markyate, made use of the common for her robberies. In 1833 Simon Byrne and James Burke took part in a prize fight on the common. The fight lasted 99 rounds and was bare knuckled. Both fighters eventually succumbed to their injuries. Simon Byrne is believed to be buried by the West door of St Albans Cathedral.
The information on the sign covers the history of the common detailed above, however it misses out a couple of other claims to fame. Between 1556 and 1558 Princess Elizabeth, later to become Queen Elizabeth 1, was hidden from Queen Mary in a barn on Nomansland Farm by the Thrale family. In 1830 the first public steeplechase took place on Nomansland Common. Prior to this time steeplechasing had been a sport between individuals.
Type of Historic Marker: Information Board
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: St Albans Council
Related Website: [Web Link]
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Age/Event Date: Not listed
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