Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Geography The name of the village has had several former variants, including Markyate Street, Market Street and Mergyate. Markyate historically straddled Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire until boundary changes in 1897 placed it entirely in Hertfordshire. Markyate is close to the source of the River Ver, which has occasionally flooded the centre of the village, though the watercourse is often dry during parts of the year. Markyate forms part of the borough of Dacorum (administered from Hemel Hempstead), but has Luton (01582) phone numbers and a St Albans postal code (AL3). Although historically a rural and agricultural area, it is now a dormitory village for Luton and the surrounding region, as it is a short distance from junction 9 of the M1 motorway. The village lies near the junction of the A5183 Watling Street (formerly the A5 until de-trunking) and the B4540 (for Luton and Caddington). A bypass for the A5 was constructed to the east of the village in 1955. History Markyate lies on the Roman road of Watling Street, approximately halfway between St Albans and Dunstable. Through the village Watling Street is called High Street. A Benedictine convent was founded in 1145 in a wood just north of Markyate, which was known as both "Holy Trinity in the Wood" and Markyate Priory. The first prioress was Christina of Markyate. The priory was dissolved around 1537, following the Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535. Shortly after the priory's dissolution a large country house was built on the site, called Markyate Cell, and now known as Cell Park. Markyate's position on Watling Street made it a coaching stop on the stagecoach routes from London to Birmingham and Holyhead, especially after the road was upgraded by Thomas Telford in the early 1800s, when it became known as the Holyhead Road. At one point Markyate had over forty inns and public houses along the main road. The village was one of the earliest sites of the Pickfords transport service. One road in the village is now called Pickford Road. Growth since the 1950s has been by infilling with new housing in the gap between the High Street and the newer Markyate by-pass. In 2014 most of the village's light industry area off Hicks Road was demolished, to be replaced by new housing and shops. Governance Markyate