History

There has been an identifiable place called Barnet since Saxon times. The name first appears as ‘Bergnet', meaning ‘little hill' and the fact of its being strategically situated on a hilltop - traditionally believed to be the highest point on the route between London and York - was the key to its existence and growth, since it became a traditional resting place for travellers on the Great North Road out of London. To serve the needs of these travellers inns were established, and a charter for a market was granted by King John in 1199. The two ancient alternative names for the place reflect its identity. In old documents one finds it referred to either as High Barnet or Chipping Barnet - ‘High' being self-explanatory, and ‘Chipping' being the Anglo-Saxon for market. The name ‘High Barnet' was revived by a railway company in the 19^th century as the name of the station that now stands at the extreme end of the Northern Line on the underground. And the market still exists to this day.

Barnet's main claim to medieval fame was as the site of the Battle of Barnet in 1471 - a crucial turning-point in the Wars of the Roses where Yorkist troops under Edward IV defeated and killed Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, known as ‘Warwick the Kingmaker', and his brother, the Marquess of Montagu. As with many medieval battles, the exact location of the engagement is disputed, but this did not deter Sir Jeremy Sandbrooke from erecting an obelisk just outside the town in 1740 to commemorate the battle at the supposed site of Warwick's death, nor the local authorities from moving it 180 metres down the road to its present position 100 years later.

In 1588 Elizabeth I granted the Lord of the Manor of Barnet a charter to hold a twice- yearly fair. Barnet Fair was taken into the language through Cockney rhyming slang, with ‘barnet' becoming a term for hair.

Right up until the nineteenth century, however, the area covered by the present borough mainly consisted of farmland and woodland, and the population was sparse - little over 6000 in 1801. It was only with the rise of the railways in the nineteenth century followed by the extension of the tube lines in the early twentieth that extensive housing development took place and Barnet took on the mainly suburban character that it has to this day.

For those who would like more historical information on the area, Barnet Council has produced a series of Pocket Histories of the various communities in the Borough. While these were originally designed for schools, they provide a wealth of historical detail and factual information. They can be accessed online at Pocket Histories.