Thundridge

Thundridge is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The village lies north of the centre of Ware, its post town. As well as the village itself, the parish also includes the villages of Wadesmill and High Cross, and the hamlet of Cold Christmas and surrounding rural areas. Thundridge village lies on the south bank of the River Rib, with Wadesmill opposite it on the north bank. Thundridge and Wadesmill are now classed as a single built up area by the Office for National Statistics. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 1,571.

== History == The village of Thundridge was originally located about half a mile to the east of the current Thundridge location, also adjacent to the River Rib. Thundridge derives from the Old English Þunres hrycg = "ridge belonging to the god Thunor or Thor". There are references to "Tonrich" in the Domesday Book with land being held by the Bishop of Bayeux and tenanted by Hugh de Grentmesnil, with the record indicating that there was a drop in the value of the land from 100 shillings to 40 shillings. There had however been civilised habitation in the area earlier than that, with both Roman and Saxon remains being found in the adjacent estate known as "Youngsbury" just a few hundred yards away from the old Thundridge location.