The Domesday Book gives Meppershall as Malpertesselle and Maperteshal. The name is thought to mean ‘Maple-tree nook of land' being derived from the Old English words mapel, treow and halh. In the 2001 Census the parish population was 1,549.

The village boasts a seventeenth century timber-framed manor house which was built on the site of a Norman castle owned by William de Meppershall, the royal larderer.

At one time the parish was partly owned by Bedfordshire and partly by Hertfordshire. In fact the county boundary ran right through the middle of the rectory.

Stondon Road

The late Mrs Annie Pettifar lived at Meppershall and, when she was alive, recalled that there was a triangle of grass next to the Stondon Road that was referred to as Jiggler's Grave. No one knew who Jiggler was but it seems that if you walked round the grave several times at midnight Jiggler would appear and rattle his chains.

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