Essendon was once known as Aescendon which means ’the hill with the ash trees’. The village stands on a hill with extensive views from St Mary’s Church.

The name derives from the Old English ingas and denu meaning ‘valley of Esla's people’.

Over the west door of the church can be found a plaque which tells of a man who was hanged in 1785 and who “begged a grave in this churchyard”. He prayed that his death would serve as a warning to others.

In the nineteenth century, Richard Orme, who had been rector for fifty two years was scared of being buried alive. His tomb was built with a steel door at one end and he was buried with the key, some bread and wine.

High Street

One sunny January morning a Mrs. Crisp was making her way to St Albans through Essendon. It was a bright crisp morning when suddenly a horse and rider appeared in front of her car and started ambling across the road. Mrs. Crisp braked rapidly and watched as the horse and rider continued on their way unperturbed. She described the rider as a girl with long golden hair who was dressed in a bottle-green habit and wearing a tri-cornered hat. The girl had her head bowed as if she was in deep thought and the metal parts of the bridle shone out in the strong winter sunshine.

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St Mary's

In August of 1983 two teenagers visited St Mary’s church in Essendon. They wanted to look around inside but found the door locked so they sat down on a bench overlooking the graveyard. As they were sitting there came a loud knocking on the door. The door was locked and no one was in the church so who was knocking?

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