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General
Northchurch adjoins Berkhamsted but is by far the older of the two. Its origins date back to Roman and Saxon times whilst Berkhamsted grew around the Norman castle. At one time the parish of Northchurch extended for nearly five kilometres along the Bulbourne valley to Bourne End. In fact the parish of Northchurch St Mary was so large that it surrounded that of Berkhamsted St Peter. Now the long high street through Northchurch is flanked by half-timbered Tudor cottages.
In the churchyard at Northchurch can be found the resting place of Peter the Wild Boy and within the church can be seen a memorial plaque. Peter was found wandering in woods in Germany in 1725 and had been living a feral existence. He could not speak but would grunt like an animal. He became a curiosity for the English royal household before being sent to live at Broadway farm in Berkhamsted. He was never able to communicate and eventually died at the age of seventy two.
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The George and Dragon
In the George and Dragon public house there appears the ghost of George Meager. The ghost is seen regularly after the pub has shut and usually occupies the chair he occupied in life. He has also been heard moving around the pub and has a habit of moving things.
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Northchurch Farm
Near to Northchurch Farm there stood a wood known as Dan East Wood. Even in the summer the trees in this wood would appear lifeless. One local resident would walk her dog there but she did not like to as she always felt that the place had an atmosphere and that she was being followed by a little old man.
She was not the only one to sense the atmosphere and feels that it was due to an event that took place there over a century ago. The wood was named after Dan East who was unemployed and his family were starving. Legend has it that to relieve the suffering of his family he hung his children in the wood named after him.
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Old Cottage
George Meager used to reside in a cottage in Northchurch and it seems he may have remained there after he died. One evening his daughter-in-law, Margaret Meager, and a friend were passing the cottage when they both saw a golden glow emanating from the landing window. They also saw the silhouette of George Meager framed by the window. After a few seconds they saw the silhouette move to a nearby bedroom window which involved going through a wall. The cottage door was wide open so they went in to investigate but all was silent and dark. They would not go upstairs but they called up and banged on the stairs but they heard nothing.
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