Clothall

Clothall is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The small village stands on a ridge of high ground 2 miles (3 km) south-east of Baldock. The parish extends from the fringes of Baldock in the north to the hamlet of Luffenhall in the south. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 155.

Clothall
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Clothall
Clothall Location within Hertfordshire
Population	155 (Parish, 2021)[1]
Civil parish	Clothall
District	North Hertfordshire
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Baldock
Postcode district	SG7
List of places UK England Hertfordshire 51°58′N 0°09′W

History

The parish church of St Mary the Virgin was built of flint and stone around 1350–70.^[2][3] though parts of the church are older, dating to the 12th century.^[4]

Governance

There are two elected tiers of local government covering Clothall, at district and county level: North Hertfordshire District Council and Hertfordshire County Council.^[5]

Clothall Village Hall

Due to its low population, Clothall has a parish meeting comprising all residents instead of an elected parish council. Although the name of the parish is just Clothall, the district council refers to the parish meeting as "Clothall and Luffenhall Parish Meeting".^[6] Parish meetings are held at the village hall on Ashanger Lane.^[7]

The parish historically included an area of common land lying immediately east of Baldock.^[8] This area was developed in the 1980s as the Clothall Common housing estate; it was removed from Clothall parish in 1985.^[9]

Notable people

• Thomas Stanley (1625–1678) was baptised at Clothall and lived at Cumberlow Manor, which was at the south-eastern end of Clothall parish, near the boundary with Rushden.^[10][11][12]

Buildings in the hamlet of Luffenhall at the southern end of the parish