The hamlet of Hastoe sits astride Grim’s Ditch and the Ridgeway, gazing down some 600 feet on Tring below. Records date back to 1275 and Lords of the Manor of Hastoe have included Sir Ralph Verney, a fifteenth century Lord Mayor of London. By the mid-nineteenth century the hamlet was home to a steam mill, a brick kiln and a brewery.
Various parts of Hastoe were acquired by the Rothschilds in 1838, 1872 and 1890 and many of the hamlet’s buildings, including the Village Hall, owe their existence to the family. More of the hamlet’s history may be found in the Hilltop Hamlet booklet available from Tring Local History Society and from Tring Library.
As the hamlet’s population changed from farm labourers to commuters, The Hastonean was launched to enable newcomers to integrate into its social life and to learn some of its history.
