Cheshunt, Hertfordshire

Cheshunt
The Church of St Mary
Cheshunt
Cheshunt shown within Hertfordshire
Population	51,998 (Census 2001)
OS grid reference	TL358021
• London	12 mi (19 km)
District	Broxbourne
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Waltham Cross
Postcode district	EN7, EN8
Dialling code	01992
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Broxbourne
List of places UK England Hertfordshire 51°42′07″N 0°02′06″W / 51.702°N 0.035°W / 51.702; -0.035Coordinates: 51°42′07″N 0°02′06″W / 51.702°N 0.035°W / 51.702; -0.035

Paul Cully Bridge

Route of the cycle link and new bridge location.
Location	Hertfordshire
Proposer	Sustrans
Cost estimate	£1.7 million
Geometry	KML

Cheshunt /ˈtʃɛzənt/ is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, but lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. It is 12 miles (19 km) north of central London and has a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom's 2001 Census.

The Prime Meridian passes to the east of Cheshunt.

The town name comes from the Old English name (as recorded in the Domesday Book) for the area, Cestrehunt, which probably refers to a "castle, erected by the Romans", the word cestre (along with the form ceastre), or even its modern forms, chester and caster being derived from the Latin castrum meaning "fort". This is commemorated in the arms of the former Cheshunt urban district council.

Cheshunt was a settlement on Ermine Street, the main Roman road leading north from London. This origin was investigated by the television archaeology programme Time Team. Before the Norman Conquest, the manor of Cheshunt was held by Eddeva the Fair, but William I granted it to Alan of Brittany. The parish church of St Mary the Virgin was first recorded in a charter of 1146, but was entirely rebuilt between 1418 and 1448 with a three-stage tower topped by an octagonal turret.