The most comprehensive history of the Heath is ‘A Short History of Bernards Heath’ by Chris F Reynolds. Dr Reynolds’ family has been associated with Bernards Heath since his great-grandfather, Jacob Reynolds, took the tenancy of Heath Farm in 1871.
Dr Reynolds gave a talk on the history of Bernards Heath to the Bernards Heath Village Green Preservation Society in 2000, as part of the original campaign to preserve the Heath from development. The talk was later produced as a booklet, which is now available online here.
Printed copies are available (price £3.50) by emailing the Chairman at chairman@bernardsheath.org
An very readable account of what happened and what you would have seen on the school site over the centuries is here.
The Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461
The two battles of St Albans were key events in the Wars of the Roses, fought in the 15th century between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians. The first battle (also the first battle of the Wars) was a relatively small-scale affair, fought in the centre of the town, but the second was a major engagement much of which took place on and around Bernards Heath.
Peter Burley, a military historian and member of the FoBH committee, has co-authored a book on the battles of St Albans, which is available from all good bookshops, or via Amazon:
The Battles of St Albans by Peter Burley, Michael Elliott and Harvey Watson (Pen & Sword Military 2007) ISBN 978-1-844-15569-9.
Peter has also assembled portraits of some of the key figures who have owned the Heath. To see his PowerPoint® presentation, click here (also opens with Apple’s Preview app)
You may also like to read:
The First Battle of St Albans 1455 by Andrew Boardman (Tempus 2006) ISBN 0-7524-2983-3.