A historic marker that originally settled the dispute over the parish boundary between Wheathampstead and Sandridge was moved last week.

Nomansland was so named because the Abbeys of St Albans and Westminster couldn’t agree where their common boundary lay - each laying claim to Nomansland Common.  

The argument was settled and in 1429 a Hertfordshire Puddingstone was put in place to mark the boundary. It now marks the boundary between Wheathampstead and Sandridge civil parishes.

The stone was located on the outfield of the cricket pitch on the common and was a danger to players.  With the agreement of the two parishes and in the presence of the district’s chief archaeologist, the stone was moved to a new location on the edge of the pitch where it is more visible and less of a hazard for the players.

The distinctive rock is largely confined to Hertfordshire. Despite a superficial similarity to concrete it is entirely natural and derives its name because it resembles Christmas pudding.  

It is commonly found in fields and gardens. Hertfordshire Puddingstone was credited in local folklore with several supernatural powers, including being a protective charm against witchcraft - it was sometimes referred to as Hag stone or Witch stone.

Parish records from Aldenham relate that in 1662 a woman suspected of having been a witch was buried with a piece of it laid on top of her coffin to prevent her from escaping after burial.