Bengeo is an old settlement adjoining Hertford in Hertfordshire. Its name means:
spur of land (-geo- pronounced “jo” derives from the Anglo-Saxon “hoh”) above the River Beane.
In about 1120 a small church was built on this spur of land. The church was dedicated to St. Leonard.
During C19th – there was a great increase in the population of Bengeo. A new, larger church (Holy Trinity) was, therefore, opened in 1855. The little Norman Church was abandoned. It became a derelict ruin.
In 1879, it was decided that St. Leonard’s should be restored & made fit for future use. Mr. Gerard Gosselin (1855 – 1946) of Bengeo Hall became the driving force behind this initiative. He was the secretary of the Preservation Committee. His note book of minutes was carefully kept and eventually deposited at HALS, reference DP17/8/2
These posts are a transcript of Mr. Gosselin’s minutes of meetings. He added his minutes to those of an earlier group which began the work and this earlier set of minutes is included.
In 1956 the building was listed with Grade 1 heritage status, St Leonard’s Church.
NB: Occasionally it was not possible to decipher words in the minute book. In these cases the word has been replaced by ????
Further reading: The Gosselins of Bengeo Hall by Gill Cordingley, illustrated by Gillian Harman. 2002.