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Ware - This article is about the English town. For the suffix used to describe types of computer software, see -ware.
Ware is a small town in Hertfordshire, close by Hertford. The town was once a centre of malting. It has a fourteenth-century priory, now a conference centre. Recent restoration work has shown that the 'priory' - it was really a friary - dates from the thirteenth century. Opposite the priory is the large fourteenth century parish church of St. Mary. It is known for its elaborate font with large carved stone figures. The town is also famous for its riverside gazebos, many of which have been restored recently. It is also famous for the Great Bed of Ware. It was mentioned by Shakespeare and is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. GlaxoSmithKline has a large plant in the town. Archaeology has shown that Ware has been occupied since at least the Mesolithic period (which ended about 4,000 BC). The Romans had a sizeable settlement here and foundations of several buildings, including a temple, have been found. A well preserved Roman skeleton of a teenage girl has been found as well. Ware was on Ermine Street, the Roman road from London to Lincoln. The modern name of the town dates from the Anglo-Saxon period when 'weirs' were built to stop the invading Vikings from escaping in their longships after defeat by Alfred the Great in a battle near Ware. In the Domesday survey of 1085 it was the second largest town in Hertfordshire. It later became England's premier town for the making of malt. It was also a great coaching town, being on the Great North Road, less than a day's journey from London. In the seventeenth century Ware became the source of the New River, a canal that brought fresh water to London. England's first turnpike (toll) road ran from Wadesmill to Ware. Today the town's main employer is GlaxoSmithKline, but there are also many other small factories. It is also a commuting town for London which is just to the south of Ware.
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