a town of the county of Middlesex, partly in the parish of that name, and partly in the parish of Whitchurch or Little Stanmore, nine miles from London. Its chief importance is derived from being on the great road to St Albans and to Buckingham, a road constructed by the Romans, called the Watling Street. It formerly was remarkable for the splendid palace of the Duke of Chandos, which was one of the most highly finished and decorated of any of the noble edifices in England. This building has, however, been pulled down, and one of the wings converted into a dwelling for a family of respectability. The population of the parish amounted in 1801 to 412, in 1811 to 543, in 1821 to 551; and in 1831 to 591; but the parish does not include the western part of the town.