Hatfield, originally Bishop's Hatfield, is in the Welwyn Hatfield district of Hertfordshire, in the south of England. It forms part of the Welwyn Hatfield constituency which also includes Welwyn Garden City, and has been twinned with the Dutch port town of Zierikzee since 1953. Its MP is Grant Shapps (Con.). It is known as the town where the first production-line jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet was built, and as the site of a tragic rail crash in 2000. Dating back to Saxon times, the village of Hatfield was first known as "Hetfelle" and then became known as "Haethfeld" when around 970 King Edgar gave 5,000 acres to the monastery of Ely. No records remain from this time until 1226 when Henry III granted the Bishops of Ely rights to an annual four-day fair and a weekly market. Old Hatfield retains many historic buildings notably the Old Palace, St. Etheldreda's Church and Hatfield House.The Old Palace was built by the Bishop of Ely, Cardinal Morton, in 1497 during the reign of Henry VII and the only surviving wing is still used today for Elizabethan Banquets. St. Etheldreda's Church was founded by the monks from Ely and the first wooden church, built in 1285, was probably sited where the existing building stands overlooking the Old Town. More on Hatfield 

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