Editing Verulamium (section)

==Loss and recovery==
[[File:Verulamium-RomanWalls-PS.jpg|thumb|left | alt= |Stretch of Roman wall by the London Gate]]
The city was quarried for building material for the construction of medieval St Albans; indeed, much of the [[St Albans Abbey|Norman abbey]] was constructed from the remains of the Roman city, with Roman brick and stone visible. The modern city takes its name from [[Saint Alban|Alban]], either a citizen of ''Verulamium'' or a [[Roman army|Roman soldier]], who was condemned to death in the 3rd century for sheltering [[Amphibalus]], a [[Christians|Christian]]. Alban was converted by him to Christianity, and by virtue of his death, Alban became the first British Christian [[martyr]].

Since much of the modern city and its environs are built over Roman remains, it is still common to unearth Roman artefacts several miles away. A complete tile [[kiln]] was found in [[Park Street, Hertfordshire|Park Street]] some {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} from Verulamium in the 1970s, and there is a Roman mausoleum near [[Rothamsted Park]] {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} away.

Within the walls of ancient ''Verulamium'', the [[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan]] philosopher, essayist and statesman [[Sir Francis Bacon]] built a "refined small house" called [[Verulam House, St Albans (17th century)|Verulam House]] that was thoroughly described by the 17th century diarist [[John Aubrey]]. No trace of it is left, but Aubrey noted, "At Verulam is to be seen, in some few places, some remains of the wall of this [Roman] Citie".

Moreover, when Bacon was ennobled in 1618, he took the title [[Baron Verulam]] after ''Verulamium''. The barony became extinct after he died without heirs in 1626.

This title was revived in 1790 for [[James Grimston, 1st Earl of Verulam|James Grimston]], a Hertfordshire politician. He was later made [[Earl of Verulam]], a title still held by his descendants.