Kington is a market town, electoral ward and also civil church in Herefordshire, England. According to the Church, the ward had a population of 3,240 while the 2011 census had a population of 2,626. The name 'Kington' is derived from King's-ton, being Anglo-Saxon for "King's Town", similar to various other close-by towns such as Presteigne meaning "Priest's Town" as well as Knighton being "Knight's Town". Kington is to the west of Offa's Dyke so presumably this land was Welsh in the 8th century AD. The land was held by Anglo-Saxons in 1066, yet ravaged. After the Norman Conquest Kington after that passed to the Crown on the downfall of Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford in 1075. Before 1121 King Henry I provided Kington to Adam de Port, who founded a brand-new Marcher barony in this part of the early Welsh Marches. Kington seems to have actually been a quiet barony and was connected with the workplace of constable of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, most likely the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled and also ran away the country. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish military, just to flee from the resulting Battle of Alnwick to the terrific mirth of the Norman court. With this his barony of Kington was taken by the Crown and ended up being an appurtenance of the office of Sheriff of Hereford, lastly being given to William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber in 1203 for £100. The castle then saw action in the Braose Wars versus King John of England and also was likely to have actually been damaged by imperial forces in August 1216. Within a few years a new citadel was commenced and also the nearby Huntington Castle as well as Kington Castle were deserted. All that continues to be of Kington Castle today is a fantastic outcrop of rock topped by a couple of fragmentary earthworks. The old town clustered around the castle as well as Norman church in addition to a defensive hill over the River Arrow. St Mary's church, situated on higher ground over the community centre. 'Chingtune' was recorded in the Domesday Publication in 1086, the name meaning Kings Town or Manor, high on the hill above the town where St. Mary's Church now stands. The brand-new Kington, called Kyneton in the Fields, was laid out between 1175 and also 1230 on land surrounding the River Arrow as well as potentially designated as part of the Saxon open area system. Positioned on the direct route the drovers extracted from Hergest Ridge and with 8 yearly fairs, Kington expanded in value as a market community and there is still a growing livestock market on Thursdays. The community preserves the medieval grid pattern of roads as well as back lanes. In the chapel of St. Mary's Church, there is the alabaster tomb of Sir Thomas Vaughan of close-by Hergest Court, killed at the Battle of Banbury 1469, and also his other half, Elen Gethin. The ghost of Sir Thomas, as well as additionally that of the Black Dog of Hergest are said to haunt the area around Hergest Ridge. The Black Dog's sighting reputedly presages fatality. It is additionally rumoured to have actually been the model for The Hound of the Baskervilles as Conan Doyle is understood to have stayed at nearby Hergest Hall shortly prior to he composed the book.