Kington
Kington is a market town, selecting ward as well as 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 stemmed from King's-lot, being Anglo-Saxon for "King's Town", similar to other neighboring towns such as Presteigne definition "Priest's Town" and 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 devastated. After the Norman Conquest Kington after that passed to the Crown on the failure of Roger de Breteuil, second Earl of Hereford in 1075. Prior To 1121 King Henry I provided Kington to Adam de Port, that founded a new Marcher barony in this part of the early Welsh Marches. Kington seems to have actually been a peaceful barony as well as was related to the workplace of constable of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, probably the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled and ran away the country. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish army, only to get away from the resulting Battle of Alnwick to the excellent mirth of the Norman court. With this his barony of Kington was taken by the Crown and came to be an appurtenance of the office of Sheriff of Hereford, finally being approved to William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber in 1203 for £100. The castle then saw action in the Braose Wars against King John of England and also was likely to have actually been ruined by royal forces in August 1216. Within a few years a new citadel was commenced as well as the nearby Huntington Castle as well as Kington Castle were deserted. All that continues to be of Kington Castle today is a wonderful outcrop of rock topped by a few fragmentary earthworks. The old town clustered around the castle and also Norman church on top of a protective hillside over the River Arrow. St Mary's church, positioned on higher ground above the town centre. 'Chingtune' was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, the name definition Kings Town or Manor, high on the hill over the town where St. Mary's Church now stands. The new Kington, called Kyneton in the Fields, was outlined in between 1175 and 1230 on land surrounding the River Arrow and also potentially assigned as part of the Saxon open area system. Positioned on the direct route the drovers drew from Hergest Ridge as well as with eight annual fairs, Kington expanded in value as a market community as well as there is still a thriving animals market on Thursdays. The town keeps the middle ages grid pattern of streets and back lanes. In the chapel of St. Mary's Church, there is the alabaster burial place of Sir Thomas Vaughan of nearby Hergest Court, killed at the Battle of Banbury 1469, as well as his spouse, Elen Gethin. The ghost of Sir Thomas, as well as also that of the Black Dog of Hergest are said to haunt the location around Hergest Ridge. The Black Dog's sighting reputedly presages death. It is additionally rumoured to have been the prototype for The Hound of the Baskervilles as Conan Doyle is known to have actually remained at nearby Hergest Hall quickly prior to he created the story.
