Kington is a market community, selecting ward as well as civil parish 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-heap, being Anglo-Saxon for "King's Town", comparable to various other close-by towns such as Presteigne significance "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, but devastated. 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 gave Kington to Adam de Port, that founded a brand-new Marcher barony in this part of the very early Welsh Marches. Kington appears to have actually been a peaceful barony and was associated with the office of sheriff of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, possibly the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled and also got away the country. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish military, just to get away from the resulting Battle of Alnwick to the great mirth of the Norman court. With this his barony of Kington was taken by the Crown as well as became an appurtenance of the office of Sheriff of Hereford, lastly being granted to William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber in 1203 for £100. The castle after that saw action in the Braose Wars versus King John of England and also was likely to have been damaged by imperial forces in August 1216. Within a few years a brand-new fortress was begun and also the neighboring Huntington Castle and also Kington Castle were abandoned. All that continues to be of Kington Castle today is a fantastic outcrop of rock topped by a few fragmentary earthworks. The old town gathered around the castle and Norman church on top of a protective hill above the River Arrow. St Mary's church, located on greater ground above the town centre. 'Chingtune' was recorded in the Domesday Publication in 1086, the name meaning Kings Town or Manor, high on capital 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 1230 ashore bordering the River Arrow and also possibly marked as part of the Saxon open area system. Located on the direct route the drovers drew from Hergest Ridge as well as with 8 annual fairs, Kington grew in value as a market town as well as there is still a flourishing animals market on Thursdays. The community preserves the medieval grid pattern of streets and also back lanes. In the chapel of St. Mary's Church, there is the alabaster burial place of Sir Thomas Vaughan of neighboring Hergest Court, killed at the Battle of Banbury 1469, and also his better half, Elen Gethin. The ghost of Sir Thomas, and also that of the Black Dog of Hergest are said to haunt the location around Hergest Ridge. The Black Dog's discovery reputedly presages death. It is additionally rumoured to have actually been the model for The Hound of the Baskervilles as Conan Doyle is known to have actually stayed at neighboring Hergest Hall quickly prior to he wrote the story.