Kington
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 other neighboring communities such as Presteigne meaning "Priest's Town" and also 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 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, that started a new Marcher barony in this part of the very early Welsh Marches. Kington appears to have been a peaceful barony and was connected with 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 military, just to get away from the resulting Battle of Alnwick to the wonderful mirth of the Norman court. With this his barony of Kington was taken by the Crown and also came to be an appurtenance of the office of Sheriff of Hereford, ultimately being provided to William de Braose, fourth Lord of Bramber in 1203 for £100. The castle then saw activity in the Braose Wars against King John of England and also was most likely to have actually been destroyed by royal forces in August 1216. Within a couple of years a brand-new fortress was started and also the nearby Huntington Castle and also Kington Castle were deserted. All that remains of Kington Castle today is a wonderful outcrop of rock topped by a couple of 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, situated on greater ground above the town centre. 'Chingtune' was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, the name significance Kings Town or Manor, high up on capital over the town where St. Mary's Church now stands. The brand-new Kington, called Kyneton in the Fields, was outlined in between 1175 as well as 1230 ashore bordering the River Arrow and also perhaps assigned as part of the Saxon open field system. Situated on the direct route the drovers drew from Hergest Ridge and with 8 annual fairs, Kington expanded in significance as a market town and there is still a thriving animals market on Thursdays. The town retains the medieval 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, slaughtered at the Battle of Banbury 1469, and also his other half, Elen Gethin. The ghost of Sir Thomas, and likewise that of the Black Dog of Hergest are claimed to haunt the location around Hergest Ridge. The Black Dog's discovery reputedly presages fatality. It is also rumoured to have actually been the prototype for The Hound of the Baskervilles as Conan Doyle is understood to have stayed at close-by Hergest Hall soon prior to he wrote the book.