Kington
Kington is a market community, electoral ward and also civil church in Herefordshire, England. According to the Parish, the ward had a population of 3,240 while the 2011 census had a population of 2,626. The name 'Kington' is originated from King's-lot, being Anglo-Saxon for "King's Town", comparable to various other nearby towns such as Presteigne meaning "Priest's Town" and also Knighton being "Knight's Town". Kington is to the west of Offa's Dyke so probably this land was Welsh in the 8th century AD. The land was held by Anglo-Saxons in 1066, but ruined. After the Norman Conquest Kington after that passed to the Crown on the downfall of Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford in 1075. Prior To 1121 King Henry I gave Kington to Adam de Port, who established a new Marcher barony in this part of the very early Welsh Marches. Kington appears to have been a peaceful barony as well as was related to the office of constable of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, most likely the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled and ran away the country. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish military, only to leave 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 became an appurtenance of the workplace 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 likely to have been damaged by imperial forces in August 1216. Within a few years a new fortress was begun as well as the nearby Huntington Castle as well as Kington Castle were abandoned. All that remains of Kington Castle today is a wonderful outcrop of rock covered by a couple of 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 greater ground above the community centre. 'Chingtune' was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, the name meaning Kings Town or Manor, high on the hill above the community where St. Mary's Church now stands. The brand-new Kington, called Kyneton in the Fields, was set out between 1175 as well as 1230 on land bordering the River Arrow and potentially marked as part of the Saxon open area system. Situated on the direct route the drovers drew from Hergest Ridge as well as with 8 yearly fairs, Kington grew in importance as a market community and also there is still a flourishing livestock market on Thursdays. The town maintains the middle ages grid pattern of streets as well as 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, and also his spouse, Elen Gethin. The ghost of Sir Thomas, as well as also that of the Black Dog of Hergest are stated to haunt the area around Hergest Ridge. The Black Dog's sighting reputedly presages fatality. It is also rumoured to have actually been the model for The Hound of the Baskervilles as Conan Doyle is known to have actually stayed at close-by Hergest Hall quickly prior to he wrote the novel.