Kington is a market community, selecting ward as well as 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 derived from King's-ton, being Anglo-Saxon for "King's Town", similar to various other close-by communities such as Presteigne meaning "Priest's Town" and Knighton being "Knight's Town". Kington is to the west of Offa's Dyke so most likely 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 then 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 established a new Marcher barony in this part of the early Welsh Marches. Kington appears to have been a peaceful barony as well as was associated with the workplace of constable of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, probably the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled and took off the nation. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish army, just to leave 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, ultimately being provided to William de Braose, fourth Lord of Bramber in 1203 for £100. The castle then saw activity in the Braose Wars versus King John of England and was most likely to have been ruined by royal forces in August 1216. Within a couple of years a new fortress was commenced and the close-by 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 clustered around the castle and also Norman church on top of a protective hillside over the River Arrow. St Mary's church, located on higher ground over the town centre. 'Chingtune' was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, the name meaning Kings Town or Manor, high up on the hill above the community where St. Mary's Church currently stands. The new Kington, called Kyneton in the Fields, was laid out between 1175 and 1230 ashore surrounding the River Arrow and also possibly marked as part of the Saxon open area system. Located on the direct route the drovers extracted from Hergest Ridge and with 8 yearly fairs, Kington grew in importance as a market community as well as there is still a prospering animals market on Thursdays. The town preserves the medieval grid pattern of roads and also back lanes. In the chapel of St. Mary's Church, there is the alabaster burial place of Sir Thomas Vaughan of close-by Hergest Court, slain at the Battle of Banbury 1469, and also his partner, 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 discovery 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 close-by Hergest Hall quickly prior to he composed the book.