Kington
Kington is a market town, electoral ward and 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-heap, being Anglo-Saxon for "King's Community", comparable to various other nearby communities such as Presteigne meaning "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, however devastated. After the Norman Conquest Kington then passed to the Crown on the failure of Roger de Breteuil, second Earl of Hereford in 1075. Before 1121 King Henry I offered Kington to Adam de Port, that established a new Marcher barony in this part of the very early Welsh Marches. Kington appears to have been a silent barony and also was associated with the office of constable of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, most likely the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled as well as ran away the nation. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish army, just to take off 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 ended up being an appurtenance of the workplace of Sheriff of Hereford, finally being given to William de Braose, fourth Lord of Bramber in 1203 for £100. The castle after that saw activity in the Braose Wars versus King John of England and also was most likely to have been destroyed by royal forces in August 1216. Within a few years a brand-new fortress was commenced as well as the nearby Huntington Castle and Kington Castle were deserted. All that stays of Kington Castle today is a terrific outcrop of rock topped by a few fragmentary earthworks. The old town gathered around the castle and Norman church in addition to a protective hillside over the River Arrow. St Mary's church, located on greater ground above the community centre. 'Chingtune' was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, the name significance Kings Town or Manor, high on capital over the community where St. Mary's Church now stands. The new Kington, called Kyneton in the Fields, was laid out in between 1175 and also 1230 on land bordering the River Arrow as well as perhaps designated as part of the Saxon open area system. Positioned 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 and also there is still a growing animals market on Thursdays. The community maintains 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 neighboring Hergest Court, killed at the Battle of Banbury 1469, and his wife, Elen Gethin. The ghost of Sir Thomas, and 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 likewise rumoured to have actually been the model for The Hound of the Baskervilles as Conan Doyle is known to have actually remained at neighboring Hergest Hall quickly before he wrote the book.
