Kington
Kington is a market town, selecting 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 originated from King's-heap, being Anglo-Saxon for "King's Town", similar to other close-by communities such as Presteigne significance "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 after that passed to the Crown on the failure of Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford in 1075. Prior To 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 seems to have actually been a peaceful barony and also was related to the office of sheriff of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, probably the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled and ran away the nation. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish army, just to run 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 and also came to be an appurtenance of the workplace of Sheriff of Hereford, ultimately being provided 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 as well as was likely to have been destroyed by royal forces in August 1216. Within a few years a new fortress was started and also the close-by Huntington Castle and also Kington Castle were abandoned. All that stays of Kington Castle today is a terrific outcrop of rock topped by a couple of fragmentary earthworks. The old town clustered around the castle and Norman church in addition to a defensive hill over the River Arrow. St Mary's church, situated on higher ground over 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 laid out between 1175 and also 1230 on land surrounding the River Arrow and potentially assigned as part of the Saxon open field system. Located on the direct route the drovers drew from Hergest Ridge and also with eight yearly fairs, Kington grew in significance as a market town and also there is still a flourishing animals market on Thursdays. The town maintains the middle ages grid pattern of roads and back lanes. In the chapel of St. Mary's Church, there is the alabaster tomb of Sir Thomas Vaughan of neighboring Hergest Court, killed at the Battle of Banbury 1469, and his other half, Elen Gethin. The ghost of Sir Thomas, and likewise that of the Black Dog of Hergest are claimed to haunt the area around Hergest Ridge. The Black Dog's sighting reputedly presages death. It is additionally rumoured to have actually been the model for The Hound of the Baskervilles as Conan Doyle is understood to have actually stayed at nearby Hergest Hall soon prior to he composed the book.
