Kington
Kington is a market town, selecting 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 derived from King's-load, being Anglo-Saxon for "King's Community", comparable to various other close-by towns such as Presteigne significance "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 failure of Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford in 1075. Prior To 1121 King Henry I gave Kington to Adam de Port, that started a new Marcher barony in this part of the very early Welsh Marches. Kington appears to have actually been a peaceful barony as well as was connected with the office of sheriff of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, possibly the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled and fled the nation. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish army, only to take off from the resulting Battle of Alnwick to the terrific 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 granted to William de Braose, fourth Lord of Bramber in 1203 for £100. The castle then saw action in the Braose Wars versus King John of England and also was likely to have actually been ruined by imperial forces in August 1216. Within a few years a brand-new citadel was commenced and also the close-by Huntington Castle as well as Kington Castle were deserted. All that stays of Kington Castle today is a terrific outcrop of rock covered by a few fragmentary earthworks. The old town clustered around the castle as well as Norman church in addition to a protective hill above 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 above the community where St. Mary's Church currently stands. The brand-new Kington, called Kyneton in the Fields, was laid out in between 1175 and 1230 on land surrounding the River Arrow and also potentially marked as part of the Saxon open field system. Positioned on the direct route the drovers extracted from Hergest Ridge and with eight yearly fairs, Kington expanded in value as a market town and also there is still a prospering animals market on Thursdays. The town keeps the middle ages grid pattern of streets as well as 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, as well as his wife, Elen Gethin. The ghost of Sir Thomas, and additionally that of the Black Dog of Hergest are stated to haunt the area around Hergest Ridge. The Black Dog's discovery reputedly presages fatality. It is also rumoured to have been the model for The Hound of the Baskervilles as Conan Doyle is understood to have actually stayed at close-by Hergest Hall soon prior to he wrote the story.