Kington
Kington is a market town, selecting ward and civil parish 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 Community", comparable to various other neighboring 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 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 downfall of Roger de Breteuil, second Earl of Hereford in 1075. Prior To 1121 King Henry I provided Kington to Adam de Port, who started a new Marcher barony in this part of the early Welsh Marches. Kington seems to have actually been a silent barony and was related to the workplace of constable of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, possibly the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled and also fled the nation. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish army, just 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 ended up being 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 activity in the Braose Wars against King John of England as well as was likely to have been destroyed by imperial forces in August 1216. Within a few years a new fortress was commenced as well as the nearby Huntington Castle and also Kington Castle were deserted. All that stays of Kington Castle today is a terrific outcrop of rock covered by a couple of fragmentary earthworks. The old town gathered around the castle as well as Norman church in addition to a defensive hill above the River Arrow. St Mary's church, positioned on higher ground over the community centre. 'Chingtune' was recorded in the Domesday Publication in 1086, the name meaning Kings Town or Manor, high on capital above the town where St. Mary's Church now stands. The brand-new Kington, called Kyneton in the Fields, was set out between 1175 and also 1230 ashore surrounding the River Arrow and potentially assigned as part of the Saxon open field system. Situated on the direct route the drovers extracted from Hergest Ridge and with eight annual fairs, Kington expanded in importance as a market town as well as there is still a prospering animals market on Thursdays. The community retains the medieval grid pattern of streets and back lanes. In the chapel of St. Mary's Church, there is the alabaster tomb of Sir Thomas Vaughan of nearby Hergest Court, killed at the Battle of Banbury 1469, and his spouse, Elen Gethin. The ghost of Sir Thomas, as well as additionally that of the Black Dog of Hergest are said to haunt the location around Hergest Ridge. The Black Dog's discovery reputedly presages death. It is likewise rumoured to have actually been the model for The Hound of the Baskervilles as Conan Doyle is known to have stayed at neighboring Hergest Hall soon prior to he created the story.
