Kington

History

The name Kington is derived from 'King's-ton', being Anglo-Saxon for "King's Town", similar to other nearby towns such as Presteigne meaning "Priest's Town" and Knighton being "Knight's Town". The land on which Kington is sited was held by Anglo-Saxons in 1066, but devastated. After the Norman Conquest Kington then passed to the Crown on the downfall in 1075 of Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford. Before 1121, King Henry I gave Kington to Adam de Port, who founded a new Marcher barony in this part of the early Welsh Marches. Kington seems to have been a quiet barony and was associated with the office of sheriff of Hereford. In 1172, Adam de Port, probably the great-grandson of Henry Port, rebelled and fled the country. He returned in 1174 with a Scottish army, only to flee 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 became an appurtenance of the office of Sheriff of Hereford, finally being granted to William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber in 1203 for £100. The castle then saw action in the Braose Wars against King John, and is likely to have been destroyed by royal forces in August 1216. Within a few years a new fortress was commenced and the nearby Huntington Castle and Kington Castle were abandoned. All that remains of Kington Castle today is a great outcrop of rock topped by a few fragmentary earthworks. The old town clustered around the castle and Norman church on top of a defensive hill above the River Arrow. ‘Chingtune' was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, the name meaning 'king's town or manor', high on the hill above the town where St. Mary's Church now stands. The new Kington, called Kyneton in the Fields, was laid out between 1175 and 1230 on land bordering…

Geography

Kington is from the border with Wales, and lies on the western side of Offa's Dyke. The town is in the shadow of Hergest Ridge, and on the River Arrow, where it is crossed by the A44 road. It is northwest of Hereford, the county town. Nearby towns include Presteigne, Builth Wells, Knighton and Leominster. The centre of the town is situated at above sea level. The civil parish covers an area of .

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  625
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  611
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  607
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  532
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  528
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  425
• Eurasian Wren

  Troglodytes troglodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  421
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  399

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2023-02-24
  1 km ENE of Brynmawr, United Kingdom
• M 3.6 — 2022-05-30
  2 km ESE of Prees, United Kingdom
• M 3.2 — 2022-02-21
  5 km N of Hockley, United Kingdom
• M 4.3 — 2018-02-17
  5 km NE of Clydach, United Kingdom
• M 3.9 — 2008-10-26
  2 km N of Bromyard, United Kingdom
• M 3.3 — 2007-11-30
  4 km NNE of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, United Kingdom