Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

HEREFORD

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 355 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

HEREFORD , a See also:

city and municipal and See also:parliamentary See also:borough, and the See also:county See also:town of See also:Herefordshire, See also:England, on the See also:river Wye, 144 M. W.N.W. of See also:London, on the See also:Worcester-See also:Cardiff See also:line of the See also:Great Western railway and on the See also:west-and-See also:north See also:joint line of that See also:company and the North-Western. It is connected with See also:Ross and See also:Gloucester by a See also:branch of the Great Western, and is the See also:terminus of a line from the west worked by the See also:Mid-See also:land and See also:Neath & See also:Brecon companies. Pop. (1901) 21,382. It is mainly on the See also:left See also:bank of the river, which here traverses a broad valley, well wooded and pleasant. The See also:cathedral of St Ethelbert exemplifies all styles from See also:Norman to Perpendicular. The see was detached from See also:Lichfield in 676, Putta being its first See also:bishop; and the See also:modern See also:diocese covers most of Herefordshire, a considerable See also:part of See also:Shropshire, and small portions of Worcester-See also:shire, See also:Staffordshire and See also:Monmouthshire; extending also a See also:short distance across the Welsh border. The removal of murdered Aethelbert's See also:body from Marden to Hereford led to the See also:foundation of a See also:superior See also:church, reconstructed by Bishop Athelstane, and burnt by the Welsh in 1055. Begun again in 1079 by Bishop See also:Robert Losinga, it was carried on by Bishop Reynelm and completed in 1148 by Bishop R. de Betun. In 1786 the great western See also:tower See also:fell and carried with it the west front and the first See also:bay of the See also:nave, when the church suffered much from unhappy restoration by See also:James See also:Wyatt, but his errors were partly corrected by the further See also:work of See also:Lewis Cottingham and See also:Sir See also:Gilbert See also:Scott in 1841 and 1863 respectively, while the See also:present west front is a reconstruction completed in 1905. The See also:total length of the cathedral outside is 342 ft., inside 327 ft.

5 in., the nave being 158 ft. 6 in., the See also:

choir from See also:screen to See also:reredos 75 ft. 6 in. and the See also:lady See also:chapel 93 ft. 5 in. Without, the See also:principal features are the central tower, of Decorated work with See also:ball-See also:flower See also:ornament, formerly surmounted by a See also:timber See also:spire; and the north See also:porch, See also:rich Perpendicular with parvise. The lady chapel has a bold See also:east end with five narrow See also:lancet windows. The bishop's cicisters, of which only two walks remain, are Perpendicular of curious See also:design, with heavy See also:tracery in the bays. . A picturesque tower at the See also:south-east corner, in the same See also:style, is called the " Lady See also:Arbour," but the origin of the name is unknown. Of the former See also:fine decagonal Decorated See also:chapter-See also:house, only the See also:doorway and slight traces remain. Within, the nave has Norman arcades, showing the See also:wealth of ornament See also:common to the work of this See also:period in the church. Wyatt shortened it by one bay, and the See also:clerestory is his work. There is a fine See also:late Norman See also:font, springing from a See also:base with the rare design of four lions at the corners.

The south See also:

transept is also Norman, but largely altered by the introduction of Perpendicular work. The north transept was wholly rebuilt in 1287 to contain the See also:shrine of St See also:Thomas de See also:Cantilupe, bishop of Hereford, of which there remains the magnificent See also:marble See also:pedestal surmounted by an ornate See also:arcade. The fine See also:lantern, with its many shafts and vaulting, was thrown open to the See also:floor of the See also:bell-chamber by Cottingham. The choir screen is a florid design by Sir Gilbert Scott, in See also:light wrought See also:iron, with a wealth of ornament in See also:copper, See also:brass, See also:mosaic and polished stones. The dark choir is Norman in the arcades and the See also:stage above, with See also:Early See also:English clerestory and vaulting. At the east end is a fine Norman See also:arch, blocked until 1841 by a Grecian screen erected in 1717. The choir stalls are largely Decorated. The See also:organ contains See also:original work by the famous builder Renatus See also:Harris, and was the See also:gift of See also:Charles II. to the cathedral. The small north-east and south-east transepts are Decorated but retain traces of the Norman apsidal terminations eastward. The eastern lady chapel, dated about 1220, shows elaborate Early English work. On the south See also:side opens the little Perpendicular See also:chantry of Bishop See also:Audley (1492–1502). In the north choir See also:aisle is the beautiful See also:fan-vaulted chantry of Bishop Stanbury (1470).

The See also:

crypt is remarkable as being, like the lady chapel, Early English, and is thus the only cathedral crypt in England of a later date than the 11th See also:century. The See also:ancient monastic library remains in the See also:archive See also:room, with its heavy See also:oak cupboards. Deeds, documents and several rare See also:manuscripts and See also:relics are preserved, and several of the See also:precious books are still secured by chains. But the most celebrated relic is in the south choir aisle. This is the See also:Map of the See also:World, dating from about 1314, the work of a See also:Lincolnshire See also:monk, See also:Richard of Haldingham. It represents the world as surrounded by ocean, and embodies many ideas taken from See also:Herodotus, See also:Pliny and other writers, being filled with See also:grotesque figures of men, beasts, birds and fishes, together with representations of famous cities and scenes of scriptural classical See also:story, such as the See also:Labyrinth of See also:Crete, the See also:Egyptian pyramids, See also:Mount See also:Sinai and the journeyings of the Israelites. The map is surmounted by representations of See also:Paradise and the See also:Day of See also:Judgment. From the south-east transept of the cathedral a See also:cloister leads to the quadrangular See also:college of the Vicars-Choral, a beautiful Perpendicular See also:building. On this side of the cathedral, too, the bishop's See also:palace, originally a Norman See also:hall, overlooks the Wye, and near it lies the See also:castle See also:green, the site of the historic castle, which is utterly effaced. There is here a See also:column (18o9) commemorating the victories of See also:Nelson. The church of All See also:Saints is Early English and Decorated, and has a lofty spire. Both this and St See also:Peter's (originally Norman) have See also:good carved stalls, but the fabric of both churches is greatly restored.

One only of the six See also:

gates and a few fragments of the old walls are still to be seen, but there are ruins of the See also:Black Friars' Monastery in Widemarsh, and a mile out of Hereford on the Brecon Road, the See also:White See also:Cross, erected in 1347 by Bishop See also:Louis Charlton, and restored by See also:Archdeacon See also:Lord Saye and Sele, commemorates the departure of the Black See also:Plague. Of domestic buildings the " Old House " is a good example of the picturesque See also:half-timbered style, dating from 1621, and the Coningsby See also:Hospital (almshouses) date from 1614. The inmates See also:wear a remarkable See also:uniform of red, designed by the founder, Sir T. Coningsby. St Ethelbert's hospital is an Early English foundation. Old-established See also:schools are the Cathedral school (1384) and the See also:Blue Coat school (1710); there is also the County College (188o). The public buildings are the shire hall in St Peter's See also:Street, in the Grecian Doric style, with a statue in front of it of Sir See also:George Cornewall Lewis, who represented the county in See also:parliament from 1847 to 1852, thetown hall (1904), the See also:corn-See also:exchange (1858), the See also:free library and museum in Broad Street; the See also:guildhall and See also:mansion house. A musical festival of the choirs of Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester cathedrals is held annually in rotation at these cities. The See also:government is in the hands of a municipal See also:council consisting of a See also:mayor, 6 aldermen and 18 councillors. See also:Area, 5031 acres. Hereford (Herefortuna), founded after the See also:crossing of the See also:Severn by the West See also:Saxons early in the 7th century, had a strategic importance due to its proximity to the Welsh See also:March. The foundation of the castle is ascribed to See also:Earl Harold, afterwards Harold II.

The castle was successfully besieged by See also:

Stephen, and was the See also:prison of See also:Prince See also:Edward during the Barons' See also:Wars. The pacification of See also:Wales deprived Hereford of military significance until it became a Royalist stronghold during the See also:Civil Wars. It surrendered easily to See also:Waller in 1643; but was reoccupied by the See also:king's troops and received See also:Rupert on his march to Wales after See also:Naseby. It was besieged by the Scots during See also:August 1645 and relieved by the king. It fell to the Parliamentarians in this See also:year. In 1o86 the town included fees of the bishop, the See also:dean and chapter, and the Knights Hospitallers, but was other-See also:wise royal See also:demesne. Richard I. in 1189 sold their town to the citizens at a See also:fee See also:farm See also:rent, which See also:grant was confirmed by See also:John, See also:Henry III., Edward II., Edward III., Richard II., Henry IV. and Edward IV. See also:Incorporation was granted to the mayor, aldermen and citizens in 1597, and confirmed in 1620 and 1697–1698. Hereford returned two members to parliament from 1295 until 1885, when the Redistribution See also:Act deprived it of one representative. In 1116–1117 a See also:fair beginning on St Ethelberta's day was conferred on the bishop, the antecedent of the modern fair in the beginning of May. A fair beginning on St See also:Denis' day, granted to the citizens in 1226–1227, is represented by that held in See also:October. The fair of See also:Easter Wednesday was granted in 1682.

In 1792 the existing fairs of See also:

Candlemas See also:week and the beginning of See also:July were held. See also:Market days were, under Henry VIII. and in 1792, Wednesday, See also:Friday and Saturday; the Friday market was discontinued before 1835. Hereford was the site of a provincial See also:mint in 1086 and later. A grant of an exclusive See also:merchant gild, in 1215–1216, was several times See also:con-firmed. The See also:trade in See also:wool was important in 1202, and eventually responsible for See also:gilds of tailors, drapers, mercers, dyers, fullers, See also:cloth workers, weavers and haberdashers; it brought into the market Welsh friezes and white cloth; but declined in the 16th century, although it existed in 1835. The See also:leather trade was considerable in the 13th century. In 1835 the See also:glove trade had declined. The city anciently had an extensive trade in See also:bread with Wales. It was the birthplace of See also:David See also:Garrick, the actor, in 1716, and probably of Nell See also:Gwyn, See also:mistress of Charles II., to whose memory a tablet was erected in 1883, marking the supposed site of her house. See R. See also:Johnson, Ancient Customs of Hereford (London, 1882) ; J. Duncumbe, See also:History of Hereford (Hereford, 1882); See also:Journal of Brit.

Arch. Assoc. See also:

xxvi.

End of Article: HEREFORD

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
HEREDITY 		[next]
HEREFORDSHIRE

Site © 2006 - Net Industries