HEREFORD, a city (ancient), having separate jurisdiction,
locally in the hundred of Grimsworth, county of HEREFORD,
of which it is the chief town, 135 miles (W. N. W.) from London,
containing, exclusively of the  townships of Lower Bullingham
and Grafton, which are in the hundred of Webtree, 9090 inhabitants.
This place is thought to have derived its origin from a
Roman station in the neighbourhood, named Ariconium, supposed
to be the present Kenchester, and its more recent name of Her-ford,
or Here-ford, which is pure Saxon, importing "a military
ford," from its having been, previously to the
erection of the bridge, a pass over the river Wye, on
the bank of which it is situated. Hereford is said to
have become the seat of an episcopal see before theinvasion
of Britain by the Saxons; and, in 655, Oswy,
King of Mercia, made it part of the diocese of Lichfield,
which then included the whole Mercian kingdom.
At a synod held here by Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury,
in 673, the division of the diocese of Lichfield
was decreed, to which Wilford, then bishop of that see,
refused assent to the decree, and was subsequently deprived of part
of his diocese for contumacy; but with the consent of
Sexulph, his successor, Hereford was disunited from
Lichfield, and restored to its original independence as a
distinct diocese, and Putta, who previously held the see
of Rochester, was made bishop in 680. It was the capital
of the kingdom of Mercia, and possessed a large
church in the reign of Offa, who, it is stated, founded
the cathedral in expiation of the murder of Ethelbert,
King of the East Angles, whose body was removed
hither from its original place of sepulture in 782. In
the reign of Athelstan the city occupied an area of
eighteen hundred yards in circuit, and, with the exception
of an extent of five hundred and fifty yards
guarded by the river, which formed a natural barrier,
was surrounded with walls sixteen feet in height, in
which were six gates and fifteen embattled towers
thirty-four feet high; to these fortifications, which were
nearly perfect in Leland's time, a castle was added by.
Edward the Elder. About 1055, a battle was fought
two miles from this place between Ralph, Earl of Hereford,
and Griffith, Prince of Wales, in which the former
was defeated; and the Welch, having taken the city,
massacred the inhabitants, and reduced it to a heap of
ruins. Harold, afterwardsking, marched against the
Welch, whom he attacked and defeated with great
slaughter: he then repaired the fortifications and enlarged
the castle, to secure the city against the future
inroads of the invaders. From the earliest period the
citizens have enjoyed a high reputation for loyalty, and
Hereford has in consequence become the scene of many
sanguinary conflicts and sieges; it held out successfully
against the first attack of Stephen, who was opposed
by Milo, son of Walter, constable of England,
for which service the latter was made Earl of Hereford,
by the Empress Maud, in 1141; the patent, which is
still extant, was the first ever granted for the creation
of an earl: but in the same year Stephen, having again
laid siege to the city, reduced it, and divested Milo of
his recent honours. The great council of the realm
assembled here to decide on the deposition of Edward
II.; and here likewise Hugh le Despencer, the
Earl of Arundel, and three others, were executed. At
the commencement of the parliamentary war, Hereford
was garrisoned for the king, but on the approach of an
army under Sir William Waller, in April 1643, it was
surrendered without opposition; on the subsequent retreat
of Waller, it was again occupied by a party of
royalists, who, under the governorship of Barnabas
Scudamore, Esq., made a gallant defence against.the
Scots, commanded by the Earl of Leven, who was forced
to raise the siege. The city was subsequently the scene
of some minor transactions during the war, and was ultimately
taken by stratagem, when the castle was dismantled,
and the fortifications levelled, by order of the
parliament. At the Restoration, the inhabitants received
from Charles II. a new charter, with extended
privileges, also new heraldic bearings, emblematical of
fidelity to the royal cause.
The city occupies a gentle eminence on the northern
bank of the river Wye, and is surrounded by a fertile
tract of country, consisting of orchards, with rich arable
and pasture land: the environs, especially along the
banks of the river, are celebrated for picturesque beauty.
The principal streets are wide and airy; and, together
with the lanes and passages, are well lighted with gas,
and paved under the provisions of an act of parliament:
the town is also abundantly supplied with water. The
houses in general are good, and during the last fifty
years considerable improvements have been made in the
general appearance of the place. A bridge of six arches
was erected over the river Wye, about the end of the
fifteenth century, replacing a wooden bridge built in
the reign of Henry I. The Hereford reading society
was established in 1796; and, in 1815, a permanent library,
containing a valuable collection of ancient and
modern works, was instituted by the late Benjamin Fallows,
Esq.; it is under the direction of a president,
treasurer, librarian, and a committee; the subscription
is 30s. per annum, and the number of members about
one hundred and thirty. An agricultural society was
established in 1797, and a horticultural society in 1826.
The theatre, a commodious edifice in Broad-street, was
erected about 1789. Races are held in August, when a
gold cup, three plates of £50 each, and sweepstakes,
are run for; the course comprises a circuit of two
miles. Assemblies commence in October, and are held
generally once a month during the winter season,
he triennial music meetings of the choirs of Hereford,
Worcester, and Gloucester, established in 1724,
take place here during three days in September; oratorios
are performed in the morning at the cathedral,
and in the evening miscellaneous concerts and balls
are held at the county hall; the receipts, after payment
of the expenses, are appropriated to the benefit of the
widows and orphans of the distressed clergy. A bowling-
green is supported by subscription.
From the want of greater facility of communication,
Hereford has never attained eminence in trade or manufactures;
the principal articles of commerce are gloves
of the best kinds, which are made in less quantities than
formerly; cider and hops, the latter of which are extensively
cultivated in the vicinity; and oak and oak-bark:
a considerable quantity of timber and bark is annually
sent to Chepstow, and shipped thence for Ireland, and
the different ports and yards for ship-building in England.
Salmon of excellent quality are caught in the
river Wye, but not in so great abundance as formerly,
when here, as elsewhere, a condition was inserted in
the indentures of apprentices that they should not
be compelled to. eat it more than a certain number of
days in the week. To remedy the inconvenience arising
from the difficulty of navigation in the river, an
act of parliament was obtained, in 1791, for cutting,
a canal to join the Severn at Gloucester; but it has
not been completed, only extending at present to Ledbury,
and consequently Hereford derives no benefit
from the undertaking. Coal is principally supplied from
the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire, by conveyance
up the Wye, which is navigable for barges of from eighteen
to thirty tons (for towing which a path was made
by act of parliament in 1809), and from the neighbourhood
of Abergavenny, along a rail-road, to Monmouth
Cap, thirteen miles hence. In 1826, an act was obtained
to extend this rail-road to Hereford, which design
having been completed, the supply of coal has been
materially increased, and the price considerably diminished;
it is under the direction of three different companies,
and is called the Llanfihangel, Grosmont, and
Hereford tram-road. In 1668, the late Lord Scudamore left
£400 to be lent without interest, in order to
establish a woollen manufactory; but not being applied
for, it was put out to interest, and, in 1772, £500 was
expended in an attempt to instruct a portion of the
poorer class in spinning wool, which however failed;
the remainder of this bequest has increased to £3000
three per cents.; a portion of this trust money is occasionally
lent to manufacturers of woollen cloth, flannel
goods, &c., for a limited time, without interest, for
finding employment for the poor inhabitants, especially
women and children. The markets are on Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday; and fairs are held on the Tuesday
after Candlemas-day j on the Wednesday in Easter
week, for cattle and sheep; May 19th; July 1st, for
wool: October 20th is a great fair for cattle and hops;
at the May fair, granted by Henry I. to Bishop Richard,
soon after; 1120, and commonly known as the "nine
days fair," the bishop's bailiff, or bailiff of the manor
called the Barton, or the Bishop's fee, has considerable
power, but does not exercise magisterial authority.  As
lords of this fee the bishops formerly exercised considerable
authority in the city; they administered justice
within its limits, and had a prison within the walls
of their palace; they also held courts baron, leet, and
pie-powder, but most of-these privileges have become
obsolete. In 1816, an act of parliament was passed for
forming a market-place, and effecting other improvements,
which contained a clause providing accommodation
for slaughtering cattle; and, in 1822, fourteen
slaughter-houses were erected, on the site of part of the
old city wall, northward of the market-place; the fishmarket
is well supplied with sea fish from Wales and
Bristol.
The city was first incorporated by charter of Richard I., dated
at Westminster in 1189, and has since that period received
twentyfour confirmatory charters from successive monarchs,
under the last of which, the government was vested in a
mayor, high steward, deputy steward (who performs the
duty of recorder), two chamberlains, six aldermen, and
twenty-four chief citizens, assisted by a town clerk,
coroner,, sword bearer, and four Serjeants at mace, and other
officers. The mayor is annually chosen from the body corporate,
the members of which usually succeed by rotation, on the first
Monday in August, and is sworn into office on the first
Monday after the festival of St. Michael. The high
steward, who is generally a nobleman, holding the office
for life, appoints a deputy learned in the law: the chamberlains
and the coroner are appointed by the corporation.
The mayor (who is keeper of the city gaol and
clerk of the market, which offices he may execute by
deputy), the late mayor, (who acts as escheator for the
year after his mayoralty), the high steward, the deputy
steward, and the six aldermen, are justices of the peace
within the city and liberties. The freedom of the city
is inherited by the eldest sons of freemen, acquired by
servitude within the city, marriage with a freeman s
widow, and with the eldest daughter of a freeman, provided
he has no male issue, by gift of the corporation,
or by purchase, the usual fee being £33. 11. 9. The
corporation hold quarterly courts of session, and meetings
daily at the guildhall, for determining on affairs of
police; and a court of record on the Monday and Thursday
in every week, for the recovery of debts to any
amount, under the charter of James I., confirmed by
William III. The county assizes are held here, likewise
the petty sessions for the hundred of Grimsworth every
Saturday; and, under certain restrictions, those of Oyer
and Terminer for the whole of South Wales. The old
town and shire-hall, erected in the reign of James L, is
a large edifice of timber and brick, supported on twentyseven
pillars of solid oak: it formerly contained an
upper story, in which were chambers for the fourteen diferent
trading companies of the city, but has been much
reduced in height and beauty, and, though formerly appropriated,
by consent of the corporation, as proprietors
of it, to the courts of assize, session, and public meetings
for the county, was surrendered to that body in 1817
The new shire-hall was erected by act of parliament
passed in the 55th of George III., authorising a sum not
exceeding £30,000 to be raised, for the purpose of building
courts of justice, county hall, &c., together with a
dep6t for arms and military clothing, including the purchase
of an appropriate site; also a further sum of
£3150, to purchase a house for the accommodation of
the judges. This edifice has been completed from a design
by Mr. Smirke; the portico in front is a fine specimen
of Grecian Doric architecture, copied from the
Temple of Theseus at Athens: a subterraneous passage,
through which prisoners are brought to the bar, leads to
the Crown court, from an apartment beneath the grand
jury room, in which they are kept during the trials; the
hall is decorated with portraits of George III. and the
late Duke of Norfolk, and here the quarter sessions,
county meetings, and the triennial musical festivals, are
held. The city gaol is an ancient building, the original
part containing seven cells for felons, and three sleepingrooms
for debtors; to which an addition has recently
been made, comprising four cells for males, and three
for females, with spacious airing-yards. The county
gaol was erected in 1798, upon Mr. Howard's plan, and
occupies the site of St. Guthlac's priory, at the foot of
Aylestone hill, being enclosed by a brick wall: the entrance,
over which is the place of execution, is ornamented
with Tuscan pillars; the prison contains appropriate
apartments for the classification of prisoners of
both sexes/with day-rooms, court-yard, inspection-room,
a newly-built penitentiary, infirmary, chapel, workrooms,
a room for the meeting of the county magistrates,
and apartments for the gaoler and his family:
the inspecting-room is about eighteen yards in diameterj
nearly circular, and having six windows, which open
into each court: the total expense of erecting it was
£22,461. 7. 5., and the annual expenditure of the establishment
is estimated at from £2000 to £3000. The
elective franchise was conferred in the 23d of Edward I
since which time the city has regularly returned two
members to parliament: the right of election is vested
in the freemen generally, nearly one thousand in number;
the mayor is the returning officer.
The diocese of Hereford includes nearly the whole of the county,
with part of Shropshire, four parishes in Monmouthshire, six in
Montgomeryshire, six in Radnorshire, and twenty-one in
Worcestershire. The ecclesiastical establishment consists
of a bishop, dean, two archdeacons, six canons residentiary
(of whom the dean is one), a precentor, chancellor, treasurer,
twenty-eight prebendaries, twelve priests-vicars, one of whom is
custos, four lay clerks, eight choristers, a head and under
master of the grammar school, an organist, and other
officers. The cathedral, originally erected in expiation of
the murder of Ethelbert, and dedicated to St. Mary and
St. Ethelbert, was built by Melfrid, a viceroy under Egbert,
about 825, principally by means of the propitiating
gifts of Offa, but having fallen into decay in less than
two centuries, it was rebuilt during the prelacy of Bishop
Athelstan, or Ethelstan, between 1012 and 1015; it
was subseqxiently destroyed by fire, and lay in ruins till
1079, when Bishop Robert de Lezinga, appointed to this
see by William the Conqueror, commenced a new edifice,
erected on the model of the church of Alcen, now
Aix la Chapelle, which was completed by Bishop Raynelm
in 1107, with the exception of the tower, that
having been built by Bishop Giles de Braos in the
following century. It is a noble cruciform structure,
with a lofty tower rising from the intersection, formerly
surmounted by a spire, which has been taken down.
The tower at the west end fell down in 1785, at which
time the west front was rebuilt in a style differentfrom
the original, and the north porch, built by Bishop
Booth in the sixteenth century, and various additions
made by his predecessors since its original elevation,
have given to the exterior of this edifice a great variety
of architectural style. The nave, which is of Norman
architecture, is separated from the aisles by massive
circular columns and arches, above which are the triforium
and clerestory, which were altered at the time of
its being repaired. The north transept is a rich specimen
of the early English, with large windows in the decorated
style, having a triforium of exquisite beauty,
and trefoiled circular clerestory windows. The choir,
which is handsome and well proportioned, is of the
Norman character, intermixed with the early English
style: the bishop's throne and the stalls are surmounted
by ornamented canopies of tabernacle-work; and a very
rich altar-piece was put up in 1816, the subject of which
is Christ bearing the Cross, a copy, by Leeming, from
the original picture over the altar in the chapel of Magdalene
College, Oxford: the east window, forty feet
high and twenty feet wide, representing the Lord's
Supper, is considered the largest in this branch of the
art since its revival in England; the figures are fifteen
feet in height, beautifully painted by Mr. Backler, from
West's picture of the Lord's Supper, at an expense of
£2000, towards defraying which the late Dr. Cope,
canon residentiary, bequeathed £500: near the choir
was the shrine of St. Ethelbert, which was destroyed
during the usurpation of Cromwell. The arched roof
of the upper transverse aisle is supported by a single
column. Eastward of the choir is the Lady chapel, in
the early style of English architecture, but of a character
different from that of the transept, now used as a li-i
brary,and containing a valuable collection of books: be-,
neath this chapel is a fine crypt, called Golgotha, from the
mass of human bones which it contained; it is supposed to
have been originally the parochial church of St. John the
Baptist. There are some beautiful chapels in the later
style of English architecture, built by Bishop Audley
and other prelates. The whole length of the interior of
the cathedral, from east to west, is three hundred and
twenty-five feet; of the great transept, from north to
south, one hundred and forty feet 5 the height, from the
area pavement to the vaulting, ninety-one feet, and the
height of the central tower, two hundred and forty-four
feet. The cathedral contains monuments to the memory
of thirty-four bishops of this see: the most ancient is
that of Bishop Walter, who was consecrated by the Pope
in.theyear 1060: there is likewise a splendid monument
of Dr. Tyler, Bishop of Llandaff, and Dean of Hereford;
and another of Sir Richard Pembridge, Knight of the
Garter in the reign of Edward III. On the east side of
the transept is a monument to the memory of Bishop
Cantelupe, who died in 1282; his heart was brought to
Hereford, and buried in the cathedral, and he was canonized
in 1310; it is curiously adorned with a number
of effigies, but is now somewhat mutilated; this tomb
was a place of resort and reputed miraculous efficacy to
pilgrims from all parts of Europe, no less than four hundred
and twenty-five miracles having, according to monkish,
story, been performed here: in consequence, the
succeeding bishops of this diocese relinquished their
ancient arms, which were those of St. Ethelbert, in
order to assume the paternal coat of Cantelupe, which
is continued at the present time. At the north-eastern
extremity of the transept is a monument in memory of
Velters Cornwall, Esq., representative in parliament
of the county of Hereford for forty-six years; and
amongst many others is a plain marble tablet to the
memory of John Philips, the well-known author of
poems entitled "The Splendid Shilling" and "Cyder."
The bishop's palace is an ancient structure westward of
the cathedral, containing several elegant apartments,
with a fine garden and grounds attached; it has also a
handsome chapel, built by Bishop Butler, and completed
in 1798. Near the palace was a Saxon edifice of very
early date and curious structure, consisting of two
stories, which were severally used as chapels, and dedicated
to St. Catherine and St. Mary Magdalene; being
in a ruinous condition, it was taken down in 1735. Of
the chapter-house, only a very small portion remains:
the chapter meetings are now held in a building attached
to the south aisle of the cathedral, in which is an
ancient map of the world upon vellum, illuminated with
gilt Saxon characters; in the centre is an. inscription in
black letter and a representation of the city of Jerusalem!:
the date of this piece of antiquity is assigned to the reign
of Henry III. Here also are preserved, in a neat frame, the
ring, crosier, and balla, of Bishop Frilleck, who died in
1360; they were discovered in digging a grave in the choir,
in August 1813. The deanery is near the church, and four
houses adjacent, in the gift of the bishop, are usually
Appropriated as residences for the prebendaries. There
is also a good house of stone, with a spacious garden,
in St. John's street, for the chancellor of the choir; and
attached to the bishop's prebend is a very good house
in Broad-street. The college is a brick building of the
time of Edward IV., forming a quadrangle eastward of
the cathedral, with which it communicates by a cloister
one hundred feet in length, leading to the south end
of the eastern transept: this edifice contains a chapel,
a library, a spacious hall, common dining-room, and
dormitories: in 1820, several attempts were made by
some undiscovered incendiary to destroy this college by fire.
The city comprises the parishes of All Saints, St.
John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Nicholas, St. Owen,
and St. Peter, all in the peculiar jurisdiction of the Dean
of Hereford. The living of All Saints is a discharged
vicarage, consolidated with that of St. Martin's, rated in
the king's books at £8. 10., and in the patronage of
the Dean, and Canons of Windsor: the church is an
ancient structure partly in the Norman style of architecture,
with a tower strengthened with buttresses and
surmounted by a lofty spire: the nave is separated from
the aisles by circular columns and pointed arches; and
the interior contains a fine altar-piece, and some ancient
stalls supposed to have been appropriated to the
brethren of St. Anthony, to whom this church anciently
belonged. The living of St. John the Baptist's is a discharged
vicarage, rated in the king's books at £7.12. 1.,
endowed with £200 private benefaction, and £400 royal
bounty, and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter
of Hereford; the north transept of the cathedral was,
in 1796, appropriated as a church for this parish. The
living of St. Martin's is a discharged vicarage, united
to that of All Saints: the church, which stood on
the bank of the Wye, near the bridge, was destroyed
during the parliamentary war: it is now in contemplation
to restore it, through the persevering exertions of
the Rev. H. J. Symons, L.L.D., the present vicar, for
which purpose a grant has been obtained from the Incorporated
Society for building churches, &c., another
from government, of £ 1000, and a donation of £ 100 from
the Bishop of the diocese. The living of the parish of
St. Nicholas is a discharged rectory, rated in the king's
books at £ 10, endowed with £200 royal bounty, and
£400 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the
Crown: the church, which previously to the dissolution
had two chantries in honour of the Virgin, is an ancient
edifice with a tower. The living of St. Owen's is a rectory,
united to the vicarage of St. Peter's, and rated in
the king's books at £4.10.10.: the church was destroyed
during the parliamentary war in the reign of Charles I.
The living of St. Peter's is a discharged vicarage, with
the rectory of St. Owen's, rated in the king's books at
£ 10. 0.2., and in the patronage of the Rev. H. Gipps;
the church, an ancient structure founded in 1070, in
the Norman style of architecture, with a tower surmounted
by a neat spire, was repaired and partly rebuilt
in 1793: the nave is separated from the south
aisle by octagonal pillars, and from the north by clustered
columns, and the chancel contains stalls which
were anciently appropriated to the brethren of St.
Guthlac's priory; previously to the dissolution there
were four chantries in the church. There are places of
worship for the Society of Friends, Independents, those
in the late Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, Wesleyan
Methodists, and a Roman Catholic chapel.
The college grammar school is of ancient foundation;
the earliest authentic document extant is the appointment
of Ricardus de Cornwaille as master, by Bishop
Gilbert, in 1385, owing to the refusal of the chancellor,
with whom the appointment then rested. The school
was placed under the control of the Dean and Chapter,
and a head and under master were appointed, by statute
of Queen Elizabeth, in the first year of her reign, which
received confirmation from Charles I., when he gave
to the cathedral the "Caroline Statutes," by which £4
per annum is payable to a scholar in the University of
Oxford, The scholarships attached to this school are,
four founded by Dean Langford, of which two are at
Braseuose College, Oxford, of the value of £40 per annum
each, arising from the rental of a house in High Town,
Hereford, devised by Roger Philpotts in 1615; five in St.
John's College, Cambridge, founded by deed enrolled
in the Exchequer in 1682, by Sarah, Duchess of Somerset,
the scholars to be chosen within forty days after
each vacancy, by the Master and Fellows of that college,
preference being given to natives of Somersetshire, Wiltshire,
and Herefordshire. Her Grace likewise bequeathed
her manor of Thornhill, in Wiltshire, to Brasenose College,
Oxford, and that of Wootton-Rivers, in the same
county, to St. John's College, Cambridge, by will dated
May 12th, 1686, for founding scholarships; the candidates
to be elected alternately from the schools of
Marlborough, Hereford, and Manchester, for ever: the
value of each is computed at £30 per annum, the number
varying according to the revenue; provision is likewise
made by the same noble lady for twelve other
scholars, who receive £1. 4. per week, and are elected
in a similar manner: she also left the valuable living
of Wootton-Rivers, in the alternate presentation of the
above-mentioned colleges, to one of her aforesaid
scholars. The school, erected by the Dean and Chapter,
under the statutes of Edward VI. and Elizabeth, stands
on part of the decayed cloister, which was rebuilt in
1760, by subscription; it is eighty feet in length, forty
wide, and forty in height: there are eleven scholars on
the foundation, of whom seven are nominated as choristers
by the canons, and four by the dean; the entire
number of pupils is about one hundred, half of whom
are boarded, the rest having the benefit of tuition only:
the senior master receives £40 per annum, with a
dwelling-house and other emoluments. Miles Smith,
Bishop of Gloucester, the celebrated translator of the
Bible; Gwillim, author of a system of Heraldry; John
Davis, an eminent writing-master; and his pupil, Gethin,
or Gerthinge, were educated in this school. The Blue-coat
charity schools were established in 1710, for clothing
and educating forty boys and thirty girls, and afterwards
making some provision for them on leaving school,
by collections and other contributions; the premises
have lately been handsomely rebuilt, with houses for
the master and the mistress. A school for freemen's
sons was established in 1809, and is supported by an
annual contribution of £35 from the chief steward, the
Rt. Hon. Earl Somers, aided by donations of £10 per
annum each from the two city members, and from Sir
Robert Price, one of the representatives for the county.
A National school for girls is supported by voluntary
contributions; there was formerly one for boys, which
has been discontinued. A female adult school, established
in 1816, affords instruction to about one hundred
persons, who assemble twice a week, and are gratuitously
taught to read by ladies. About three hundred and
fifty children of the parishes of St. Peter and St.
Owen are instructed, partly clothed, and supplied with
Bibles and prayer-books, in Sunday schools. There is
also an infant school, established in 1825, which contains
upwards of one hundred children.
The general infirmary originated in a benefaction of
£500 by the late Rev. Dr. Talbot, rector of Ullingswick,
in this county, which was followed by ample subscriptions
from the nobility, clergy, and gentry, of the city
and county, with various donations and legacies: the
ground on which the building stands was the gift of the
late Earl of Oxford; the late Dr. Harris, Chancellor of
this diocese, bequeathed £5000 towards the support of
the institution, and the annual subscriptions amount
to nearly £700; two physicians and two surgeons, attend
daily, an apothecary resides in the house, and the
expense of a regular chaplain is defrayed by the contributions
of the bishop, the members of the cathedral,
and the clergy of the city. The institution commenced
March 26thj 1776, but the building was not open for the
admission of patients for some years after; it is calculated
to accommodate seventy persons, with every appropriate
convenience for the requisite attendants, and
is under the superintendence of governors, who are
subscribers of £2. 2. per annum, or contributors of
£20. The lunatic asylum occupies part of the ground
given for the infirmary, and is under the direction of
the committee of that institution: it was erected by
subscription, and opened in 1801; it is calculated for
the reception of twenty patients, and isunder the superintendence
of a physician and a surgeon. There is a
charity for assisting the necessitous widows and orphans
of clergymen, and likewise clergymen themselves, disabled
by age or infirmity, with narrow incomes; it is
supported by annual subscriptions both of the clergy
and laity of the archdeaconry. A lying-in charity was
instituted in 1806. St. Ethelbert's hospital was built
and endowed in the reign of Henry III., for the maintenance
of ten poor persons, to be nominated and governed
by .a master, who is the treasurer of the cathedral, if residentiary,
but the present master is the senior canon:
the inmates receive 1s. 6d. weekly in summer, and 2s. 6d.
in winter, and each of them has a garden. St. Giles's
hospital, founded by Richard II. in 1290, for monks of
the order of Savigny, and afterwards Knights Templars,
was rebuilt in 1770, and contains apartments for five
poor men, each of whom receives 5s. per week. Williams's
hospital was founded about 1601, for six poor
men, who have a weekly allowance of 17s. 6d. each.
This hospital and St. Giles's are in the patronage of
the Corporation; and there is a chapel common to
both, in which divine service is performed twice a week.
Lazarus, or sick man's, hospital, originally a religious
foundation for lazars, is now appropriated to the reception
of six poor widows, among whom £ 1710 ig
annually divided by direction of the mayor and corporation.
Price's hospital was founded in 1636, by W. Price,
merchant of London, for twelve poor men, and a chaplain,
who performs duty thrice a week and has a salary
of £10 per annum: each inmate receives 10s. per week;
the institution is under the care of the mayor and aldermen.
Trinity hospital was founded by Thomas Kerry,
Esq., in 1600, for one corporal, two poor unmarried men,
and twelve widows, each receiving 5s. per week . the
present building was erected by subscription in 1825,
and contains sixteen dwellings; it is under the superintendence
of the mayor and corporation, who are governors.
Coningsby's hospital was founded by Sir Thomas
Coningsby, Knt., in 1614; it stands on the site of a
small building and chapel formerly belonging to the
Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, and contains
twelve apartments, a chapel, and a hall: the master
is styled, according to the founder's will, Corporal Coningsby,
and the ten members, servitors; the corporal
and five servitors must have performed at least three
years actual service as soldiers, and be natives of the
counties of Hereford, Worcester, or Salop; the remaining
five to be old men of seven years service in the
ranks: the allowances are £20 per annum to the chaplain,
£1.13.4. per month to the corporal, £1. 1. 85. per
month to each of the servitors, with a scarlet suit of
clothes and a hat every second year, and a scarlet cloak
every third year: an excellent garden is attached to the
building. The vicarage of Bodenham, in this county,
with all its appurtenances, is, by the founder's will, appropriated
to jthe successive chaplains. The Hampton
Court estate, in this county, is charged with the support
of this hospital, and the holder of it is the governor;
the judges of assize are visitors of the institution. Symonds's
almshouse was founded in 1695, for four decayed
housekeepers, who receive 10s. per quarter each, chargeable
on an estate at Breinton, the proprietor of which is
patron of the charity. In addition to these are, Weaver's
hospital for five poor persons, who receive £2. 13. per
annum each; and Shelley's hospital, founded about
1640, and rebuilt in 1801, for six poor widows, who receive
£ 5 per annum each: there are also various other
minor charities of different kinds. In the reign of
Henry VIII., John Phillips, citizen of Hereford, gave
lands and tenements of the clear yearly value of
£28. 1. 4., to exempt all persons from the payment of
toll at the several gates of the city. In the reign of
Mary, Sir Thomas White, alderman of London, gave the
sum of £100 to each of twenty-four cities, of which
Hereford is one, to be lent to young freemen, and a further
sum of £4 to the mayor, for executing this trust.
George Cope, D.D., who died in 1821, was an extensive
benefactor to this city, having bequeathed £ 1000 to the
Dean and Chapter, in trust to distribute the interest
annually among ten aged single women of virtuous
character; £500 towards erecting a window of stained
glass for the east end of the choir, or west end of the
nave, of the cathedral; £200, the interest to provide an
eighth chorister under certain conditions; £200 to the
general infirmary; £200, the interest to provide fuel for
the poor of St. Ethelbert's hospital at Christmas; £300,
the interest to be paid to the poor of St. Peter's parish;
41000, for equal division between four benevolent institutions;
£300, the interest to be paid to the poor
of Madley; £300 to the poor of Bromyard; £200 to
those of Allansmore; and £200 to those of Selleck and
King's Castle.
Prior to the Reformation, Hereford contained several
monastic establishments. A college of Grey friars
was founded in the reign of Edward I., by Sir William
Pembridge, Knt.: amongst the many distinguished-persons
buried in it was Owen Tudor, otherwise Meredith,
father ,of Edmund, Earl of Richmond, and grandfather
Pf Henry VII., who, according to tradition, was interred
in the nave of the church, without any monumental
memorial. St. Guthlac's priory, originally a college of
Prebendaries, afterwards became a cell to the Benedictine
abbey of St. Peter, at Gloucester; the revenue, at
the dissolution, was £121. 3. 3.: the new county gaol
and house of correction now occupies the site. The
monastery of Black friars, the largest and most celebrated
of all the ancient religious houses, was originally
established under the auspices of William, brother of
Bishop Cantelupe, and situated in the Portfield, in Byestreet
suburb, but afterwards removed to Widemarsh
suburb, where a new church and priory were commenced,
in the reign of Edward II., and completed in that of
Edward III., who, with his son, the Black Prince, two
archbishops, and several bishops and nobles, were
present at the dedication; it became a nourishing institution,
and many persons of distinction were interred in
the church. The only remaining vestiges of the ancient
buildings are the south side of the prior's lodgings,
some decayed offices, and a curious ancient .stone pulpit,
which has been much admired. About a mile westward
from the city is the " White Cross," built by Dr. Lewis
Charleton, afterwards bishop of this see, about 1347,
as a market-place for the country people, during the.
ravages of an infectious disorder with-which the city
was at that time visited. According to tradition, reservoirs
of vinegar were placed on each side of the
cross, for the purification of articles brought from
the city, and suspected to be infectious: the base of
the cross consists of an hexagonal flight of seven
steps; the lower and only remaining part of the shaft
is hexagonal, six feet high, and two feet wide, exclusively
of a pillar between each side, in which are as
many niches, witTi shields, and lions rampant: above is
an embattled parapet, with mouldings and base of the
upper division; the present entire height is fifteen feet.
Hereford has given birth to several eminent persons,
amongst whom are, John Breton, L.L.D., bishop of the
diocese in the thirteenth century, who wrote a celebrated
work called " The Laws of England; " David
Garrick, the inimitable comedian, who was born at the
Angel Inn, Widemarsh-street, in 1716, his father bearing
at that time a lieutenant's commission in a regiment
of horse quartered here; and the famous Eleanor Gwyn,
favourite of Charles II., who was born in an humble
dwelling in Pipe-lane, in this city.