Your guide to current local services, views on our future, and a history of Clifford. Font Cover Photo: Clifford’s main landmarks, taken from a 1940 Rearwin aircraft by Jasper Fforde. Clifford PaRISH PLAN | 2008
Contents
Preface ...... 5
Practical information 1.1 Overview...... 7 1.2 Public services...... 7 1.2.1 Local amenities...... 7 1.2.2 Public transport ...... 9 1.2.3 Emergency services...... 9 1.3 Census information...... 10 1.4 Public Rights of Way...... 11 1.5 Social and recreational activities ...... 11
Action plans 2.1 Leisure and culture...... 16 2.2 Housing and environment...... 17 2.3 Highways and transport...... 18 2.4 Health, safety and services...... 18 2.5 Local information...... 19 2.6 Other issues...... 19
Conclusion
Appendices A.1 Map of Clifford ...... 22 A.2 A History of Clifford ...... 23
Clifford PaRISH PLAN | 2008 | preface
Preface
n 2000, the Government’s Rural White Paper “Our Countryside – The Future” Isuggested that rural communities should produce Plans to identify both problems and opportunities for rural services and to provide community input into the new planning system. Plans would be regarded as official documents with power to influence government decisions that may affect the communities. In December 2006, The Herefordshire Partnership invited Clifford Parish Council to develop a Parish Plan. Accordingly, in April 2007, the Council formed a Steering Group1, responsible to the Council, whose remit was to produce a Parish Plan for the Council’s consideration. The Plan was required to:
» Reflect the views of the whole community. » Identify local problems and opportunities. » D escribe the most highly valued community features to protect them. » Spell out how the community wished to develop. » Prepare a plan of action.
The Steering Group began its deliberations by conducting interviews with Parishioners in various Parish activity groups to establish:
» What they liked and didn’t like about living in the Parish. » What improvements they felt could be made to the local environment and to existing Parish activities and facilities. » What new activities and facilities they felt should be introduced.
1. Local residents who assisted in the development of the questionnaire and the production of this document, were: Christine Bates (treasurer of the Steering Group and PC liaison), Jenny Bullough (chair of the Steering Group), Oliver Bullough, Will Bullough, Candia Compton, Margaret Davies, Simon Forrester, Gill Grove, Julie Jones, Richard Mighall, Mary Morgan, John Neville, David Penrose, Dave Prescott (clerk of the Steering Group), Paul Rumph, Gordon Rye and Anthony Williams. Thanks also to Pauline Striplin at Community First and Chris Gooding at Herefordshire Council.. The Steering Group used the findings of the interviews to develop a questionnaire which was distributed to all residents in the Parish in June 2007. Of 415 questionnaires delivered, roughly 39% were completed (a fairly typical response rate for a survey of this type). These were returned to the Steering Group who, in turn, forwarded them to the Herefordshire Council Research Team for collation into a Questionnaire Report. In October 2007, the completed Report was forwarded to the Parish Council. The Report was then analysed by the Steering Group and recommended courses of action were proposed. These are contained in this Plan of Action, where passed onto Clifford Parish Council for review and action. Copies of this document have also been sent to Clifford Parish Council and Herefordshire Council. Since the findings of the Parish Plan are of interest to many of the civic and social groups in Clifford, the plan has also been sent to Clifford Hall Committee, Clifford Primary School, Herefordshire Nature Trust, Clifford PCC and Hardwicke PCC. It can also been seen, along with the questionnaire analysis, on the Clifford Parish website (www.cliffordparish.org.uk)
Clifford PaRISH PLAN | 2008 | practical information
Practical information
1.1 Overview
Clifford lies in a bend of the River Wye between Hay-on-Wye and Bredwardine. The parish is part of the Golden Valley Ward and is one of 238 Parishes administered by Herefordshire Council. The Parish boundary extends for 27 kilometres (km) and encompasses a diamond shaped area of 253km2 (for comparison, the city of Hereford covers 20km2). There are 38km of public roads and 52km of bridleways and public footpaths; two disused railway lines cross the Parish. The River Wye, fed by numerous streams, forms much of the northern and western boundary. Part of the river – from the Dulas brook just below Hay, to the Rhydspence Inn, which is to the west of Whitney toll bridge (the only remaining river crossing point in Clifford) – forms the national boundary with Wales. Approximately half of the 221 households in the Parish are concentrated in Clifford vil- lage; the remainder are at widely dispersed locations. The Parish population is 530 of whom some 330 are of working age; the balance is fairly evenly split between those aged under 15 and those over 65. A fifth of those of working age are associated directly or indirectly with agricultural activities, notably livestock and arable farming. Others are involved in manufactur- ing, repair, construction, real estate or the public sector. There is thriving bed & breakfast trade.
1.2 Public services
Most public services in Clifford are provided by neighbouring parishes or by Hereford- shire Council.
1.2.1 Local amenities
We do have: » A school and a pre-school nursery » Two community halls » Two churches » Several commons, public footpaths and bridleways
We don’t have: » Any shops » A Post Office » Any pubs » Any sports facilities other than the school playing field » A residential or nursing home
Refuse collection | Domestic waste is collected on Tuesday mornings. The near- est recycling facilities are in Hay-on-Wye, in the Co-op supermarket car park and in the main car park. Home collection of recyclable material is available in some parts of the parish. If you are eligible for home collection, a collection timetable will be delivered to your house.
Surgery | The nearest NHS health centres to Clifford are Hay-on-Wye Health Centre (01497 822100) and Staunton-on-Wye surgery (01981 500227).
Internet and digital | Broadband access is available in most parts of Clif- ford, though the service can be sporadic depending on distance from the telephone exchange. The nearest public internet access is at Hay-on-Wye library, which offers the service for free. Most houses in Clifford do not currently receive the BBC’s digital service via Freeview. Digital switchover is currently scheduled for the year 2011.
Local news | Since 1985, The Link has provided parishioners with news and events from across the ‘Borderlink’ group – which comprises Blakemere, Bredwardine with Brobury, Clifford, Cusop, Dorstone, Hardwicke, Moccas and Preston-on-Wye. The Link is produced monthly and is available from any church within the eight parishes. Copy should go to the editor Julie Jones by the 15th of each month.
Clifford PaRISH PLAN | 2008 | practical information
1.2.2 Public Transport
Buses | The No. 39 bus (operated by Stagecoach – 01633 485118) runs between Brecon and Hereford via Hardwicke. There are seven services throughout the day. There is a limited no. 40 service on a Sunday, with three buses throughout the day (run by Yeomans Canyon - 01432 356201).
Train | There are frequent rail connections to London from Hereford via Newport and a direct route to London from Hereford (the ‘Cathedrals Express’) three times per day. Hay & District Dial-A-Ride: A fully adapted wheelchair accessible minibus is operated and provides a daily service between 09:00 and 16:30 to people living within 9 miles of Hay-on-Wye. Membership of the Dial-a-Ride Service is open to any person who is either of state pensionable age or is registered as disabled. Bredwardine, Peterchurch, Painscastle and Bronllys are also covered by the service. Tel: 01497 821616 (please give 48 hours’ notice where possible).
1.2.3 Emergency services
Police | The nearest police station is at Peterchurch. Opening times: 10am-2pm Mon- Fri except Thurs (4pm-8pm). Out of hours, please use mobile phones (numbers below). The monthly police newsletter, ‘Newsbeat’, which covers the Golden Valley area, can be downloaded from the Clifford parish website. The force runs regular community forums.
Contact details for the local police force are as follows (as of March 2008): Central police control no: 08457 444 888 Website: www.westmercia.police.uk E-mail: [email protected] Head of local police station: Sgt Robin Davies Local Policing: PC Christine Griffiths (mobile: 07855 785 080)
Response Policing: PC Roger Bradley (mobile: 07811 129 860) PC Fiona Farrington (mobile: 07817 019 374) Community Support Officers: CSO 6441 Dan Pilkington (mobile: 07779 141 223) CSO 7013 Rosina Cathcart (mobile: 07779141223)
Fire and rescue service | We are in the Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority, Hereford (West) District. Although our Fire Station is based in Peterchurch, engines can be called from Hay or Eardisley – or all of them – depending on the loca- tion and type of emergency. The fire service will carry out home fire safety checks if requested.
Hospital | The nearest A&E department to Clifford is at Hereford County Hospital. An air ambulance covers the local area.
1.3 Census information
The following information is taken from the 2001 census: » There were 221 occupied dwellings and 15 empty dwellings in Clifford, with 530 residents. The male:female split is 272:258. » Most homes are detached (192), compared with terraced/semi-detached bungalows (40) and flats (four). » Most homes have central heating (191 – 30 without) » More are owner-occupied (158) than rented (63) » There are few second homes or holiday lets (12) » Most households have one or more cars
10 Clifford PaRISH PLAN | 2008 | practical information
1.4 Public rights of way
Public roads | Clifford Parish is interlaced with minor public roads. There are three dual lane B class roads totalling 16km and three single lane C class roads totalling 9km. There are also 15 single lane unclassified roads totalling 31 km; of these, 8 terminate in a cul-de-sac. There is a toll bridge where the B4350 crosses the River Wye at the north- eastern extremity of the parish boundary.
Public footpaths and bridleways | The parish has a widespread network of 49 public footpaths totalling 46km and six bridleways totalling 6km. They include stretches of the Wye Valley Walk and the Herefordshire Trail.
Common land | There are six designated areas of common land in the parish, at Priory Wood, Merbach Hill, Little Mountain, Allt Common and Bullen’s Bank. All can be accessed by Public Rights of Way. There is also an area of common land east of Clifford Castle and bordering the River Wye; it is a restricted access Nature Reserve adminis- tered by the Herefordshire Nature Trust.
1.5 Social and recreational activities
Please note that contact details were correct at the time of publication (March 2008). For updated contact details please refer to the Clifford parish website, www.cliffordparish.org.uk
Clifford Community Centre | The community centre was opened in 1999 and during termtime it is used by Clifford Primary School from 8.30am - 4.30pm. Outside these times it provides a venue for many social and recreational activities, Parish Council meetings, a mother and toddler group and a karate club, as well as one-off events such as film screenings, talks and presentations. The parish website and The Link contain details of forthcoming events. In addition the hall is available for hire for private events such as birthday parties
11 and wedding receptions. For bookings please contact Christine Bates (01497 831 422).
Hardwicke Hall | An 80-person capacity community hall is available for private hire in Hardwicke. For bookings please contact Libby Jones (01497 831 431).
Social groups in Clifford
There are many social groups in Clifford. The following is not a complete list but shows the long-standing groups in the parish.
Forget-me-not club | The club was started in 1969 and aims to bring together the older members of the community (over 60 for women, over 65 for men). It cur- rently has about 130 members. There are no regular meetings except the two coffee mornings and the Christmas lunch.
Clifford WI | The Clifford WI has been going for 50 years and has about 40 members. They meet at Clifford Community Centre on the second Monday of each month except in January and August. Activities during the year include: one big outing, at least three coffee mornings, Christmas carol service, trips to shows/theatre, open meetings with other branches and walks.
Monday Choir | The Ladies’ Monday Choir was set up three years ago by Pat Hammond. They perform regularly at concerts and carol services, visit residential cen- tres, have sung with the Talgarth Male Voice Choir and at Eisteddfods.
Golden Valley Hunt | The Golden Valley Hunt has 30+ couples of foxhounds and has been kennelled at Sheepcote since 1945. They generally meet twice a week from November until the second week of March. Riders come from a large catchment area (Dorstone to Rhosgoch and the hills beyond, Tregoyd through to Bredwardine and Whitney).
12 Clifford PaRISH PLAN | 2008 | practical information
Golden Valley Rifle Club | The rifle club is for small bore rifles and has been -go ing for over 30 years. It has premises at The Farm. Club night is Mondays at 7pm.
Busy Bees | This is a daycare centre next to the community centre which takes babies and children from six months to four years. The children are divided into two groups (over and under two).
Borderlink Youth Group (8+) | The youth group meets at Clifford Community Centre every Friday at 6.30pm during term-time.
The Net (all ages) | Church youth group meets at Clifford Community Centre on the first Sunday in the month.
13
Clifford PaRISH PLAN | 2008 | Action plans
Action Plans
The tables on the following pages set out ‘action plans’ for each of the six areas addressed by the Parish Plan questionnaire, namely: 2.1 leisure and culture 2.2 housing and environment 2.3 highways and transport 2.4 health, safety and services 2.5 local information 2.6 other issues
The ‘priority’ ranking (P) is marked H - high, M – medium, or L - low and is explained in the ‘comments’ column and represents a combination of: » strength of local opinion as indicated by the percentage scores and comments in the questionnaire » practicality ie the ability to resolve issue plus likely cost » urgency of issue an assessment (guided by PP steering group) of the need for the issue to be resolved
The following acronyms are used to attribute ‘responsibility’ (R) in the action plans: CPC - Clifford Parish Council HC – Herefordshire County Council CSC – Clifford Show Committee CPCC – Clifford Parochial Church Council HPCC – Hardwicke Parochial Church Council TL – The Link CPW – Clifford Parish Website HNT – Herefordshire Nature Trust CHC – Community Hall Committee GVEG – Golden Valley Environmental Group
15 2.1 Leisure and culture
Issue Comments P R
Community At the 2007 Clifford Show residents were asked H CPC marquee for use to vote on the use of community funds – the vote by parishioners was overwhelmingly in favour of a marquee.
More facilities at the A number of suggestions were made for extra H CHC Community Centre facilities at the Community Centre and these have CPW been passed to the CHC. The fact that some of the TL suggested activities are already underway (eg film screenings) suggest that more marketing of exist- ing activities might be useful, perhaps through the website.
Cooperatively owned There was a lot of support for this idea (71%), M CSC business/farm shop/ and the produce stalls at the annual Clifford show CPC produce market suggest that a local market might be well-attended. However there has not been a market in Clifford since mediaeval times, and most people shop for produce in Hay.
Re-introduction of The ecological impact of this would need to be M CPC wild ponies on Mer- carefully considered, as well as the impact on other bach common users (eg horseriders) of the common and on neighbouring parishes (Merbach common borders Dorstone and Bredwardine).
Children’s play area Only a quarter of residents were in favour of a M CPC children’s play area, but assuming many of those in favour currently have small children it is worth con- sidering – possibly sited at Priory Wood Common.
More footpaths/cycle Responses here were ambivalent, and suggestions L CPC routes included developing the route of the old railway line to Hay. However, as most of this is now on privately-owned land, it would be impractical to turn this into a public footpath.
Re-opening a pub in Again, there was a great deal of support for this idea L CPC the parish (66%). The strong turnouts to (licensed) events at the community centre suggest that residents ap- preciate the opportunities to meet up for a drink.
Picnic area/riverside Respondents were ambivalent about the value L CPC community space of this (although there were lots of ideas about where one might be sited).
Mobile library Not many people use the mobile library. However, L HC those people do use it appreciate the service. 16 Clifford PaRISH PLAN | 2008 | Action plans 2.2 Housing and environment
Issue Comments P R
Carbon emis- A relatively small number of respondents (36%) are H CPC sions and climate concerned about climate change. Energy prices are GVEG change rising, and the impacts of climate change will affect HC rural life perhaps more than any other issue during the coming decades.
Dog fouling Some areas of the parish are badly affected. H CPC
More recycling Lots of support for this (more than half) – the best H HC option is to extend the council’s domestic recycling GVEG service to the whole of the parish (currently the service only covers part of the parish). A less effective option (because it involves more transportation) would be to install recycling facilities at the Community Centre.
More energy sav- In order to raise awareness on practical tips on energy H GVEG ing initiatives saving, talks could be given at the Community Centre. CHC
Litter Half of respondents were concerned about litter, much M CPC of which is thrown from passing cars. The lengthsman and some (volunteer) local residents clear away rubbish from hedgerows, etc. A more formal group of concerned individuals could be established to keep an eye on litter.
Aircraft noise Although a nuisance, little can be done about L UK military aircraft noise, often due to flights to/from Brecon training areas.
Street lighting In the ‘comments’ section of the questionnaire there was L CPC an overwhelmingly negative response to the idea of street HC lighting in Clifford. Therefore no street lighting should be constructed anywhere in the parish.
Community-based Several respondents noted that composting already L - composting takes place at an individual level.
More local energy Some indication of support for wind turbines. Any small- L GVEG generation scale energy generation requires a full feasibility study.
More and 40% support this. There is a full analysis of plants L HNT improved nature and flowers in Clifford on the Clifford website. Other reserves surveys are undertaken from time to time.
More volunteer op- Interested individuals are encouraged to join the L GVEG portunities to help GVEG –which is promoted through Clifford’s com- CPW protect the local munity website. environment 17 2.2 Housing and environment continued
Issue Comments P R
More housing Opinion was split on this – depending on the type of L HC development development.
What type of hous- If more housing development were allowed it should L HC ing development be for local people, and affordable homes to buy.
2.3 Highways and transport
Issue Comments P R
Traffic and road safety Traffic problems emerged as a major issue in the H CPC blackspots questionnaire. Many blackspots were identified. HC Some action is clearly required on this issue. One suggestion is a ‘Please drive carefully’ notice on the ‘Clifford’ signs.
State of the highways Respondents were ambivalent about this, although L HC there are clearly some maintenance issues on local roads.
Verge mowing fre- There was slight indication of support for more L CPC quency frequent mowing (41%).
2.4 Health, safety and services
Issue Comments P R
Health, safety and Public services are mostly provided at a county H CPC emergency services level, or by neighbouring parishes, rather than HC CPC. A recurring theme of the ‘comments’ section was the difficulties faced by emergency vehicles (particularly fire engines and ambulances) cross- ing Whitney Toll Bridge. The CPC is urged to raise this concern with local fire stations and hospitals.
Infrastructure, com- Responses generally varied between ‘adequate’ M CPC munications and and ‘good’, though several noted the frequency of HC transport services powercuts and some noted the need for Clifford to be included on the bus route.
Difficulties collecting This was not seen as a major issue. L - prescriptions
18 Clifford PaRISH PLAN | 2008 | Action plans 2.4 Health, safety and services continued
Issue Comments P R
Concerns in the Speeding, and dangerous and careless driving L community were identified as significant concerns – evidenced by the strong comments in section 3, above. How- ever Clifford is seen as a safe, peaceful community.
Neighbourhood watch There is a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, though L scheme not all respondents were aware of it. There is an up- dated list of representatives on the parish website.
Awareness of the This will continue to be posted on the Clifford L CPW police community community website and disseminated by e-mail. newsletter, ‘Newsbeat’
2.5 Local Information
Issue Comments P R
Usual information Overwhelmingly, people refer to The Link for local in- M TL source about com- formation to which almost every resident subscribes. CPW munity events This is an effective magazine and there is no need to change it. Word of mouth is also very effective. Few respondents know about the local website. This has been running for less than a year and it will take some time for the site to become an established reference point.
Amount of informa- Half of respondents felt that local information was M CPC tion on community ‘adequate’. Useful comments were made about TL activities how information could be shared more effectively. CPW
Communications Most residents subscribe to The Link and have ac- L - cess to a computer. There was not much support for further computer training (56% did not want to learn more about computers).
2.6 Other Issues
Issue Comments P R
Willingness of the 33% of respondents showed a willingness to H CVEG residents to volunteer volunteer their time, mostly on issues relating to their time to contribute the environment and conservation. to local community.
19 Conclusions
The questionnaire indicated that local residents enjoy living in Clifford and like things as they are. Despite the lack of shops, pubs and a physical village centre in the parish, there is a strong sense of community spirit.
Any significant proposals for change are likely to meet with resistance.
The questionnaire respondents showed concern for environmental issues and it is certain that rising energy prices will have a significant effect on life in this rural parish during the coming years.
20 Appendices
« 21 » Clifford Parish Plan A pp endix 1 :: A map of Clifford with selected landmarks a rchenfield K J I H G f E d C h B s a Source: Alison Alcock Pen-y-Park Castleton Westbrook Middlewood Toll bridge Clifford Castle and Community Centre Clifford Primary S chool ford Priory Priory t Mary’s Church oly Trinity Church F arm and site of Clif -
« 22 » A history of clifford
Appendix 2 :: A history of Clifford
Contents
Introduction War, faith, industry and “one of the most beautiful women the world has ever seen”.
‘A land of bloodshed and lawlessness’ 4000BC – 1066AD neolithic remains – Roman conquest – Saxon conquest – Welsh presence
Rise and fall 1066 – 1538 Clifford is named – Clifford Castle – Clifford Priory – wooden effigy – Fair Rosa- mund – the Clifford family – John Giffard – Clifford as a market centre – Clifford’s collapse
Stirrings still 1539 – present dissolution of Clifford Priory – redistribution of land – the civil war – the drovers – crossing the Wye – Clifford Primary School – St Mary’s Church – the creation of Hardwicke – Holy Trinity, Hardwicke – Thomas William Webb – the railways – Francis Kilvert – Clifford today
Acknowledgements
Bibliography and further reading
« 23 » Clifford Parish Plan
A History of Clifford
Introduction
ar, faith, industry and “one of the most beautiful women the world has ever seen”. W Clifford may appear a typical Herefordshire parish, but its rural calm belies a history of war, faith and trade. Huddled around its castle on a cliff above the river Wye, this village has in the past played host to both the Romans and the great English lords as they strove to subdue the independent Celtic tribes of the uplands. Monks owing allegiance to the monastery in Cluny, Europe’s richest monastic order in early mediaeval times, lived tucked away from the main river valley in Clifford Priory. Later on the ford that gives Clifford the other half of its name made it a stage on the drovers’ routes that linked Wales to the livestock markets in London and elsewhere. Bordered on two sides by the Wye, which is one of the country’s largest and most beautiful rivers, the parish contains hills, commons, and areas of rich agricultural land. It is possible to see five English counties from the top of one of the hills (Merbach – which at over 1000 feet is technically a mountain). Clifford has had its moment in the national spotlight. In one historian’s phrase it was “the birthplace and early home of one of the most beautiful women the world has ever seen”, of whom more later. This summary hopes to steer you through the intricacies of the past millennia, without getting too bogged down along the way.
« 24 » A history of clifford
‘A land of bloodshed and lawlessness’ 4000BC – 1066A Neolithic remains – Roman conquest – Saxon conquest – Welsh presence
he area now known as Clifford has been settled for at least six thousand years, and is Thome to two known Neolithic burial chambers (dating to c.4000BC), one on Little Mountain and one near Bullens Bank above Archenfield. The area has probably been occupied from the Neolithic era until the present day. In its early days it was unenclosed, uncultivated and heavily wooded. The Romans appreciated the value of the Wye valley as a route into the uplands of what is now Wales, where they battled in the first century to quell resistance from tribes under the legendary British leader Caratacus. A 6.5-hectare camp was built in Clifford and the ditches of a larger fortified Roman camp are still clearly visible in Boatside, on the other side of the river. A Roman road led along the Wye to another, larger camp outside Hereford. The Romans may also have built some kind of settlement near the site of Clifford Castle. In 1929, the then-owner of the castle Dr Oscar Trumper discovered a Roman brooch, a wild boar’s tusk and part of a wolf’s backbone during an excavation. The Romans brought peace and civilisation to Britain, and on their departure in the 5th century, under pressure from the Germanic invaders who were to become the English, the land was plunged into a period of ‘bloodshed and lawlessness’ (in Rev. Trumper’s phrase) popularly known as the dark ages. In Herefordshire this age was darker than in most places and was the frontline between the aggressive Saxon invaders of the east and the resisting British tribes, now beginning to be called the Welsh. In the 8th century the Saxon King Offa of Mercia built his famous dyke to defend his gains from the Welsh. A law was passed in the 9th century punishing every Welshman found with weapons on the east of the dyke with the loss of his right hand. At that time, Clifford was still deep in the Welsh kingdom of Powys and the dyke meets the Wye 15 miles to the east of the parish. Sadly, all of the Saxon records relating to Herefordshire were destroyed when Welsh raiders burned Hereford cathedral in the 11th century. Any attempt to recreate what life was like for those 500 or so years is therefore speculative at best. In the absence of written records we turn to place names for clues and they show that the Welsh influence in Clifford remained strong. Until the conquering Normans compiled
« 25 » Clifford Parish Plan the Domesday Book in 1086, Clifford was known as Llanfair-ar-y-bryn (St Mary on the Hill) and Llanfair-yn-y-cwm (St Mary in the Valley). The first reference to the name Clifford, which probably derives from the twinned geographical features of a cliff by a ford, appears in the Domesday Book itself. As late as 1615 the name Llanfair-ar-y-bryn was used in a deed instead of Clifford. The farm below the church is still called Llanfair, suggesting a Welsh presence in the parish long after the marcher lords expanded their holdings up the Wye valley to Clifford.
This stone in one of Lower Court farm’s outbuildings is believed to date from Saxon times [SMR No 6187]
One part of Clifford, which is still called Archenfield, also holds a clue to the region’s past. Its name harks back to a now-vanished area of Herefordshire known in Welsh as Ergyng. This wedge of land south of the Wye retained Welsh laws and customs even after they were eradicated in Wales itself. Few traces of it now remain, although Welsh place names are still scattered across the countryside south of Hereford. The last legal trace ended in 1911 when the rights of local residents to fish a seven-mile stretch of the river Wye were abolished. Local myth holds that no snakes are to be found within the limits of Archenfield, although at least one local resident claims to have seen one there.
« 26 » A history of clifford
Rise and fall 1066 – 1538 Clifford is named – Clifford Castle – Clifford Priory – wooden effigy – Fair Rosamund – the Clifford family – John Giffard – Clifford as a market centre – Clifford’s collapse
Clifford is named t the time of the Norman conquest, the fertile Herefordshire plain was one of the Amost valuable and dangerously situated of all the English acquisitions on the Welsh border. William the Conqueror despatched one of his most trusted and able lieutenants, William FitzOsbern (also the first Earl of Hereford), to keep peace in the area. He built Clifford Castle as part of a line of defensive positions, which served to hold the area for these ‘Marcher’ lords, and formed bases for the future conquest of the Welsh. The Castle was built near a ford in the river on the Devonian red sandstone cliff that gave it its name. It had a good view over the major river crossing point that had been used by the Romans. Other major castles were built at Wigmore, Ewyas Harold, Monmouth and Chepstow -- all strategic sites along what is now the border between England and Wales – from 1067 to 1070. The Normans were following the same defensive lines that the Romans had built against the British tribes a millennium earlier. Remains of another castle (a simple motte and bailey) survive at Castleton further down the river Wye. Its provenance is little known, although it may have been part of a line of crude forts built to supplement the defensive might of the castles in Clifford and This stone in one of Lower Court farm’s outbuildings is believed to date from Saxon times [SMR No 6187] Hay. It was not mentioned as a manor in the Domesday Book, so it was probably of later construction and built to guard a ford across the river, as did the main castle. Between Middlewood and Bach is another motte and bailey castle at Newton. The angular layout of the bailey points to a late date for its foundation and there are indications of the bailey having been defended by stone walls. The name Clifford first appears in the Domesday survey of 1086, when the conquering Normans also gave names, in French or English, to many other towns and places. For example, they may have called the nearby valley of the River Dore “golden”, when they misheard the Welsh word “dwr” (water) as “d’or” (golden). They bestowed a French name on Hay (La Haie), but Clifford was named in English. Perhaps they were unable to twist the names Llanfair-ar-y-bryn and Llanfair-yn-y-cwm into anything Gallic.
« 27 » Clifford Parish Plan
The Domesday Book also mentions Middlewood and Harewood: These lands in valle Stradlie lie on the northern boundary of Dorstone, but mostly in the parish of Clifford. They were held by Gilbert the son of Turold. At Middlewood (Midwede) were 2 hides. Earl Harold held it. At Harewood (Harewde), now represented by Hardwick, where there is still a wood bearing the name, were four hides.
Clifford Castle In order to attract settlers from Normandy, FitzOsbern established a code of laws and customs based on privileges in his hometown of Breteuil in Normandy. People of French birth who settled in the border towns as burgesses were entitled to live under “the customs of Hereford and of Breteuil”. Following William FitzOsbern’s death, Clifford Castle changed hands many times. FitzOsbern’s son, Roger de Breteuil, rebelled against William II (‘Rufus’) and in 1075 forfeited all his lands, including Clifford. The lands were granted to Ralph III de Tosny of Normandy, who was a cousin of William I and brother-in-law of William FitzOsbern. Ralph de Tosny held Clifford at the time of the Domesday survey (1086), and among his tenants was Dru FitzPons whose nephew Walter married Margaret de Tosny, Ralph’s daughter, and received Clifford castle by this marriage. Walter took the name of ‘de Clifford’ in about 1127 and was the head of a family often to be found fighting in France or in Scotland, a family whose boast it was that “of half a score of successive barons only one had been unhappy enough to die in his bed”. Walter’s brother Simon FitzRichard was of a more peaceful disposition, and founded Clifford’s Cluniac Priory in 1129-30. The priory is believed to have been quite a small cell, possibly subordinate to Lewes in Sussex. A farmhouse of the same name still stands below St Mary’s church, which was presumably built by the monks as a parish church. The priory seems to have provided the Rector for the church from its own members. It was part of the Cluniac order, which was founded in Cluny, France, in the tenth century and diverged from the original Rule of St Benedict, drawn up five centuries before, in that all its houses were part of the whole Order with the one Abbot at its head. Thus, unlike Benedictine houses, the prior was head of his community instead of second-in- command to an abbot. He was in turn responsible to the abbot of the ‘mother’ house.
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The priory owned much of the farmland in the present-day parish, and the main building itself was well situated by a brook. The monks ate mutton, beef and poultry, as well as fish from their well-stocked fishponds. This impression of luxury, however, is offset by the constant threat from Welsh raiders. A wooden effigy can still be seen in St Mary’s Church that is said to commemorate a monk who died defending the Priory’s food stocks from the marauders.
Clifford Castle
Artist’s impression of Clifford Castle during its heyday in the 13th Century. (Note: This picture was commissioned by Betty Parkinson, a former owner of the castle, and is now owned by Paul Rumph. Its artist is unknown.)
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Effigy The wooden effigy in the recess on the north side of the chancel of St Mary’s church is one of the earliest in the country, and may date from the late 1200s. It is of a priest in Eucharistic vestments, and there are only about a hundred of these medieval wooden monuments left in Britain. The only other one in Herefordshire is at Much Marcle where the carving retains its original bright paintwork. Only tiny remnants of colour remain on the Clifford example.
(Photo: Will Bullough)
There is a legend that the effigy was brought to the church for preservation when the monasteries were dissolved in the 16th century. Another legend states that it was carried in procession round the church on the founder’s day. A third legend holds that it was always carried into the church before funeral processions. It was mounted in its present position in 1892 after restoration. It is 6ft. 4ins. in length, 19ins. wide at the shoulder and 18 ins. at the feet. It must have been carved from a fine oak tree and well seasoned. The effigy is still in a good state of preservation, only one side of the cushion and part of the slab being missing. At some time it was exposed to damp, probably from lying on a wet floor.
Fair Rosamund Walter de Clifford’s daughter Joan was ‘one of the most beautiful women the world has ever seen’ (according to local historian Rev. Walwyn Trumper writing in1889) and was nicknamed the ‘fair rose of the world’, or Fair Rosamund. At this point we can hand over to Rev. Trumper, whose colourful descriptions are worth reproducing intact:
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We may picture King Henry II coming to Clifford Town to hunt, and no doubt the Lord of the Castle found him magnificent sport, to say nothing of the society of his bewitching daughter…what a contrast she must have offered to the grand artificial ladies of the Court, who of course wore high shoes, dyed their hair, tight-laced, and painted their faces, like the silly fashionable women of our own or any other age…And can we blame fair Joan for liking the boisterous stranger, with his athletic form and handsome face? And besides he was a king…(Trumper, 1889)
Fairly soon Henry II whisked Rosamund off to his home in Woodstock, where allegedly he was so frightened that his wife would discover his mistress that he had a huge maze built and installed Rosamund in the middle. However this was not enough to keep the queen away. We can only imagine what happened next. After her death she was buried in the nunnery of Godstow. Her story has inspired poets and artists ever since.
The Clifford family Walter’s son, also called Walter, was a man of even more power and influence than his father. In the mid-13th century the family had holdings across the Marches (in Dorstone, Nantglas, Llandovery and Rochford) and across the southern part of England to Whitstable in Kent. In Clifford itself, the family owned a deer park and hunting ground extending right across the parish. It included the fields known as ‘Lodge Wood’ and ‘Lodge Park’ (near Castleton), and those of Pen-y-Park’ and ‘St Anthony’s Park’ (near modern-day Clifford Primary School). The grounds extended along the bank of the Wye (which then ran with a much straighter course), towards Merbach Hill. The second Walter rebelled against King Henry III in 1233, forfeiting his lands for a year. His grand-daughter Maud was the last Clifford heiress. She married her first cousin, William de Longue-Epee (longsword), great-grandson of Fair Rosamund. William de Longue-Epee was killed in a tournament at Blythe. Maud’s second husband was the violent John Giffard of Brimsfield, who carried her off, and obtained the King’s permission to marry her.
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John Giffard Giffard was a man of some power. At his death he was 27th in line to the throne, and he had obtained Brunles Castle (Bronllys), the Manor of Glasbury, as well as the Manor and Castle of Clifford. He was active in the barons’ wars of the 13th century. He opposed Simon de Montford, and assisted Prince Edward (later Edward I) to escape from Hereford. He also, with the help of Edmund Mortimer and Sir Ely Walwyn, defeated and killed Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, the last native Prince of Wales, effectively ending Welsh independence. Giffard was given a licence to hunt wolves in the year 1280. When excavations were undertaken to build the railway through Clifford in the 19th century, a huge pile of wolves’ bones were found, although it is not known if they were all down to Giffard’s efforts. When Giffard died, Clifford castle passed indirectly to the earldom of Lincoln, and then to the Mortimer family of Wigmore, out of the Clifford family. This marked the beginning of the decline of Clifford as a place of national significance.
Clifford as a market centre Between the 11th and 13th centuries Clifford was a local trading centre of some importance. Before the Norman Conquest, the threat of Welsh onslaughts, such as those of 1052 and 1055, hindered the full exploitation of the rich countryside and the development of trade. However the gradual conquest of the Welsh, and the establishment of the Marcher lordships in places such as Clifford, meant that Herefordshire’s agriculture and commerce were able to flourish.A ccording to a former Woolhope Club historian, “the early 12th century is the age of economic growth and borough foundation par excellence in Herefordshire”. Herefordshire Council’s archaeological team plans to determine the extent of mediaeval Clifford in a survey due to start in late 2008. Existing archaeological evidence shows a deserted village at Castleton, and suggests an extensive settlement, including a street system, at the bottom of the hill around the castle. Clifford had collapsed as a local centre by the 15th century, and most traces of its pomp have vanished, but its inclusion on the earliest known map of Britain testifies to its lost importance. The ‘Gough Map’, named after the man who discovered it in the 18th century, dates back to the 1350s and shows forest cover, roads, and the site of castles (including Clifford). The only other local towns that seem to appear on the map (place names can be hard to discern) are Clyro, Painscastle, Wigmore and Hereford. Hay does not appear, suggesting that its rise to local prominence occurred some time after the 14th century.
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The destruction of Clifford Following the departure of the Clifford family from the castle, Clifford’s decline set in rapidly. The Black Death of 1349 devastated the local population, and without labour there was little surplus produce to support a market. Flocks and herds wandered about at will, and the whole pattern of farming changed. It is estimated that one-third to a half of the local population died. Meanwhile, without a well-armed castle to defend itself, Clifford was at the mercy of the inhabitants of neighbouring towns. On one occasion the men of Hay destroyed over 200 houses in Clifford. Clifford’s ruinous state has also been blamed on the attacks of Owain Glyn Dwr, who had proclaimed himself Prince of Wales in 1400 and defeated English forces at Pilleth in Radnorshire and elsewhere in the early 15th century. It is debatable whether he ever attacked Clifford (the castle was reinforced around this time), but the instability certainly helped to hasten the village’s decline.
Stirrings still 1536-present Dissolution of Clifford Priory – redistribution of land – the civil war – the drovers – crossing the Wye – Clifford Primary School – St Mary’s Church – the creation of Hardwicke – Holy Trinity, Hardwicke – Thomas William Webb – the railways – Francis Kilvert – Clifford today
ittle is recorded of Clifford during this time until King Henry VIII decided to dissolve Lthe monasteries in his battle with the Catholic Church over his divorce. Clifford Priory was dissolved between 1535 and 1540 with all other monastic houses in the country. The buildings of the Priory were converted for use as houses or farms, or demolished for use as stone. Such diligent recycling of building materials was a characteristic of the times, and villagers had already demolished much of Clifford Castle for use in their own properties.
Redistribution of land When the Priory was dissolved, the advowson (right of appointment of a priest) passed to the Walwyn family together with the ‘greater tithes’ (part of the income from the parish). Meanwhile the Priory’s lands were sold off to powerful local families, in particular to the Middlewood estate, the Whitney estate (by this time, owners of Clifford castle), and the Moor estate owned by the Penoyre family.
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These three families were to dominate the local area for the next few hundred years. For example the Middlewood estate was owned by the Higgins family from the early 1700’s until1905. William Higgins is listed on the 1851 census as Attorney and Solicitor, and a holding cell in the property of Middlewood House still exists where prisoners were held.
The civil war In 1642, at the beginning of the Civil War, Herefordshire was predominantly Royalist, like most of the west of Britain. By 1645, the royalist forces were coming under increasing pressure from the parliamentary troops, and on June 18th that year, King Charles I arrived in Hereford to try to raise troops and money. On 22nd June, Barnabas Scudamore, Governor of Hereford and High Sheriff, sent out the following warrant:
Source: Penoyre family records « 34 » A history of clifford
By His Majesty’s express Command at the Unanimous desire of the Gentry and other Inhabitants of this County assembled the 21st June at Hereford, I am to require you Mr Thomas Penoyer and Mr John Higgins gent to cause forthwith to be listed within the parish of Clifford, thirty seaven able bodied men such as you shall judge fittest for Service, and to cause them without fayle to appeare at the gen’all Rendezvous at Wigmarsh the 28 day of this month, and to cause a months contribution of y’r parish to be collected and brought in by you at the same time for the providinge of Muskets Bandoleers etc. for the sayd Souldiers so brought in.
But the muster was to no avail. By the end of the year, the parliamentary forces had established control over most of the county, and by February 1646 Thomas Penoyer was imprisoned in Hereford charged with forcing people to fight for the king. The charge brought against him read that ‘About midnight being assisted with his servants pulled (this man) out of his bedd and pressed him to be a souldyer for the kinge’ and that ‘Mr Penoyer did beate and wound diverse of them that he did presse for neglecting or refusing the said service and threatened to hang those that disobeyed him therein’. Many of his goods were confiscated and in September 1648 parliamentary troops plundered the Penoyre family house at The Moor. James Penoyre, his oldest son, had also fought for the king, despite being only 16, and was wounded. After the war the family retrieved most of their possessions, and in 1655 James married Dorothy Lloyd and settled at Hardwicke Court, where the family still lives today.
The drovers Clifford has always been a primarily agricultural parish, and life in the area for most of its residents has been largely shaped by the rhythms and trends of the agricultural cycle. Before the arrival of railways and motor transport, livestock walked to market. Stock was collected into groups of several hundred animals and then herded from the hilly areas of Wales and Scotland to fatten on the lush grazing grounds around London. By the mid 18th century over 30,000 cattle from Wales travelled annually through Herefordshire, including through Clifford, on these so-called droving roads. When the cattle reached the hard roads they had to be shod to protect their feet. One of the main shoeing stations in Herefordshire was at the Rhydspence Inn, just over the river from Clifford.
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Wherever possible, drovers tried to avoid tollgates, where a toll had to be paid on each animal. There was a tollgate in Bredwardine, so drovers would take their cattle over Merbach hill to save money. Part of the current Wye Valley walk follows an old drover route. Another local drovers’ route was across a ford near the present-day site of the Whitney toll bridge, which Cardiganshire drovers used to take their cattle to the English markets. Traditional drovers’ routes are often given away by the width of the road, since cattle needed broad verges, and by the names of places and fields. Little London in Staunton- on-Wye, on the road between Clifford and Hereford, was probably named by a returning drover. Overnight stopping-off places were often situated near three or five pine trees, which acted as B&B signs for drovers.
Crossing the Wye The unpredictability of the Wye was shown in 1730, when Whitney old church was swept away by a huge flood, and the river changed its course. The church’s remains were left high and dry on the wrong side of the river. By the end of the 18th century, local dignitaries were fed up with fording the river, and decided to build a bridge over the Wye at Whitney. Tomkyns Dew, Lord of the Manors of Whitney and Clifford, had a bill presented to the House of Commons on 9th November 1774. The bill was passed, and a group of local men was given the task of building the bridge in three years, having been allotted land for a tollhouse. They were allowed to take stone, gravel and sand as required from Tomkyns Dew’s property. The first bridge collapsed owing to a combination of bad foundations and floods. A second bridge soon suffered the same fate. A third bridge was then washed away on February 1795 in a flood two and half feet higher than any previously recorded. The three bridges were built of stone and were composed of five arches. Each arch had a span of 30 feet, and was 15 feet above river level and 12 feet wide. This third disaster was enough for the group of men charged with building the bridge. Having been financially ruined by their efforts, they retired to pursue other activities. “The pertinacity of these gentlemen must arouse our admiration,” commented one local historian. But in 1796 a fourth effort was made – “courage was shown by these men in tackling a fourth bridge after such rapid disasters to the former three” – and this time it was successful. Tolls were levied on all users of the bridge, with the exception of Whitney
« 36 » A history of clifford residents and their cattle, who were allowed to use the bridge for free. By the time the bridge was successfully constructed the river had become an important trade route.
Whitney Toll Bridge today, looking towards Clifford from the Whitney bank. (Photo: Dave Prescott)
The large household at Clock Mill demonstrates the importance of the river to trade at this time. In 1793 it consisted of a water corn mill, grist mill, cider mill and clover mill. There had previously been a fulling mill as well, and many neighbouring pieces of land show signs of sheep baths where fleeces were washed prior to shearing. Also in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century – according to a government hydrological survey carried out in 1965 – coal and other heavy articles from the Forest of Dean and Bristol were brought up the Wye by barge. Cider, bark and timber were sent back by the same conveyance to the River Severn. The river was navigable at that time as far as Hay.
Clifford Primary School In 1814 the parish started collecting funds for the erection of Clifford Primary School. Thomas Stallard Penoyre of The Moor donated some land, but it took four years to get enough money together to start building. The vicar (Revd. John Trumper, vicar 1805-1855) applied to the National Society (a charitable body) for a grant and work started in 1818. In 1820 the John Smith Charity of Peterchurch agreed to provide the Board of Trustees.
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Legal complications in appointing new trustees, and the death of Thomas Stallard Penoyre in 1821 before the land had been conveyed to the school held up any more work until 1834, when a new scheme was drawn up. This time the plans went through and by early 1837 the school was opened, overseen by The Smith Charity. The school was smaller than it is now, since it has been extended several times. Between 1855 and 1887, the charity also hosted two ‘dame schools’ (infant schools run in private houses) – one in Westbrook and one in Clifford itself. By 1874 the school was called the ‘Clifford Endowed National School’ and in 1889-1890 an extension to the schoolroom and some cloakrooms were built, followed in 1905 by a grant of additional land from the Penoyre family to the Smith charity for a playground. In 1909 Herefordshire County Council took over the running of the school. New classrooms were added in 1910 and 1914. Cookery was taught from 1927, woodwork from 1934, and gardening after the addition of a further plot in 1936. Students from Peterchurch and Vowchurch came by train to the small halt (Green Sidings) on the Golden Valley line until its closure in 1941, and then they came by bus. During the Second World War several evacuees from the Bootle area of Lancashire attended the school. This was quite an upheaval both for them and for the locals, but they seemed to settle very well and some returned to visit in later years. At the split of primary and secondary education in 1947-48, there were no places for secondary pupils in Herefordshire, and so most initially went across the border to Clyro. Some of them received special bicycles for the purpose. It was not until 1963 that Herefordshire provided a local secondary school for its pupils in Peterchurch. In July 1948 the school became Clifford County Primary School, as it is now. A canteen was opened in 1949, replaced by a new dining hut in 1961. Electricity finally reached the school in 1951, and flush toilets in 1954.
Churches in Clifford and Hardwicke Of the many churches and chapels in the parish built over the past millennium, only a few now survive. It is possible to trace the history of a church in Middlewood through historical records as follows: Duncomb’s History of Herefordshire/Clifford states: In the year 1200 Walter de Clifford and Agnes De Conde endowed 9 acres of Middlewood Pasture and Middlewood Common to Friar Stephen of Winforton Island for a church.
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In 1657, when one Silas Taylor undertook inventories for Cromwell, he states: “There is ye church of Middlewood and seven chapples of ease as well as Saint Oswald’s. In ye church is ye tomb onely of a fryer cut exquisitely in wood under an arch on ye north side and nothing else as I could meet with”. In the nineteenth century, John Webb mentions in his diaries that the remains of the church in Middlewood were pulled down by a local landowner, William Higgins. Meanwhile there has been a church on the site of St Mary’s for well over a thousand years. When the monks of the Priory built St Mary’s church in the 13th century, they were probably replacing an older building. Some original stonework remains from the monks’ building, although major alterations were made in the 19th century. During the first restoration of 1839 the church was enlarged. The north wall was taken down and a baptistery and vestry built on either side of a central porch. In a second restoration of 1888 these were pulled down and the present north aisle, porch, vestry and organ chamber erected.
St Mary’s church today. (Photo: Will Bullough)
The nave stonework dates mainly from the 13th century, though the window above the blocked-up south porch doorway is part of the 1839 restoration. The pews, lectern, pulpit and rood screen are of the 1888 restoration. The fontbowl is possibly 14th century work. The west tower is entered through a door given in memory of Thomas William Walwyn Trumper (Vicar, 1874-1924). The Walwyns and their successors, the Trumpers, have held the advowson of Clifford since 1536.
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On the roof of the belfry are the shields of four local families, the Penoyres, Cliffords, de Whitneys and Walwyns. The belfry (not normally open to visitors) houses a peal of eight bells. Four are the originals cast by William Evans of Chepstow in 1736. The fifth bell of this peal was recast in 1897 and the same year three more bells were given to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Roger James is currently vicar of St Mary’s, Clifford and Holy Trinity, Hardwicke. He comments: Since the thirteenth century, St Mary’s and its churchyard has been a living and active focal point in the life of the parish. The churchyard contains a wealth of natural history and its memorials physically bear witness to the history of families in this area. The church has been, and remains, a place set aside for reflection, prayer and worship. This is not only true for those who regularly attend services, but also for those who visit occasionally. It is a place where it is possible to express a part of ourselves for which there may be little other space in our busy lives, and it is a place where the community can gather to mark significant communal events. The church has also been a springboard for developing new opportunities to meet, worship and pray, such as the monthly Sunday morning meetings that are hosted in the Community Centre.
The creation of Hardwicke In the late 1840s the Penoyre family obtained permission to split Clifford in two and create a new parish on the south side of the Bredwardine road – namely the hamlets of Hardwicke, Middlewood, Broadmeadow, Newton and Westbrook. Construction of Hardwicke church began in 1849 and a separate parish was created in 1853.
Holy Trinity Church, Hardwicke Holy Trinity Church in Hardwicke serves the areas of Archenfield, Hardwicke Green, Middlewood and Westbrook, although these remain part of the civil parish of Clifford. The church was consecrated on 3rd September 1853 by the bishop of Hereford. The roof in the nave, and the pews, were built with oak from The Moor Estate, belonging to the Penoyre family. The Rev. W. T. Napleton Stallard Penoyre became the first vicar of Hardwicke. On his death in 1856, Thomas William Webb took the ministry of the parish.
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Holy Trinity Church, Hardwicke, shortly after its construction in 1860. (Photo: Penoyre family records)
Thomas William Webb The Reverend Thomas William Webb, born in 1806, was the only son of Revd John Webb. Educated by his father before going to Magdalen Hall, Oxford, he was ordained in Hereford Cathedral in 1830. Thomas married Henrietta Montague Wyatt of Mitcheltroy, Monmouth in 1843. They had no children. Thomas served in a number of parishes in the south of Herefordshire, sometimes as curate to his father, as well as at Gloucester Cathedral. In 1856 he became vicar of Hardwicke. He remained there until his death in 1885. Thomas Webb is most remembered for his interest in astronomy and the meticulous observations that he made from a small observatory in the garden of Hardwicke Vicarage. He took a great interest in encouraging the younger generation to take up astronomy and published many articles in popular scientific magazines as well as writing books. Most notable of these was Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, which became a standard resource for astronomers across the world until well into the 20th century.
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The railways Clifford hosted two railway lines in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The Hereford and Brecon Railway (1864 – 1962) served Whitney, while Clifford was on the Golden Valley Railway Extension (1889-1949) from Dorstone to Hay. The course of the Golden Valley railway extension was from above Hay, across the Whitney road at Grove Wood (where one side of the road bridge and embankment can be seen), across the southern road up the hill to the church above Upper and Lower Courts, on to Clifford station, which was by the northern road to the church, and then round the hill, halfway up the slope, in a right-handed curve. There were three stations within the parish, one in Clifford village, one at Westbrook, and one at Pen-y-park Green’s Siding. The line of the track is easy to see, and signals and station buildings were present within the memory of all but the youngest residents of the parish. There was a siding at Green Farm where the line ran under the Bredwardine road at Pen-y-park, and where children were dropped off on their way to Clifford Primary School. After Green’s Siding, the line passed under the Ross road just past the former Royal Oak pub at Hardwicke. The train stopped at Westbrook station before it went on to Dorstone and Pontrilas. An in-depth description of the railways through Clifford is available in ‘The Golden Valley Railway’, written by WH Smith.
Westbrook Station, August 1932 (Picture: Mike Tom)
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Francis Kilvert Well-known diarist Francis Kilvert was born in 1840 and after school and university helped his father Robert at Langley Burrell (near Chippenham, Wilts.) until his ordination in 1864. His first appointment was as curate of Clyro, just across the Wye from Hay, where he remained from 1865 until returning to Langley Burrell in 1872, again as his father’s curate. In 1876 he was appointed to St Harmon (near Rhayader) and upon the sudden death of John Houseman in 1877 was appointed vicar of Bredwardine with Brobury in November of that year. He died in September 1879, five weeks after his marriage, and only a few days after returning to Bredwardine with his bride. His grave is on the north side of Bredwardine church. His widow Elizabeth lived until 1911 and is buried in the southwest corner of the newer graveyard on the south side of the church. Since the publication of the three edited volumes of his diaries in 1938, three other parts of the diaries have been found and published. In addition a biography and many other books and pamphlets concerning his life and works have been published. Because five or six of the original diary notebooks were destroyed by Mrs Kilvert long before publication, and the remainder (except for three which form the additional volumes referred to above) were destroyed afterwards in the 1950s by his niece, the account is not continuous. Therefore, although it is extremely likely that Kilvert visited Clifford quite often, only the occasions mentioned in the diaries can be set down with any certainty. In the following extract, from 12th July, 1870, Kilvert describes a visit to Clifford Priory:
Walked to Clifford Priory across the fields with Crichton and Barton. Bevan and Morrell walked on before faster and got there before us. I had some pleasant talk with Barton, who is a clever well-read man, about Tennyson, Wordworth, Mr Monkhouse, the Holy Grail, and at last we got to Clifford Priory, very hot, a few people out in the sun on the lawn, and Lucy Allen came to meet us. A crowd in the drawing room drinking claret cup iced and eating enormous strawberries. Gradually people turned out on the lawn. Everyone about here is so pleasant and friendly that we meet almost like brothers and sisters. Great fun on the lawn, 6 cross games of croquet and balls flying in all directions. High tea at 7.30 and croquet given up. More than 40 people sat down. Plenty of iced claret cup, and unlimited fruit, very fine, especially the strawberries.
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After tea we all strolled out into the garden and stood on the high terrace to see the eclipse. It had just begun. The shadow was slowly steadily stretching over the large bright moon and had eaten away a small piece at the lower left side. It was very strange and solemn to see the shadow stealing gradually on till half the moon was obscured. As the eclipse went on the bright fragment of the moon seemed to change colour, to darken and redden. We were well placed for seeing the eclipse and the night was beautiful, and most favourable, not a cloud in the way. We watched the eclipse till all that was left of the moon was a point of brightness like a large three-cornered star. Then it vanished altogether. Some people said they could discern the features of the moon’s face through the black shadow. Meantime we strolled about in different groups and William Thomas and Crichton ran a race up the steep slippery terrace bank. The ladies’ light dresses looked ghostly in the dusk and at a little distance it was almost impossible to tell which was a lady in a white dress and which was a clump of tall white lilies.
© Penguin Books Ltd., 1977
Clifford today Today the main industry in Clifford, apart from agriculture, is tourism, driven by the neighbouring town of Hay-on-Wye’s bookshops and literary festival. As everywhere in the country, farming is changing. Many farms have diversified and traditional farm buildings are being redeveloped. Despite all the changes, Clifford’s population remains steady. There are few empty houses in the parish, the community centre thrives with events, there is an annual village show, and the primary school recently added a fourth class. The Parish Plan process of found that people are generally happy with life in Clifford, perhaps drawn because of the same natural features that attracted the original settlers thousands of years ago.
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Acknowledgements
Grateful thanks are given to local residents, particularly Julie Jones, Alison Alcock and Anthony Williams. Thanks also to local historian David Lovelace; and Dr Keith Ray and Lucie Dingwall at Hereford Council’s archaeology department.
Various Transactions of the Woolhope Club have been helpful in the preparation of this document. Rev. Walwyn Trumper, provided a useful overview of Clifford’s history, available in the 1889 Woolhope Transactions. Geoff Gwatkin’s 1842 map of Clifford, based on the tithe survey of the time, has also been a useful source of information.
This document was edited by Oliver Bullough, and researched by Dave Prescott with the help of Gordon Rye, Mary Morgan and Will Bullough.
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Bibliography and further reading
Note: Some of the information in this guide comes from family records and from Clifford residents. Where this is the case, it has been indicated in the text.
Clew, K. R. (1982), Clifford, Herefordshire: a brief guide
Featherstone, J. (2003) Droving in Herefordshire, Hereford SMR
Kilvert, R. F. (1971) Kilvert’s Diary, London: Jonathan Cape
Kilvert, R. F. (1977) Kilvert’s Diary: A Selection Edited and Introduced by William Plomer, London: Penguin Books Ltd.
Lloyd, J. E. (1911) A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest London: Longmans, Green & Co.
Millardship, J. A. and Morris J. F. (1995) The history of Clifford School 1836-1986
Ministry of housing and local government (1965) River Wye Hydrological Survey, HMSO
Mowat, C. L. (1964) The Golden Valley Railway, University of Wales Press
Remfry, P (1994) Clifford Castle 1066-1299
Robinson, J. and Robinson, M. (2006) The Stargazer of Hardwicke: a biography of his life and works, Gracewing Publishing
Smith, W. H. (1993) The Golden Valley Railway, Wild Swans Publications Ltd.
Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club, 1887-2004 (selected extracts)
Webb, T. W. (1917) Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, London: Longmans, Green and Co.
Wilson, J. M. (1870-72), Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales
« 46 » The remains of Clifford Castle today. (Photo: David Penrose)
47 www.cliffordparish.org.uk
© 2008 | Clifford Parish Council