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Hereford, city, unitary authority and historic county of Herefordshire, west-central England, on the River Wye.

Hereford was founded as a settlement near the Welsh March—the politically unstable belt of territory flanking Wales on the east in medieval times—after the West Saxons had crossed the River Severn early in the 7th century. In 1086 the town included various ecclesiastical fees (tributes) but was otherwise a royal demesne (feudal holding). It also had a provincial mint and later (1215–16) the grant of an exclusive merchant guild. The wool trade, important by 1202, declined in the 16th century. The castle was of some early importance, but the 13th-century invasion and subsequent occupation of Wales by England deprived Hereford of military significance until the English Civil Wars of the mid-17th century, when it changed hands several times.

The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Aethelberht exemplifies all architectural styles from Norman to Perpendicular. The see was detached from that of Lichfield in 676, Putta being its first bishop. After the body of Aethelberht, a slain English leader, had been brought to the site, a superior church was reconstructed (1012–52), but this was burned by the insurgent Welsh; building began again in 1079, and it was completed in 1148. The western tower collapsed in 1786, taking the west front and first bay of the nave with it. Restoration of the west front was not completed until 1904–08. The cathedral’s main features include a central tower (165 feet [50 metres]) in Decorated style and a north porch in rich Perpendicular style. There is a noted organ, a large chained library, and a collection of rare manuscripts, early printed books, and relics.

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The College of the Vicars Choral is Perpendicular in style, and the bishop’s palace, which stands near the castle green, was originally a Norman hall. The castle itself no longer exists, and only one of the six gates and a few fragments of the old walls survived in modern times. All Saints Church is in Early English and Decorated styles; it, too, has a chained library. The Old Guild House (1621) is a museum. The Cathedral Grammar School was founded in 1384; the Blue Coat School in 1710.

Hereford’s trade is mainly agricultural, with sales of Hereford cattle and the making of cider and jam, as well as fruit canning and brewing. Manufactures include furniture, glass, leather, nickel alloys, and bricks. Pop. (2001) 56,313; (2011) 53,516.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
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Hereford

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Oil pollution in Herefordshire's River Lugg suspected Mar. 25, 2025, 8:10 AM ET (BBC)
Ross-on-Wye: new care home planned for edge of town Mar. 22, 2025, 4:19 AM ET (BBC)
Chicken manure can be classified as industrial waste, judge rules Mar. 11, 2025, 6:28 AM ET (The Guardian)
New law proposed to stop River Wye pollution Feb. 25, 2025, 11:30 PM ET (BBC)

Herefordshire, unitary authority and historic county that covers a roughly circular area in the Welsh borderland of west-central England. The city of Hereford, in the centre of the unitary authority, is the administrative centre.

The historic county includes three small areas outside the unitary authority. One, just south of Ludlow, is in the South Shropshire region of the administrative county of Shropshire. The others are in the Malvern Hills district of the administrative county of Worcestershire: one is the area between Leigh Sinton and Acton Green, and the other is the parish of Stoke Bliss. Conversely, the unitary authority includes three small areas that are part of the historic county of Worcestershire: the parishes of Edvin Loach and Acton Beauchamp and an area including West Malvern and Mathon.

The unitary authority and county centre on a lowland plain drained by the River Wye and its tributaries. The plain borders scarplands of Silurian shale and limestone in the northwest and the Woolhope Dome and Malvern foothills in the east. The core of the Malvern Hills, with an elevation above 1,300 feet (400 metres), comprises Precambrian gneisses and volcanic rocks. Those hills form the boundary with Worcestershire. The Forest of Dean plateau lies to the southeast. In the west, along the Welsh border, lie the sandstone Black Mountains, which exceed 2,200 feet (670 metres) in elevation.

Herefordshire has several notable prehistoric sites, including Sutton Walls, Croft Ambrey, Herefordshire Beacon, and Leintwardine. During the 7th century the West Saxons crossed the River Severn and occupied Herefordshire, which lay between Wales and the kingdom of Mercia. In the 8th century King Offa extended the Mercian frontier to the River Wye in Herefordshire, which he secured with the earthwork known as Offa’s Dyke, still visible at Moorhampton and near Kington. Herefordshire probably originated as a shire in the time of the English king Athelstan (reigned 925–939). The county was the scene of constant border warfare with the Welsh under Gruffudd ap Llewelyn, prince of Gwynedd. Harold Godwinson (later Harold II of England), whose earldom included this county, restored order in 1063. Richard’s Castle in the north and Ewyas Harold in the southwest were the first Norman fortresses erected on English soil, and Wigmore, Clifford, Weobley, Hereford, and Kilpeck were all Norman strongholds.

John Wycliffe’s reformist religious teachings were influential in Herefordshire, and Lollardry was widespread at the end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th. During the Wars of the Roses, the county supported the Yorkist cause, led by Edward, earl of March, afterward Edward IV. During the English Civil Wars of the mid-17th century, the county was Royalist, and the city of Hereford, the centre of activity, changed hands several times.

Ruined 12th-century Norman fortresses stand at Wilton, Goodrich, and Pembridge. Kilpeck’s Church of St. Mary and St. David exemplifies the Herefordshire school of Romanesque architecture, and the Cistercian abbey church at Abbey Dore is in Early English style. Hereford Cathedral has examples of a variety of architectural styles, from Norman to Perpendicular. Among country houses, Treago (13th century) is a notable example of a fortified mansion.

Herefordshire has always been a rich agricultural area, and agriculture remains a major activity there. The county is more heavily wooded than most of England. Pear and apple orchards produce fruit, some of it for the local cider industry. Herefordshire’s hops production is second in England only to that of the county of Kent. The Hereford breed of cattle is world famous, and the Ryelands breed of sheep, also well known, originated in the Ross-on-Wye area. The manufacture of agricultural machinery, fruit canning and processing, cider production, and milk processing are carried on in Hereford and other market towns. Hereford also produces furniture and is a service centre. Area 842 square miles (2,182 square km). Pop. (2001) 174,871; (2011) 183,477.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.
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