the history of hereford
  
 
 HISTORY
 Pre-History
 Roman Herefordshire
 Early Medieval
 Medieval Hereford
  • Origins of Hereford
  • Offa of Mercia
  • St Ethelbert
  • The planned town
  • Burgred of Mercia
  • The Danes
  • Aethelflaed
  • Edward the Elder
  • Aethelstan
  • Cnut
  • Earl Hrani
  • Edward the Confessor
  • Hereford sacked
  • King Harold
  • William fitz Osbern
  • The French Town
  • The Castles
  • Henry I
  • The Anarchy
  • King John
  • Llewellyn ap Gruffydd
  • Simon de Montfort
  • Roger Mortimer
  • The Black Death

    •  Tudors and Stuarts
     The Civil War
     18th and 19th Century
     20th Century Hereford
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    Hereford in the14th century
     

    Hereford market was moved a mile out of the city during the Black Death. Bishop Charlton (1361-70) erected the White Cross on the spot.
    		Roger Mortimer

    From the time of the conquest of Wales by the English under Edward I at the end of the 13th century, the importance of Hereford, depending as it did, on its frontier position, gradually declined from being one of the foremost cities of England to a more humble status. Edward's new boroughs in Wales were mainly given the same liberties as Hereford.


    In 1326 another Roger Mortimer of Wigmore, and his mistress, the Queen of England, Isabella, made their headquarters in the Bishop's Palace at Hereford. Henry of Leicester went to hunt down the king, Edward II, and his favourite, Hugh Despenser the younger, who had taken refuge in Neath Abbey. Edward was taken to Kenilworth and subsequently to his doom in Berkeley Castle. Hugh Despenser was brought to Hereford and after a show trial on 24th November, was hanged, drawn and quartered on a high scaffold outside Hereford Castle. In 1328 Roger celebrated the marriage of two of his daughters by holding a magnificent tournament at Hereford.

    The Black Death

    The first outbreak of the Black Death in England was in August 1348 , brought by ship to Melcombe Regis in Dorset. Within a fortnight it was at Bristol and then Gloucester. It must have reached Hereford shortly afterwards. We do not know how many Herefordians died during the first outbreak.

    It has been estimated that the population of one of the city parishes, St Peter's was about 570 at the outbreak of the plague. In an unrelated court case 14 years later parishioners were asked how many people died at the time. Two said 200, two 140, one 100 and three 50 and under. Even the lowest figure suggests 1 in 10 died in a few months.

    A second major outbreak in 1361 might have killed as many people as the first visitation. The market was moved a mile west of the city centre. In commemoration, Bishop Charlton (1361-70) erected a cross on the spot. This cross still stands, now on a traffic roundabout, decorated with Charlton's coat-of-arms.

    During the archaeological excavation carried out before the construction of the new building to house the Mappa Mundi and Hereford Cathedral Library in 1993 a large pit containing 200 bodies was found. These bodies are almost certainly from the Black Death and were obviously buried in hurry.

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