Ergyng (or Erging ) was a Brittonic kingdom of the sub-Roman and early medieval period, between the 5th and 7th centuries. It was later referred to by the English as Archenfield .
57-581: The kingdom lay mostly in what is now western Herefordshire (now in England ), its heartland between the River Monnow and River Wye . However, it also spread into modern Monmouthshire and east of the Wye, where sits the old Roman town of Ariconium (Welsh: Ergyng ) at Weston under Penyard from which its name may derive; it may have been the first capital. Some maps show Ergyng extending across what
114-476: A Crest on a wreath of the colours a demi lion rampant gules holding in the sinister claw a fleece or; and for Supporters, on the dexter side a lion guardant or gorged with a wreath of hops fructed proper and on the sinister a talbot argent gorged with a collar or charged with three apples proper. The red colouring ("gules") of the shield is taken from the arms of the City of Hereford. The red colour also represents
171-421: A ceremonial county , covering the exact area of the unitary district. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG11) and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region. In Herefordshire, the population size has increased by 2.0%, from around 183,500 in 2011 to 187,100 in 2021. This is lower than the overall increase for England (6.6%), where
228-671: A national landscape , which straddle the boundary with Worcestershire. The south of the county contains the northern part of the Wye Valley , also a national landscape, which stretches into Wales . In the west, the ground rises to the Black Mountains range; this contains the Black Mountain ( Twyn Llech ), which lies on the Powys border and is the highest point in the county, at 703.6 metres (2,308 ft). The county
285-428: A few other key factors: The previously pastoral soils had not had potatoes grown in them; consequently they were not infected with eelworm ( Heterodera rostochiensis and Heterodera pallida ), which in the east of England had to be sprayed against weekly (a large cost). Also, the clay soil produced an unblemished potato of the highest grade. The intensive nature of the crop meant that potatoes could be grown viably on
342-705: A further 54 enclosures and settlement sites. Powys is served by the Cambrian Line and Heart of Wales line which offer connections to major towns and cities such as Swansea , Wrexham , Shrewsbury , Birmingham , Wolverhampton , Manchester , Cardiff , Aberystwyth , London and Telford . The county used to be served by key railways such as the Mid-Wales Railway , Oswestry and Newtown Railway , Tanat Valley Light Railway , Llanfyllin Branch , Leominster and Kington Railway , Swansea Vale Railway and
399-417: A given field in only one of every five years. Because potato growers always needed more land than they owned, they rented extra. This demand for rental fields came at a time when the rest of the industry was struggling and in serious decline. The potato farmers' rents of £300–500 per acre (as opposed to normally £80 per acre) were very helpful to many farmers in a difficult period. Herefordshire County Council
456-889: A green apple. The county is covered by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central from its studios in Birmingham . Television signals are received from the Ridge Hill TV transmitter located 8.5 miles south east of Hereford . BBC Local Radio the for county is served by BBC Hereford and Worcester which broadcast from Worcester but also has another studio in Hereford . County-wide radio stations are Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire , Sunshine Radio , Radio Wyvern , Capital Mid-Counties , and Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire . Powys Powys ( / ˈ p oʊ ɪ s , ˈ p aʊ ɪ s / POH -iss, POW -iss , Welsh: [ˈpou̯ɪs] )
513-459: A large site directly north of Painter Brothers. Cargill Meats Europe (formerly Sun Valley) have a large poultry meat processing facility, processing chickens from around Herefordshire. Cadbury (Mondelēz International) make milk chocolate crumb near Marlbrook (near Leominster ). Weston's Cider is in Much Marcle , who also make Stowford Press. Wye Fruit Ltd is in the north of Ledbury on
570-475: A major issue in the county, as some people see them as a "blot on the landscape". Although some polytunnel sites are illegal, Herefordshire Council has turned a blind eye in the belief that agriculture must be allowed to innovate; otherwise it will stagnate and the county will suffer. Previously, most farms in the county had dairy cattle . Due to the cost of investing in new equipment, long hours, BSE , foot-and-mouth disease and mainly falling milk prices,
627-576: A population of 187,034, giving a density of 88/km (228/sq mi). After Hereford (53,112) the largest settlements are Leominster (10,938), Ross-on-Wye (10,582), and Ledbury (8,862). For local government purposes Herefordshire is a unitary authority area. The centre of Herefordshire is lowland which is crossed by the River Wye and its tributary, the Lugg . To the east are the Malvern Hills ,
SECTION 10
#1732780170711684-509: A single council. Herefordshire is also commonly called a unitary district , but this is not official nomenclature. Herefordshire is officially known as a unitary authority for local government purposes. It is governed by Herefordshire Council which was created in 1998 with the new unitary district that absorbed the previous administrative areas of Hereford City Council, South Herefordshire District Council, most of Leominster District Council, and part of Malvern Hills District Council , all within
741-424: Is Sebastian Bowen and the leader of the council is David Hitchiner. The cabinet leader is appointed yearly by the full council of 53 councillors. The cabinet leader then picks their deputy and up to eight other councillors to form the executive cabinet. Each cabinet member makes the decisions about the portfolio that they are allocated. Elections to the council are held every four years. Elections are conducted under
798-602: Is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement and the county town . The county is one of the most rural in England, with an area of 2,180 square kilometres (840 sq mi) and
855-522: Is a county and preserved county in Wales . It borders Gwynedd , Denbighshire , and Wrexham to the north; the English ceremonial counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire to the east; Monmouthshire , Blaenau Gwent , Merthyr Tydfil , Caerphilly , Rhondda Cynon Taf , and Neath Port Talbot to the south; and Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion to the west. The largest settlement is Newtown , and
912-542: Is a " semé of black lozenges " for the former coal mining industry, while the golden fleece it carries is a reference to the importance of sheep rearing in the county. The county motto is: Powys – the paradise of Wales ( Welsh : Powys Paradwys Cymru ). On 1 April 1974, Powys was created under the Local Government Act 1972. At first, the former administrative counties of Montgomery , Radnor , and Brecknock were districts within it. On 1 April 1996,
969-709: Is now the Forest of Dean to the River Severn . After the withdrawal of the Roman legions from Britain in 410 AD, new smaller political entities took the place of the centralised structure. The area was originally part of the Kingdom of Glywysing (modern Glamorgan ) and the Kingdom of Gwent , but seems to have become independent for a period under Peibio Clafrog in the 5th or 6th century and again under Gwrfoddw Hen in
1026-772: Is now the largest administrative area in Wales by land and area ( Dyfed was until 1996 before several former counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 were abolished). It is bounded to the north by Gwynedd , Denbighshire and Wrexham County Borough ; to the west by Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire ; to the east by Shropshire and Herefordshire ; and to the south by Rhondda Cynon Taf , Merthyr Tydfil County Borough , Caerphilly County Borough , Blaenau Gwent , Monmouthshire and Neath Port Talbot . The largest towns are Newtown , Ystradgynlais , Brecon , Welshpool , Llandrindod Wells and Knighton . Powys has
1083-495: Is situated in the historic Welsh Marches . The land use is mostly agricultural, and the county is known for its fruit and cider production, and for the Hereford cattle breed. The River Wye , which at 135 miles (217 km) is the fourth-longest in the United Kingdom, enters the county after briefly being its border with Powys . It flows through both Hereford and Ross-on-Wye before returning to Wales. Leominster
1140-478: Is situated on the River Lugg , a tributary of the Wye. There are two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the county. The Wye Valley is located in the river's valleys south of Hereford, while the Malvern Hills are in the east of the county, along its border with Worcestershire . Herefordshire is one of the 39 historic counties of England . Herefordshire County Council was created in 1889. In 1974,
1197-419: Is the gift of God"). As part of a competition organised by the charity Plantlife to raise awareness of conservation issues, the public were asked to vote for " county flowers " that they felt best represented their county. Mistletoe was announced as the winning choice for Herefordshire in 2004. The emblem has no official status and has not been widely adopted. Herefordshire Council uses a logo consisting of
SECTION 20
#17327801707111254-671: Is the region northwest of Welshpool. The county is named after the Kingdom of Powys , which was a Welsh successor state , petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain . Powys covers the same area as the historic counties of Montgomeryshire , Radnorshire , and Brecknockshire . Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire , most of Brecknockshire , and part of historic Denbighshire . With an area of about 2,000 square miles (5,200 km ), it
1311-612: The English language may be partly responsible. The rump of Ergyng then became known to the English as Arcenefelde or Archenfield . Although its Welsh-speaking inhabitants retained special rights, the area was unequivocally incorporated into the English county of Hereford in the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542. Archenfield was still Welsh enough in the time of Elizabeth for the bishop of Hereford to be made responsible together with
1368-562: The FPTP system with the 53 wards returning one councillor each. Elections have been held in 2000 , 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, with the next election due in 2023. In the 2019 election, the Conservatives lost control of Herefordshire Council. Herefordshire has a comprehensive education system that also includes several independent schools. Most state secondary schools are for ages 11–16. Providers of further and higher education in
1425-444: The Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway , all of which offered connections to South Wales , Hereford , Oswestry , North Wales and West Wales but have all since closed. The gold in the county coat of arms symbolises the wealth of the area. Black is for both mining and the Black Mountains . The fountain is a medieval heraldic charge displayed as a roundel barry wavy argent and azure. It represents water and refers to both
1482-532: The Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire . The Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire and Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire were appointed as lieutenants. The present lord lieutenant is Shân Legge-Bourke of Crickhowell . From 2024, Powys would be in the UK parliament constituencies of Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe and Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr , both of which extend out of the county. In December 2007, Powys
1539-429: The polytunnel or French tunnel. This allows the strawberries to be grown for a far longer season and with a higher quality (with no blemishes from the rain). The strawberries are mainly picked by Eastern European workers who come over for the season and often earn more money than they could working in their own country and with the bonus, for many of them, of learning or improving their English. The polytunnels have been
1596-432: The water catchment area and the rivers and lakes. Thus, the arms contain references to the hills and mountains, rivers and lakes, water supply and industry. The crest continues the colouring of the arms. A tower has been used in preference to a mural crown , which alludes to the county's military history and remains. From the tower rises a red kite , a bird almost extinct elsewhere in Britain but thriving in Powys. The bird
1653-546: The 2021 census, they number 600 people, at around 0.2% of the county's population. Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers fall within the definition of a minority ethnic group under the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000) . There were approximately 400 people (0.2%) within this minority group in the county at the 2011 Census. Bulmers Cider in Hereford is the world's largest cider factory, and has
1710-514: The B4214 and is a large site of Amcor , and further west is Universal Beverages (UBL), owned by Heineken since 2007 where it cans cider. The site of Ledbury Preserves of RHM made Robertson's jam, mincemeat and marmalade and closed in 2008 when production moved to Cambridgeshire. Holden Aluminium Technologies are a sports car chassis manufacturer at Linton . Kingspan Insulation is based at Pembridge . BT's Madley Communications Centre , claims to be
1767-614: The UK market leader Strongbow . The major settlements in the county include Hereford , which is the county town and Herefordshire's only city , as well as the towns of Leominster , Ledbury , Ross-on-Wye , Kington and Bromyard . Most employment in Herefordshire is in agriculture, manufacturing and services. According to Herefordshire Council's online document "worklessness", 10% of people are unemployed in Herefordshire including out-of-work, homeless, ill and disabled and their carers. Cargill Meats and H. P. Bulmers are two of
Ergyng - Misplaced Pages Continue
1824-482: The administrative centre is Llandrindod Wells . Powys is the largest and most sparsely populated county in Wales, having an area of 5,181 km (2,000 sq mi) and a population of 133,891 in 2022. After Newtown (11,362), the most populous settlements are Ystradgynlais (8,270), Brecon (8,254), and Llandrindod Wells (5,602). The county is entirely rural, and characterised by multiple market towns and villages. The Welsh language can be spoken by 16.4% of
1881-497: The administrative county formed in 1889 was merged with that of neighbouring Worcestershire to form Hereford and Worcester. Within this, Herefordshire was covered by the local government districts of South Herefordshire , Hereford , and part of Malvern Hills and Leominster districts. However, the county was dissolved in 1998, resulting in the return of Herefordshire and Worcestershire as counties. The county and unitary authority created in 1998 has almost identical borders to
1938-466: The ancient Welsh Kingdom of Powys , which in the sixth century AD included the northern two-thirds of the area as well as most of Shropshire and adjacent areas now in England, and came to an end when it was occupied by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd of Gwynedd during the 1260s. The uplands retain evidence of occupation from long before the Kingdom of Powys, and before the Romans, who built roads and forts across
1995-600: The area. There are 1130 identified burial mounds within the county, of varying styles and ages, dating from 4000 BC to 1000 BC, most of them belonging to the Bronze Age . Of these, 339 are scheduled monuments . Standing stones , most again dating to the Bronze Age, also occur in large numbers, 276 being found across the county, of which 92 are scheduled. From the Iron Age , the county has 90 scheduled hillforts and
2052-410: The club's Edgar Street ground before major matches. The county is famous for its apple and pear orchards, and its cider. There are many orchards around the county but not as many as there once were. In the last few years, soft fruits such as strawberries have become a new and rapidly expanding area of the agricultural economy of the county. One of the main reasons for this was the introduction of
2109-496: The county include Hereford College of Arts , Hereford College of Education , Hereford Sixth Form College , Herefordshire and Ludlow College , Royal National College for the Blind , NMITE and Herefordshire and Worcestershire Group Training Association (HWGTA). The agricultural economy has changed greatly in recent years within the county. The county is on the western edge of England which has been historically pastoral as opposed to
2166-462: The county's milk production has drastically reduced, with only a few farms still in dairy farming. The county is historically pastoral. The soils are mostly clay, meaning that large scale potato production was very difficult, as tractors were not powerful enough to pull the large machinery required to harvest the crop. Around the early 1990s new technology and more powerful machines overcame this problem. Potato production started to increase, fuelled by
2223-453: The districts were abolished, and Powys was reconstituted as a unitary authority . There was a minor border adjustment in the northeast—specifically, the addition of the communities of Llansilin and Llangedwyn from Glyndŵr district in Clwyd —and with moving the border, so that rather than half of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, all is included. The first Lord Lieutenant of Powys was previously
2280-521: The early 7th century. Peibio was the grandfather of Saint Dubricius (or Dyfrig), the first Bishop of Ergyng and an important figure in the establishment of Christianity in South Wales . He founded large teaching monasteries at Llanfrother near Hoarwithy and at Moccas , and a bishopric seems to have been based at St Constantine's Church at Goodrich . Dubricius' cousin, Gwrgan Fawr (the Great)
2337-464: The east which was more arable . Probably Hereford's most famous export is its Hereford beef cattle . Herefords are docile but extremely hardy creatures and these attributes have led to their proliferation across the world, particularly the US, Canada, South America and Australia. The breed is so gentle that a Hereford bull was used as the mascot for Hereford United Football Club for many years, led around
Ergyng - Misplaced Pages Continue
2394-522: The four Welsh bishops for the translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer into Welsh. Welsh was still commonly spoken here in the first half of the nineteenth century, and we are told that churchwardens’ notices were put up in both Welsh and English until about 1860. Herefordshire Herefordshire ( / ˈ h ɛr ɪ f ər d ʃ ɪər , - ʃ ər / HERR -if-ərd-sheer, -shər )
2451-408: The industrial area of Ystradgynlais in the southwest of Brecknockshire. In Radnorshire, the language survived into the 20th century west of Rhayader with a few native speakers from Nantmel parish surviving into the 20th century too. The 2021 census recorded that 16.4% of the population were able to speak the Welsh language, a decline from 18.6% in 2011 and 21% in 2001 . The county is named after
2508-665: The largest private sector employers, with the Council and NHS being the largest public sector employers. There are two parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire. As of July 2024 , Ellie Chowns , a member of the Green Party , represents North Herefordshire and Jesse Norman , a member of the Conservative Party , represents Hereford and South Herefordshire . The council operates a cabinet-style council and has been independently controlled since 2019. The chairman
2565-516: The lowest population density of all the principal areas of Wales. Most of Powys is mountainous, and most roads and railways are relatively slow. Just under a third of the residents have Welsh linguistic skills: Welsh speakers are concentrated mainly in the rural areas both in and around Machynlleth , Llanfyllin and Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant (where William Morgan first translated the whole Bible into Welsh in 1588) in Montgomeryshire, and
2622-510: The native British, and by the 9th century the Mercians had gained control over the area and nearby Hereford . The sites of old British churches fell to Mercia, and the British became foreigners – or, in the English language, " Welsh " – in what had been their own land. Compared to other areas of South Wales rather few early place names in the area have survived, for which the early arrival of
2679-452: The population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800. As of the 2021 census, 91.1% of the population identified as 'White British', and 5.1% as 'White Other'. The 'White Other' group is largely made up of migrants from central and Eastern Europe who began moving into the county in the early 2000's, initially for agricultural work, but more recently to work in other sectors such as health care, catering and hospitality. Poland and Romania are
2736-704: The population. The county is predominantly hilly and mountainous. To the west lie the Cambrian Mountains , where the River Severn and River Wye both have their source on the Powys side of the Plynlimon massif; together with their tributaries they drain most of the county. The southern quarter of the county is occupied by the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) national park, and further north are two more upland areas, Mynydd Epynt and Radnor Forest . The only extensive area of flat land in Powys
2793-407: The pre-1974 county; a small area at Park Wood had been transferred from Mathon to West Malvern in 1986 and so went to Worcestershire rather than Herefordshire in 1998, but otherwise the re-established border between the two counties was identical to the pre-1974 boundary. From 1974 to 1998, Herefordshire was part of the former non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester . Herefordshire
2850-466: The previous non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester, whose functions the new authority inherited within its area. The remainder of Malvern Hills district absorbed the Worcestershire part of Leominster district (the area around Tenbury Wells) and continued to constitute a (smaller) district within the new two-tier county of Worcestershire. The Lieutenancies Act 1997 made Herefordshire
2907-624: The red earth of Herefordshire. The silver and blue wave across the centre of the shield represents the River Wye. The lions that form parts of the arms, crest and supporters are also taken from Hereford's arms. The agricultural produce of Herefordshire is represented by the bull's head, fleece, hops and apples. The talbot dog comes from the heraldry of the Talbot family, Marcher Lords of Shrewsbury and also from that of Viscount Hereford. The Latin motto is: Pulchra terra Dei donum ("This fair land
SECTION 50
#17327801707112964-441: The two most common non-UK countries of birth for foreign born people in Herefordshire. Christianity is the dominant religion in Herefordshire at 54.9% of the population as of 2021 (a decline from 67.8% at the 2011 census). Muslims make up 0.4% of the population, Buddhists 0.3% and Hindus 0.2%. Gypsies and Travellers have historically been Herefordshire's largest minority ethnic group. They are made up of three main groups: As of
3021-737: The world's largest earth station . Tyrrells Potato Crisps are at Dilwyn west of Leominster. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Herefordshire at current basic prices published by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. ^ includes hunting and forestry ^ includes energy and construction ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding Many well-known cider producers are based in Herefordshire. These include Weston's cider of Much Marcle , and Bulmer's cider, from Hereford, which produces
3078-562: The world's largest vat (for Strongbow ), built in 1975. Painter Brothers (part of Balfour Beatty ) in the north of Hereford, is the UK's largest manufacturer of electricity pylons ( transmission towers ), broadcasting masts , the Callender-Hamilton bridge , and rail electrification structures. Special Metals Wiggin , part of Special Metals Corporation , based at Hereford was the main producer of nickel alloys in Europe, with
3135-408: Was granted a coat of arms on 28 February 1946. The arms became obsolete in 1974 on the abolition of the council, but were transferred to the present Herefordshire Council by Order in Council in 1997. The arms are blazoned as follows: Gules on a fesse wavy between in chief a lion passant guardant argent and in base a Herefordshire bull's head caboshed proper, a bar wavy azure ; and for
3192-460: Was one of its most important monarchs and may have obtained sway over Glamorgan as far as the River Neath . In the middle of the 7th century, Onbraust of Ergyng married Meurig of Gwent , and their son Athrwys became king of both kingdoms. Ergyng eventually became a mere cantref , the Welsh equivalent of a hundred . By the 8th century, the expanding power of Mercia led to conflict with
3249-491: Was reconstituted both as a new district as " County of Herefordshire " and as a new county (coextensive with the area of the aforementioned district) (effective 1 April 1998) by Statutory Instrument as defined in The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996 . This Order established Herefordshire as a unitary authority on 1 April 1998, combining county and district functions into
#710289