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1826.]

Mr. URBAN,

Account of Kingsland, Herefordshire.

Nov. 1. HAVE lately been passing some

393

belonged to the Crown, whence, no doubt, it took its name. Leland says

I HAVE been pass of linge that when Merwald, King of Mercia,

land," or rather paradise of the world, the county of Hereford, and in some parts of it not very much frequented. The Church of Kingsland struck me as particularly curious, retaining, as it does, perhaps, the only existing specimen in this country of a chamber for the holy sepulchre. In the prosecution of my inquiries relative to its history, I have been favoured with much information from my friend Edward Evans, Esq. of Eyton Hall, late Major of the Local Militia of this county, and I forward to you a pencil sketch of the South-east view of the Church by his accomplished daughter. (see Plate 1.)

The parish of Kingsland is situated about four miles West from Leomin ster, forming a large plain, richly cultivated, in a yery fertile valley. It contains nearly 5000 acres, and according to the last census about 1008 inhabitants. Were it not so richly wooded, it would be admirably calculated for cavalry movements, and on that account its most open part, called Great West-field, was the site of the famous battle of Mortimer's Cross.

The neighbouring gentry, anxious to perpetuate the fact, about seven and twenty years ago erected a square pedestal at the junction of two roads, on. which is the following inscription:

"This Pedestal is erected to perpetuate the memory of an obstinate, bloody, and decisive battle fought near this spot, in the Civil Wars, between the ambitious houses of York and Lancaster, on the 2nd of February, 1460, between the forces of Edward Mortimer, Earl of March, afterwards Edward IV. on the side of York, and those of Henry VI, on the side of Lancaster. The King's forces were commanded by Jasper Earl of Pembroke. Edward commanded his own in person, and was victorious. The slaughter was great on both sides, 4000 being left dead upon the field, and many Welsh persons of the first dist nction were taken prisoners, among whom was Owen Tudor, great-grandfather to Henry VIII. and a descendant of the illustrious Cadwallader, who was afterwards beheaded at Hereford. This was the decisive battle which fixed Edward IV. upon the throne of England. He was proclaimed King on the 5th of March following. Erected by subscription, 1799."

The manor of Kingsland antiently
GENT. MAG. November, 1826.

founded the famous monastery of nuns at Leofminstre, he endowed it with all the lands thereabouts, except Kingsland; and when Henry 1. established a priory at the same town, he still reserved this manor to himself. It afterwards came into the possession of the powerful family of Mortimer, and in the 34th of Edward I. Margaret, the widow of Lord Mortimer, obtained a charter for a weekly market on Saturday, long since disused; and a fair upon the feast of St. Michael, to whom the Church is dedicated. This fair, which still continues, is held in an open field on the East of the Church-yard, and though not on quite so large a scale as formerly, is still respectable. It is known to the Welsh by the name of Fair Leoneu, which would seem to give it some connection with Leominstre, termed by them Llanllieneu. The three adjoining parishes, Monkland, Eardisland, and Kingsland, were in former times written Monk leene, Eardisleene, and Kingsleene, and in that next to Eardisland is a farm called Leene.

The elevation of Edward IV. to the throne, occasioned the manor to revert to the crown; and it formed part of the jointure of Catherine the Dowager Queen of Charles II. Ata subsequent period it was granted to the Coningesby family, from whom it passed to the Earl of Essex. The present nobleman, when Viscount Malden, sold it în 1793 to the Rev. Richard Evans, together with a part of the demesne lands of the crown.

Next to the manor, the principal estate in the parish is Street Court, so called from having the Roman road, which is again hinted at in Church Stretton, and which went from Magna (Kenchester) through Bravinium (Lentwardine) to Uriconium, passing through the grounds. It.formerly belonged to the Cutler family, from whom it passed to a branch of the Crowthers of Knighton, who sold it to a Mr. Smith. From him it was purchased about_twenty years ago by the late Lieut.-Col. Atherton, and since his death has been bought by my friend Richard Price, Esq. M. P. for Radnor.

About 300 yards from the house of Street was formerly a chapel, long since destroyed, but a brass-plate with a black-letter inscription from one of the monuments there has been preserved, and is now in the possession of Edward Evans, Esq. of Eyton Hall, in the adjoining parish. As it may be of importance to genealogists conveying the knowledge of three or four facts, I send you the following copy:

"Here lyeth Anne, the wyfe of Edward Hall, ye daughter of Sr. Perrifal Harte, Knt. her mother, daughter and one of the coheires of the Lorde Braye, which Anne deceased the 29th of September, Anno Dom. 1594."

There seems to have been in former times another chapel in this parish, for a cottage on part of Mr. Hanbury's property is still called St. Mary's House. This estate belonging to Wm. Hanbury of Sholdon Court, Esq. was in the time of Charles the Second granted by the Crown to the ancestor of the late Lord Viscount Bateman, and is extensive and valuable.

Tradition says there was once a castle at Kingsland, and the remains of a large tumulus and earthworks in the parsonage garden give some countenance to the assertion, though it must have been on a very confined scale. The advowson, formerly in the Mortimmer family, and then in the Crown,

was alienated by Queen Elizabeth. It ultimately became the property of the Rev. Richard Evans, Prebendary of Haverford and Bangor, father of the present rector, the Rev. Williani Evans, and of Major Evans of Eyton Hall, having been devised to him by the Rev. Dr. Sneyd Davies, memoirs of whom by the late Mr. Justice HardLiterary Illustraing, in Nichols's " tions," must be familiar to biographical readers. The parsonage house, a respectable building in the old style, with extensive gardens, is situated in the centre of a large and productive glebe, and contains good portraits of Bishops Morgan and Humphreys.

Kingsland is valued in the King's books at 31. 3s. 64d.

The Rev. Richard Evans having thus become Lord of the Manor and Rector, those who delight in topography will think this account very imperfect should I omit his pedigree, and although I know my friend the Major has such a dread of appearing ostentatious that I c uld never obtain his permission to insert it, yet the connection of his family with the abovenamed prelates, and the excellent Bishop Lloyd, one of the seven commited to the Tower, absolutely demand as much of it as is connected with them.

LLEWELYN AB DAVYDD

gethin ab Llewelyn ab Madoc ab Philip ab Iorweth ab Cadwgan ab Llywarch ab Brån*, one of the fifteen tribes. He lived in the latter part of the reign of Henry VI. and bore for arms: Argent, a chevron Sable between three choughs Proper, holding in their beaks each an Ermine spot.

Tydyr ab Llewelyn of Sychnant..

Davydd ab Tydyr had Sychnant, afterwards called Tyddyn Cesar, or Tyddyn Rufydd Anwyl.

daughter of Cynfrie Vychan, of Livon.

Eliz. dau. and h. of Robert

ab levant of Henblas,
co. Anglesey.

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Hywel ab Tydyr of Llandedwen and Tyddyn Sychdis.

John ab Davyd of Sychnant. Gwen, dau. of Robert Owen ab Meyric.

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* Llywarch ab Brån ab Aelan ab Asser ab Tudwal ab Rodric, King of all Wales 843. + Robert ab Jenkin ab Llew, ab Davydd gôch, married Margaret, dau. of Rhys ab Meredydd ab Gronwy.

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Wm. Lloyd, D. D. died Rector of Fladbury in 1719, in the 45th

year of his
age, s. p.
Anne, inarried Rev.

3 W. Mor-Dulcinia,
gan, LL.B.
Chancel-
lor of Ban-
gor, of
Henblas.

and buried there.

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די

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dau. of

Henry

Jones,

1. Margaret, mar. Edw. Wynne, esq. of Boddew

esq. of

2. Anne mar. T. Lloyd, of Cefn,co.Denbigh, Registrar of St.

3. Eliz. mar.

Humphrey Humphreys, of Cyssailgyvarch, Carn.

Llan

gard,

Hereford, buried at
Ross.

STTT

swal, co.

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Henry Morgan of Henblas, Sheriff for 1. Marga-Wm. Evans,

Anglesea 1727, died s p. mar.
dau of Rev. John Davies, D.D. and
sister of Sneyd Davies, D. D. Canon
Resid. of Lichfield, and Rector of
Kingsland.

Richard Morgan, died s p.

2. Elizabeth. 3. Dulcinia.

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Rev. Rob. Lloyd of Cefn, mar. Susannah dau. of Butler, esq. of Llysvaen, co. Carnarvon, granddau. of John Hedworth, esq. M. P. for Durham.

4. Rev. Rich.Jane Evans, Preb.

T

1. Chas.

Elizab.

Evans,

dau.

2. Wm.
Evans

esq.

of

of Gla

of Hereford

of

Hugh

and Bangor,

Antiqua.

Tre- Lewis,

mar.

and Rector

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Hen

Dew

of ...

land, died
1797.

Rev. W.Rowlands, Fel.

blas.

of Jesus College, Ox

ydd,
esq

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2. W Evans, Rect.
of Kingsland, and
Vic. of Vowchurch,
mar Marg. Lea-
ford Goodwin, dau.
of Ant. Goodwyn,
M. D. of Works-
worth, co. Derby.

William-Rowlands.

4. Ed. Evans of Eyton Hall, esq. mar. Anne, dau, and h. of John Weaver, esq. of Eyton, co. Hereford.

Richard-Weaver.t

Jane.

Edward-Charles.

Living in 1824.

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