The stunning view across to Wales, taken from the front of the Church

Churches of Byton

• St. Mary’s Church - Byton

  The most charming, delightful and exceptionally peacefully situated Herefordshire Church of St. Mary is accessed by a short but steep climb. In the winter this concrete path must surely be hazardous !! I gather also that the abundant sheep which graze around this path leave droppings which are as dangerous as ice when descending!

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  It is thought that there have been five churches in the village, and the present charming building was rebuilt in Victorian times following a devastating fire which made short work of the beams and thatched roof of the previous church. In 1857 the Rector was the Rev. Richard Hunt, and a local paper recorded the following in November 1859…..”About two years since the Church of Byton, an isolated parish lying between Leominster and Presteigne, was accidentally destroyed by fire incautiously left in a stove after a meeting of parishioners. Public and private munificence has come to the rescue and a beautiful little edifice has been erected in it’s stead”. It goes on to talk about the shocking state of the roads making it virtually inaccessible…they are still not for the faint hearted!! However we approached via the “scenic” route from Shobdon, and there is a much friendlier entry into the village from the other side. Certainly it was worth the trip though, and the utter peace in the church and its churchyard was an absolute joy. I can think of no better place to be christened, married or buried and the people who care for this little gem with it’s simple interior are to be congratulated.

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Font

  The font in the church of St. Mary is 11th/12th century, and the simple and naïve carving is charming.

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

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News from the Past Byton

• Byton News from the Past

  Earthquakes, reckless driving and tragedy

  1769 – Powerful Earthquake at Byton

  At about eight in the morning of 29th December, a violent earthquake was felt in Byton…….it started with a rumbling noise which seemed to come from Shobdon’s Hill, and this noise was soon succeeded by the shock.

  The River Lug rose by several inches before sinking again almost immediately. The tower of the church which was already decayed, was split in many places, and all the villagers were terrified. Men, women and children ran to the church in the hope of safety, but couldn’t get in because of the state of the tower.

  Nobody was killed, but a large rent opened up in Shobdon’s-hill, from which water gushed out; however, a big bonus was that both coal and iron were revealed!

  1844 – Bolting Horse kills Man

  An inquest was held before N. Lanwarne Esq. on the body of John Smith of Byton.

  John Smith was a shoemaker by trade, and he was seen on his bolting mare, careering through Byton village. He was trying in vain to pull the horse up, and after he crashed into a horse and cart he fell off.

  The cart driver stopped and went to tend to him, but he found John to be bleeding from mouth, nose and eyes. John Smith died on the spot and a verdict of Accidental death was recorded

  1855 – Death of Eliza Godwin

  Henry Underwood, Coroner, held an inquest on the death of Eliza Godwin, wife of a Byton labourer.

  Eliza’s husband Thomas, said that she was weak after a previous illness and that their daughter had died a while back which affected Eliza’s health further. One day, she complained of being unable to see and of being thirsty so he gave her some tea and a dose of Epsom salts before going out to work in the garden. Shortly afterwards he was alterted by screams from his surviving daughter, and running in he found his wife on her knees unable to speak. She died as soon as he arrived.

  Mr. M. Tearne a surgeon of Presteign, examined the body but found no trace of poison (he had been suspicious because of the daughter dying suddenly seven weeks previously), and gave the opinion that Eliza had died either from heart disease or exposure to the sun.

  The verdict of the jury was Death by the visitation of God.

  1857 – Driving without Reins

  Edward Corbett of Byton was fined one shilling, with costs of eleven shillings for riding on a waggon drawn by three horses without reins.

  (A bit like driving a car with no hands on the wheel I suppose!)

  1858 – Death of Jane Griffiths

  Jane Griffiths aged 24 was driving with her brother to his new farm at Presteign; they were in a gig drawn by a mare which he had owned for some time, and which he trusted to be calm and quiet.

  At the Cwm turnpike gate they were overtaken by Mr. G. Edwards of Byton, who drew level and started talking to Jane Griffiths. After a while, the mare started plunging violently, then bolted at great speed. The gig swerved against a bank and Mr. Griffiths was thrown out without injury, however the mare continued at a furious rate for another 300 yards, when the gig was dashed against a high bank and Jane was thrown out with great violence.

  Mr. Thos. Adney, a surgeon of Presteign was sent for and he looked after Jane but it was to no avail and she died of injuries to the head.

  1863 – Misconduct in Service

  Thomas Preece and William Preece, both waggoners employed by Mr. C. Britten of the Woodhouse, Byton, were charged with misconduct while in the service of Mr. Britten, by being so drunk that they were incapable of taking care of their horse whilst returning to Byton from Leominster.

  Their actions were judged to have endangered their master’s property; neither man had anything to say in their defence, and after being given a severe reprimand by the Bench were committed for 21 days and 14 days respectively to the house of correction with hard labour.

  1899 – Nasty Trap Accident

  Miss Harriet Price of the Court House suffered many injuries when attempting to take a short cut to the harvest field on Byton Hill in order to deliver dinner.

  The trap could not cope with the rough and narrow lane and overturned, although the horse did not bolt. The servant who was accompanying Miss Price was thrown out at the back and was unharmed, but Miss Price went over the bank with the vehicle, and some part of it came into contact with her head, forcing out the left eye and fracturing her cheek bone. Her right leg was broken and her hip was badly strained; her arms and shoulders were badly bruised.

  Dr. Debenham cared for her, and successfully removed the damaged eye and also set her leg.

  Read More >

1769 – Powerful Earthquake at Byton

At about eight in the morning of 29th December, a violent earthquake was felt in Byton…….it started with a rumbling noise which seemed to come from Shobdon’s Hill, and this noise was soon succeeded by the shock.

The River Lug rose by several inches before sinking again almost immediately. The tower of the church which was already decayed, was split in many places, and all the villagers were terrified. Men, women and children ran to the church in the hope of safety, but couldn’t get in because of the state of the tower.

Nobody was killed, but a large rent opened up in Shobdon’s-hill, from which water gushed out; however, a big bonus was that both coal and iron were revealed!

1844 – Bolting Horse kills Man

An inquest was held before N. Lanwarne Esq. on the body of John Smith of Byton.

John Smith was a shoemaker by trade, and he was seen on his bolting mare, careering through Byton village. He was trying in vain to pull the horse up, and after he crashed into a horse and cart he fell off.

The cart driver stopped and went to tend to him, but he found John to be bleeding from mouth, nose and eyes. John Smith died on the spot and a verdict of Accidental death was recorded

1855 – Death of Eliza Godwin

Henry Underwood, Coroner, held an inquest on the death of Eliza Godwin, wife of a Byton labourer.

Eliza’s husband Thomas, said that she was weak after a previous illness and that their daughter had died a while back which affected Eliza’s health further. One day, she complained of being unable to see and of being thirsty so he gave her some tea and a dose of Epsom salts before going out to work in the garden. Shortly afterwards he was alterted by screams from his surviving daughter, and running in he found his wife on her knees unable to speak. She died as soon as he arrived.

Mr. M. Tearne a surgeon of Presteign, examined the body but found no trace of poison (he had been suspicious because of the daughter dying suddenly seven weeks previously), and gave the opinion that Eliza had died either from heart disease or exposure to the sun.

The verdict of the jury was Death by the visitation of God.

1857 – Driving without Reins

Edward Corbett of Byton was fined one shilling, with costs of eleven shillings for riding on a waggon drawn by three horses without reins.

(A bit like driving a car with no hands on the wheel I suppose!)

1858 – Death of Jane Griffiths

Jane Griffiths aged 24 was driving with her brother to his new farm at Presteign; they were in a gig drawn by a mare which he had owned for some time, and which he trusted to be calm and quiet.

At the Cwm turnpike gate they were overtaken by Mr. G. Edwards of Byton, who drew level and started talking to Jane Griffiths. After a while, the mare started plunging violently, then bolted at great speed. The gig swerved against a bank and Mr. Griffiths was thrown out without injury, however the mare continued at a furious rate for another 300 yards, when the gig was dashed against a high bank and Jane was thrown out with great violence.

Mr. Thos. Adney, a surgeon of Presteign was sent for and he looked after Jane but it was to no avail and she died of injuries to the head.

1863 – Misconduct in Service

Thomas Preece and William Preece, both waggoners employed by Mr. C. Britten of the Woodhouse, Byton, were charged with misconduct while in the service of Mr. Britten, by being so drunk that they were incapable of taking care of their horse whilst returning to Byton from Leominster.

Their actions were judged to have endangered their master’s property; neither man had anything to say in their defence, and after being given a severe reprimand by the Bench were committed for 21 days and 14 days respectively to the house of correction with hard labour.

1899 – Nasty Trap Accident

Miss Harriet Price of the Court House suffered many injuries when attempting to take a short cut to the harvest field on Byton Hill in order to deliver dinner.

The trap could not cope with the rough and narrow lane and overturned, although the horse did not bolt. The servant who was accompanying Miss Price was thrown out at the back and was unharmed, but Miss Price went over the bank with the vehicle, and some part of it came into contact with her head, forcing out the left eye and fracturing her cheek bone. Her right leg was broken and her hip was badly strained; her arms and shoulders were badly bruised.

Dr. Debenham cared for her, and successfully removed the damaged eye and also set her leg.

It is thought that there have been five churches in the village, and the present charming building was rebuilt in Victorian times following a devastating fire which made short work of the beams and thatched roof of the previous church. In 1857 the Rector was the Rev. Richard Hunt, and a local paper recorded the following in November 1859…..”About two years since the Church of Byton, an isolated parish lying between Leominster and Presteigne, was accidentally destroyed by fire incautiously left in a stove after a meeting of parishioners. Public and private munificence has come to the rescue and a beautiful little edifice has been erected in it’s stead”. It goes on to talk about the shocking state of the roads making it virtually inaccessible…they are still not for the faint hearted!! However we approached via the “scenic” route from Shobdon, and there is a much friendlier entry into the village from the other side. Certainly it was worth the trip though, and the utter peace in the church and its churchyard was an absolute joy. I can think of no better place to be christened, married or buried and the people who care for this little gem with it’s simple interior are to be congratulated.

Font

The font in the church of St. Mary is 11th/12th century, and the simple and naïve carving is charming.