Kilpeck may be delightful, but it was not without its share of villains and in 1839 James Beavan of this village went on the run after stealing sheep. He was described as being 36, 5’5″ tall with sandy hair, large whiskers, small eyes and thin features, and a bounty of five sovereigns was put on his head. (Just possibly a genealogist researching this name in Herefordshire will find this helpful!)

Churches of Kilpeck

• St. Mary & St. David's Church - Kilpeck

  This little church is stunning, and is often spoken of as being the most perfect Norman church in the country. It was built by Hugh de Kilpeck and is much the same now as it was back in the 12th century. It lies roughly eight miles from Hereford on the Abergavenny road.

  The church of St. Mary & St. David dates from the 12th century and has remained largely unaltered although it was restored in the mid 19th century.  It was built by the Herefordshire School of Masons, but they broke the mould after constructing this building, with its wealth of monsters, dragons and fantastical creatures.

   

   

   

  

   

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People of Kilpeck

• The Kilpeck Family

  The first mention of the family of Kilpeck appears to be of Hugh, son of William who was a Norman.

  In 1124 Hugh gave the church of St. Waird at Kilpeck to the monks of St. Peter of Gloucester, along with the chapel of Our Lady which was within the now ruined Kilpeck Castle.

  Hugh’s son Henry took the surname of Kilpeck from the castle, it being his principal seat.

  Next came John de Kilpeck who in 1200 obtained a charter from  King John that neither himself nor his heirs would lose their bailiwick in the Forest of Hereford, but when he died shortly afterwards, his heir Hugh was very young, so all his lands were given to the custody William de Cantelupe, the brother of the Bishop of Hereford.

  John de Kilpeck’s son, Hugh married Egidia, and and they had two daughters as heirs.   Her two daughters Isabel and Jane married William Walerand and Philip Marmion respectively and the barony of Kilpeck was merged with that of Marmion.

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• James Beavan

  James Beavan

  Kilpeck may be delightful, but it was not without its share of villains and in 1839 James Beavan of this village went on the run after stealing sheep. He was described as being 36, 5’5″ tall with sandy hair, large whiskers, small eyes and thin features, and a bounty of five sovereigns was put on his head. (Just possibly a genealogist researching this name in Herefordshire will find this helpful!)

  Read More >

News from the Past Kilpeck

• Kilpeck News from the Past

  Tales of lucky pigeons and harsh sentences

  1786 – Executed for Arson at Kilpeck

  Susannah Minton, a 17 year old girl who was born and lived in Kilpeck was described as being simple, and worked as a servant at the house of Paul Gwatkin.

  Susannah had watched her mistress Anne Gwatkin  “exhibit some articles of finery”, (namely some handkerchiefs, caps and other such things) and she was overcome with a desire to own some of them;  to this end, she decided to create a diversion by setting fire to a barn close to the house in the hope that everyone would rush to the fire leaving her way clear to steal things.

  The ruse worked and she managed to take the box containing the finery, but the fire destroyed a great deal of barley, oats, feed clover and hay.

  She was executed on 16th September 1786.

  1789 – Greenway Brook Claims a Life

  In May 1789, William Marsh described as a “poor old man”, was found drowned at Kilpeck in the shallow Greenway Brook.

  He had apparently been drunk the night before, and it was assumed that he tumbled into the brook and was too inebriated to climb out.

  1820 – Pigeons Win Shooting Match at Kilpeck

  Two men laid enormous bets on who could shoot the most out of six pigeons each – the umpire confirmed that the men were of equal capabilites and so it proved in a hilarious manner.

  The first competitor managed to miss all six of his birds, and the other was supremely confident that he would be the winner.  However, his aim was similarly abysmal and the result was a total of twelve free pigeons and two embarrassed men!

  1828 – Improved Threshing Machine

  Peter Watkins, a Millwright, greatly improved the performance of the humble but essential threshing machine, and the result could be seen in full working order at Kilpeck.

  Old machines needed five horses to operate them, whereas this one worked happily with only three.  Also safety measures had been incorporated, which involved a spring wheel in the horse wheel, so that if the horses suddenly stopped the machine would gradually come to a halt which limited the danger to the horses.

  The workings of the new threshing machine were incredibly simple, so that if something should go wrong it would be the work of a moment to repair it.

  1853 – Railway Accident

  Mary Davies, a 63 year old woman from Kilpeck, was walking along the railway lines on her way to Hereford market.

  She negotiated the Haywood tunnel then heard the approach of wagons behind her;  she had been told previously to step outside the tracks in this event, but she panicked and turned the wrong way so that she was knocked over.  Unfortunately one foot lay across the rail, and the wagons went over it.

  Some railway workers carried her three miles to the Infirmary where her foot was amputated, but at least she survived.

  1855 – Schooling Improved in Kilpeck Area

  There was a very marked improvement in the state of education in the area;  not long before this time, there was no accessible school near Kilpeck and the best that children could hope for by way of education was an assembly in a village cottage to receive rudimentary schooling.

  By 1855, no child was more than two miles from a school, although the learning was still not brilliant.

  1858 – Annual Picnic at the Red Lion Inn

  Mr. Johnson was lucky with the weather this year, and a great many people attended his annual picnic.

  People came from far and wide, and were rewarded with a splendid evening of entertainment including a visit to the old Norman church and the ruins of the castle.

  A big marquee had been erected in front of the Red Lion, where a sumptious feast was laid out;  following tea, there was dancing until dark when people went indoors to continue to enjoy themselves.

  Read More >

1786 – Executed for Arson at Kilpeck

Susannah Minton, a 17 year old girl who was born and lived in Kilpeck was described as being simple, and worked as a servant at the house of Paul Gwatkin.

Susannah had watched her mistress Anne Gwatkin  “exhibit some articles of finery”, (namely some handkerchiefs, caps and other such things) and she was overcome with a desire to own some of them;  to this end, she decided to create a diversion by setting fire to a barn close to the house in the hope that everyone would rush to the fire leaving her way clear to steal things.

The ruse worked and she managed to take the box containing the finery, but the fire destroyed a great deal of barley, oats, feed clover and hay.

She was executed on 16th September 1786.

1789 – Greenway Brook Claims a Life

In May 1789, William Marsh described as a “poor old man”, was found drowned at Kilpeck in the shallow Greenway Brook.

He had apparently been drunk the night before, and it was assumed that he tumbled into the brook and was too inebriated to climb out.

1820 – Pigeons Win Shooting Match at Kilpeck

Two men laid enormous bets on who could shoot the most out of six pigeons each – the umpire confirmed that the men were of equal capabilites and so it proved in a hilarious manner.

The first competitor managed to miss all six of his birds, and the other was supremely confident that he would be the winner.  However, his aim was similarly abysmal and the result was a total of twelve free pigeons and two embarrassed men!

1828 – Improved Threshing Machine

Peter Watkins, a Millwright, greatly improved the performance of the humble but essential threshing machine, and the result could be seen in full working order at Kilpeck.

Old machines needed five horses to operate them, whereas this one worked happily with only three.  Also safety measures had been incorporated, which involved a spring wheel in the horse wheel, so that if the horses suddenly stopped the machine would gradually come to a halt which limited the danger to the horses.

The workings of the new threshing machine were incredibly simple, so that if something should go wrong it would be the work of a moment to repair it.

1853 – Railway Accident

Mary Davies, a 63 year old woman from Kilpeck, was walking along the railway lines on her way to Hereford market.

She negotiated the Haywood tunnel then heard the approach of wagons behind her;  she had been told previously to step outside the tracks in this event, but she panicked and turned the wrong way so that she was knocked over.  Unfortunately one foot lay across the rail, and the wagons went over it.

Some railway workers carried her three miles to the Infirmary where her foot was amputated, but at least she survived.

1855 – Schooling Improved in Kilpeck Area

There was a very marked improvement in the state of education in the area;  not long before this time, there was no accessible school near Kilpeck and the best that children could hope for by way of education was an assembly in a village cottage to receive rudimentary schooling.

By 1855, no child was more than two miles from a school, although the learning was still not brilliant.

1858 – Annual Picnic at the Red Lion Inn

Mr. Johnson was lucky with the weather this year, and a great many people attended his annual picnic.

People came from far and wide, and were rewarded with a splendid evening of entertainment including a visit to the old Norman church and the ruins of the castle.

A big marquee had been erected in front of the Red Lion, where a sumptious feast was laid out;  following tea, there was dancing until dark when people went indoors to continue to enjoy themselves.

The church of St. Mary & St. David dates from the 12th century and has remained largely unaltered although it was restored in the mid 19th century.  It was built by the Herefordshire School of Masons, but they broke the mould after constructing this building, with its wealth of monsters, dragons and fantastical creatures.

In 1124 Hugh gave the church of St. Waird at Kilpeck to the monks of St. Peter of Gloucester, along with the chapel of Our Lady which was within the now ruined Kilpeck Castle.

Hugh’s son Henry took the surname of Kilpeck from the castle, it being his principal seat.

Next came John de Kilpeck who in 1200 obtained a charter from  King John that neither himself nor his heirs would lose their bailiwick in the Forest of Hereford, but when he died shortly afterwards, his heir Hugh was very young, so all his lands were given to the custody William de Cantelupe, the brother of the Bishop of Hereford.

John de Kilpeck’s son, Hugh married Egidia, and and they had two daughters as heirs.   Her two daughters Isabel and Jane married William Walerand and Philip Marmion respectively and the barony of Kilpeck was merged with that of Marmion.