Churches of Kinnersley

• St. James Church

  A deceptively large church, with an impressive tower.

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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  Memorials

  Dame Ann Morgan, wife of Sir John and youngest daughter of Sir Jacob Jacobson and Ann his wife, died 18th September 1764

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
  Thomas Clutton, Lord of the Manor, died at Exeter in service of King and Country on 20th February 1806, leaving a widow, two sons and four daughters

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Francis Smallman, 1635, Lord of the Manor, his wife Susan and their six children.

   

   

   

   

  

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Buildings in Kinnersley

• Kinnersley Castle History

  A Norman castle built by the Kynardersley family, and which now has morphed into an Elizabethan manor.

  Previous inhabitants include the exceedingly wealthy Richard de la Bere, son of Sir Kynard de la Bere, who incredibly fathered 21 children (five by his first wife Anne and 16 by his second wife Elizabeth) and who fought at the Battle of Crecy in 1346; the Vaughan family in the 16th century.

  Roger Vaughan

  In the sixteenth century Roger Vaughan remodelled the castle, changing it to a rectangular building with a large moat, and after his death in 1607 the castle passed to his son John. Some ten years later John died, leaving the castle to his own son Boynham but John’s widow sold the castle to Francis Smallman, MP for Leominster, in 1620.

  Francis Smallman

  Francis Smallman whose beautiful and rather impressivement monument stands in Kinnersley Church. Francis was a magistrate, and like most of the castle owners, was an MP – in this case, for Leominster. Francis died in 1633 at the castle.

  There were Morgans and Parkinsons in subsequent years – John Parkinson being notable for selling off some very valuable goods in 1857 and I would dearly love to know the story behind the sale.   These included:

  a very large collection of sheffield  carpenter or cabinet maker’s tools, some of which were brand new;  a quantity of ivory, ebony, box, king and rosewood and an elaborately furnished work bench.  Anvils, strong iron vice, gun case;  pistols with powder and flasks.  Twelve first class fishing rods as new by Copham, flies and feathers.

  It almost seems that he was a man who took up hobbies on a whim and then grew bored!    Perhaps though there was another more tragic reason.

  Robert Lechmere Guppy

  Robert John Lechmere Guppy, whose parents had moved to Trinidad, was raised at the castle by his grandfather Richard Parkinson. He became alarmed at the prospect of inheriting the castle, and as soon as he reached 18 he made a swift exit and traveled East, eventually to become shipwrecked on the north coast of New Zealand where he settled and studied the local flora and fauna………he identified and named the Guppy fish after himself.

  Captain Parry

  T. Macdonald Parry was married to Emily Augusta Strover, and whilst at Kinnersley Castle they had two sons, Thomas and Sidney, to add to the two daughters that they already had, Mary and Emily.

  In 1866 Captain Parry relinquished ownership of Kinnersley Castle Estate, and upon doing so was given a claret jug by his tenants and others who held him in great esteem.  The jug was supplied by Mr. Bezant of Widemarsh Street, Hereford.

  He was a man of great liberality, and adored sport which he did a great deal to promote.

  On the day of the presentation of the jug, there was a severe frost which rather scuppered the plans for some hare coursing and also put off many of his friends from turning up.

  At lunch time those present went to the Belle Vue Inn where the landlord provided a good lunch to which some 25 gentlemen “did ample justice”.

   

   

  April 1940, the castle was put up for sale described as:
  Charming and very liveable genuine Elizabethan residence – Halls, 4 reception, 10 principal and 6 servants bedrooms, completely modernised with electric light and central heating. 4 cottages, beautiful gardens and park about 99 acres. 5 mixed and sporting farms, 6 smallholdings. 85 acres of well timbered sporting woodlands containing some fine oak, ash and larch.

  A sale was agreed in August 1940, but just a few months later in January of the following year it was sold on yet again.

  In 1957 it was once again advertised for sale:

  “Situate about midway between the towns of Hereford and Leominster, with capital Mansion, park, sundry farms and accommodation land, the whole comprising about 1,100 acres and producing a net rental of £1,500 per annum.

  At one point, Arthur Ronald Nall Cain owned the Castle, he was 2nd Baron Brocket, and he sold the castle on in 1988.

  1861 Kinnersley Castle Household

  Thomas Reaveley	31	Justice of the Peace	b. Newcastle on Tyne, Northumberland
  Johanna M.W. Reaveley	28	Wife	b. Germany
  Thomas G.W. Reaveley	8	Son	b. Germany
  Mimie (?) Reaveley	9	Daughter	b. Germany
  Mary J.C. Reaveley	10 mths	Daughter	b. Kinnersley, Herefordshire
  Louisa Reaveley	22	Sister	b. Newcastle on Tyne, Northumberland
  John Hooper	35	Butler	b. Porlock, Somerset
  Sarah Hooper	25	Cook	b. Holme Lacy, Herefordshire
  Josephine L. Lyon	23	Lady’s Maid	b. France
  Hannah Calder	18	Scullery Maid	b. Leominster, Herefordshire
  Eliza Ann Turner	33	Nurse	b. London
  Ellen Gilbert	24	Housemaid	b. Clodock, Herefordshire
  Martha J. Robinson	19	Governess	b. Oxford
  Ann Godsell	23	Kitchenmaid	b. Weobley, Herefordshire

   

  1871 – Kinnersley Castle Household

   

  Thomas Reavely	41	Landowner, Justice of the Peace	b. Newcastle on Tyne, Northumberland
  Johanna W.M. Reavely	38	Wife	b. Germany
  Nirma (?) Reavely	19	Daughter	b. Germany
  Thomas R. Reavely	18	Son	b. Germany
  Mary J.C. Reavely	10	Daughter	b. Kinnersley, Herefordshire
  Alice Seller	26	Governess	b. Chester
  David ?	30	Butler	b. Norfolk
  Alice Williams	20	Cook	b. Eardisley, Herefordshire
  Anna Hofschnidon	44	Lady’s Maid	b. Germany
  Mary Welland	19	Housemaid	b. Winforton, Herefordshire
  Arthur Francis	17	Footman	b. Eardisley, Herefordshire

  1891 – Kinnersley Castle Household

  Thomas Reaveley	61	Living on own Means	b. Northumberland
  Johanna M.W. Reaveley	58	wife	b. Germany
  George H. Bodley	17	Grandson	b. London
  Thomas Heward	31	Servant	b. Brimfield, Herefordshire
  Sarah Bamfrey	57	Housemaid	b. Wales
  Annie Price	20	Cook	b. Hereford
  Mary Pugh	82	Housekeeper	b. Kinnersley, Herefordshire

  1921- Kinnersley Castle Household

  Margaret Ann Jellis	b. Hereford 1879	Wife
  Edith Mary Arrowsmith	b. Mansel Lacey, Herefordshire 1903	Servant

  Read More >

News from the Past Kinnersley

• Kinnersley News from the Past

  Accidents and a repulsive tramp

  1846 – Child Burnt at Kinnersley

  Here it is, the inevitable report of a child’s clothes catching fire – every village had a sad list of these.

  Hannah Skyrme aged 7 strayed too close to the hearth, and her clothes caught fire.  She was burnt to death.

  1852 – Leg Smashed in Threshing Machine at Kinnersley

  George Ambury of Castle House, Clifford was attending his steam threshing machine at Kinnersley when he became careless and his leg ended up being pulled between the rollers of the hopper, where it was crushed to pieces.

  He was taken to his father’s house where Messrs. Trumper and Llyde, surgeons, of Hay checked him over and decided that the only course of action was to amputate his leg at the top of the thigh.  They performed the operation straight away, using chloroform to put him out, and he never felt the leg being removed.

  He recovered well.

  1863 – Fatal Accident on Railway Line at Kinnersley

  John Stead aged 25 was a platelayer and repairer on the Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway;  he was working at Kinnersley station which was not yet opened and on the evening in question went to light the signal down the line.

  As he walked back, he was knocked down by a special train and was found lying beside the rails – still alive but with “his brains protruding”.

  George Dowdeswell was the engine driver on the West Midland Railway that night, and he said that he set off from Hereford to Eardisley at 9.10 p.m.  When he came to the Norton Canon bank he saw a light which told him that the line was clear, so he carried on and it wasn’t until the next day that he found out a man had been killed.

  John Hemming, the Kinnersley station master said that the station was not yet open for passengers, but that there were safety procedures for when the special train came through.

  The verdict was accidental death.

  1866 – Tramp Cuts Horses’ Tails Off

  This man may well be the culprit of several instances of this crime being reported elsewhere in Herefordshire at the time.

  Tom Thomas “a repulsive looking” tramp, who admitted to going by several names, was charged with cutting off the tails of three horses belonging to James Smith a farmer of Kinnersley.

  The tramp, whatever his true name was, admitted to the charge – he had no choice as he tried to sell the horse hair in Leominster at the marine store belonging to Mr. Jones, and it was found to match the remaining tail hair of the horses belonging to James Smith.  He said that he was looking forward to having a good seven years in gaol with a bed and something to eat every day, but he was probably disappointed in his sentence of three months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

   

   

  Read More >

Previous inhabitants include the exceedingly wealthy Richard de la Bere, son of Sir Kynard de la Bere, who incredibly fathered 21 children (five by his first wife Anne and 16 by his second wife Elizabeth) and who fought at the Battle of Crecy in 1346; the Vaughan family in the 16th century.

Roger Vaughan

In the sixteenth century Roger Vaughan remodelled the castle, changing it to a rectangular building with a large moat, and after his death in 1607 the castle passed to his son John. Some ten years later John died, leaving the castle to his own son Boynham but John’s widow sold the castle to Francis Smallman, MP for Leominster, in 1620.

Francis Smallman

Francis Smallman whose beautiful and rather impressivement monument stands in Kinnersley Church. Francis was a magistrate, and like most of the castle owners, was an MP – in this case, for Leominster. Francis died in 1633 at the castle.

There were Morgans and Parkinsons in subsequent years – John Parkinson being notable for selling off some very valuable goods in 1857 and I would dearly love to know the story behind the sale.   These included:

a very large collection of sheffield  carpenter or cabinet maker’s tools, some of which were brand new;  a quantity of ivory, ebony, box, king and rosewood and an elaborately furnished work bench.  Anvils, strong iron vice, gun case;  pistols with powder and flasks.  Twelve first class fishing rods as new by Copham, flies and feathers.

It almost seems that he was a man who took up hobbies on a whim and then grew bored!    Perhaps though there was another more tragic reason.

Robert Lechmere Guppy

Robert John Lechmere Guppy, whose parents had moved to Trinidad, was raised at the castle by his grandfather Richard Parkinson. He became alarmed at the prospect of inheriting the castle, and as soon as he reached 18 he made a swift exit and traveled East, eventually to become shipwrecked on the north coast of New Zealand where he settled and studied the local flora and fauna………he identified and named the Guppy fish after himself.

Captain Parry

T. Macdonald Parry was married to Emily Augusta Strover, and whilst at Kinnersley Castle they had two sons, Thomas and Sidney, to add to the two daughters that they already had, Mary and Emily.

In 1866 Captain Parry relinquished ownership of Kinnersley Castle Estate, and upon doing so was given a claret jug by his tenants and others who held him in great esteem.  The jug was supplied by Mr. Bezant of Widemarsh Street, Hereford.

He was a man of great liberality, and adored sport which he did a great deal to promote.

On the day of the presentation of the jug, there was a severe frost which rather scuppered the plans for some hare coursing and also put off many of his friends from turning up.

At lunch time those present went to the Belle Vue Inn where the landlord provided a good lunch to which some 25 gentlemen “did ample justice”.

April 1940, the castle was put up for sale described as:
Charming and very liveable genuine Elizabethan residence – Halls, 4 reception, 10 principal and 6 servants bedrooms, completely modernised with electric light and central heating. 4 cottages, beautiful gardens and park about 99 acres. 5 mixed and sporting farms, 6 smallholdings. 85 acres of well timbered sporting woodlands containing some fine oak, ash and larch.

A sale was agreed in August 1940, but just a few months later in January of the following year it was sold on yet again.

In 1957 it was once again advertised for sale:

“Situate about midway between the towns of Hereford and Leominster, with capital Mansion, park, sundry farms and accommodation land, the whole comprising about 1,100 acres and producing a net rental of £1,500 per annum.

At one point, Arthur Ronald Nall Cain owned the Castle, he was 2nd Baron Brocket, and he sold the castle on in 1988.

1861 Kinnersley Castle Household

1871 – Kinnersley Castle Household

1891 – Kinnersley Castle Household

1921- Kinnersley Castle Household

1846 – Child Burnt at Kinnersley

Here it is, the inevitable report of a child’s clothes catching fire – every village had a sad list of these.

Hannah Skyrme aged 7 strayed too close to the hearth, and her clothes caught fire.  She was burnt to death.

1852 – Leg Smashed in Threshing Machine at Kinnersley

George Ambury of Castle House, Clifford was attending his steam threshing machine at Kinnersley when he became careless and his leg ended up being pulled between the rollers of the hopper, where it was crushed to pieces.

He was taken to his father’s house where Messrs. Trumper and Llyde, surgeons, of Hay checked him over and decided that the only course of action was to amputate his leg at the top of the thigh.  They performed the operation straight away, using chloroform to put him out, and he never felt the leg being removed.

He recovered well.

1863 – Fatal Accident on Railway Line at Kinnersley

John Stead aged 25 was a platelayer and repairer on the Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway;  he was working at Kinnersley station which was not yet opened and on the evening in question went to light the signal down the line.

As he walked back, he was knocked down by a special train and was found lying beside the rails – still alive but with “his brains protruding”.

George Dowdeswell was the engine driver on the West Midland Railway that night, and he said that he set off from Hereford to Eardisley at 9.10 p.m.  When he came to the Norton Canon bank he saw a light which told him that the line was clear, so he carried on and it wasn’t until the next day that he found out a man had been killed.

John Hemming, the Kinnersley station master said that the station was not yet open for passengers, but that there were safety procedures for when the special train came through.

The verdict was accidental death.

1866 – Tramp Cuts Horses’ Tails Off

This man may well be the culprit of several instances of this crime being reported elsewhere in Herefordshire at the time.

Tom Thomas “a repulsive looking” tramp, who admitted to going by several names, was charged with cutting off the tails of three horses belonging to James Smith a farmer of Kinnersley.

The tramp, whatever his true name was, admitted to the charge – he had no choice as he tried to sell the horse hair in Leominster at the marine store belonging to Mr. Jones, and it was found to match the remaining tail hair of the horses belonging to James Smith.  He said that he was looking forward to having a good seven years in gaol with a bed and something to eat every day, but he was probably disappointed in his sentence of three months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

Font

Memorials

Dame Ann Morgan, wife of Sir John and youngest daughter of Sir Jacob Jacobson and Ann his wife, died 18th September 1764

 
Thomas Clutton, Lord of the Manor, died at Exeter in service of King and Country on 20th February 1806, leaving a widow, two sons and four daughters

Francis Smallman, 1635, Lord of the Manor, his wife Susan and their six children.