Churches of Lyonshall

• St. Michael & All Angels church - Lyonshall

  Parts of this church date from the 12th century. The church is now some distance away from the village but it was not always so – those villagers who survived the Black Death in the 14th century moved and rebuilt their homes almost half a mile distant.

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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  Memorials

   

   

   

   

  Richard Hooper

  Richard Hooper and Winifred his wife. She died 14th January 1769 and he died 22nd March 1784.

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  John Muscott

  John Muscott, died January 3rd 1781 aged 73, also Anne his wife who died 9th July 1782 aged 69

   

   

   

   

   

  

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• Baptist Church - Lyonshall

  Lyonshall Baptist Church sits within the village, close to the Post Office 

   

  

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News from the Post Lyonshall

• Lyonshall News from the Past

  Murder, suicide and Odd Fellows

  1832 – Wagon Accident

  John Pugh, a labourer working for J. Davis of the Brook Farm, Lyonshall, was driving a wagon heavily laden with oats down a narrow lane.

  The wagon tipped over and fell on the poor chap, and although people frantically shoveled the oats out of the way, when they uncovered John Pugh he was dead.

  1844 – Opening of New Lodge of Odd Fellows

  On 4th November 1844 the Greyhound Inn, kept by John Walters, Lyonshall became the venue for a new lodge of Odd Fellows, of the Manchester Unity.

  The number on the dispensation was 1813, which shows the incredible progress of the order, and the name of the branch was the Loyal Lyonshall Castle Lodge.

  It was the first to be opened by the officers of the Kington District, and visiting brothers from neighbouring lodges and candidates for admission, began to assemble at ten o’clock.  Shortly afterwards the lodge was opened, and thirteen new members were initiated.

  Later, headed by an excellent band, the brothers processed to the church were an impressive sermon was delivered by the Rev. John Randall.

  1847 – Child Burns to Death at Lyonshall

  Mary Davies aged 4 was left alone in the house of her father Jas. Davies, a labourer, when her mother went out to buy some bread.

  When the mother returned she found Mary enveloped in flames, and despite the skills of the surgeon, Mr. Thompson of Kington, she died a few hours later.

  As described elsewhere on the site, the Coroner was tearing his hair out because of the terrible frequency of children being burnt to death.  In 1844 there were 7 in one month alone, including 6 year old Thomas Smith of Woonton’s Ash, Lyonshall who was at school.  The master had gone to get some coal to put on the fire, and whilst he was gone Thomas threw some shavings in the grate – the resultant sudden blaze set fire to his pinafore and he burnt to death.

  1858 – Suggested Solution to Deprivation by Sheep Worrying

  Every year, Herefordshire farmers suffered terrible losses from the dreaded “kill-sheep dogs”.

  In April 1858 havoc was created amongst the flock of William Ball of the Hope Farm, with lambs forming the tempting bait to draw dogs into worrying.  In this instance, the mangled remains of three sheep and ten lambs was very distressing for the farming, and two more lambs died later that day.  Most of the deaths were caused by fright rather than savaging.

  Insurance did not cover this sort of thing, and it was suggested that the farmers in the district formed an association with subscriptions varying according to how many sheep they had, so that they could stand each other’s losses.

  It was said that the killer dogs often traveled great distances, and were rarely not of the immediate area of the attack.

  1862 – Suicide at Lyonshall

  George Morgan was a married man aged 40 with two children,  had been working as a gardener for Charles W. Allen, and had never given any indication of being unhappy.  He was a regular churchgoer and much trusted by his employer.

  George was found hanging by a cord from a piece of wood across a trap door in the ceiling, and was almost fully dressed.

  The surgeon, Mr. Gustavus Foote said that George was of a bilious and melancholy temperament, and that such men do commit suicide at times.

  1863 – Child Murdered at Lyonshall

  Sarah Wilcox, a 20 year old single woman was charged with murdering her illegitimate female child on 27th August 1863 at the house of John Fowler, Rise Farm, Lyonshall.

  Sarah was entirely friendless, and both her parents were dead;  during the whole inquiry she sat in an arm chair resting her head on a pillow and could barely speak in response to questions.

  It transpired that whilst Sarah Wilcox was working for the Fowlers, Mrs.  Fowler became suspicious that she was pregnant, but when she asked Sarah if this was the case, she vehemently denied it.  Mrs. Fowler was not convinced however, and when Mr. Foote, a surgeon, happened to call at the house she asked him to give his opinion, and although he agreed that Sarah did appear pregnant it would be some time before he could be sure.

  On 27th August, a woman staying at the house, Rachel Trigg, rushed to see Mrs. Fowler, saying that something bad had happened – Mrs. Fowler went to Sarah’s bedroom and saw that the floor had been scrubbed, and she also found blood on the stairs going to the dairy.

  When Sarah was questioned, she said nothing had happened, but eventually she was examined by Mr. Foote who confirmed that she had just given birth;  also the afterbirth was found in the orchard and she finally confessed to throwing her baby into the middle of the pond.  The police dragged a rake through the pond and discovered the baby.

  The Post Mortem

  The baby girl was fully developed and weighed nearly 7 lbs.  There were no marks of violence, and the navel string had been cut roughly, or torn off, with no ligature.

  On opening the chest which was well formed, the heart and thymus gland occupied the front, the lungs on either side partly over capping and were a bright rose colour and crepitous to the touch.

  On removing the heart and lungs from the chest and placing them in water, the heart and thymus gland sank and the lungs floated;  on cutting the lungs into small pieces and pressing each piece firmly between the folds of a towel and then putting them into water, each and every piece floated. When pressing the pieces of lung, dirty looking aerated fluid escaped.

  From these tests the opinion was formed that the baby had breathed.

  Next the abdomen was opened and stomach removed, and it was found to contain dirty fluid, like dirty water, and the coat of the stomach had gritty dirt adhering to it.  The only way it could have got in there was by being swallowed.

  The inquest jury returned a verdict of wilful murder, and Sarah was  taken to Hereford in a closed carriage, and committed for trial at the March Assizes.

   

   

   

  1899 – Mr. Steward Robinson Comes Home

  A telegram announced the expected arrival of Steward Robinson on the last train of the day on 17th July 1899.

  He had been living in Ceylon and India for some four and a half years, and the Lyonshall villagers were excited about his return as he was much loved and respected.  Many people gathered at the station gates, and the church bells rang with such skill that it was clear that the experienced old hands were manning the ropes.

  When the carriage from the station reached the entrance lodge, the horses were unhitched and Mr. Robinson was pulled up the drive to his home by estate workers, followed by a crowd of men, women and children, all cheering loudly.

  Steward Robinson made a small speech, and went around shaking a great many hands;  after which everyone partook of some refreshments before going home.

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Buildings of Lyonshall

• Penrhos Court History

   

  Penrhos Court at Lyonshall is about a mile from Kington and dates from the 15^th century.  Additions to the original farmhouse were made in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, and it was much restored in later centuries.

  There is a glorious banqueting hall with a minstrels gallery and crux beams.

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

  Title	Penrhos Court, near Kington Penrhos Court is now a hotel. See: http://www.penrhos.co.uk/
  Photo’s author	Philip Halling User stats Author’s photos
  License	Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Penrhos Court fell into severe disrepair but in 1971 Martin Griffiths and Daphne Lambert bought it and painstakingly restored the buildings, turning the Court into a hotel that became the first in this country to gain the Soil Association Symbol.

  There have been many celebrities using Penrhos Court as a bolthole, and Queen spent a fortnight there rehearsing  A Night at the Opera  – an album which included Bohemian Rhapsody

  During his time at the Court, Martin Griffiths co founded the Penrhos Micro Brewery  with Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) which opened on 16^th July 1977, and which was fairly successful locally, but certain events forced the brewery to close in 1983.

  Penrhos Court was sold in 2012, and the new owner spent a great deal of time improving the buildings and surroundings before selling it on again in 2015.  It is now, like so many other country houses, a venue for weddings.

  F.S. Blakely

  Going back in time, Penrhos Court was owned in the 19^th century by Mr. F.S. Blakely, a farmer with a love of horses, and who bred not only thoroughbreds for the race track but also the glorious Clydesdales.  I suspect that once he became successful with his stallions he concentrated on these rather than general farming.

  Possibly his most famous and celebrated stallion was Lochinvar (or Young Lochinvar) – the son of Languar out of Marciana.  He was a beautiful red chestnut, standing at 16 hands with short legs, immense bone and muscular power.  He was described as being unequalled and was frequently advertised for stud duties, for the price of five guineas for thoroughbred mares, and two guineas for half bred mares.  Grooms fee was 2s 6d.

  Lochinvar was sold on in 1856 to H.D.T. Grewecke of Portway Cottage near Kington.

  Mr. Blakely also had another stallion, Bubastes – sire Blacklock, dam by Whisker out of Miss Cranfield.  This bay horse stood sixteen and a half hands high, and had a good temperament;  his progeny regularly won flat races around the country.

   

  1851 – Penrhos Court Household

  Frederick Blakely	35	Farmer	b. Kington, Herefordshire
  Mary Ann Blakely	27	Wife	b. Kington, Herefordshire
  Charles Blakely	2	Son	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Richard Germain	21	Wagoner	b. Old Radnor, Wales
  George Baysham	17	Cowman	b. Kington, Herefordshire
  Matilda Davos	24	Cook	b. Kington, Herefordshire
  Mary Ganner	16	Housemaid	b. Kington, Herefordshire

  1861 – Penrhos Court Household

  Frederick Blakely	44	Retired Farmer	b. Kington, Herefordshire
  Mary Ann Blakely	36	Wife	b. Kington, Herefordshire
  Charles Frederick Blakeley	12	Son	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  William Blakely	8	Son	b. Lyonshall,  Herefordshire
  Alfred Noble Blakely	3	Son	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Augustus George Blakely	4	Son	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Jane Wolf	14	House Servant	b. Kington, Herefordshire

  1871 – Penrhos Court Household

  Edward Jones	40	Farmer	b. Shropshire
  Ester Ann	43	Wife	b. Herefordshire
  Hedley	8	Son	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Sidney	2	Son	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Esther Ann	4	Daughter	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Elizabeth Watching	39	Cook	b. Abbeydore, Herefordshire
  Charlotte Gough	18	General Servant	b. Radnorshire
  John Jones	19	Farm Servant	b. Radnorshire

  1881 – Penrhos Court Household

  Edward Jones	50	Farmer	b. Wales
  Margaret Jones	33	Wife	b. Herefordshire
  Emily Jones	19	Daughter	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Hedley J. Jones	17	Son	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Howard H. Jones	15	Son	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  John Price	55	Indoor farm servant	b. Knighton, Herefordshire
  Sarah Dalley	17	Domestic Servant	b. Herefordshire
  Page Traylor (?)	14	Indoor farm servant	b. Herefordshire

  The following family appear on both the 1891 and 1901 censuses in Lyonshall, but their address is given as “New House”.  Although I can find no sign of a Penrhos Court, I cannot assume that it is one and the same building.

  1911 – Penrhos Court Household

  Thomas Boore	80	Farmer	b. Radnorshire
  Mary Ann Boore	66	Wife	b. Radnorshire
  Whittaker Boore	39	Son working on farm	b. Radnorshire
  Phoebe Boore	35	Daughter, working at home	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Arthur Boore	33	Son working on farm	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  James Boore	31	Son working on farm	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire
  Herbert Boore	29	Son working on farm	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire

  1921 – Penrhos Court Household

  Mary Ann Boors	b. Radnorshire, Wales 1845	Head, House Duties
  Whitaker Boors	b. Radnorshire, Wales	Son, Farmer
  Phoebe Boors	b. Lyonshall, Herefordshire 1871	Daughter, Home Duties
  Arthur Boors	b.Lyonshall, Herefordshire	Son, own account
  James Boors	b. Herefordshire 1878	Son

  Read More >

1832 – Wagon Accident

John Pugh, a labourer working for J. Davis of the Brook Farm, Lyonshall, was driving a wagon heavily laden with oats down a narrow lane.

The wagon tipped over and fell on the poor chap, and although people frantically shoveled the oats out of the way, when they uncovered John Pugh he was dead.

1844 – Opening of New Lodge of Odd Fellows

On 4th November 1844 the Greyhound Inn, kept by John Walters, Lyonshall became the venue for a new lodge of Odd Fellows, of the Manchester Unity.

The number on the dispensation was 1813, which shows the incredible progress of the order, and the name of the branch was the Loyal Lyonshall Castle Lodge.

It was the first to be opened by the officers of the Kington District, and visiting brothers from neighbouring lodges and candidates for admission, began to assemble at ten o’clock.  Shortly afterwards the lodge was opened, and thirteen new members were initiated.

Later, headed by an excellent band, the brothers processed to the church were an impressive sermon was delivered by the Rev. John Randall.

1847 – Child Burns to Death at Lyonshall

Mary Davies aged 4 was left alone in the house of her father Jas. Davies, a labourer, when her mother went out to buy some bread.

When the mother returned she found Mary enveloped in flames, and despite the skills of the surgeon, Mr. Thompson of Kington, she died a few hours later.

As described elsewhere on the site, the Coroner was tearing his hair out because of the terrible frequency of children being burnt to death.  In 1844 there were 7 in one month alone, including 6 year old Thomas Smith of Woonton’s Ash, Lyonshall who was at school.  The master had gone to get some coal to put on the fire, and whilst he was gone Thomas threw some shavings in the grate – the resultant sudden blaze set fire to his pinafore and he burnt to death.

1858 – Suggested Solution to Deprivation by Sheep Worrying

Every year, Herefordshire farmers suffered terrible losses from the dreaded “kill-sheep dogs”.

In April 1858 havoc was created amongst the flock of William Ball of the Hope Farm, with lambs forming the tempting bait to draw dogs into worrying.  In this instance, the mangled remains of three sheep and ten lambs was very distressing for the farming, and two more lambs died later that day.  Most of the deaths were caused by fright rather than savaging.

Insurance did not cover this sort of thing, and it was suggested that the farmers in the district formed an association with subscriptions varying according to how many sheep they had, so that they could stand each other’s losses.

It was said that the killer dogs often traveled great distances, and were rarely not of the immediate area of the attack.

1862 – Suicide at Lyonshall

George Morgan was a married man aged 40 with two children,  had been working as a gardener for Charles W. Allen, and had never given any indication of being unhappy.  He was a regular churchgoer and much trusted by his employer.

George was found hanging by a cord from a piece of wood across a trap door in the ceiling, and was almost fully dressed.

The surgeon, Mr. Gustavus Foote said that George was of a bilious and melancholy temperament, and that such men do commit suicide at times.

1863 – Child Murdered at Lyonshall

Sarah Wilcox, a 20 year old single woman was charged with murdering her illegitimate female child on 27th August 1863 at the house of John Fowler, Rise Farm, Lyonshall.

Sarah was entirely friendless, and both her parents were dead;  during the whole inquiry she sat in an arm chair resting her head on a pillow and could barely speak in response to questions.

It transpired that whilst Sarah Wilcox was working for the Fowlers, Mrs.  Fowler became suspicious that she was pregnant, but when she asked Sarah if this was the case, she vehemently denied it.  Mrs. Fowler was not convinced however, and when Mr. Foote, a surgeon, happened to call at the house she asked him to give his opinion, and although he agreed that Sarah did appear pregnant it would be some time before he could be sure.

On 27th August, a woman staying at the house, Rachel Trigg, rushed to see Mrs. Fowler, saying that something bad had happened – Mrs. Fowler went to Sarah’s bedroom and saw that the floor had been scrubbed, and she also found blood on the stairs going to the dairy.

When Sarah was questioned, she said nothing had happened, but eventually she was examined by Mr. Foote who confirmed that she had just given birth;  also the afterbirth was found in the orchard and she finally confessed to throwing her baby into the middle of the pond.  The police dragged a rake through the pond and discovered the baby.

The Post Mortem

The baby girl was fully developed and weighed nearly 7 lbs.  There were no marks of violence, and the navel string had been cut roughly, or torn off, with no ligature.

On opening the chest which was well formed, the heart and thymus gland occupied the front, the lungs on either side partly over capping and were a bright rose colour and crepitous to the touch.

On removing the heart and lungs from the chest and placing them in water, the heart and thymus gland sank and the lungs floated;  on cutting the lungs into small pieces and pressing each piece firmly between the folds of a towel and then putting them into water, each and every piece floated. When pressing the pieces of lung, dirty looking aerated fluid escaped.

From these tests the opinion was formed that the baby had breathed.

Next the abdomen was opened and stomach removed, and it was found to contain dirty fluid, like dirty water, and the coat of the stomach had gritty dirt adhering to it.  The only way it could have got in there was by being swallowed.

The inquest jury returned a verdict of wilful murder, and Sarah was  taken to Hereford in a closed carriage, and committed for trial at the March Assizes.

1899 – Mr. Steward Robinson Comes Home

A telegram announced the expected arrival of Steward Robinson on the last train of the day on 17th July 1899.

He had been living in Ceylon and India for some four and a half years, and the Lyonshall villagers were excited about his return as he was much loved and respected.  Many people gathered at the station gates, and the church bells rang with such skill that it was clear that the experienced old hands were manning the ropes.

When the carriage from the station reached the entrance lodge, the horses were unhitched and Mr. Robinson was pulled up the drive to his home by estate workers, followed by a crowd of men, women and children, all cheering loudly.

Steward Robinson made a small speech, and went around shaking a great many hands;  after which everyone partook of some refreshments before going home.

Penrhos Court at Lyonshall is about a mile from Kington and dates from the 15^th century.  Additions to the original farmhouse were made in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, and it was much restored in later centuries.

There is a glorious banqueting hall with a minstrels gallery and crux beams.

Penrhos Court fell into severe disrepair but in 1971 Martin Griffiths and Daphne Lambert bought it and painstakingly restored the buildings, turning the Court into a hotel that became the first in this country to gain the Soil Association Symbol.

There have been many celebrities using Penrhos Court as a bolthole, and Queen spent a fortnight there rehearsing  A Night at the Opera  – an album which included Bohemian Rhapsody

During his time at the Court, Martin Griffiths co founded the Penrhos Micro Brewery  with Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) which opened on 16^th July 1977, and which was fairly successful locally, but certain events forced the brewery to close in 1983.

Penrhos Court was sold in 2012, and the new owner spent a great deal of time improving the buildings and surroundings before selling it on again in 2015.  It is now, like so many other country houses, a venue for weddings.

F.S. Blakely

Going back in time, Penrhos Court was owned in the 19^th century by Mr. F.S. Blakely, a farmer with a love of horses, and who bred not only thoroughbreds for the race track but also the glorious Clydesdales.  I suspect that once he became successful with his stallions he concentrated on these rather than general farming.

Possibly his most famous and celebrated stallion was Lochinvar (or Young Lochinvar) – the son of Languar out of Marciana.  He was a beautiful red chestnut, standing at 16 hands with short legs, immense bone and muscular power.  He was described as being unequalled and was frequently advertised for stud duties, for the price of five guineas for thoroughbred mares, and two guineas for half bred mares.  Grooms fee was 2s 6d.

Lochinvar was sold on in 1856 to H.D.T. Grewecke of Portway Cottage near Kington.

Mr. Blakely also had another stallion, Bubastes – sire Blacklock, dam by Whisker out of Miss Cranfield.  This bay horse stood sixteen and a half hands high, and had a good temperament;  his progeny regularly won flat races around the country.

1851 – Penrhos Court Household

1861 – Penrhos Court Household

1871 – Penrhos Court Household

1881 – Penrhos Court Household

The following family appear on both the 1891 and 1901 censuses in Lyonshall, but their address is given as “New House”.  Although I can find no sign of a Penrhos Court, I cannot assume that it is one and the same building.

1911 – Penrhos Court Household

1921 – Penrhos Court Household

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Memorials

Richard Hooper

Richard Hooper and Winifred his wife. She died 14th January 1769 and he died 22nd March 1784.

John Muscott

John Muscott, died January 3rd 1781 aged 73, also Anne his wife who died 9th July 1782 aged 69