Kilpeck

Kilpeck Welsh:Llanddewi Cil Peddeg
TheChurch of St Mary and St David, Kilpeckis an outstanding example ofNorman architecture.
Kilpeck Location withinHerefordshire
Population	215 (2011)
OS grid reference	SO444304
Unitary authority	Herefordshire
Ceremonial county	Herefordshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HEREFORD
Postcode district	HR2
Dialling code	01981
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Hereford and South Herefordshire

Kilpeck(Welsh:Llanddewi Cil Peddeg) is a village andcivil parishin the county ofHerefordshire,England. It is about nine miles (14 km) southwest ofHereford,just south of theA465 roadandWelsh Marches LinetoAbergavenny,and about five miles (8 km) from theborder with Wales.On 1 April 2019 the parishes ofKenderchurch,St Devereux,TrevilleandWormbridgewere merged with Kilpeck.

The village is renowned for its small but outstandingNorman(Romanesque) church,SS Mary and David's,but also has the earthworks of aNormanmotte-and-bailey castlethat is no longer standing. The church is aGrade I listed building.There is a public house called the Kilpeck Inn, formerly the Red Lion, situated in the centre of the village opposite the village green.Other amenities include a village hall and post office.

History

Until the 9th century, when it was taken over byMercia,the area around Kilpeck was within theWelsh kingdomofErgyng.After the Norman conquest, the area became known asArchenfieldand was governed as part of theWelsh Marches.It became part of Herefordshire, and England, in the 16th century, although the use of Welsh in the area remained strong until the 19th century.The English name for the village derives from the Welsh name,Llanddewi Kil Peddeg,withLlanddewimeaning "church of St David" andCil Peddegprobably meaning the "cell of Pedic", an otherwise unknown local early Christianhermit.

In theDomesday Bookof 1086, Kilpeck (entered as Chipeete) was given byWilliam the Conquerorto William Fitz Normande la Mare,son of Norman de la Mare. The clan de la Mare is one of the oldest inNormandyand is descended fromRagnvald Eysteinsson,earl of Møre and Romsdal. According to the Domesday survey, Kilpeck had "3 ploughs, 2 serfs and 4 oxmen and there are 57 men with 19 ploughs." There are mentions of a church on the site possibly from as early as the 7th century. There are vestiges of an enclosure, 200 yds (183 metres) by 300 yds (274 m) in the field, defining anAnglo-Saxonvillage.

Landmarks

Main article:Church of St Mary and St David, Kilpeck

TheSt Mary and St David's Churchwas built around 1140. It consists of anave,chanceland semicircularapse.It is remarkable for its wealth (and fine preservation) ofNormanstone carvings, both inside and out,all original both in form and position and incorporating manycorbelswith representations of human faces, hares, fish, fowl, stags etc. Eighty-five of 91 corbels survive, an extraordinarily high percentage.

Remains of Kilpeck Castle

West of the church lies a ruinedmotte and baileywith earthworks. The castle is thought to have been first built around 1090 as the administrative centre ofArchenfield.A few walls of the 12th- or 13th-centurykeepstill stand on top of the motte; these are not well preserved. A fireplace and chimney flues are visible and two sections of standing castle walls.

A little over a mile to the north is the surviving motte of another castle, at Didley Court Farm.

External links

• Renn, D. F. "Kilpeck Castle and Church".Castles of Wales.
• "Kilpeck Castle".Castles of Herefordshire.Archaeological survey.
• Population figures(PDF)