The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.
Ross-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 10,978 in 2021. It lies in south-east of the county, on the River Wye and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.
Whitchurch is a village in Herefordshire situated on the A40, connecting nearby Ross-on-Wye to Welsh town Monmouth. It is located within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The history of Herefordshire starts with a shire in the time of King Athelstan, and Herefordshire is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1051. The first Anglo-Saxon settlers, the 7th-century Magonsætan, were a sub-tribal unit of the Hwicce who occupied the Severn valley. The Magonsætan were said to be in the intervening lands between the Rivers Wye and Severn. The undulating hills of marl clay were surrounded by the Welsh mountains to the west; by the Malvern Hills to the east; by the Clent Hills of the Shropshire borders to the north, and by the indeterminate extent of the Forest of Dean to the south. The shire name first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle may derive from "Here-ford", Old English for "army crossing", the location for the city of Hereford.
Archenfield is the historic English name for an area of southern and western Herefordshire in England. Since the Anglo-Saxons took over the region in the 8th century, it has stretched between the River Monnow and River Wye, but it derives from the once much larger Welsh kingdom of Ergyng.
Aston Ingham is a village in south-eastern Herefordshire, England, near Newent and about 7 miles (11 km) east of Ross-on-Wye. The population of the village at the 2011 census was 398. There is a church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, which has been a Grade II* listed building since 17 March 1987.
Ballingham is a small village of about 140 people, increasing to 181 at the 2011 Census in Herefordshire, England, situated in a loop of the River Wye, between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye.
Blaisdon is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean of Gloucestershire, England, about ten miles west of Gloucester. Its population in 2005 was estimated by Gloucestershire County Council to be 249. An estimate in 2012 placed the population at 420. The local church is dedicated to St Michael.
Ergyng was a Welsh kingdom of the sub-Roman and early medieval period, between the 5th and 7th centuries. It was later referred to by the English as Archenfield.
Ariconium was a road station of Roman Britain mentioned in Iter XIII of the Iter Britanniarum of the Antonine Itineraries. It was located at Bury Hill in the parish of Weston under Penyard, about 3 miles (5 km) east of Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, and about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Hereford. The site existed prior to the Roman era, and then came under Roman control. It was abandoned, perhaps shortly after 360, but precisely when and under what circumstances is unknown.
The Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway was a railway which ran for 22+1⁄2 miles (36.2 km) linking Hereford and Gloucester, England, via Ross-on-Wye. It was opened on 1 June 1855 as a 7 ft 1⁄4 in broad gauge line, it was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway in 1862. In 1869 the railway was converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in standard gauge. The railway was closed to passengers on 2 November 1964, freight services between Ross-on-Wye railway station and Grange Court railway station continued on until 1 November 1965.
Weston under Penyard Halt railway station is a disused wood built railway station that served the village of Weston under Penyard in Herefordshire on the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway. Opened in 1929 to compete with local road transport it was located on the Great Western Railway line linking Ross-on-Wye and Gloucester. Nothing remains of the station.
Earl Ottir, also known as Ottir the Black, was a jarl who occupied a prominent position among the Norse of Britain and Ireland in the early 10th century. He is believed to be the founder of the settlement, Veðrafjǫrðr in the year 914. From 917 to his death in 918 Ottir was a close associate of the powerful overking Ragnall ua Ímair, although they are not known to have been related.
Llangarron is a small village and civil parish in southwest Herefordshire within 7 miles (11 km) of both Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,053. The civil parish includes the settlements of Llangrove, Llancloudy, Biddlestone and Three Ashes. The church is dedicated to St. Deinst. The village no longer has a post office nor pub, though it does have a community hall.
Brampton Abbotts is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. It is located 2 km north of Ross-on-Wye and 16 km south east of Hereford. The village lies near the western terminus of M50 motorway.
Bridstow is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, 2 km west of Ross-on-Wye and 17 km south-east of Hereford. The parish is bounded to the east and south by the River Wye. The A40 road linking the M50 motorway to South Wales runs through the parish, crossing the Wye at Bridstow Bridge. The parish had a population of 906 in the 2011 UK census, and an estimated population of 941 in 2018.
St Weonards is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, located 10 miles (16 km) south of Hereford, 7 miles (11 km) west of Ross-on-Wye and 8 miles (13 km) north of Monmouth, on the A466 road. Within the parish and also on the A466 is the hamlet of Sandyway. St Weonards lies within the area known to the Saxons as Archenfield, previously the kingdom of Ergyng, adjoining the modern border with Wales. Ergyng was later reduced to a semi-autonomous cantref retaining Welsh language and customs until the early nineteenth century.
Lea is a village and civil parish in the south east of Herefordshire. It lies south-east of Ross-on-Wye and adjoins the boundary of Gloucestershire. Amenities include a school, church, village hall, shop, public house, garage and a twice-weekly mobile Post Office, all of which lie on the A40 road which passes through the village and links Ross and Gloucester.
Penyard House, Weston under Penyard near Ross-on-Wye is a building of historical significance. It appears to have been built in about 1821 by a wealthy landowner John Partridge. It was the home of many notable residents for the next century until it was converted to a hotel in the 1930s. The hotel, which provided restaurant services and catered for special events, closed in mid 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and did not reopen.
Little Birch is a hamlet and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. It is approximately 5 miles (8 km) south from the city and county town of Hereford and 7 miles (11 km) north-west from the market town of Ross-on-Wye. The parish is significant for its Grade II* listed church, and Athelstan Wood, formerly anciently managed but now largely coniferised.
