I have included links to maps showing the places mentioned. They all open in a new window.
The village, (map showing Clearwell), unsurprisingly, takes its name from a spring which was still supplying it with water in late Victorian times. The mines in the vicinity are probably originally Roman. It is a small village of 583 inhabitants in 1831, rising to 816 in 156 houses in 1872, on the edge of the Forest of Dean and near the town of Monmouth. Clearwell Chapel was consecrated on 26th January 1830 by Christopher, Lord Bishop of Gloucester, and had taken nearly two years to build to a design by G V Maddox of Monmouth. In 1866 it was replaced by a new church dedicated to St Peter which is highly decorated and in the 13th Century French Gothic style. The new church was not built on the same site as the chapel but next to Clearwell Court, owned by Caroline, Countess of Dunraven, who funded the building. John Middleton of Cheltenham designed the new church. There is also a Chapel of Ease in the burial ground of the village. The 14th Century village cross had been restored by 1894 and now stands at the centre of the village. In 1847 a hoard of 3,000 copper Roman coins was found in the vicinity of the village.
A small parish, (map showing Foy), nearly 4 miles from Ross situated in a bend in the River Wye where the Wye doubles back on itself. The population in 1831 was 293 inhabitants, but this number had dropped to 268 by 1851. There was a castle which was almost completely demolished in the time of the feudal wars, according to Casey's Directory, leaving only a decaped, (word not in Oxford English Dictionary), wall standing, although it is not shown on Ordnance Survey maps. The church of St Mary was repaired in 1854 at a cost of over £150, raised by the parishioners, and restored in 1863. It has a handsome oak rood screen and a timber roof to the nave. The village had a charity school for both boys and girls supported by subscription. The most important house was Perrystone House, or Perrystone Court. About 1 kilometre from Foy, (nearer the bend in the river), is Ingestone and the mansion here had become a farmhouse by 1894.
Located on the River Wye, Goodrich, (map showing Goodrich), is close to the Monmouth / Hereford border and had a population of 796, living in 175 houses, in the 1870s, having grown from 711 inhabitants in 1831. In 1868 there was a National School for both sexes in the village and 30 years earlier a bridge was built over the Wye at a cost of £8,000.
It has a church dedicated to St Giles in Early English style and had an early 17th century chalice used in administering the sacrament by the vicar Thomas Swift who was grandfather of the famous Jonathan Swift. The Imperial Gazetteer stated that the church had both a tower and a spire, and there are also 5 bells. It is thought that the church was built by the same person who constructed Flanesford Priory which is a quarter of a mile from the castle. The remains of the Priory were being used as farm buildings in 1876
Thomas Swift's house was built in the shape of the 3 legs which form the device of the Isle of Man and was still standing in the late 19th Century. A Working Men's club was built in 1888 and was a handsome red brick structure containing concert, reading and other rooms.
The castle is to the northeast of the village and was built as part of a chain of castles to protect England from the marauding Welsh. Some damage was done during the Civil War by the Parliamentary commander, Colonel Birch. It was for a long time the baronial residence of the Talbots, Earls of Shrewsbury, and then the De Greys who were Earls and Dukes of Kent. A small priory of Black Canons, in honour of John the Baptist, was founded in 1347 by Richard Talbot, lord of Goodrich Castle.
Goodrich Court stands on a hill near the river and has been much changed since Tudor times and used to contain a collection of arms, armour and curios in Victorian times. It was built in 1829 by Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick under the superintendence of the architect Edward Blore. There are several other 'seats' in the area which include Pencraig Court, Rocklands, Goodrich House and Bivia.
This small village, (map showing Kilpeck), is only nine miles south-west of Hereford and was situated on the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford railway line. The attractive church of St Mary is a small stone building and has 2 bells, (there were 4 in 1863), and was served by a perpetual curate in the 1850s. There used to be an ancient castle in the village which was the seat of the Kilpec family, one of whom had married an heiress of the Waleranes who owned the castle in the time of Edward the First. About a quarter of a mile from the castle was a cell of Benedictine monks. The population was only 231 in 1851, just over half the population of neighbouring Little Birch. In 1861 the population had risen to 267 and the village had a small Free school for both boys and girls.
The village of Little Birch, (map showing Little Birch), is in the parish of the same name and the land is mostly given over to arable, pasture and meadow land, and it is about six and a half miles south of Hereford The church of St Mary was rebuilt a short time before 1858 and consists of a nave, chancel and square tower containing 2 bells, with a rectory nearby. In 1851 the population was just over 400, and it had a National School for both boys and girls in the 1850s. There were two public houses, the Castle Inn and the Little Castle Inn, and, as well as 14 farmers there was also a tailor, 2 stonemasons, 3 carpenters and a cooper.
Much Birch, (map showing Much Birch), was situated on the turnpike road from Hereford to Ross and is only just over 6 miles from Hereford. The population in 1851 was just under 500, and has what was, in 1858, a modern stone church, (also dedicated to St Mary), with a nave, chancel and substantial castellated tower at the centre of the village. This was served by a perpetual curate. Much Birch was significant enough to have a post office and had several tradesmen, such as a saddler, blacksmith, shoemaker, timber dealer, smith & farrier, 3 stonemasons, wheelwright, carpenter and a couple of shopkeepers. There were also two public houses - The White Hart Inn and the Wormelow Tump Inn.
Much Dewchurch, (map showing Much Dewchurch), like the neighbouring village of Little Dewchurch, has a church dedicated to St David, (David is Dewi in Welsh), in the Norman, Early English and Perpendicular styles, and this was restored in 1877. There are some 16th and 17th Century monuments in the church with a cross in the churchyard standing on an ancient base and pedestal. The village had a population o f610 in 1851. A Roman camp was based nearby, about a quarter of a mile from the church. Two of the principal houses in 1894 were Bryngwyn and Mynde House, the latter having a deer park of 300 acres and large grounds with a lake.
Llangattock-vibon-avel, (map showing Llangattock), a parish in the hundred of Skenfreth, (Skenfrith), Monmouthshire, is 4 miles northwest of Monmouth, and 11 from Abergavenny. It includes the chapelry of Llanvanair, and the hamlet of Newcastle, where are the remains of an ancient castle, and an oak said to have been planted by Owain Glyndwr. Limestone is quarried here for conversion into lime. The church is dedicated to St. Cadocus or St Cadoc, and was rebuilt in 1875, and has an ancient tower and several 17th century brass and stone tablets. The churchyard contained the stump of an old oak with a girth of 27ft, said to have been planted by Owain Glyndwr. The principal residence is The Hendre, the seat of J. E. Welch Rolls, Esq., deputy-lieutenant of the county. There is a statue of another member of the family, Charles Rolls, one of the founders of Rolls-Royce, in Agincourt Square, Monmouth. The population was 497 in 106 houses in 1872, somewhat less than the 514 inhabitants in 1831.
Rockfield, (map showing Rockfield), is 2 miles northwest of Monmouth and 7 from Raglan, which has an impressive ruined castle and lies on the river Monnow. The Monmouthshire hounds meet in this parish. The village is small and wholly agricultural with a church which is an ancient structure dedicated to St. Kenelm. Rockfield House is the principal residence. In 1895 the church was described as being dedicated to Cenhedloedd, (possibly the same as Kenelm), rebuilt in 1862 (except the tower) in Early English and Perpendicular styles. There were two ancient crosses, one in the churchyard and the other at the entrance to the village from Monmouth which were restored by 1895. The two principal houses at the end of the Victorian era were Rockfield House and Pentryn.
There were 335 inhabitants in 1831 but in 1872 the population was 270, with 56 houses, and Rockfield House was then the chief residence. As the Patron of the vicarage was Sir J D Harding it is probable that he lived in Rockfield House in 1872.
The following sources have been used in compiling the following descriptions :-
The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson.
Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, 1872.
Cassells Gazetteer of GB, 1831 and 1894.
Thatcham over 2000 years, Thatcham Historical Society, 2000.
Cassey's History, Topography and Directory of Herefordshire, 1858.
Post Office Directory of Herefordshire, 1863.
