Nearby places
LEDBURY, Herefordshire
- A Guide to Ledbury,
by E. Freeman (1892) has been
transcribed/OCR'd by Rosemary Lockie (September/October 2003)
- Eisel, John and Shoesmith, Ron - The Pubs of Bromyard, Ledbury
& East Herefordshire. Logaston Press, 2003.
An entertaining book. Almost every other building in Ledbury seems to
have been a public house at some time in the past!
- Hillaby, Joe - Ledbury, a Medieval Borough. Published by
Ledbury and District Society Trust/Logaston Press, 1997 (2nd Ed.). £9.95.
The definitive history of Ledbury, beginning from its origins in the 8th century following the
foundation of the diocese of Hereford in 690 and its choice as the site for a minster
church arising from its importance as a crossing place of major east-west and north-south
routes. This book contains numerous maps, tables, photographs and lists of names
and is an absolute MUST for anyone researching family origins in Ledbury.
- Postle, David - A Glimpse of Old Ledbury. Published by
Amber Graphics, Ledbury. November 1988.
Quoting from inside its front cover:
"Ledbury must be one of the most attractive towns in the country, largely
unspoilt with its cobbled street to the church, and a seventeenth-century market
house on stilts. A visitor from the past would find relatively few changes in the
buildings, but he would notice the influence of the motor car...the streets are full of
cars and lorries, either parked or moving, and this does tend to obscure the beauty
of the town. It is difficult at times to appreciate the buildings below floor level!"
David Postle has selected some beautiful photographs of Ledbury and the
surrounding villages, concentrating on the first twenty years of the 20th century,
before the advent of the motor car, and together with the accompanying text
they give a fascinating insight into people, buildings and events of the time -
"more than just a book of photographs -
it is a glimpse into a way of life that few people are able to remember."
NB: This book may be out of print, but Ledbury Library has copies so it should be
available by Inter-Library Loan (ILL).
- Ledbury has been home for three famous poets, John MASEFIELD, William LANGLAND,
and Elizabeth BARRETT-BROWING. Elizabeth was born in 1806 at Coxhoe Hall in Durham, and
in 1809 her family moved to live at Hope End, just north of Ledbury. It was here where Elizabeth
started writing her poetry, although she never returned after the family left in 1832, saying that to
do so 'would be like seeking to bring together a plucked flower and its broken stalk'.
Her memorial - the Barrett-Browing Institute, now houses Ledbury Public Library,
and like Ledbury Market Hall, is one of the town's traditional landmarks!
- The final page of the Ledbury general register 1686-1744
has a list of
Ledbury Births 1696-1706 - "all persons born in the parish of Ledbury
and not christened"", which appears to be the result of a single census
carried out in about 1706, perhaps recording non-conformists. Added 19 Apr 2008.
- Ledbury Online -
"...discover everything about Ledbury on the Internet through
this site. If a Ledbury web site exists then it is our endeavour to link to it.".
- New in 2008 - a comprehensive resource for the town's history, provided by
Ledbury Civic Society.
Added 19 Nov 2008.
- Various items relating to the history of Ledbury (including
transcriptions of some early Probate Records) are
available on the
England's Past for Everyone (EPE) website. Added 5 May 2008.
- The Old Grammar School at Ledbury dates back to the early 16th
century. In its early days its principal function was teaching latin grammar;
a pupil's day was a long one, starting at 7 in the morning, and
lasting about nine hours, and the pupils - at the time, boys only -
either stood, or sat on wooden benches in a bare room. There were
few books, and the boys had to learn by heart passages of latin
which were read to them by the schoolmaster. Other lessons included
reading, writing, and the art of reasoning.
The school was supported originally by a chantry from the church,
but during Edward VI's reign (1547-1553), chantry foundations were
abolished by Act of Parliament. However, a petition was made to the
King to retain the school, which was successful, and the school survived.
The schoolmaster who was then appointed was named Richard WHELER.
The original building was closed in 1830, as it had become too
dilapidated, and the school was moved to Oakland House in the Homend.
It was however purchased in 1969 by the local council, and restored, as
part of an enhancement scheme for the Church Lane area. During the
restoration some merchants' tokens were discovered, and a George II
penny from the mid 1730s; plus remains of a small leather purse,
containing a page from a Latin text book. The building is now a
museum, but as a reminder of one of its original functions, some of
the window glass and timber paneling bear the initials of boys' names.
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[Last updated 14 Nov 2009 - 18:14 by Rosemary Lockie]
