Saxon Hereford 650 AD-1066 AD

he gravel bank, on which Hereford stands, overlooks a ford over the River Wye and has been occupied since the earliest times. Evidence of prehistoric activity exists in the form of Neolithic stone tools which were found near the ford, some 100 yards east of the existing medieval bridge. During the Roman period, this crossing was in use as part of the road linking Chester and Uriconium, near Shrewsbury, to Monmouth and the important garrison town at Caerleon. The nearest town was Magnis, which grew up four miles further west at Kenchester, and from which another road led east along the path of today's Roman Road which runs to the north of the city. Some Roman material has been unearthed in Hereford, including four altars. One of these, discovered in 1968 during excavations in Victoria Street, had been used between the 5th and 7th centuries as a grain drying-oven. It's original location is thus unknown but all four could have come from Magnis, or from undiscovered sites.

The first important Saxon fortification occurred during the 7th century, following the rise of Mercia and its incorporation of the lands of the Magonsaete, which included the present county and parts of South Shropshire. By 676 AD, a bishopric had been established under Bishop Putta and it is possible that the new minster replaced an earlier Celtic church. Around the minster stood a rectangular site, bounded by the King's Ditch which ran from the river just to the west of Broad Street, along East Street and West Street and back to the river along the line of St John's Street. Hereford, its strategic significance conveyed by its name meaning "army ford", grew quickly to be one of the principal cities of Mercia.

In 760 AD, within three years of his accession, King Offa led Mercia to a major victory over the Welsh at Hereford. During his reign the city and its defenses expanded and the cathedral was rededicated to St Ethelbert, following the murder of the saint at the hands of Offa. The extended areas became known as "The King's Fee", part of the Royal estates, while the remaining central portion, belonging to the bishop, was known as "The Bishop's Fee." The eastern part of the King's Fee contained the later castle which replaced the older "King's Hall" and also the ancient priory of Saint Guthlac. The city prospered through trade and as a centre of pilgrimage and at one time had its own mint with seven moneyers.

Early in the 10th century the City was refortified by Queen Aethelfreda as a "burgh" against the Viking. Stone revetments six feet thick replaced the timber walls and these succeeded in repelling an army of Danes that attacked Hereford in about 914 AD. During the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066 AD), his Norman nephew, Ralph, was the first Earl of Hereford. From his seat in the the new castle at Hereford, Ralph attempted to subdue the Welsh. He was unsuccessful and, in 1055 AD, the Welsh sacked the City and burned down Offa's cathedral, slaughtering the vicars and canons on its steps.

In 1058, Harold Godwin became Earl of Hereford. He was more successful than Ralph in defending the city from the Welsh, winning a significant campaign against them in 1063. He had made substantial improvements to Hereford's defensive walls and ditches by the time of his accession to the throne in 1066 AD. His defeat by William the Conqueror at Hastings later that year marked the begining of a new chapter in Hereford's history as the new Norman masters embarked on a bold redevelopment of the city.