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Herefordshire: Local History Resources

 Herefordshire is a beautiful English county sitting alongside the Welsh border. If you are researching the county for local history or family history purposes, you have a surprisingly wide array of resources to draw upon.

Be careful not to confuse Herefordshire with Hertfordshire. Despite the similar sounding names, they are in different parts of England and are about a three hour drive away from each other.

What Is Herefordshire Known For?

Herefordshire is a large, landlocked rural county with a low population density. Not surprisingly, it is known for its fruit and cider production, as well as the famous Hereford breed of cattle.

What Counties Border Herefordshire?

Herefordshire is in the West Midlands region of England, and is bordered by three English counties and two Welsh counties as follows:

  • Shropshire to the north
  • Worcestershire to the east
  • Gloucestershire to the south-east
  • Powys to the west in Wales
  • Monmouthshire to the west in Wales

Because the English county lies against the border of Wales and receives little national attention, people commonly ask whether Herefordshire is in England or Wales. It's definitely England!

Cities In Herefordshire

Hereford is the only city in Herefordshire. It is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town.

With roughly 56,000 residents, Hereford is England’s fourth-smallest city by population, whilst at the same time is one of the largest settlements in the county of Herefordshire.

Towns In Herefordshire

Being a rural county, Herefordshire has the following market towns which form the centre of agricultural districts:

  • Bromyard
  • Ledbury
  • Leominster
  • Ross-on-Wye

Villages And Hamlets

Most of Herefordshire is rural and deep countryside. As a result most settlements are small with low numbers of residents.

Local History On Facebook

Facebook groups and pages are a great way to share memories, old photos and videos about the local area. Options include: 

  • Cusop History-Group
  • Eardisland

Herefordshire History Resources

We have a separate page showing the extensive UK resources available for local and family historians, and many of them hold information about Herefordshire.

Centres, societies and other resources which exist to focus on Herefordshire’s history include:

  • Blanche Parry
  • Bromyard & District Local History Society
  • Cusop History Group
  • Dinedor Heritage Group
  • Eardisland Oral History Group 
  • England's Past for Everyone Ledbury Project
  • Ewyas Lacy Study Group
  • Garway Heritage Group 
  • Hereford Cathedral Library
  • Hereford Civic Society
  • Hereford Museum
  • Hereford Record Office
  • Herefordshire Archive and Records Centre
  • Herefordshire Ceramics
  • Herefordshire Family History Society 
  • Herefordshire Libraries
  • Herefordshire Lore
  • Ledbury Civic Society
  • Roman Kilns
  • Ross-on-Wye Civic Society
  • Weobley Local History Society 
  • Woolhope Club Transactions
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Location: Herefordshire, UK

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