Hereford
market was moved a mile out of the city
during the Black Death. Bishop Charlton
(1361-70) erected the White Cross on
the spot.
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Roger
Mortimer
From
the time of the conquest of Wales by
the English under Edward I at the end
of the 13th century, the importance
of Hereford, depending as it did, on
its frontier position, gradually declined
from being one of the foremost cities
of England to a more humble status.
Edward's new boroughs in Wales were
mainly given the same liberties as Hereford. |
In
1326 another Roger Mortimer of Wigmore, and
his mistress, the Queen of England, Isabella,
made their headquarters in the Bishop's Palace
at Hereford. Henry of Leicester went to hunt
down the king, Edward II, and his favourite,
Hugh Despenser the younger, who had taken
refuge in Neath Abbey. Edward was taken to
Kenilworth and subsequently to his doom in
Berkeley Castle. Hugh Despenser was brought
to Hereford and after a show trial on 24th
November, was hanged, drawn and quartered
on a high scaffold outside Hereford Castle.
In 1328 Roger celebrated the marriage of two
of his daughters by holding a magnificent
tournament at Hereford.
The
Black Death
It was in the 14th century that the Black
Death appeared, reaching Hereford in the autumn
of 1348. A second major outbreak in 1361 might
have killed as many people as the first visitation.
The market was moved a mile west of the city
centre. In commemoration, Bishop Charlton
(1361-70) erected a cross on the spot. This
cross still stands, now on a traffic roundabout,
decorated with Charlton's coat-of-arms.
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