Bacton (Welsh: Bactwn) is a small village in a rural area of south-west Herefordshire, England, 14 miles (23 km) from Hereford.[1]
History
Newcourt Tump
One mile to the north are some earthwork remains of a small motte and bailey castle known as Newcourt Tump – "Tump" is a dialect word for a rounded hill or tumulus.[2] The castle seems to have fallen out of use by the 14th century.[3]
According to Domesday Book in 1086, Bacton, then in the hundred of Stradel, had only two households. The Lord of the Manor was Gilbert of Eskecot, whose tenant-in-chief was Roger of Lacy.[4][5] The manor's history becomes clearer from the 13th century onwards.[6]
Parish church
The parish church of St Faith's dates from 13th century and has a lengthy entry in Pevsner's survey of the county's buildings.
Inside is a memorial to Blanche Parry. It is possible that an altar cloth belonging to the church was made from a dress once worn by Queen Elizabeth I of England and given to Blanche Parry. The material of the cloth appears to form part of the clothing of the Queen in the early 17th-century "Rainbow Portrait", attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger.[7][8]
The church belongs to the Ewyas Harold group of parishes and has a service about once a month.[9] Next to it is a village hall.[10]
Listed buildings
Bacton parish church is listed Grade II*. A further 16 buildings, barns and monuments from the 17th to 20th centuries are listed as Grade II, several of them in the churchyard.[11]
Transport
Bacton has a single, daytime bus service to Hereford on Wednesdays.[12] The nearest railway station is at Hereford (14 miles, 23 km). Bacton is 4 miles (6.4 km) on the secondary B4347 road from the main A465 road between Hereford and Abergavenny.
