Whitbourne
is a beautiful parish situated on the north-east uplands of
Herefordshire on the west bank of the river Teme which forms part of
the county boundary with Worcestershire. It is a large and
wealthy parish and here the bishops of Hereford chose to build their
summer palace on a moated site beside the river. For many bishops this
was their favourite residence and both bishop Scory who died here in
1585 and bishop Godwin who died her in 1633 are buried in the adjacent
12th century parish church.
Silas
Taylor who was a keen 17th century antiquarian described around 1655 a
fortification near the church: 'ye rubbish in ye ditches above it
shoew it to be a camp stormed'. The whereabouts of this fortification
were lost until the site was rediscovered in 1978 and identified as an
Iron Age hill fort.
Whitbourne:
a Bishops Manor considers the history of the parish, the bishops
palace, the church, school, farms and houses over the centuries. The
plates include photographs of the substantial houses, many of which
are timber-framed, as well as life in the parish during the last
century.
