Description:

South Herefordshire in the 17^th and 18^th centuries was one of the country's lesser centres of Iron working. There was a bloomery or furnace in Kentchurch Parish (OS ref SO403260) for the production of Cast Iron and forges where Cast Iron was converted into Wrought Iron in the parishes of Peterchurch (SO342389) and Llancillo (SO356243). Both the furnace and the forges used great amounts of charcoal in their working and the reason for their local location was the abundant supply of timber for this use. Furnaces and forges both used water power to drive their bellows and all are located on a river or stream.

AL40/10078   1789, Jan. 2
Contents:
1. John Scudamore of Kentchurch Court, esq., and Sarah, his wife, and John Scudamore the younger of the same, esq. (eldest son and heir apparent);
2. William Bird of the city of Hereford, gent.;
3. Richard Broome of Grays Inn, London, gent.;
4. Ann Woodhouse of the city of Hereford, widow.
Deed to Declare the Uses of recoveries of the Kentchurch Estate (reciting the marriage settlement of 1, dated 1756), viz., the lordships or manors of Kentchurch with Llanhithog and Cowross [Corras], the capital messuage called Kentchurch Court, messuages in the townships of Kentchurch, Cowross and Garway in the said two manors, a water corn grist mill in Kentchurch, the manor of Howton, the capital messuage called Howtons Court, messuages in the township of Howton, parish of Kenderchurch, the manors of Llancilloe and Rollstone [Rowlestone], the iron work called Llancilloes Forge in Llancilloe, the manor of Gwerngenny [Kilpeck], messuages in the said manor and the parish of Kilpeck, all in co. Hereford; the manor of Llangua, co. Monmouth. The capital messuage of Howtons Court is to the use of John Scudamore the younger, his heirs and assigns for ever; the rest to the use of 4 (until redemption of a mortgage of £10,000) and thereafter to the uses of the 1756 settlement.

AL40/10120   [mid 17th cent.]
This interesting document has suffered from water and can in places only be read with difficulty; it is therefore transcribed below.
Contents:
" A true and perfect Note and Scedule of the Materialls instruments and implements which remayne within the Iron worke or Forge of Lancillo or belong [ ] thereunto, vizt.
Imprimis [?one] hamer beame & hamer wheele
Item s[?ix] iron hoops upon the said beame
Item two iron gudgings in the ends of the said beame
Item one droome beame
Item one cheape sill
Item one popett & one doge
Item one rabbett
Item two leggs
Item two plumer blocks
Item two fynery chymneys two finery wheels & two troughes thereto belonging
Item one chafery
Item one chafery chymney with one barr of iron in the chimney & one chafery trough
Item one chafery wheele
Item one shaft with two iron whoops upon it
Item two gudgings in the ends of the said shaft
Item one payre of bellows"

Observations:

Until recent years remains could be seen at the sites of both the Peterchurch and Llancillo forges. There are documents, including a Plan, of the Kentchurch furnace in the National Library of Wales.
William Bird was a Hereford solicitor.
Llanhithog [Llanithog] today is a farm in Kentchurch.
For tithe map details of Llancillo Forge click here