Orleton is a small village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in northern
Herefordshire
Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
, England, at . The population of the civil parish at the
2011 census was 794. The village is midway between the market towns of Ludlow and Leominster, both away.
History
In the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
, the ancient settlement was recorded as Arleton, referring to the alders.
St George's Church
The village church is dedicated to St George, and contains a Norman nave, 14th-century stained-glass windows, and a 13th-century west tower. The c.1200 door was moved and reset, The early 13th-century chancel has lancet windows. The tie-beam roof may be 14th century. The vestry is Victorian. Fittings include a c.1100 Norman
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design.
For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...
with nine disciples standing under arches, a 17th-century
Jacobean pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
, two thirteenth-century dug-out
chests, a clock dating from about 1700, and a Norman carving of a
dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
, later used as a clock weight.
Notable people
The 13th-century
Bishop of Hereford
The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. Until 1534, the Diocese of Hereford was in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and two of its bishop ...
,
Adam Orleton
Adam Orleton (died 1345) was an English churchman and royal administrator. He was the Bishop of Winchester (1333–1345), Worcester (1327–1333) and Hereford (1317–1327) of the Catholic Church.
Life
Orleton was born into a Herefordshire f ...
, took his name from this village, may have been born here, and was a constant supporter of Roger
Mortimer
Mortimer is an English surname.
Norman origins
The surname Mortimer has a Norman origin, deriving from the village of Mortemer, Seine-Maritime, Normandy. A Norman castle existed at Mortemer from an early point; one 11th century figure associ ...
, the lord of the manor.
[The register of Adam de Orleton, introduction by Rev. A. T. Bannister, 1907]
References
External links
Orleton VillageThe community website for Orleton
Villages in Herefordshire
Civil parishes in Herefordshire
{{Herefordshire-geo-stub