Craswall
Encyclopedia
Craswall is a village and civil parish
in Herefordshire
, England. It lies in the far west of the county, in the foothills of the Black Mountains
close to the border with Wales
.
Before 1536 Craswall was in the marcher lordship
of Ewyas
. Until 1866 it was a chapelry
in the large parish of Clodock
(until 1852 in the diocese of St. David's). It then became a separate civil parish.
The village is near the source of the River Monnow
. Above the village is the Black Hill
, the setting for Bruce Chatwin
's novel On the Black Hill
.
In the 2001 census the population of the civil parish was 147.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, England. It lies in the far west of the county, in the foothills of the Black Mountains
Black Mountains, Wales
The Black Mountains are a group of hills spread across parts of Powys and Monmouthshire in southeast Wales, and extending across the national border into Herefordshire, England. They are the easternmost of the four ranges of hills that comprise the Brecon Beacons National Park, and are frequently...
close to the border with Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Before 1536 Craswall was in the marcher lordship
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
of Ewyas
Ewyas
Ewyas was a possible early Welsh kingdom which may have been formed around the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. The name was later used for a much smaller commote or administrative sub-division, which covered the area of the modern Vale of Ewyas and a larger area to...
. Until 1866 it was a chapelry
Chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England, and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church...
in the large parish of Clodock
Clodock
Clodock is a village in the west of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Monnow in the foothills of the Black Mountains, close to the border with Wales. The village is in the civil parish of Longtown....
(until 1852 in the diocese of St. David's). It then became a separate civil parish.
The village is near the source of the River Monnow
River Monnow
The River Monnow flows through south-west Herefordshire, England and eastern Monmouthshire, Wales.- Border River :For much of its short length it marks the border between England and Wales before it joins the River Wye at Monmouth. The Wye is also half English from Monmouth until it meets the...
. Above the village is the Black Hill
Black Hill (Herefordshire)
The Black Hill is a hill in the Black Mountains in Herefordshire, England at . It rises just west of the village of Craswall, near the border with Wales....
, the setting for Bruce Chatwin
Bruce Chatwin
Charles Bruce Chatwin was an English novelist and travel writer. He won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel On the Black Hill...
's novel On the Black Hill
On The Black Hill
On the Black Hill is a novel by Bruce Chatwin published in 1982 and winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for that year. In 1987 it was made into a film, directed by Andrew Grieve.- Plot summary :...
.
In the 2001 census the population of the civil parish was 147.