Mordiford, Herefordshire - Extract from National Gazetteer, 1868

"MORDIFORD, a parish in the hundred of Greytree, county Hereford, 4 miles S.E. of Hereford, its post town, and 13 N.W. of Ross. The village, which is of small extent, is situated at the confluence of the rivers Frome, Lug, and Wye, near Ethelbert's camp. The Lug is crossed by a stone bridge. The parish contains the hamlets of Checkley, Checkley-Green, Sufton, and the Rock. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in agriculture. The land is partly in hop-grounds and gardens, the remainder being nearly evenly divided between arable and pasture. The substratum is chiefly limestone, in which is found a great variety of fossils. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £310. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Hereford, value £318.

The church, dedicated to the Holy Rood, is a small ancient stone structure, with a square tower containing five bells. The interior of the church contains an ancient monument, an effigy with an inscription of great antiquity, and in the chancel is a tablet bearing the signature of the Rev. Charles J. Bird, giving a description of a terrific storm of rain and thunder in 1811. The transept was rebuilt in 1852, and has a memorial window to the eldest daughter of Richard Hereford, Esq., of Sufton Court. The parochial charities produce about £7 per annum. There is a National school for children of both sexes, also an infant school. Sufton Court is the principal residence; it is a stone mansion situated on rising ground and adjoining the village. Lady Emily Foley, of Stoke Edith Park, is lady of the manor."

"CHECKLEY, (and Checkley Green) hamlets in the parish of Mordiford, in the county of Hereford, 6 miles E. of Hereford. Part of the land is laid out in hop-grounds, and adjoins the river Lug, which here falls into the Wye. In the vicinity is Ethelbert's camp."

"SUFTON, a hamlet in the parish of Mordiford, county Hereford, 4 miles S.E. of Hereford, near the river Wye."

"THE ROCK, a hamlet in the parish of Mordiford, county Hereford, 4 miles S.E. of Hereford."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]