Hereford

Overview
Hereford is a true border town. The name itself - Hereford - derives from the Anglo-Saxon term for a ford used by an army - literally the point at which English armies crossed the River Wye. It is a city which owes much of its importance to conflict, for English and Welsh armies have clashed beneath Hereford's walls since time immemorial.

Precisely where England ends and Wales begins is shrouded in confusion. The border itself is perhaps vague at best, for in these parts the Anglo-Norman Marcher Lords are a law unto themselves, ambitious Norman barons and hungry military adventurers from the continent keen to carve out their own border fiefdoms at the invitation of the Conqueror and his descendants. Beyond them, there is no Wales to speak of, so much as a cluster of disparate Welsh Kingdoms and principalities as likely to fight among themselves as against the new Anglo-Norman arrivals. There are one or two realms dominant above the others; Gwynedd in the north and Deheubarth in the south, and now and then a prince may rise above the others, but such arrangements are seldom permanent; at present, Owain Gwynedd styles himself as "King of Wales", though in truth his actual authority does not extend far beyond Gwynedd.

The nearest thing to a unifying influence for the Welsh is resistance to the Norman invaders - and they enjoyed a degree of success against them during the reign of Henry I. Until the green valleys of Wales can be pacified by a strong Norman ruler, Hereford is likely to remain a vital staging ground for military expeditions for years to come.