Ledbury

Ledbury is a borough whose origins date to around AD 690. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was recorded as Liedeberge. It may take its name from the River Leadon on which it stands. Old English burg (fortified or defended site) has been added to the river name. As a town it was created on a bishop's manor, probably, like Leominster, Bromyard and Ross-on-Wye, in the episcopate of Bishop Richard de Capella (1121–1127). It returned members to Parliament in the reign of Edward I. The Feathers Hotel was a famous 16th-century drovers' inn. It was not until the reign of Queen Elizabeth I that this 'poor town' became prosperous thanks mainly to three families of clothier merchants, Skynner, Skyppe,…