For other uses see Hereford (disambiguation). Coordinates 5203'23N 242'58W 52.0565N 2.7160W 52.0565 2.7160 Hereford i'hrfrd is a cathedral city civil parish and county town of Herefordshire England. It lies on the River Wye approximately 16 miles (26160km) east of the border with Wales 24 miles (39160km) southwest of Worcester and 23 miles (37160km) northwest of Gloucester. With a population of 55800 people2 it is the largest settlement in the county. The name Hereford is said to come from the Anglo Saxon here an army or formation of soldiers and the ford a place for crossing a river. If this is the origin it suggests that Hereford was a place where a body of armed men forded or crossed the Wye. The Welsh name for Hereford is Henffordd meaning old road and probably refers to the Roman Road and Roman settlement at nearby Stretton Sugwas. An early town charter from 1189 granted by Richard I of England describes it as Hereford in Wales.3 Hereford has been recognised as a city since time immemorial with the status being reconfirmed as recently as October 2000.45 It is now known chiefly as a trading centre for a wider agricultural and rural area. Products from Hereford include cider beer leather goods nickel alloys poultry chemicals and cattle including the famous Hereford breed. edit History Hereford Cathedral from Church Street Hereford became the seat of Putta Bishop of Hereford some time between AD 676 and 688 after which the settlement continued to grow due to its proximity to the border between Mercia and Wales becoming the Saxon capital of West Mercia by the beginning of the 8th century.6 Hostilities between the AngloSaxons and the Welsh came to a head with the Battle of Hereford in 760 in which the Britons freed themselves from the influence of the English.7 Hereford was again targeted by the Welsh during their conflict with the AngloSaxon King Edward the Confessor in AD 1056 when supported by Viking allies Gruffydd ap Llywelyn King of Gwynedd and Powys marched on the town and put it to the torch before returning home in triumph.8 The present Hereford Cathedral dates from the 12th century. Former Bishops of Hereford include Saint Thomas de Cantilupe and Lord High Treasurer of England Thomas Charlton. The city gave its name to two suburbs of Paris France MaisonsAlfort (population 54600) and Alfortville (population 36232) due to a manor built there by Peter of Aigueblanche Bishop of Hereford in the middle of the 13th century. Hereford a base for successive holders of the title Earl of Hereford was once the site of a castle Hereford Castle which rivalled that of Windsor in size and scale. This was a base for repelling Welsh attacks and a secure stronghold for English kings such as King Henry IV when on campaign in the Welsh Marches against Owain Glyndwr. The castle was dismantled in the 18th century and landscaped into Castle Green. After the Battle of Mortimer's Cross in 1461 during the Wars of the Roses the defeated Lancastrian leader Owen Tudor (grandfather of the future Henry VII of England) was taken to Hereford by Sir Roger Vaughan and executed in High Town. A plaque now marks the spot of the execution. Vaughan was later himself executed under a flag of truce by Owen's son Jasper. The Old House High Town. This timberframed Jacobean building built in 1621 is now a museum. During the civil war the city changed hands several times. On 30 September 1642 Parliamentarians led by Sir Robert Harley and Henry Grey 1st Ear