Foy is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

and

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

, England. By road, it is north of

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye ( Welsh: ''Rhosan ar Wy'') is a market town in England, near the border with Wales. It had a population of 10,582 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 11,309 in 2019. It lies in south-eastern Herefordshire, on the River Wye ...

, south east of Hereford and south west of Ledbury. The hamlet lies in a loop of the River Wye with the nearest vehicle bridges at Ross and Hoarwithy.

History

Early archeological finds. In 1791 a hoard of what was then described as "Bronze age celts" was found on rising ground between Hole-in-the-Wall and Old Gore. The word " celts" is obsolete now but probably refers in this instance to axes made of bronze, thereby establishing occupation of Foy in the Bronze Age. In Anglo-Saxon times, Foy was part of

Mercia la, Merciorum regnum , conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia , common_name=Mercia , status=Kingdom , status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879) Client state of Wessex () , life_span=527–918 , era= Heptarchy , event_start= , date_start= , ...

and records from 866 AD mention the establishment of a monastery at Foy (Lann Timoi).

Saint Mary's church

The present church is dedicated to Saint Mary. The south porch dates from the early 14th-century and the tower is in the

Decorated style English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...

The parish

The civil parish of Foy includes Hole-in-the-Wall, and Old Gore and had a population in mid-2010 of 158.

Hole-in-the-Wall

Hole-in-the-Wall on the east bank of the River Wye is accessible by a

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

, built in 1919 by David Rowell & Co. It featured in the British television series '' Survivors'', in an episode titled "Gone Away" (1975).''"Terry Nation's Survivors"''
Wyenot News
, 19 April 2005, viewed on 2007-05-10

Long-distance footpaths

The

Herefordshire Trail The Herefordshire Trail is a long distance footpath in Herefordshire, England. Route and distance The trail, running for as a circular tour of Herefordshire, links the five market towns of Leominster, Bromyard, Ledbury, Ross-on-Wye and Kin ...

and

Wye Valley Walk The Wye Valley Walk ( cy, Llwybr Dyffryn Gwy) is a long distance footpath in Wales and England following the course of the River Wye. History In 1975 the Wye Valley Walk opened with a stretch between St. Arvans and Monmouth. Further stretc ...

long-distance footpaths pass through Hole-in-the-Wall.

Notable people

Peter Mandelson Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson (born 21 October 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who served as First Secretary of State from 2009 to 2010. He was President of the Board of Trade in 1998 and from 2008 to 2010. He is the ...

was introduced to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

as ''Baron Mandelson of Foy in the county of Herefordshire and Hartlepool in the county of Durham''. He owned a cottage in the village in the mid 1980s. * Lt. Col. Trevor L. Sharpe, Director of Music in the British Army, is buried in the churchyard. He was a judge on the BBC series ''The Best of Brass'' and conducted the theme music for the closing credits of ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran fo ...

''.

Sources

* Ancient Dean and the Wye Valley by Bryan Walters

References

Hamlets in Herefordshire Civil parishes in Herefordshire {{Herefordshire-geo-stub