Rowlestone (also spelled Rowlstone) is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the county of

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 England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is a rural area with agriculture the main source of employment, and had only 87 residents in 2004, increasing to 180 at the 2011 Census. The area was historically Welsh-speaking. Two Welsh Bibles from Rowlestone, formerly stored in the Rowlestone vicarage and damaged by fire, are kept in the Herefordshire County archives. It is notable mainly for the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of St. Peter, which contains some distinguished carvings, including a tympanum showing

Christ in Majesty Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory ( la, Maiestas Domini) is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whos ...

with four attendant angels. These carvings are of the same distinctive Herefordshire School as those at the nearby

Church of St Mary and St David, Kilpeck The Church of St Mary and St David is a Church of England parish church at Kilpeck in the English county of Herefordshire, about 5 miles from the border with Monmouthshire, Wales. Pevsner describes Kilpeck as "one of the most perfect Norman chur ...

References

External links

The village plan from 2004.

The church website, with much information about it.
Villages in Herefordshire {{Herefordshire-geo-stub