Cusop
Encyclopedia
Cusop is a village and civil parish
in Herefordshire
, England that lies next to the town of Hay-on-Wye
in Wales
. It is reached by driving out of Hay towards Bredwardine
, and turning right into Cusop Dingle.
The writer L.T.C. Rolt lived here between 1914 and 1922, in a house then known as Radnor View, in a development locally called "Thirty Acres". Spending his early boyhood here, he went on to co-found the Inland Waterways Association
and the Talyllyn Railway
Preservation Society, and to write many books on transport, engineering biography and industrial archaeology.
The village is recorded in Domesday Book
as "Cheweshope".
The Manor of Cusop formed part of the Ewyas Lacy Hundred and was once owned by the Clanowe Family, Edward III, Henry ap Griffith, Vaughans of Moccas and the Cornewall Family, lastly George Cornewall.
Cusop Castle is 200 yards from the church, formerly a fortified residence.
Mouse Castle is an unfinished motte-and-bailey
earthwork, consisting of a rock boss with an artificially scarped vertical side. The castle was held by the de Clanowe family in the 14th century.
In the Dingle is a single track road, locally known as 'Millionaire's Row', because of the large, Victorian houses which line the route up to Offa's Dyke Path
, one of the popular walking tracks in the West of England. It runs alongside the Dulas Brook (forming the border between Wales and England) into the foothills of the Black Mountains
. With a multitude of waterfalls, the Dulas Brook is home to trout
, otter
and kingfisher
s.
Cusop Dingle was home to the poisoner Herbert Rowse Armstrong
, the only English solicitor
ever hanged for murder, and the grave of his wife Katharine is in the parish churchyard. His former home, originally Mayfield but now The Mantles, was owned by Martin Beales, a solicitor working in Armstrong's old office in Hay. Beales believed that Armstrong was innocent and published a book arguing his case.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, England that lies next to the town of Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye , often described as "the town of books", is a small market town and community in Powys, Wales.-Location:The town lies on the east bank of the River Wye and is within the Brecon Beacons National Park, just north of the Black Mountains...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is reached by driving out of Hay towards Bredwardine
Bredwardine
Bredwardine is a village in Herefordshire, England, located off the B4352 road in the west of the county.Features include a brick bridge over the River Wye, a historic late 17th century coaching inn named the Red Lion, St Andrews parish church and the site of Bredwardine Castle.The Wye Valley Walk...
, and turning right into Cusop Dingle.
The writer L.T.C. Rolt lived here between 1914 and 1922, in a house then known as Radnor View, in a development locally called "Thirty Acres". Spending his early boyhood here, he went on to co-found the Inland Waterways Association
Inland Waterways Association
The Inland Waterways Association was formed in 1946 as a registered charity in the United Kingdom to campaign for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and sensitive development of British Canals and river navigations....
and the Talyllyn Railway
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
Preservation Society, and to write many books on transport, engineering biography and industrial archaeology.
The village is recorded in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as "Cheweshope".
The Manor of Cusop formed part of the Ewyas Lacy Hundred and was once owned by the Clanowe Family, Edward III, Henry ap Griffith, Vaughans of Moccas and the Cornewall Family, lastly George Cornewall.
Castles
There are two castles associated with the village. Cusop Castle and Mouse Castle, or Llygad.Cusop Castle is 200 yards from the church, formerly a fortified residence.
Mouse Castle is an unfinished motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
earthwork, consisting of a rock boss with an artificially scarped vertical side. The castle was held by the de Clanowe family in the 14th century.
Cusop Dingle
Cusop Dingle is a wooded valley near the village. It is notable in entomological history as the place where the species Platypeza hirticeps was discovered in 1899.In the Dingle is a single track road, locally known as 'Millionaire's Row', because of the large, Victorian houses which line the route up to Offa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path is a long distance footpath along the Welsh-English border. Opened in 1971, it is one of Britain's premier National Trails and draws walkers from throughout the world...
, one of the popular walking tracks in the West of England. It runs alongside the Dulas Brook (forming the border between Wales and England) into the foothills of the Black Mountains
Black Mountain (hill)
Twyn Llech also known as Black Mountain is a mountain in the Black Mountains . It is the only Marilyn to fall exactly on the Welsh-English border, straddling Powys and Herefordshire...
. With a multitude of waterfalls, the Dulas Brook is home to trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
and kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s.
Cusop Dingle was home to the poisoner Herbert Rowse Armstrong
Herbert Rowse Armstrong
Herbert Rowse Armstrong TD. MA. was an English solicitor and convicted murderer, the only solicitor in the history of the United Kingdom to have been hanged for murder...
, the only English solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
ever hanged for murder, and the grave of his wife Katharine is in the parish churchyard. His former home, originally Mayfield but now The Mantles, was owned by Martin Beales, a solicitor working in Armstrong's old office in Hay. Beales believed that Armstrong was innocent and published a book arguing his case.