{{Short description|Village in Herefordshire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Use British English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox UK place |official_name= Kentchurch |static_image_name= File:Kentchurch church - geograph.org.uk - 101801.jpg | static_image_caption = St Mary's church |unitary_england= [[Herefordshire]] |region= West Midlands |country= England |constituency_westminster= [[Hereford and South Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Hereford and South Herefordshire]] |population= 257 |population_ref= (2011)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11125121&c=Kentchurch&d=16&e=62&g=6386300&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1446303023719&enc=1|title=Civil Parish population 2011|accessdate=31 October 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304101957/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11125121&c=Kentchurch&d=16&e=62&g=6386300&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1446303023719&enc=1|url-status=dead}}</ref> |post_town= HEREFORD |postcode_area= HR |postcode_district= HR2 |dial_code= 01981 |os_grid_reference= SO415255 |coordinates = {{coord|51.9261|-2.8456|display=inline,title}} }} '''Kentchurch''' is a small village and [[civil parish]] in [[Herefordshire]], England. It is located some {{convert|13|mi}} south-west of [[Hereford]] and {{convert|13|mi}} north-east of [[Abergavenny]], beside the [[River Monnow]] and adjoining the boundary between England and [[Wales]]. The village name probably derives from an original dedication of the church to a 5th-century [[nun]], [[Saint Keyne|Cein]], or her sister Ceingar, who were daughters of [[Brychan]], king of [[Brycheiniog]].
According to one version of the legend, Kentchurch was the home of the folk figure [[Jack o' Kent]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ash |first=Russell |date=1973 |title=Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain |publisher=Reader's Digest Association Limited |page=320 |isbn=9780340165973 }}</ref>
==Kentchurch Court== [[Kentchurch Court]] is a historic house and [[listed building|Grade I listed building]], dating back largely to the 14th century. It was enlarged in the late 17th or early 18th century, and was partly remodelled in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic revival]] style by [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]] after 1795. Further reconstruction took place in the 1820s. The estate contains a large [[Medieval deer park|deer park]], dating from the time when the land was owned by the [[Knights Templar]].<ref>[http://www.kentchurchcourt.co.uk/house.html Kentchurch Court: House and History]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FRw9AAAAIAAJ&dq=kentchurch+nash&pg=PA554 Anthony Emery, ''Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300-1500: East Anglia, Central England, and Wales'', Cambridge University Press, 2000, p.554]</ref>
It is the family home of the Scudamore family.<ref>[http://www.kentchurchcourt.co.uk/ Kentchurch Court]</ref> Family members included [[John Scudamore (landowner)|Sir John Scudamore]], who acted as [[constable]] and [[steward (office)|steward]] of a number of royal [[castle]]s in [[south Wales]] at the start of the 15th century. He secretly married [[Alys ferch Owain Glyndŵr|Alys]], one of the daughters of [[Owain Glyndŵr]], in 1410, and it has been suggested that the couple may have harboured Glyndŵr himself at Kentchurch after his disappearance around 1412, until his death.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/guide/ch10_part2_revolt_of_owain_glyndwr.shtml BBC: Wales history: The revolt of Owain Glyndŵr]</ref>
In 2004, Kentchurch Court was used as the location of a [[Channel 4]] TV show, ''[[Regency House Party]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110408141641/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/3322120/A-dramatic-rescue.html Sylvia Roger, ''A dramatic rescue'', Daily Telegraph, 18 February 2004]</ref> It was the subject of another Channel 4 documentary as part of the ''[[Country House Rescue]]'' series in 2011.
==Church of St. Mary== The [[parish church]] is dedicated to [[St. Mary]]. Parts date from the 14th century, and there are 17th- and 18th-century monuments to the Scudamore family, but the church was largely rebuilt by the family in the 19th century.<ref>[http://www.achurchnearyou.com/kentchurch-st-mary/ Church of England: Kentchurch]</ref>
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[[Category:Villages in Herefordshire]]