Herefordshire Lore

From Viking jewellery and Victorian postboxes to canals, coracles and medieval manuscripts, Hereford’s third annual History Day proved a big draw this May (May 16 2026).

It was the first formal engagements for city mayor Councillor Cat Hornsey who, accompanied by her civic retinue, opened our event at St Peter’s Church and the City Library.

The Mayor was greeted by pair of Wye coracles and their paddlers at the church door and, inside, a genuine 125cc BSA Bantam postman’s motorbike and Victorian postbox brought along by the Mayne family. Later the mayor visited all twenty history and heritage stalls, ranging from Herefordshire Museum’s Viking hoard and Bartonsham History exhibit on lost city churches, to researcher Mary Fennah’s display on the county’s Women’s Land Army workers.

The City Guides ran tours of Hereford, the Town Hall Heritage Suite was open for the Day, and capacity audiences filled the Library’s Oak Room for talks on hiring fairs, Hereford’s Secret Army, and notable Herefordshire Women.

IOA editor Marsha O’Mahony explained that Hereford History Day was organised with financial backing from Hereford City Council, Watkins and Thomas Estate Agents, Bill Jackson Estate Agents, Chris at C M Coatings Rotherwas, Herefordshire Libraries, and Wye Valley Brewery: We’re really proud of being able to offer the event free and open to all,” she said.

“As well as attracting several hundred local people,  the Day brought in visitors from as far afield as Leicester and Manchester – there was even a group of Leominster fruit pickers from Tajikistan who came to admire the coracles and stayed for coffee.”

History Day marked the mid point of the fortnight-long Herefordshire Histories Festival which, according to the Festival’s David Hitchiner, was going from strength to strength: “This year has seen more than 80 organisations taking part and History Day was just one of almost 200 events. History Day and the county-wide Festival are being embraced by Herefordians working together to celebrate our rich and unique history.”

Eileen Klotz, committee member, died April 4 2026 

Eileen Hyde and her brother Geoffrey were brought up in Bushey, Hertfordshire. After schooling, Eileen served with Wrens overseas, picking up formidable secretarial skills which proved a vital asset when later she worked at the Rural Media Company before helping run the county Self Help Group, Herefordshire Citizen Advocacy and the Family Mediation Service.

Back in the late 1960s she left the Wrens to crew with Merchant Seaman (and husband to-be) Ted Klotz, bringing a touch of cordon bleu cookery to the Mediterranean private yachting trade. After travelling the Mediterranean together she and Ted returned to the UK to marry and start their family.

Although the couple separated she and Ted, who died in 2024, remained close companions as Eileen became involved in pre-school initiatives, women’s politics, self-help and rural issues. She would also pursue a wide range of interests from Zen calligraphy, dancing, travel, and astrology to dowsing, poetry, and her delightful garden at her Central Avenue home in Hereford. Eileen leaves daughters Helen and Jo, son David and three grandchildren, Isabelle, Riccardo and Emilia.

Eileen joined Herefordshire Lore in the 1990s and for the next 25 years became the mainstay of the oral history group, running the subscription lists and playing a leading role in our work recording and archiving such pioneering projects as the Rotherwas munitions interviews, River Voices and Hereford Cattle Market initiatives.

Above all Eileen was, as committee member Sandy put it, ‘known and loved by so many for her kindness’. Similar sentiments were expressed by others: ‘always so pleasant’; ‘always so friendly and welcoming’; ‘a kind and lovely lady’; and finally, ‘Bless her. She’ll be missed’.

In Our Age V80, our joint project with Herefordshire Libraries marking VE and VJ Days, was submitted for the national Alan Ball Award through the British Association for Local Histories. We didn’t win (the winner was A Beacon of Curiosity, Essays on Social and Industrial History in Honour of Enid Gauldie; Abertay Historical Society, Vol. 66.).

However, the judges ‘thought that while your publication was slim in format it contained a significant amount of high-quality information and insight into many aspects of Herefordshire during World War Two, notably those who served and others involved in the home front.

‘They felt it was very well written and designed, with good editing by Marsha O’Mahony,  and clearly the result of much research. They especially enjoyed the personal stories interwoven through your commemorative issue.  It is an excellent publication, which made the decisions so difficult. You should be very proud of what you have achieved.’

Get Creative – Herefordshire Young Historian Award

“Great great grandad took a Hereford bull to Market and won First Prize”

“My Nan rode a motor cycle in World War Two!”

Everyone has a story to tell and we’re collecting them. Herefordshire Libraries and Herefordshire Lore are running this year’s county-wide Young Historian Award.

We’re asking all 9-11 year olds (that’s school Years 5 & 6) to get creative with a family story. It could be a picture, a photo story, a collage, or . . . just make sure it’s no bigger than an A4 page and hand it in to your local library before Friday May 8. Or send it in here:

Herefordshire Young Historian Award 2026

It’s all part of the Herefordshire Histories Festival (9 – 25 May) and the winners will be announced at Hereford History Day, May 16 2026 at St Peter’s in St Peters Square, Hereford.

Don’t delay – start work today!

The county has been remembering the war years, 1939-1945, with the help of Herefordshire Libraries.

It’s all part of our 80:80 project, marking VE Day and VJ Day by collecting 80 of your memories, photos, and stories to mark the 80th anniversary of the war’s end.

Amongst the many memories, Allan spoke of his Mum who became one of Hereford’s first wartime policewomen; June, whose baby brother was taken into care during the Blitz, but who never came home; and the miraculous survival of the Hereford hop farmer saved by the Dutch Resistance after his bomber was shot down.

All these and more will be published in the free 80:80 magazine, due to be published with IOA in September.

Why not subscribe to IOA today and get your free copy?

Note: Burma Star connections? A Victory Japan Memorial Day will be held at St Peter’s Square, Hereford on Friday August 15

VE Day – Victory in Europe – saw some serious partying around the county!

On that day Ross-on-Wye student teacher Barbara Sharpe (nee Philips) took the train to Hereford for the newly opened May Fair: “My luck was in: I won two glasses and a toy dog!”

Jean Muldowney, meanwhile, joined a conga on Hereford’s Castle Green, a band blasting out Glen Miller’s In The Mood, as she danced her way into High Town.

Yet 5,000 miles away Bulmer Avenue’s Don Cornford was struggling to stay alive, a prisoner of war slaving on Burma’s notorious Death Railway. Don wasn’t released until VJ Day – Victory Japan Day – in August 1945.

Now Herefordshire Libraries and Herefordshire Lore are coming together to remember the men, women and children affected by the War in 80:80. Between May’s VE Day and August’s VJ Day we will collect 80 stories, items, photos and memories to mark the war. They will be published on the county Libraries’ Herefordshire History website, herefordshirehistory.org.uk

In Our Age editor Marsha O’Mahony, editor of Herefordshire Lore’s In Our Age, will open 80:80 at Hereford’s city library in the Town Hall from 10.00 to 12.30 on Thursday’s VE Day: “We often mark such events by looking at the men serving in the Armed Forces, but the war touched everyone – mothers, evacuees, POWs at home and abroad. And even school children and evacuees: everyone paid a price for the war years.”

Join Marsha if you can at:

• Hereford Library: VE Day May 8 Thursday, 10.00 – 12.30
• Ross Library: May 15 Thursday, 10.00 – 12.30
• Ledbury Library: May 22 Thursday, 10.00 – 12.30
• Leominster Library: May 29 Thursday, 10.00 – 12.30
• Hereford Library: June 5 Thursday, 10.00 – 12.30

Join Kevin Tillett and author Marsha O’Mahony at The Vaga Tavern in Hereford for two hours of river memories.

Friday 16th May 6pm to 8pm

The Vaga Tavern, Vaga Street, Hereford HR2 7AT

Free but donations welcome

Part of Herefordshire Histories Festival

Herefordshire Lore held it’s AGM at Herefordshire Archives and Record Centre (HARC) on Thursday 6th February 2025.

We were pleased to welcome a good number of guests and supporters, including the current Mayor of Hereford, Councillor Kevin Tillett and Mayors Officer John Marshall.

Acting Chair, Bill Laws, was voted in as Chair, stalwart Eileen Klotz remains our Secretary, and Harvey Payne who has been keeping an eye on our finances remains our Treasurer.

Bill outlined what Herefordshire Lore is about:

‘We find people and interview them face to face, we turn those interviews into transcripts and eventually store them at HARC’

‘The National Oral History Society tell us the monetary value of each interview is probably worth £500, so our 2000 archived interviews could be worth over £100,000!’

‘It is an extraordinary resource, that is of course invaluable to the people of Herefordshire and those interested in remembered history.’

Bill reminded people that Herefordshire Lore relies on subscriptions, donations and receiving project grants to carry on its valuable work. We also rely on our team of volunteers, and of course, the people who come forward with their stories and photographs.

Following Bill’s introduction and briefing about what the future holds for Herefordshire Lore our ‘In Our Age‘ magazine editor, Marsha O’Mahony, gave an illustrated talk about the people of River Wye from her book ‘River Voices‘.

If you have a Herefordshire related story that you would like to tell, please get in touch.