Blanche Parry

Vowchurch

As Vowchurch was named Fowchirche in 1291, the present Vowchurch preserves Welsh pronunciation of a single 'f' as 'v'. It meant a multicoloured church in Old English, suggesting differently coloured stones, or timber, were used in the original building, or that it was brightly, and noticeably, painted.

Church: St. Bartholomew

Surviving records show the Church was consecrated in 1348.
In the same year it was noted that it held 16 altars: the High Altar, to the Virgin Mary, Saints John the Baptist, Apostle Bartholomew, Laurence (a dedication often denoting a Roman site), King Æthelbert (patron saint of Hereford Cathedral), Blaise, Martin, Gregory, Thomas of Hereford, Mary Magdalene, Agnes, Cecilia, Katherine (popular in Herefordshire), Margaret and Milburga / Mildburh.
Most are typical Norman dedications so interesting that dedications survived to King Æthelbert of the East Angles (killed by King Offa of Mercia at his palace at Sutton Walls) and Mildburh (Abbess of Much Wenlock, granddaughter of King Penda of Mercia).
Of these saints only Bartholomew’s name is still attached to the Church.
The present building is Norman and Medieval, including the chancel roof, but 'largely re‐equipped in or c.1613' (Pevsner).
See: The Abbeydore Deanery

Among the interesting field‐names in, and around, Vowchurch tithe fields 69 The Rounds and 70 Adjoining The Rounds are particularly noteworthy as this name is unique in the county. The use of 'The' shows that it is a specific name and not just descriptive. The field is Poston Iron Age Hillfort but no other hillfort is given a name like this. So, here, it very probably originates from the interior being used for plays in the Medieval period (see here).

Note re Names: If the origin of names is lost then a fanciful one may be created. Vowchurch and Turnastone are good examples of this. The story, using the modern versions of the names, was of a lady who 'vowed' to build a church before her sister could 'turn a stone' but, of course, this is sadly untrue.

Poston Iron Age Hillfort

(On private land)

A small hillfort defended by a single bank / rampart with outer ditch, unexcavated, but dating between c. 600 BC to the Roman Conquest of 43 AD. The period is named for the introduction and use of iron working techniques, initially for weapons. Poston had one entrance. The people would have lived in well‐made, round, timber and thatch, single storey houses inside the rampart and ditch. They worked the surrounding land, growing crops, raising cattle and sheep and using the woodland for building resources, fire materials and to forage pigs. Water was fetched from the River Dore or caught in rain barrels. They traded for iron. Timberline and Dorstone hillforts are nearby. see: 'Iron Age Roman Thesis' pages 103 to: 105.

Medieval Plays

Entertainments of all kinds were immensely popular from early times. After all, people like to enjoy themselves! See: Early History of Drama
Medieval plays, now known as Mystery Plays, dramatised Biblical and religious stories and have been revived, in for example the York Cycle, in modern times. Some scripts have lovely poetry and perceptive scenes, while others are blood-and-horror melodrama. Stunts, comic clowning and pure farce were included. Hereford had its own cycle of Mystery Plays (see Hereford's Mystery Plays) though the scripts have not survived.
Earlier than these were Rounds, one example being The Castle of Perseverance, concerned with the problems of life and is the forerunner of the Morality Plays which had allegorical characters like Truth, Wisdom, Vice and Death (who usually entered from among the audience!). The most famous Morality Play is the late 15th century Everyman.
Rounds, were plays performed in a circular, or oval, area marked out by a bank and ditch. Scaffolds / stages, or tenti, were erected around the edge of the playing space with, usually, one was in the centre. The audience was directed from one stage to the next as the action progressed. Many suitable venues could be utilised as playing areas and in 1540 Truro Castle in Cornwall was noted as one.

Turnastone

The first part, turn, is from OE thorn break or possibly thorn hedge. The ‐stone can refer to a notable stone feature, perhaps even a survival from the Medieval or Roman periods. There are field‐names, and artefacts, indicating Roman occupation in the valley, see: here

Church: St. Mary Magdalene

Late Norman, with two c.1300 nave windows and a plastered wagon style roof with bosses. It is a small church with a bell‐turret.
The incised 1522 burial slab of Thomas Aparri and his wife has lively portraits, with a little satyr wearing a big hat playing a pipe to the left of Thomas' head. Thomas from Poston was a cousin of Blanche Parry (see Bacton). Thomas' new 'English' surname of Aparri was actually Thomas ap Harri / Thomas the son of Harri. His son would be 'son of Thomas'. Welsh names changed in each generation. See Richardson 2018 and Turnastone Guide
See: The AbbeyDore Deanery