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Hinton Waldrist

This must have been an important church in Norman times when Hinton Waldrist was the centre of a vast estate known as the Honour of St. Valory. The St. Valorys were cousins of the Conqueror and built themselves a fine castle at Hinton soon after 1066. The church still stands just outside the old moat and the first building was probably erected around the same time. The present church mostly dates from the late 13th century, the tower perhaps being slightly earlier (c.1240). It would therefore have been the building in which Lady Mary de Bohun worshipped with her little son, the future King Henry V. Ancient glass showing his Royal Coat of Arms can still be seen in the church. Hinton was one of the many manors belonging to Mary's father, the Earl of Hereford, and one of her mother's favourites. It was here that Mary lived in the first years after her marriage to the Earl of Derby (later King Henry IV). She often visited with her children in later times, but she died before her husband became King. Other interesting features in the church include a clock dating from about 1740 and a good cartouche memorial to John Loder (1701). The building was heavily restored in Victorian times.