Mordiford is a village in Herefordshire, England, 4 miles south east of the City of Hereford and within the Wye Valley AONB. The village stands at the confluence of the rivers Wye and Lugg, and grew up around an ancient ford over the River Lugg. Mordiford is not recorded in the Domesday Survey, and the name first appears c.1230, perhaps as a derivation from the Welsh mor-gwy – fford meaning ‘the passage way through constantly flowing, muddy waters near a ford’. The river is now crossed by the oldest surviving bridge in Herefordshire, dating in part to c.1352 and completed in the 16th century. The village has a population of around 525 and community facilities include The Moon Public House, Mordiford Church of England Primary School and the Parish Church of the Holy Rood, a Grade II* listed Norman building.

Mordiford is also home to a legend about a little girl who befriended a dragon, which is recognised and cherished in various ways within the village and most recently by the walking trail. The story has been part of local folklore since at least the 18th century. Prior to the written word, local culture was passed on through the oral tradition of storytelling, commonly referring to real events. Historians who visited Mordiford in the 17th and 18th centuries gave varying accounts of the legend and it is the most enduring version that we celebrate in The Mordiford Dragon Trail today. It is likely that the source of the legend was a dragon – like figure that was displayed on the west wall of the church from at least 1670.

In his History of Herefordshire Vol 111(1804), John Duncumb cites Thomas Blount of Orleton who in 1670 observed, ‘On the wall of this church a serpent is pictured with this inscription:

This is the true effigy of that strange Prodigious monster which our woods did range. In Eastwood it by Garstone’s hand was slain, A truth which old mythologists maintain’

Around the same time, antiquarians Thomas Dingley and John Aubrey both described the ‘plaster’ feature on the church wall as a snake/serpent – like figure with 4 pairs of legs and 8 wings. Figure 1 shows a sketch made by Dingley.

Figure 1.

The only painting of the Dragon that exists is by Thomas Hearne in 1809. (Figure 2)

Figure 2.

Over the centuries Mordiford has been prone to flash flooding. In 1811, in what has come to be known as The Great Flood, 4 residents were drowned (the miller, his niece, a local woman and her daughter are remembered by the Memorial on The Green), and the church sustained extensive damage. Major restoration followed, but the central tower with its dragon – like depiction was not reinstated – the reason for which is unknown.

The origins of the dragon on the church are largely unknown. One line of inquiry can be traced to the Abbey of Gloucester and the Priory of St Guthlac, the advowson of Mordiford having been given to the Priory in the 12th century.) As a young man Guthlac (674 – 714) fought the Welsh and was known to subsequently have nightmares involving dragon like creatures. St Guthlac was closely associated with and related to Aethelbald King of Mercia (716 -57) who brought the remains of his body to Hereford where many years later The Priory of St Guthlac was founded. Further research is underway.

Meanwhile the Dragon lives on in the historical records and the folklore of Herefordshire. Within the village, a visitor might spot the dragon incorporated into the logos of the Mordiford Church of England Primary School, Dormington & Mordiford Group Parish Council and the signage of the Mordiford Loop Walk; the weather vane on the roof of the school; The Little Dragon Playgroup and the naming of a local bridleway as Serpent’s Lane, thought to be the route the dragon took to drink at the river.