Archenfield

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For the preceding Welsh kingdom, see Ergyng

Archenfield is the English name for an area of western Herefordshire in England. It is known, in Welsh, as Ergyng.

Originally a Welsh kingdom, which degenerated into a mere cantref, the name derives from the old Roman town of Ariconium at Weston-under-Penyard. Since the English took over the region, sometime before the Norman Conquest, it has stretched between the River Monnow and River Wye, but was once much larger.

The Domesday Book recorded that the Welsh of Archenfield were allowed to retain their old rights and privileges in return for forming an advance and rear guard when the King's army entered or left Wales. The area remained somewhat in limbo, neither in England nor Wales, until the 16th century Laws in Wales Acts tidied up the situation. It remained a Welsh-speaking region until the 17th century.

The symbol of Archenfield and, specifically, of the town of Ross-on-Wye is the hedgehog, locally known as an urchin.