Weston Hamlett.

The history of Hay on Wye usually concentrates on the castle and Jacobean Mansion built on the bluff in the centre of town, and the cluster of buildings around them. Easily overlooked is the original pre-Norman settlement to the west of the town.

Known as Weston Hamlets it lay outside the 1237 town walls on the flat agricultural lands of Gypsy Castle. The first Mott and Bailey castle and St Mary's Church formed the core of this settlement and legally it remained distinct from the town being part of Haia Wallensis or Welsh Hay until at least the 17th century.

Latterly this is the area of the town expansion. Here are the almshouses, the workhouse, the National School, hospitals, wells, and memorials to the dearly departed. It was also the site of the Bletchley Park monitoring station for decoding Enigma signals during the Second World War. This is the story of Weston Hammett the founding settlement of what became the town of Hay on Wye, and the people who who lived there.