THE 'forgotten' history of Herefordshire will be brought back to life thanks to a £180,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The money will help re-launch a comprehensive history of Herefordshire, which was abandoned after just one volume in 1908.

The Herefordshire Victoria County History Trust is thrilled with a grant of £181,850, which will be spread over four years.

The project to compile the 'Victoria County History of Herefordshire' is expected to cost £250,000.

Herefordshire Council, the University of Gloucestershire, sponsors and subscribers will fund the remaining £64,968 needed for the publication.

The Institute of Historical Research of London University will appoint an editor who is to start research on Ledbury this autumn before moving on to neighbouring parishes in the east of the county.

The trust hopes that the Ledbury section will be the first stage of a 10-volume parish-by-parish history of the county.

The trust's honorary secretary, David Whitehead, believes the publication will become an essential tool for anyone interested in the history of the county and the first port of call for schoolchildren, students and planners.

"Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Shropshire all have their own county histories, either complete or currently being written. Herefordshire, until now, had been forgotten," said Mr Whitehead.