Holme, East - Holt

A Topographical Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848.

This free content was digitised by double rekeying. All rights reserved.

'Holme, East - Holt', in A Topographical Dictionary of England, (London, 1848) pp. 533-537. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp533-537 [accessed 18 March 2024]

In this section

Holme, East

HOLME, EAST, an extra-parochial liberty, in the union of Wareham and Purbeck, hundred of Hasilor, Wareham division of Dorset, 2½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Wareham; containing 59 inhabitants. Here was a cell subordinate to the Cluniac priory of Montacute, in the county of Somerset.

Holme-Hale (St. Andrew)

HOLME-HALE (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Swaffham, hundred of South Greenhoe, W. division of Norfolk, 5 miles (E. S. E.) from Swaffham; containing 488 inhabitants. It comprises 2601a. 3r. 39p. of which 1435 acres are arable, 453 pasture and meadow, and 34 woodland. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 16. 5½., and in the gift of the Rev. H. Milne: the tithes have been commuted for £571. 14. 8., and the glebe comprises 57 acres. The church is an ancient structure, with a square embattled tower. There are places of worship for Baptists, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans. The poor have 22 acres of land for fuel: and there is an estate of 46 acres, called the Town estate, for repairing the church, and other parochial uses.

Holme-Next-Runcton (St. James)

HOLME-NEXT-RUNCTON (St. James), a parish, in the union of Downham hundred of Clackclose, W. division of Norfolk, 4¼ miles (N.) from Downham; containing 288 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1096a. 23p., of which about 558 acres are arable, 467 pasture and meadow, and 14 woodland; the river Ouse bounds it on the west. The living is a rectory, united with that of Wallington-with-Thorpland, to the rectory of South Runcton, and valued in the king's books at £12. The tithes have been commuted for £320, and the glebe comprises 14½ acres. The church is a neat structure in the early English style, new roofed and repewed in 1842.

Holme-Next-The-Sea (St. Mary)

HOLME-NEXT-THE-SEA (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Docking, hundred of Smithdon, W. division of Norfolk, 18 miles (N. N. E.) from Lynn; containing 280 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road from Wells to Lynn, comprises by computation 1570 acres, whereof 800 are arable, 300 pasture and meadow, and about 400 salt-marsh and common. The living is a discharged vicarage, annexed to that of Thornham, and valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4.; the appropriate tithes of Holme have been commuted for £290, and the vicarial for £170; the glebe comprises 22 acres. The church was built by Henry de Nottingham, one of the council of the duchy of Lancaster, and is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower crowned by pinnacles: in the south aisle is a brass to the memory of the founder, on which are effigies of himself and his wife; and in the chancel is a monument to Richard Stone and family. The rent of 12 acres of land is distributed among the poor. A whale, measuring 57 feet in length, was thrown on this coast in 1626.

Holme, North

HOLME, NORTH, a township, in the parish of Kirkdale, union of Helmsley, wapentake of Ryedale, N. riding of York, 3 miles (S.) from the town of Kirkby-Moorside; containing 19 inhabitants. It is situated between the Rical and Hodgebeck rivulets, and comprises by computation 610 acres.

Holme-on-the-Wolds (St. Peter)

HOLME-ON-THE-WOLDS (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Beverley, Bainton-Beacon division of the wapentake of Harthill, E. riding of York, 6¼ miles (N. W.) from Beverley; containing 149 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1470 acres, of which 1440 are arable, and 30 pasture; the chief proprietors are Lord Hotham and the Duke of Devonshire. The village is contiguous to the road from Beverley to Malton. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books at £8. 19. 7.; net income, £58; patron and impropriator, the Duke of Devonshire: the tithes were commuted for land and money payments in 1795. The church is a small ancient edifice, with a low tower.

Holme-Pierrepoint (St. Edmund)

HOLME-PIERREPOINT (St. Edmund), a parish, in the union of Bingham, S. division of the wapentake of Bingham, and of the county of Nottingham, 3 miles (E. by S.) from Nottingham; containing with the hamlet of Adbolton, formerly a distinct parish, and part of the hamlet of Bassingfield, 222 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on the north by the river Trent, comprises about 3000 acres. The soil is generally a rich alluvial loam, in some parts mixed with sand and resting on gravel; the surface is flat, and the Grantham canal passes through the southern portion of the parish. The living is a rectory, with the vicarage of Adbolton united in 1707, valued in the king's books at £15. 7. 6., and in the gift of Earl Manvers. The incumbent's tithes in Holme-Pierrepoint, Gamstone, Adbolton, and Bassingfield have been commuted for £748. 16. 3., and the glebe contains 36 acres; a rentcharge of £124 is also paid to the rector of West Bridgeford who has a glebe of 2½ acres. The church, erected in the time of Henry VII., is a fine structure, having numerous large windows with a tower surmounted by a lofty spire; it contains the family vault of the dukes of Kingston, several mural monuments, and some brasses.

Holme, South

HOLME, SOUTH, a township, in the parish of Hovingham, union of Malton, wapentake of Ryedale, N. riding of York, 7¼ miles (N. W. by W.) from Malton; containing 62 inhabitants. It is on the south side of the river Rye, and comprises about 500 acres. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £65. 8.

Holme-Upon-Spalding-Moor (All Saints)

HOLME-UPON-SPALDING-MOOR (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Howden, Holme-Beacon division of the wapentake of Harthill, E. riding of York, 4½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Market-Weighton; containing 1509 inhabitants. This parish, which is skirted on the west and south by the river Foulness, comprises about 12,000 acres, whereof 1000 are woodland and plantations, 1000 rabbit warren, and the remainder arable and pasture. The surface, with the exception of an isolated eminence, on which are the remains of the ancient beacon from which this division of the wapentake has its name, is generally flat; the soil is chiefly of a light and sandy quality, and a considerable portion of the lands is still uninclosed. Holme Hall, the seat of the Hon. Philip Stourton, is a spacious and handsome mansion of brick, situated in a demesne embellished with plantations. The village is on the road from Market-Weighton to Howden and Selby; and the Market-Weighton canal, which passes through the parish at a place called River Head, where it receives the water of the river Foulness, affords a facility of conveyance for lime, coal, bricks, and tiles, from the Humber, for the supply of the district. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10; net income, £97, with a good house; patrons and impropriators, the Master and Fellows of St. John's College, Cambridge. The rectorial tithes were commuted at the inclosure, in 1775, for upwards of 1200 acres of land; and there are 53 acres of vicarial glebe. The church, situated on the Beacon Hill, and commanding a fine prospect, is partly in the later English style, of which the tower is a handsome specimen, with a nave and chancel of earlier date; it was repaired and repewed in 1842, at an expense of £300: over the window of the tower is a statue, which apparently belonged to the original building. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and attached to the Hall is a Roman Catholic chapel. Property now producing an income of £80 per annum was bequeathed to the poor by Sir Marmaduke Constable in 1485, and by Peter Carlill in 1666. Near the Hill is a bed of gypsum, containing specimens of snake-stones; and in the rabbit warren of Follingham farm is a spring said to possess medicinal properties. The shock of an earthquake was felt here on the 18th of January, 1822; and also in 1843, soon after the great earthquake in the West Indies.

Holmer (St. Bartholomew)

HOLMER (St. Bartholomew), a parish in the hundred of Grimsworth, union and county of Hereford, 2 miles (N.) from Hereford; containing 513 inhabitants, of whom 162 are in the township of Holmer with Shelwick. Holmer and Shelwick comprises 2384 acres, of which 86 are common or waste land; the parish extends to the liberties of Hereford, and is intersected by the river Lug and the road from Hereford to Leominster. The living is a discharged vicarage, with the perpetual curacy of Huntington annexed, valued in the king's books at £6. 10. 8.; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Hereford. The appropriate tithes have been commuted for £256, and the vicarial for £220; a rent charge of £20 is paid to an impropriator, and some still smaller rent-charges to various others.

Holmescales.—See Hutton, Old.

HOLMESCALES.—See Hutton, Old.

Holmesfield

HOLMESFIELD, a chapelry, in the parish of Dronfield, union of Chesterfield, hundred of Scarsdale, N. division of the county of Derby, 2 miles (W.) from Dronfield; containing 515 inhabitants. It comprises 4352a. 22p. of which 178 acres are wood, and nearly 2000 uncultivated land. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £97; patrons and impropriators, certain Trustees: the glebe comprises 56 acres. The chapel, rebuilt in 1826, at a cost of £550, contains 300 sittings, of which 60 are free. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and a school is endowed with £18 per annum.

Holmfirth

HOLMFIRTH, a large manufacturing village and a chapelry, partly in the parish of Almondbury, but chiefly in that of Kirk-Burton, union of Huddersfield, Upper division of the wapentake of Agbrigg, W. riding of York, 6 miles (S.) from Huddersfield, and 181 (N.) from London. This place derives its name from the river Holm, over which are two stone bridges, and lies in a vale sheltered by lofty hills, and distinguished by features of romantic beauty. It has risen into importance within the last 50 years, and is indebted for its prosperity to the advantage of its situation in the vicinity of Huddersfield, and to numerous springs of peculiarly soft water rising in the surrounding hills, which led to the formation of large establishments for the manufacture of woollen-cloths. The village, which is very irregularly built, is lighted with gas, under an act passed in 1839. Here are from 30 to 40 mills and factories, affording employment to more than 5000 persons; the machinery is impelled by powerful streams descending from the hills, and the cloths are equally unrivalled for their durability and the beauty and permanence of their colour. Three reservoirs for water were lately made, at a cost of £30,000, under an act of parliament, for the supply of the mills. Facility of intercourse is afforded by good roads leading to Wakefield and Barnsley on the east, to Manchester on the west, to Huddersfield on the north, and to Sheffield and Buxton on the south. Fairs are held on the Saturday after March 27th, the Saturday before Old May-day, and the Saturday after October 28th; and the village is a polling place for the West riding. The powers of the county debt-court of Holmfirth, established in 1847, extend over part of the parishes of Almondbury and Kirk-Burton. The chapelry includes four townships: the living is a perpetual curacy; patron, the Vicar of Kirk-Burton; net income, £150. The church, a handsome and spacious edifice with a tower, was enlarged in 1837, at a cost of £450. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.

Holmpton

HOLMPTON, a parish, in the union of Patrington, S. division of the wapentake of Holderness, E. riding of York, 3½ miles (E. by N.) from Patrington; containing 197 inhabitants. The parish comprises 505a. 3r., of which 52½ acres are pasture. The village is situated near the sea, and is a healthy spot. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 13. 4., and in the patronage of the Crown, with a net income of £152; the tithes were commuted for land and money payments under an act of inclosure, of the 39th and 40th of George III. The church is a small ancient edifice, supposed to have been originally of larger dimensions. Attached to the parsonage is a handsome garden. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Holmside

HOLMSIDE, a township, in the parish and union of Lanchester, W. division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 7¼ miles (N. W.) from Durham; containing 610 inhabitants. This place, which lies near the south-eastern verge of the parish, was anciently the seat of the Tempest and Whittingham families. The Hall appears to have been built with a view to defence, although not a castle: part of the old court-yard is remaining; the chapel forms the north side, and its west window is still perfect, with a mutilated figure above. The original lights of the building are narrow, strongly guarded with mullions and iron bars; the gables have been taken down, and the house enlarged towards the south. It now presents a mass of building of very different dates and forms. On rising ground to the north is New Holmside Hall. The tithes have been commuted for £147.

Holne

HOLNE, a parish, in the union of Totnes, hundred of Stanborough, Stanborough and Coleridge, and S. divisions of Devon, 4 miles (W.) from Ashburton; containing 394 inhabitants. It comprises 4197 acres, of which 2000 are common or waste land: the river Dart here rapidly pursues its course along a romantic rocky dell, beautifully fringed with wood. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8. 5. 5., and in the gift of the Rev. Samuel Lane; the impropriation belongs to Mrs. Lane. The great tithes have been commuted for £150, and the vicarial for £190; the glebe comprises 26 acres. The church, which was connected with the abbey of Buckfastleigh, contains a rood-loft and screen.

Holnest (St. Mary)

HOLNEST (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Sherborne, Sherborne division of Dorset, 4¾ miles (S. by E.) from Sherborne; containing 139 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road from Bath to Weymouth, comprises about 2000 acres. Most of the females are employed in glovemaking at their own dwellings. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Long Burton: the great tithes of Holnest have been commuted for £140, and the small for £108; the incumbent has also a glebe of 11 acres. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style of architecture, with a square embattled tower.

Holnicote

HOLNICOTE, a hamlet, in the parish of Selworthy, union of Williton, hundred of Carhampton, W. division of Somerset; containing 34 inhabitants.

Holsworthy (St. Peter and St. Paul)

HOLSWORTHY (St. Peter and St. Paul), a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Black Torrington, Holsworthy and N. divisions of Devon, 42 miles (W. by N.) from Exeter, and 214 (W. by S.) from London; containing 1857 inhabitants. The parish comprises 9500 acres, whereof 3000 are common or waste land; and is nearly surrounded by the river Derril, or Dearle, famed for the number and quality of its trout. The town, which is neatly built, and approached on the south by a bridge erected in 1832, at an expense of £350, defrayed by the parishioners, is at present of little importance, except for its markets and fairs, chiefly for agricultural produce. Many of the inhabitants were formerly employed in spinning yarn for the manufacture of blankets and serges, which was performed by hand; but since the introduction of machinery, the manufacture has been discontinued. A branch of the Bude and Launceston canal passes about a mile to the north. The marketdays are Wednesday and Saturday. "St. Peter's fair," mentioned in a record of the reign of Edward I., is a large mart for cattle and various commodities, commencing on St. Peter's day (July 10th), unless that day falls later in the week than Thursday, in which case the fair begins on the Tuesday following; the other fairs are on April 27th and Oct. 2nd. There are also great markets for cattle on the first Wednesday after Candlemas-day, and the first Wednesday after the 1st of November; and a sheep-market on every alternate Wednesday following, till Christmas. A court leet and baron are held annually, at which a portreeve and other officers are elected; and the town is a polling-place for the northern division of the county. The powers of the county debt-court of Holsworthy, established in 1847, extend over the registration-districts of Holsworthy and Stratton. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £32. 0. 5.; net income, £478; patron, the Rev. Dr. Worthington: attached are 70 acres of glebe. The church is an ancient building, with a Norman doorway and some other portions in the same style; the tower, which is of great antiquity, forms a very conspicuous object, and has lately been supplied with eight new bells. Here are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans; a national school, supported by subscription; and a diocesan commercial school, recently established. A farm in this parish, and two-thirds of another in that of Black Torrington, producing from £70 to 80 per annum, were bequeathed to the poor by an unknown benefactor. The union of Holsworthy comprises 23 parishes or places, 21 of which are in the county of Devon, and 2 in Cornwall; and contains a population of 12,333. There are some remains of a manorial-house that belonged to the Prideaux family.

Holt

HOLT, a tything, in the parish of Kintbury, union of Hungerford, hundred of Kintbury-Eagle, county of Berks; containing 391 inhabitants.

Holt

HOLT, a tything, in the parish of WimborneMinster, union of Wimborne and Cranborne, hundred of Badbury, Wimborne division of Dorset, 3 miles (N. E. by N.) from Wimborne-Minster; containing 1313 inhabitants. Here were anciently a forest, chase, and park. Holt chapel, dedicated to St. James, has been rebuilt, and 260 free sittings provided.

Holt

HOLT, a chapelry, in the parish of Medbourne, union of Uppingham, hundred of Gartree, S. division of the county of Leicester, 4 miles (W. N. W.) from Rockingham; containing, with the hamlet of Bradley, 40 inhabitants. This chapelry, sometimes called Holt with Bradley, comprises 1097 acres of land, which was mostly in open fields until the inclosure in 1844. Bradley Priory, which stood on the west side of the township, and had an estate here of about 500 acres, was founded by Robert Buoneby, about 1200, for Augustine canons: the site is now occupied by modern dwelling-houses. Holt Hall is a large and handsome mansion, beautifully seated on an eminence commanding extensive views, and is surrounded by pleasure-grounds. The chapel is dedicated to St. Giles, and has a nave, chancel, north and south transepts, and a tower crowned by a lofty spire. There is also a Roman Catholic place of worship. A spring, impregnated with iron and aluminous and calcareous salts, was discovered in 1728, and is called the Nevill-Holt water.

Holt (St. Andrew)

HOLT (St. Andrew), a market-town and parish, in the union of Erpingham, hundred of Holt, W. division of Norfolk, 23 miles (N. N. W.) from Norwich, and 123 (N. N. E.) from London; containing 1604 inhabitants. This place, from the quantity of timber which grew upon its site or by which it was surrounded, was by the Saxons called Holt, signifying a wood: in the reign of Edward the Confessor it was held in royal demesne, and after the Conquest the lordship belonged to the family of De Vaux, or De Vallibus. The town is pleasantly situated on rising ground, in the midst of a fertile district remarkable for the purity of its air, and commands a delightful prospect of the adjacent country, which is justly styled "The Garden of Norfolk." The parish comprises 2849a. 2r. 15p., of which 1774a. 2r. 34p. are arable land, 486a. 1r. 12p. pasture, and 552a. 3r. 38p. woodland. Great improvement has been effected since 1708, in which year a very destructive fire consumed a considerable number of houses, the marketstalls, &c. The houses are neatly built of brick and stone, and the streets macadamized, paved, and lighted with gas; the inhabitants are supplied with water from a spring on Spout Common, and from several wells in the neighbourhood. Here are a circulating library and a book club, supported by subscription; and assemblies are occasionally held in the county-hall. In 1810, the commons and heaths that surrounded the town were inclosed for cultivation; and on the east side, towards Cromer, are now handsome and thriving plantations of forest-trees, interspersed with neat dwelling-houses. The market for corn is on Saturday, and is well attended: fairs, chiefly for live stock, are held on April 25th and Nov. 25th, and the following days; and a statute for hiring servants, at Michaelmas. The powers of the county debt-court of Holt, established in 1847, extend over the great part of the registration-district of Erpingham. Petty-sessions are held every alternate Saturday in the county-hall, a commodious building in which all public business is transacted; and constables and other officers are chosen at the court leet of the lord of the manor, on Dec. 21st.

The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 17. 3½., and in the gift of St. John's College, Cambridge: the tithes have been commuted for £585, including the tithes on the glebe, which contains upwards of 57 acres. About 6 acres of the glebe are let out to the poor, in portions of one rood each, by the incumbent, the Rev. H. Jackson, B. D., who has a handsome parsonage-house, with tastefully laid-out grounds. The church is in the decorated and later English styles, and had formerly upon its tower a lofty spire, which was a useful landmark; the interior contains several monuments, among which is one to the memory of John Holmes, master of the grammar school for more than 30 years, and author of a Greek grammar, &c. There are places of worship for the Society of Friends, Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists, and Baptists. The grammar school was founded in 1554, under letterspatent of Philip and Mary, by Sir John Gresham, Knt., citizen and alderman of London, who endowed it in 1556 with property now producing £428 per annum, and vested the management in the Fishmongers' Company. There is an exhibition of £20 per annum for a scholar to either of the Universities; and Smith's fellowship and scholarship, with an exhibition of £12 per annum, for Sydney-Sussex College, Cambridge, belong to the school. At the inclosure in 1810, 120 acres were allotted for the supply of fuel to those householders whose rent is under £10 per annum. Sir Thomas Gresham, celebrated as a merchant and financier, and who, besides other great and charitable endowments, founded Gresham College and the Royal Exchange, was born here in 1507. Thomas Girdlestone, an eminent physician, and author of several medical works; and William Withers, who wrote several works on the planting and rearing of forest-trees, were also natives. Thomas Cooper, master of the grammar school, was hanged in front of the school-house for his adberence to Charles I.

Holt

HOLT, a chapelry, in the parish, union, and hundred of Bradford, Westbury and N. divisions, and Trowbridge and Bradford sub-divisions, of Wilts, 2¼ miles (E. N. E.) from Bradford; containing 1044 inhabitants. The chapel is dedicated to St. Catherine, and has been enlarged by 200 free sittings: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Bristol, with an income of £195. There are a place of worship for Independents, and a national school. A mineral spring was discovered upwards of a century ago, and is still resorted to for its sanative properties. Mr. David Arnot, long proprietor of the spa, was author of the Commercial Tables bearing his name.

Holt (St. Martin)

HOLT (St. Martin), a parish, in the union of Martley, Lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, Worcester and W. divisions of the county of Worcester, 6 miles (N. N. W.) from Worcester; containing, with the chapelry of Little Witley, 557 inhabitants. This place is of considerable antiquity. A castle was built here by Urso d'Abitot in the reign of William the Conqueror, which was rebuilt by Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and for some time continued to be the residence of the family; in the time of Elizabeth, it was bought by Sir Thomas Bromley, lord chancellor of England, by whom it was sold to the Foley family. The estate is now, by purchase, the property of Lord Ward, and the castle is occupied by a farmer. The parish is bounded on the north-east by the river Severn, over which is a bridge of five arches, 266 feet in length: the central arch is of iron, and has a span of 150 feet at an elevation of 35 feet above the low-water mark; the other arches are of stone. The extent of the parish is 2907a. 3r. 21p., of which 1912a. 3r. 21p. are in Holt; of the whole, two-thirds are arable, and the remainder pasture. Stone of good quality for building is quarried to a considerable extent. The roads from Worcester to Stourport and from Ludlow to Droitwich cross each other at the village; and the Severn also affords facility of conveyance. The living is a rectory, with the chapelry annexed, valued in the king's books at £15. 17. 8½., and in the patronage of Lord Ward: the tithes have been commuted for £570, and the glebe comprises 46 acres, with a house. The church is an ancient structure, of the early Norman style in the nave, with a tower and chancel of far more recent date; the font has some grotesque ornaments.