Abingdon
ABINGDON, a borough
and market-town having
exclusive jurisdiction, and
the head of a union, locally
in the hundred of Hormer,
county of Berks, of which
it is the county town, 6 miles
(S.) from Oxford, 26 (N. W.
by N.) from Reading, and
56 (W. N. W.) from London;
containing, exclusively of
that part of the parish of
St. Helen which is without
the borough, and actually in the hundred of Hormer,
5585 inhabitants; of whom 4947 are in the parish of
St. Helen, and 638 in that of St. Nicholas. This place,
according to a manuscript in the Cottonian library
quoted by Dugdale, was, in the time of the Britons, a
city of considerable importance, and distinguished as a
royal residence, to which the people resorted to assist at
the great councils of the nation. By the Saxons it was
called Scovechesham, or Sewsham; but it acquired the
name of Abbendon, "the town of the abbey," on the removal hither, in 680, of a Monastic institution previously founded at Bagley Wood, now an extra-parochial
liberty in the vicinity, by Cissa, viceroy of Centwine,
ninth king of Wessex; on which institution Ceadwalla,
the king's son and successor, bestowed the town and its
appendages. After the establishment of the monastery,
Offa, King of Mercia, on a visit to Abingdon, was so much
pleased with the situation that he erected a palace here,
in which he and his immediate successors, Egferth and
Cenwulf, occasionally resided. The monastery continued
to flourish till 871, when it was destroyed by the Danes;
in consequence, Edred, grandson of Alfred, in 955 laid
the first stone of a new monastery, which was completed
after his death by the abbot of Ethelwold and his successor Ordgar, and which, from the extent of its endowments and privileges, subsequently augmented by Edgar
and Canute the Great, was raised to the dignity of a
mitred abbey. William the Conqueror in 1084 celebrated the festival of Easter at Abingdon, where he was
sumptuously entertained by Robert D'Oilly, one of the
most powerful barons of the time, under whose care the
king left his son Henry to be educated in this convent,
where the prince imbibed those acquirements which afterwards procured for him the surname of Beauclerc. At
the Dissolution, the revenue of the abbey was £1876.
10. 9. A nunnery was also founded here by Cilla, niece
of Cissa, who presided over it till her death, when it was
removed to Witham: the site was afterwards given, by
Edward VI., to Christ's hospital in this town. The
Guild of the Holy Cross was instituted in St. Helen's
church prior to the reign of Richard II., and appears to
have been refounded in that of Henry V., when the
brethren erected bridges at Burford and Culhamford,
where the ferry across the river Thames was so dangerous that passengers and cattle had been frequently lost.
It was dissolved in 1547, at which period its revenue
amounted to £85. 15. 6.
Arms.
In the early part of the civil war of the seventeenth
century, Charles I. garrisoned Abingdon, where he established the head-quarters of his cavalry; but on the
retreat of the royal forces to Oxford, in 1644, the Earl
of Essex took possession of it, and garrisoned it for
the parliament; and a few days afterwards, Waller's
army, which had been stationed near Wantage, entered
the town, and among other excesses destroyed the cross
in the market-place, at which, in 1641, the accommodation with the Scots had been celebrated by 2000 choristers. This cross is particularly noticed by Camden for
its beauty, and was the model of one afterwards erected
at Coventry. Sir Stephen Hawkins in 1645, and Prince
Rupert in the following year, attacked the garrison unsuccessfully: on these occasions the defenders put every
Irish prisoner to death, without trial; whence the expression "Abingdon law."
The town, which is pleasantly situated at the influx
of the small river Ock into the Thames, is handsomely
built, and consists of several spacious streets diverging
from the market-place; it is well paved and lighted,
under a local act of the 6th of George IV., and is amply
supplied with water. The several bridges near the town
have been widened and improved by voluntary contributions, and the causeway connected with Culham
bridge forms a pleasant promenade. An act for inclosing lands was passed in 1841. Races take place in
September, at which time, also, assemblies are held in
the council-chamber. The manufacture of woollen goods
was formerly carried on to a great extent, but has quite
declined; and during the late war, Abingdon had a good
trade in sail-cloth, sacking, and coarse manufactures of
a similar description; but, owing to the competition of
the establishments in the north of England and in
Scotland, this source of employment has also declined.
The trade now consists in corn and in malt, which are
sold to a considerable extent. Several wharfs and warehouses have been constructed, where the Wilts and
Berks canal joins the Thames, near its confluence with
the Ock; and the Oxford branch of the Great Western
railway has a station three miles south-east of the town,
in the county of Oxford. The market-days are Monday,
chiefly for corn, and Friday, for provisions only: fairs
for horses and horned-cattle are held on the first Monday in Lent, May 6th, June 20th, Aug. 5th, Sept. 19th,
the Monday before Old Michaelmas-day (a statute fair),
Monday after Oct. 12th (a great market), and Dec. 11th;
and there is also a fair for wool.
The borough was incorporated by Philip and Mary
in 1555-6, and other charters were granted by Elizabeth,
James I., and George III., chiefly confirmatory of the
original, by which the corporation was styled the
"Mayor, Bailiffs, and Burgesses of the borough of Abingdon." Under the Municipal act of 1836 the corporation is now styled the "Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses," which has been adopted as the motto of a new
seal; and consists of a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12
councillors: the burgesses are about 300 in number, and
the mayor, late mayor, and recorder, with four others,
are justices for the borough, of which the municipal and
parliamentary boundaries are the same. There is a
court of sessions quarterly, with jurisdiction over felonies
and misdemeanors; the magistrates hold a petty-session
every Tuesday; and courts leet and view of frankpledge
are held by the mayor within a month after Easter and
Michaelmas. The county debt-court of Abingdon, established in 1847, has jurisdiction over the greater part of
the registration-district of Abingdon. The old borough
gaol has been converted into a police station-house and
other uses, and the borough justices have the privilege
of committing prisoners to the county bridewell; the
prisoners, however, being supported out of the borough
rate. The town returns a member to parliament; the
mayor is returning officer. The members for the county
are elected at Abingdon; and the county magistrates
hold a petty-session on alternate Mondays for the
Abingdon division. The market-house is a spacious and
elegant building of freestone, erected by the corporation
in 1678, having a commodious hall in which the Nisi
Prius court at the assizes is held, and public business
connected with the borough or county is transacted.
The county bridewell, a handsome stone edifice, erected
in 1811, at an expense of £26,000, comprises a courthouse, in which the crown court at the summer assizes,
and the July county sessions, are held; the October sessions take place here and at Reading alternately.
Abingdon comprises the parishes of St. Helen and
St. Nicholas; the former including, in the out-parish,
part of the townships of Shippon and Northcourt, and
the whole of Sandford, Barton, and Pumney; and the
latter, the remainder of Shippou and Northcourt, with
some lands in Sunningwell and Bayworth, which are all
without the limits of the borough. The living of St.
Helen's is a vicarage, with the rectory of St. Nicholas
and the chapelry of Drayton annexed, valued in the king's
books at £29. 11. 3., and having a net income of £255;
it is in the patronage of the Crown. The church is a
handsome structure in the early English style, with a
square embattled tower surmounted by a lofty spire.
The church of St. Nicholas, built about the close of the
thirteenth, or commencement of the fourteenth, century,
has some remains of Norman architecture. Mr. Wrigglesworth left lands and tenements, in Abingdon, for the
support of a lecture in St. Helen's church, to be delivered every Saturday evening from Michaelmas to
Lady-day, and at the church at Marcham (a village two
miles and a half distant) on every Sunday morning from
Lady-day till Michaelmas. There are places of worship for Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents,
and Wesleyans. The Free Grammar school, for the
education of "Threescore and thirteen" boys, was founded
in 1563, by John Royse, and endowed with two messuages in Birchin-lane, London, now occupied by part
of the premises belonging to the London Assurance
Company. In 1608, William Bennett, of "Marlborowe,"
left land in "Brodeblunsdon" for the maintenance of six
poor scholars in Royse's school; these are elected by
the master and governors of Christ's hospital in this
town, and, from the increase of the funds, are clothed,
and instructed also in writing and arithmetic. In 1609,
Thomas Tesdale gave certain lands in the county of
Warwick, to maintain an usher, whose salary is £120
per annum. The school is entitled to six scholarships
at Pembroke College, Oxford, established by Thomas
Tesdale, two to be filled by the founder's kin, and the
others from the school at large; and to four more
scholarships at the same college, instituted by Richard
Wightwick, two for the founder's kin.
Christ's Hospital, on the west side of St. Helen's
church, erected in 1446, originally belonged to the fraternity of the Holy Cross, on the dissolution of which
establishment, in 1547, the inhabitants applied through
Sir John Mason, to Edward VI., for the restoration of
their lost estates, and the foundation of an hospital for
the relief of the poor of the town. In compliance with
this application the monarch, by letters-patent in 1553,
founded the hospital under its present name, and incorporated twelve persons for its government, called "The
Master and Governors of the Hospital of Christ." It
consists of almshouses for six poor men, six women,
and a nurse, with cloisters, and a handsome hall, where
prayers are read morning and evening to the inmates.
An almshouse was built in 1718, for eighteen men or
women; and there is another, near the river Thames,
for six men or women, to which Mr. Beasley, in 1826,
bequeathed £600 stock, the interest to be paid weekly,
and Thomas Knight, Esq., in 1836, left £600 three and
a half per cents. St. John's hospital, in the Vineyard,
was endowed before the Reformation, for six poor men,
and rebuilt by the corporation in 1801; B. Bedwell,
Esq., was a liberal contributor to it, and Mr. Beasley
added £600 stock to the endowment. An almshouse
near St. Helen's church was erected in 1707, by Charles
Twitty, for the maintenance of three men and three women; bequests of £200 each, by John Bedwell in 1799,
and Samuel Cripps in 1819, and of £600 three per cent.
stock by Mr. Beasley in 1826, have been added to the
original endowment. There are also houses for four
men and four women, endowed in 1733, by Benjamin Tomkins. The union of Abingdon comprises 27
parishes or places, in the county of Berks, and 11 in
that of Oxford, and contains a population of 18,789.
The remains of the abbey consist chiefly of the gateway
entrance, which, though greatly mutilated, displays some
beautiful details of the later style of English architecture.
St. Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury; Sir John Mason,
British ambassador at the court of France, and chancellor of the University of Oxford; and the late Lord Colchester, were natives of this place; which confers the
title of Earl on the family of Bertie.
Abinger (St. James)
ABINGER (St. James), a parish, in the union of
Dorking, First division of the hundred of Wotton,
W. division of Surrey, 4½ miles (S. W. by W.) from
Dorking; containing 920 inhabitants. This parish is
noticed in the Domesday survey, under the appellation
of Abinebourne; it comprises 5547 acres, of which 374
are common or waste, and includes a small hamlet called
Hammer, from an iron-hammer mill formerly here.
Abinger Hall is the pleasant seat of Lord Abinger. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£12. 8. 1½., and in the gift of the Evelyn family: the
tithes have been commuted for £584, and there are 85
acres of glebe. The church, which occupies an elevated
site, is an ancient edifice, with a low wooden tower and
pyramidal spire. Sir James Scarlett was raised to the
peerage by the title of Baron Abinger in 1835, having
previously been appointed chief baron of the exchequer;
he died in 1844.
Abinghall (St. Michael)
ABINGHALL (St. Michael), a parish, in the union
of Westbury, hundred of St. Briavells, W. division
of the county of Gloucester, 4 miles (N. by W.) from
Newnham; containing 239 inhabitants. This place,
formerly called Abbenhall, derived its name from being
the residence of the abbots of Flaxley. It contains 691
acres, of which 306 are arable, 238 pasture, and 121
woodland; the surface is hilly, and the soil in general
sandy, but towards the east rich and fertile. There are
mines of coal and iron-ore, and stone is quarried; facilities of conveyance are afforded by tram-roads and by
the Severn. The manufacture of paper is carried on to
a considerable extent at Gun's mills, formerly an ironfurnace; the machinery is worked by a stream issuing
from St. Anthony's well, the water of which is reputed
to be efficacious in cutaneous diseases. The living is a
discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£6. 6. 8., and in the gift of the Dean of Llandaff: the
tithes have been commuted for £136. 17., and there
are 26 acres of glebe. The church is an old edifice, in
the early English style.
Abington (St. Peter and St. Paul)
ABINGTON (St. Peter And St. Paul), a parish,
in the hundred of Spelhoe, union, and S. division of
the county, of Northampton, 1½ mile (E. N. E.) from
Northampton; containing 143 inhabitants. This was
the residence and burial-place of Elizabeth Hall, granddaughter of the immortal Shakspeare, and widow of
Thomas Nash; she married Sir John Bernard, lord of
the manor of Abington, and resided here till her death.
The parish comprises 1140 acres; it is bounded on the
south and south-east by the river Nene, and the roads
to Kettering and Wellingborough pass through it. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20;
net income, £200; patron, John Loyd, Esq. The
church was rebuilt in 1825, with the exception of the
tower, which is ancient and of square form, with pinnacles.
Abington, Great (St. Mary)
ABINGTON, GREAT (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Linton, hundred of Chilford, county of Cambridge, 2¼ miles (N. W.) from Linton; containing 358
inhabitants. This place was formerly in the possession
of the Veres, earls of Oxford, to one of whom a market
on Friday, to be held here, was granted about 1256,
with a fair on the festival of St. Lawrence, both of which
have been long discontinued. The living is a discharged
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 16. 3.; net
income, £62: patron and impropriator, T. Mortlock,
Esq. The tithes, with some exceptions, were commuted
for land under an inclosure act passed in 1801.
Abington-in-the-Clay, or Abington-Pigots (St. Michael)
ABINGTON-IN-THE-CLAY, or Abington-Pigots
(St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Royston,
hundred of Armingford, county of Cambridge, 4½
miles (W. N. W.) from Royston; containing 232 inhabitants. It had formerly the privilege of holding a market
on Friday, granted about the year 1335 to the Bassingbourns. The parish comprises 1239a. 8p., of which 885
acres are arable, 268 meadow, 64 wood, and 19 occupied
by cottages. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £16. 2. 3½., and in the gift of M. G. F. Pigott,
Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £354, and
there are 28 acres of glebe.
Abington, Little (St. Mary)
ABINGTON, LITTLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Linton, hundred of Chilford, county of
Cambridge, 2¾ miles (N. W. by N.) from Linton; containing 277 inhabitants. This place appears to be of
some antiquity, its church having been given by Stephen,
Earl of Brittany, to the monastery of St. Mary in York;
subsequently to which, the prior of Pentney, in Norfolk, possessed it. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £7. 6. 5½.; net income,
£87; patron, T. Mortlock, Esq. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment by an inclosure
act in 1801.
Ab-Kettleby (St. James)
AB-KETTLEBY (St. James), a parish, in the union
of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of Framland, N. division of the county of Leicester, 3 miles (N. W. by N.)
from Melton-Mowbray, on the road to Nottingham;
containing, with the hamlet of Holwell, 380 inhabitants.
This parish is situated near the border of Nottinghamshire, and comprises 2127 acres, of which 660 are arable,
and 1467 pasture. The living is a vicarage, valued in
the king's books at £15. 10. 5., and in the patronage of
the Rev. Thomas Bingham: the tithes for the waste
grounds inclosed in the parish were commuted for land
by an inclosure act in 1761. At Holwell is a chapel of
ease.
Ablington
ABLINGTON, a tything, in the parish of Bibury,
union of Northleach, hundred of Brightwell'sBarrow, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 5¼
miles (N. W. by N.) from Fairford; containing 96 inhabitants. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for
£364.
Ablington
ABLINGTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Figheldean, union and hundred of Amesbury, Everley and
Pewsey, and S. divisions of Wilts; containing 137 inhabitants.
Abney
ABNEY, a hamlet, in the parish of Hope, union of
Bakewell, hundred of High Peak, N. division of the
county of Derby, 4¾ miles (N. E.) from Tideswell; containing, with Abney-Grange, 102 inhabitants.
Abram
ABRAM, a township, in the parish and union of
Wigan, hundred of West Derby, S. division of the
county of Lancaster, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Wigan;
containing 901 inhabitants. This township was originally called Adburgham, and afterwards Abraham, and
gave name to an ancient family of landowners, of whom
Gilbert de Abram and John Abraham are mentioned in
the reigns of Henry IV. and Henry V. It comprises
1769 acres, of which 442 are arable, and 1327 pasture;
the soil is chiefly clay. Several coal-mines are in operation; and the Duke of Bridgewater's canal skirts the
township. There are some ancient seats, among which
is Abram Hall, a moated brick mansion existing since
the time of Henry VI. A district church dedicated to
St. John has been built, towards defraying the expense
of which the Incorporated Society granted £200: the
living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Rector,
with a net income of £146. A school-house was erected
in 1824, at the cost of Mrs. Bevan, of Lowton House.
The tithes have been commuted for £242.
Abridge
ABRIDGE, a hamlet, in the parish of Lambourn,
union and hundred of Ongar, S. division of Essex, 6½
miles (N. N. W.) from Romford. This place, which is
on the high road to Chipping-Ongar, and is bounded on
the north by the river Roding, was formerly called Affebruge, or Affebridge; it has within the last few years
rapidly increased, and contains several handsome houses.
A chapel of ease was erected in 1833; and there is a
place of worship for Wesleyans.
Abson.—See Wick and Abson.
ABSON.—See Wick and Abson.
Abthorpe (St. John the Baptist)
ABTHORPE (St. John The Baptist), a parish, in
the union and hundred of Towcester, S. division of the
county of Northampton, 3 miles (W. S. W.) from Towcester; containing, with the hamlets of Charlock and
Foscot, 449 inhabitants. This parish was formerly a
chapelry dependent upon the vicarage of Towcester,
from which it was separated by act of parliament in
1737. It is situated on the right bank of the river
Tow, which bounds it on the north-west; and consists
of 1895a. 3r. 17p., whereof two-thirds are arable and
the remainder pasture. Limestone is quarried. The
female population is employed in the manufacture of
lace. The living is a vicarage not in charge; net income, £184, with a house; patrons, alternately, the
Bishop of Lichfield (to whom the impropriation belongs) and the trustees of Mrs. Jane Leeson's charity
estate. The tithes were partially commuted for land
under an inclosure act in 1822, and those of the Bishop
have been recently commuted for £220; there are about
50 acres of impropriate glebe. Mrs. Leeson, by will
dated in 1646, bequeathed certain property to the poor
in this and other villages, and also for the instruction of
children in a school-house here, previously erected at
her expense: the estate at Abthorpe comprises a dwelling-house and about 60 acres of land, together with an
allotment of nearly 57 acres under the act of inclosure.
Aby (All Saints)
ABY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Louth,
Marsh division of the hundred of Calceworth, parts
of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 3 miles (N. W. by W.)
from Alford; containing, with the hamlet of Greenfield,
312 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage,
united, in 1732, to the rectory of Belleau, and valued in
the king's books at £6. 3. 6.
Acaster-Malbis (Holy Trinity)
ACASTER-MALBIS (Holy Trinity), a parish, in
the union of York, partly in the Ainsty wapentake, W.
riding, but chiefly in the wapentake of Ouse and Derwent, E. riding, of York, 4½ miles (S. by W.) from
York; containing 748 inhabitants, of whom 322 are in
the township of Acaster-Malbis. This place partly derives its name from the family of Malby, who flourished
here for some centuries after the Conquest, until at
length a daughter and heiress was married to Fairfax of
Walton, created Viscount Emley. It comprises by computation 1839 acres, and is intersected by the navigable
river Ouse. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £56; patron and impropriator, Sir F. Lawley,
Bart. A school is endowed with land given by John
Knowles in 1603.
Acaster-Selby
ACASTER-SELBY, a township, in the parish of
Stillingfleet, E. division of Ainsty wapentake, W.
riding of York, 7¼ miles (S. by W.) from York; containing 188 inhabitants. This place, which anciently
belonged to the abbot of Selby, is pleasantly situated on
the banks of the navigable river Ouse. A college for a
provost and two or three fellows, one of whom was to
instruct children, was founded here by Robert Stillington; the revenue, at the Dissolution, was £33. 10. 4.
Acconbury, or Acornbury (St. John the Baptist)
ACCONBURY, or Acornbury (St. John The BapTist), a parish, in the Upper division of the hundred of
Wormelow, union and county of Hereford, 4 miles
(S.) from Hereford; containing 158 inhabitants. This
parish comprises 1590 acres by computation, and is intersected by the old road from Ross to Hereford, and
on its western side by that between Hereford and Monmouth. A nunnery of the order of St. Augustine was
founded here, in the reign of John, by Margery, wife of
Walter de Lacy, to the honour of the Holy Cross; the
revenue, at the Dissolution, was £75. 7. 5¼. The remains
have been converted into a farmhouse, but some stone
coffins are still preserved. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £53; patrons, the Governors of
Guy's Hospital, London. The vaults of the church contain the ashes of many illustrious persons, among whom
are the first duke of Chandos, and an earl of Carnarvon. On the summit of Acconbury hill, celebrated for
its fine plantations and its drives, are traces of a large
Roman encampment, the rampart of which, on the east
side, is plainly discernible.
Accrington
ACCRINGTON, a post-town, in the parish of Whalley, union of Haslingden, Higher division of the hundred of Blackburn, N. division of Lancashire, 5½
miles (E. by S.) from Blackburn; comprising the chapelry of Old, and the township of New, Accrington; and
containing 8719 inhabitants, of whom 1811 are in Old,
and 6908 in New, Accrington. This place was possessed
by the Lacys, by one of whom, Robert, it was given to
the monks of Kirkstall; it was subsequently restored by
the monks, and, like other lands of the Lacys, came to
the crown. Henry VIII. granted lands here to different
persons, and among others, probably to the Kenyons: in
1650 Roger Kenyon is described as "the able and orthodox minister of Accrington." Within the last few
years the place has acquired considerable importance,
from its situation in the calico-printing district; and
some large establishments for spinning cotton-thread,
and weaving and printing calico, have been formed. An
act for lighting the township with gas, and supplying the
inhabitants with water, was passed in 1841. Here is a
station of the East Lancashire railway: the line runs
hence, to Blackburn westward, to Burnley north-eastward, and to Haslingden southward; three branches
here uniting. Old Accrington contains about 739 acres,
and New Accrington 2450. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £180; patrons, the Hulme Trustees; appropriator, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The
chapel was taken down and rebuilt upon a larger scale
in 1826, and improved in 1838: it is a plain structure,
with a tower in which are six musical bells; is elegant
within; and has a handsome organ. An additional
church was erected in 1840, in the form of a cross, at
an expense of above £7000, defrayed by Messrs. Hargreaves and Co., and other inhabitants; it is dedicated
to Christ, and the living is a perpetual curacy, in the
gift of Trustees. There are places of worship for Baptists, Wesleyans, and Swedenborgians; also a national
school, erected by subscription in 1816, and towards the
support of which Jonathan Peel, Esq., in 1824, gave
£1000.
Achurch.—See Thorpe-Achurch.
ACHURCH.—See Thorpe-Achurch.
Acklam (St. John the Baptist)
ACKLAM (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the
union of Malton, wapentake of Buckrose, E. riding of
York; containing the townships of Acklam-with-Barthorpe, and Leavening; and having 845 inhabitants, of
whom 411 are in Acklam-with-Barthorpe, 7¼ miles (S.)
from Malton. The parish comprises about 4000 acres:
the surface is elevated, including a portion of the wolds,
from which a most extensive view of the surrounding
country is obtained; and the scenery is in many parts
beautifully romantic. The soil in the valley is a strong
clay, in other parts of lighter quality; and stone of a
good kind for building is largely quarried. The living
is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£5; net income, £108; patron, the Chancellor of the
Cathedral of York. The church, rebuilt in 1790, is a
neat structure with a square tower, and contains 250
sittings. There are places of worship for Primitive Methodists and Wesleyans.
Acklam-in-Cleveland
ACKLAM-IN-CLEVELAND, a parish, in the union of
Stockton-upon-Tees, W. division of the liberty of
Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 3 miles (S. E. by E.)
from Stockton; containing 97 inhabitants. This parish,
which is on the road from Stokesley to Stockton, and
bounded on the west by the river Tees, includes parts of
the townships of Linthorpe and Ayresome, and comprises
an area of about 1050 acres; the surface is varied, but
generally flat. The soil in the eastern portion is clay,
and in the western sandy; the lands are nearly all arable,
and in good cultivation. The Stockton and Middlesborough railway passes through the parish. Acklam
Hall has been lately re-fronted, and is a spacious and
handsome mansion of brick, pleasantly situated in grounds
well laid out, and ornamented with plantations. The
village is on the road side. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Archbishop of York, the
appropriator, and has a net income of £44: the church,
which had become dilapidated, was rebuilt in 1772, and
is a neat structure, covered with Westmorland blue
slates.
Acklington
ACKLINGTON, a township, in the parish of Warkworth, union of Alnwick, E. division of Coquetdale
ward, N. division of Northumberland, 10½ miles
(S. S. E.) from Alnwick; containing 301 inhabitants.
The manor formed a part of the barony of Warkworth,
and at a very early period belonged to the Percys, earls
of Northumberland, in whose family it still remains.
The village, which is pretty large, is situated a little to
the south of the river Coquet, and about midway between the sea and the road from Alnwick to Morpeth.
The tithes have been commuted for £232. 18. payable to
the Bishop of Carlisle, and £50. 9. to the vicar. Coal is
obtained in the township.
Acklington-Park
ACKLINGTON-PARK, a township, in the parish of
Warkworth, union of Alnwick, E. division of Coquetdale ward, N. division of Northumberland,
9 miles (S. S. E.) from Alnwick; containing 133 inhabitants. This place lies on the south side of the river
Coquet, not very far distant from the sea, and in a fine
secluded situation: it belongs to the Duke of Northumberland. There is a coarse woollen manufactory. The
tithes have been commuted for £55. 11. payable to the
Bishop of Carlisle, and £1. 3. to the vicar.
Ackton
ACKTON, a township, in the parish of Featherstone, Lower division of the wapentake of Agbrigg,
W. riding of York, 3½ miles (W.) from Pontefract;
containing 76 inhabitants. This place, called also Aikton,
a probable corruption of Oak Town, from the number of
oak-trees growing in its vicinity, comprises by computation 1090 acres of land. Aikton Hall belonged to Langdale Sunderland, Esq., of Halifax, who raised a troop of
horse for Charles's service, and was at the battle of
Marston Moor: Cromwell fined him £878.