Aldbourn (St. Michael)
ALDBOURN (St. Michael), a parish, and formerly
a market-town, in the union of Hungerford, hundred
of Selkley, Marlborough and Ramsbury, and N. divisions of Wilts, 6 miles (N. E.) from Marlborough; containing 1556 inhabitants. The name is compounded of
the Saxon terms Ald, old, and bourne, a brook. Aidbourn anciently gave name to a royal chase, granted by
Henry VIII. to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset,
and which for a long period served only as a rabbit-warren, but is now inclosed and cultivated. Previously to
the battle of Newbury, in the reign of Charles I., a sharp
skirmish took place here between the parliamentarian
forces and the royalists. In 1760, a fire consumed
seventy-two houses; and in 1817, twenty were destroyed by a similar calamity. The parish comprises
8495a. 3r. 19p., of which 5037 acres are arable, 839
meadow and pasture, and 226 woodland; the surface
generally is undulated, and the quality of the soil is
various, presenting a sand-gritty substance together
with red clayey gravel and black turfy mould, and in
some places chalk and flint. The town is situated in a
fertile valley; it has a willow-factory for bonnet frames,
in which about 100 females are employed. The living is
a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £26. 6. 3.;
patron, the Bishop of Salisbury; appropriators, the
Dean and Chapter of Winchester. The great tithes have
been commuted for £1475, and the small tithes for
£210: the rectorial glebe comprises about 120 acres;
the vicarial consists chiefly of allotments made under an
act of parliament, and is valued at £262 per annum.
The church, an ancient structure exhibiting portions in
the Norman style, has a tower erected at the cost of
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster; and the southern
part of the vicarage-house is supposed to be the remains
of a hunting seat which belonged to him. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyans. Near a farmhouse
called Pierce's Lodge, are vestiges of a British encampment; and in the neighbourhood may be seen various
artificial mounds of earth.
Aldbrough (St. Bartholomew)
ALDBROUGH (St. Bartholomew), a parish, in the
union of Skirlaugh, Middle division of the wapentake
of Holderness, E. riding of York; comprising the
townships of Aldbrough, Newton-East, and NewtonWest, with part of Great and Little Cowden; and containing 1119 inhabitants, of whom 845 are in the township of Aldbrough, 11½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Hull.
The township of Aldbrough comprises upwards of 4000
acres, of which two-thirds are arable, and one-third is
pasture: the soil, generally, is strong and tenacious;
and bricks and tiles are manufactured. The village,
which is large and convenient, is pleasantly situated on
an eminence about a mile from the sea, and includes
some good houses and shops, and a large hotel, lately
built, for the accommodation of visiters who resort hither
for sea-bathing. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £13. 15., and in the patronage of the Crown, with a net income of £350: the
rectorial tithes for the lordship of Aldbrough were commuted for land, under an inclosure act, in 1764. The
church, the oldest in Holderness, is a large edifice, and
contains a circular stone bearing this Saxon inscription:
"Ulf commanded this church to be built for the soul of
Hanum and Gunthral." Ulf was lord of the place, and
had a castle here, every vestige of which, except the
moat, has been destroyed. The chantry on the north
side of the chancel contains a very splendid monument
of Sir John de Melsa and his lady: the knight was
governor of the city of York from 1292 to 1296, and a
great warrior; his massive helmet is preserved. There
is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Slight traces of a
Roman road are discernible in the vicinity.
Aldbrough
ALDBROUGH, a township, in the parish of Stanwick St. John, union of Richmond, wapentake of
Gilling-West, N. riding of York, 7 miles (W. S. W.)
from Darlington; containing 544 inhabitants. It is a
large and pleasant village, situated on a small rivulet,
and the lands in the vicinity are fertile and productive.
Carlton Hall, a mile to the north, was formerly the seat
of S. B. M. Barrett, Esq., who built a school here. There
is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Aldbury (St. John the Baptist)
ALDBURY (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Berkhampstead, hundred of Dacorum,
county of Hertford, 3 miles (E. by N.) from Tring;
containing 790 inhabitants, and comprising 2102 acres,
of which 280 are common or waste. The village is
pleasantly situated at the foot of the Chiltern hills, whose
summits are crowned with thick plantations; the Tring
station of the London and Birmingham railway is only
about a mile distant from the church. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £20. 8. 6½., and
in the gift of the Earl of Bridgewater's trustees: the
tithes have been commuted for £374, and the glebe comprises 32 acres. The church is in the early style of
English architecture, and contains an altar-tomb of an
armed knight in a recumbent posture, and his lady;
also another, with brasses, to a knight and his lady, and
their nine sons and three daughters; both executed in
the richest style of ancient sculpture. There are two
places of worship for Baptists.
Aldcliffe
ALDCLIFFE, a township, in the parish of Lancaster, hundred of Lonsdale south of the Sands, N.
division of the county of Lancaster, 1 mile (S. W.) from
Lancaster; containing 111 inhabitants. This place is
mentioned in Domesday book. Roger de Poictou
granted lands here to the priory of Lancaster, and a lease
of the manor was confirmed to the prior by Duke
Henry of Lancaster. In the reign of Elizabeth, Aldcliffe
belonged to the Daltons of Thurnham; and about 1731
the principal part of the estate came by purchase to the
family of Dawson, of whom was Edward Dawson, Esq.,
of Aldcliffe Hall, a spirited agriculturist, who improved
the property, and inclosed the chief part of Aldcliffe
Marsh. The township comprises 600 acres of very fertile land, whereof 390 are in grass, and 210 arable: the
surface is undulated; and from the higher grounds are
fine views of the river Lune, which flows on the west,
and beyond which extend the waters of Morecambe bay.
The Lancaster canal passes on the east. Besides the
inclosed lands, the proprietor, who is lord of the manor,
claims 367 acres adjoining the Lune. A very fine freestone is found within the township. £25 per annum
are paid as a commutation for the small tithes.
Aldeburgh.—See Aldborough.
ALDEBURGH.—See Aldborough.
Aldeby (St. Mary)
ALDEBY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Loddon and Clavering, hundred of Clavering, E.
division of Norfolk, 3 miles (N. E.) from Beccles; containing 496 inhabitants. It is bounded on the south by
the navigable river Waveney, which separates it from
the county of Suffolk; and comprises 3043 acres by admeasurement. The living is a perpetual curacy; net
income, £120; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and
Chapter of Norwich. The church, a cruciform structure
with a south chapel, is partly in the early English style;
the entrance to the west is through a rich Norman doorway; the tower rises between the nave and chancel.
£40, the rental of land, are annually distributed among
the poor. Here was a small priory, a cell to the Benedictine abbey of Norwich.
Aldenham (St. John the Baptist)
ALDENHAM (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Watford, hundred of Cashio, or liberty
of St. Alban's, county of Hertford, 2¾ miles (N. E.
by E.) from Watford; containing, with the hamlet of
Theobald-Street, 1662 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £24, and in the gift
of the Trustees of P. Thellusson, Esq.: the impropriate
tithes have been commuted for £778, and the vicarial for
£110. The church is in the early English style, and
contains some highly ornamented screen-work, the
effigies of two females in stone, and an enriched font.
A free grammar school was founded and endowed in
1599, by Richard Platt, citizen of London, for sixty
children, to be chosen from among the poor of Aldenham
and the families of freemen of the Brewers' Company,
London. In consequence of a great improvement in the
value of the property, the master and wardens of the
company, who were constituted the governors, decided
upon extending its benefits; and the present buildings,
called the "Upper and Lower Schools," were erected in
1825, the latter school being designed for the sons of
farmers and labourers of Aldenham, on the national
system. The same munificent benefactor endowed six
almshouses.
Alderbury (St. Mary)
ALDERBURY (St. Mary), a parish, and the head
of a union, in the hundred of Alderbury, Salisbury
and Amesbury, and S. divisions of Wilts, 3 miles (S.
E. by E.) from Salisbury; containing, with Farley and
Pitton chapelries, 1440 inhabitants. The living is a
discharged vicarage, in the patronage of the Bishop of
Salisbury, with a net income of £162: the great tithes
were commuted for land and an annual money payment,
under an inclosure act, in 1803. At Farley and Pitton
are chapels of ease. There is a place of worship for
Wesleyans; also a small endowed free school. The poor
law union of Alderbury comprises 22 parishes or places,
and contains a population of 14,171. A monastery
formerly existed at Ivy Church, in the parish, the site of
which is now occupied by a modern residence.
Alderford (St. John the Baptist)
ALDERFORD (St. John the Baptist), a parish,
in the union of St. Faith's, hundred of Eynsford,
E. division of Norfolk, 3¼ miles (S. E. by S.) from
Reepham; containing 44 inhabitants. This parish is
bounded on the south by the river Wensum, and intersected by the road from Norwich to Reepham; it comprises 431a. 16p., chiefly arable. The living is a discharged rectory, with the vicarage of Attlebridge consolidated, valued in the king's books at £4. 6. 8.;
patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Norwich. The tithes
of the parish have been commuted for £137, and the
glebe consists of 7 acres, with a small cottage. The
church is in the early, decorated, and later English styles,
and consists of a nave and chancel, with a square tower;
the font is curiously and elaborately sculptured.
Alderholt
ALDERHOLT, a tything, in the parish and hundred
of Cranborne, union of Wimborne and Cranborne,
Wimborne division of Dorset; containing 404 inhabitants.
Alderley (St. Mary)
ALDERLEY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of the county
of Chester, 6 miles (W. N. W.) from Macclesfield,
containing 1538 inhabitants, of whom 455 are in the
township of Upper Alderley, 679 in that of Lower
Alderley, and 404 in that of Great Warford. This
parish comprises by computation 6009 acres of fertile
land, whereof 1971 are in Upper, and 2353 in Lower
Alderley; the prevailing soils are clay and sand. The
surface is greatly diversified, and towards the north-east
rises gradually, forming an elevation called Alderley Edge,
which terminates abruptly, and commands an extensive
view. Alderley Park, the seat of Lord Stanley, forms
an interesting feature in the landscape; in the grounds
is a sheet of water called Radnor Mere, a wood near
which contains some of the finest beech-trees in England.
A few of the inhabitants are engaged in weaving for the
manufacturers of the neighbouring towns. The Manchester and Birmingham railway passes through the
parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £14. 10. 10.; net income, £514; patron, Lord
Stanley. Besides the church, there is a chapel at Birtles,
the incumbency of which is in the gift of T. Hibbert, Esq.
The parish contains also places of worship for Wesleyans,
and one for Baptists at Great Warford. An ancient
school-house in the churchyard, some time after its
erection, was endowed with the sum of £250, which has
been placed at interest in the hands of Lord Stanley,
who pays the master £10 per annum; another school is
principally supported by his lordship. On Alderley Edge
is a fine spring, called the Holy Well.
Alderley (St. Kenelme)
ALDERLEY (St. Kenelme), a parish, in the union
of Chipping-Sodbury, Upper division of the hundred
of Grumbald's-Ash, W. division of the county of
Gloucester, 2 miles (S. S. E.) from Wotton-underEdge; containing 174 inhabitants. The village is pleasantly situated on an eminence between two streams
which unite and fall into the river Severn at Berkeley;
and commands an extensive and interesting view to the
south and south-west. There is a manufactory of cloth,
affording employment to between one and two hundred
persons. Cornua ammonis and other fossils are found.
The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's
books at £11. 4. 7., and in the gift of R. H. B. Hale,
Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £155. 5. 8.,
and there are about 25 acres of glebe. The Rev. Potter
Cole was in 1730 presented to this benefice, which he
held till the year 1800. Sir Matthew Hale, lord chief
justice in the reign of Charles II., was born here, Nov.
1st, 1609, and lies interred in the churchyard.
Aldermaston, or Aldmerston (St. Mary)
ALDERMASTON, or Aldmerston (St. Mary), a
parish, and formerly a market-town, in the union of
Bradfield, hundred of Theale, county of Berks,
10 miles (S. W. by W.) from Reading; containing 662
inhabitants. This place was distinguished by various
military operations in the civil war. The royal army
under the command of Col. Gage, on its way from Oxford to Basing House in 1643, halted at the village: on
its return, finding the enemy in possession of the place,
the troops were ordered to march by a different route. The
Earl of Essex was here with his army in the same year,
and proceeded hence by Padworth and Bucklebury heath
to Newbury, immediately before the second battle fought
near that town. The parish comprises 3689a. 6p., and
is intersected by the river Kennet. Fairs are held on
May 6th, July 7th, and Oct. 11th. The living is in the
gift of the lord of the manor, and valued in the king's
books at £12. 12. 8½. The tithes were formerly appropriated to the priory of Sherborne, subject to the payment of a small quit-rent to Queen's College, Oxford;
but since the reign of Elizabeth they have belonged to
the lord of the manor; they have been commuted for
£535. The church is an ancient structure, and contains
several fine monuments of the families of Orchard, De
la Mere, and Foster.
Alderminster (St. Mary)
ALDERMINSTER (St. Mary), a parish, partly in
the Upper division of the hundred of Oswaldslow,
but chiefly in the Upper division of the hundred of
Pershore, union of Stratford-upon-Avon, Blockley
and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, of which
it is a detached portion, surrounded by Warwickshire,
5 miles (S. S. E.) from Stratford; containing 508 inhabitants. The parish comprises 3073a. 3r. 26p.; it is
bounded on the south-west by the river Stour, and has a
great variety of soil. There are three manors, viz.:
Alderminster, Apthrop, and Goldecote, the last containing the handsome seat of Gustavus Smith, Esq. The
village is situated on the London and Birmingham road.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £7; the patronage and impropriation belong
to the Crown. The great tithes have been commuted for
£188. 4., and those of the incumbent for £160. 19.;
the glebe comprises 20 acres in this parish, and 3½ acres
in that of Bengworth, near Evesham. The church is a
curious cruciform edifice, with a low tower; the nave
is in the Norman style: a new gallery was added in
1839.
Alderney
ALDERNEY, an island, dependent on, and under
the jurisdiction of, the states of Guernsey; situated
6 leagues (N. E.) from that island, and 7 miles (W.) from
Cape La Hogue, in Normandy (from which it is separated by a strait, called by the French Raz Blanchard,
and by the English the Race of Alderney); and containing 1030 inhabitants. This island, named in old English records Aurney, Aureney, and Aurigny, by which last
name it is still designated by the French geographers, is
supposed to have been the Riduna of Antoninus; but
little of its history is known prior to the time of Henry
III., in the fourth year of whose reign an act of parliament was passed, by which it appears that one moiety of
the island belonged to that monarch, and the other moiety
to the Bishop of Coutances. From an extent of the
crown, made in the fourth year of the reign of James I.,
the whole of the island seems to have been the property
of the king, who was entitled to the amends, or fines, and
the perquisites of the court; to the treizièmes, or thirteenths, upon the sale of lands; and to the wrecks, and
other princely rights and royalties; but it was subsequently granted in fee-farm to successive tenants.
George III., by letters-patent under the great seal, bearing date Dec. 14th, 1763, in consideration of the surrender of the former lease or patent, and for other considerations therein specified, granted the island to John
Le Mesurier, Esq., for 99 years, with a proviso for resuming the lease at any time, upon payment to the
lessee of such amount of money as should have been
disbursed in improving the mansion called the Governor's
house, and the other premises. In this grant was included the advowson of the church and chapel, with
power to levy duties upon all vessels coming into the
port of the island, in the same proportion as they are
levied in the harbour of St. Peter's Port, in Guernsey.
The rights and property of the island were, however,
purchased by government from J. Le Mesurier, Esq., of
Poole, who was the last governor.
The approach to the island, particularly in stormy
weather, is dangerous, from the rapidity and diversity
of the currents, which at spring tides rush in contrary
directions, with a velocity of six miles an hour; and
from the numerous rocks by which it is surrounded.
These rocks were fatal to Prince Henry, son of Henry I.,
who was wrecked on his return from Normandy, in 1119;
and, in 1744, to the Victory man-of-war, which was lost
with the whole crew, consisting of 1100 men: the French
fleet, notwithstanding, escaped through the passage here
after its defeat at La Hogue, in 1692. About seven
miles to the west are the Caskets, a cluster of rocks
rising to a height of twenty-five or thirty fathoms from
the water, and about one mile in circumference. On
the south-west side of the cluster is a naturally-formed
harbour, in which a frigate may shelter as in a dock;
steps are cut in the rock, and conveniences are provided
for hauling up boats: there is a smaller and less compact harbour on the north-east side. On these rocks
three light-houses have been erected, furnished with
revolving reflectors.
The island, which is four miles in length, one mile
and a half in breadth, and nearly ten miles in circumference, shelves considerably to the north-east, and is
intersected by deep valleys. The whole of the southern
and eastern parts, from La Pendante to La Clanque, is
bounded by cliffs varying in elevation from 100 to 200
feet, and presenting picturesque and striking scenery;
the northern and eastern sides have lower cliffs, alternating with small bays and flat shores. The bay of
Bray is remarkably fine, affording good anchorage to
vessels, and at low water the sands are very extensive:
Longy bay is also commodious; and Craby harbour, in
which at spring tides the water rises to the height of
twenty-five feet, affords every facility for a wet-dock.
A harbour of refuge was commenced in the early part of
the year 1847. The east side of the island consists chiefly
of reddish sandstone, and the west side principally of
porphyry, neither of which rocks is found in large masses
in any of the other islands of the group. About onehalf of the land is in cultivation; the remainder consists
of common and furze land, affording good pasturage for
sheep, but insufficient for cattle. The soil, though light
and sandy, is in general productive, and the system of
agriculture similar to that of Guernsey; but the general
appearance of the land is bare, as few trees and no thorn
hedges are to be seen, the inclosures being formed by
walls of loose stones, and furze banks. Of the Alderney
breed of cows, which has taken its name from this island,
Jersey and Guernsey furnish by far the greater number
for exportation, this island but very few. The town is
situated nearly in the centre of the isle, and, with the
exception of the Governor's house, contains few buildings
worthy of notice; it is partially paved, and well supplied with water: there is a good road to Bray harbour,
and another to Longy bay, where was an ancient nunnery, subsequently used as barracks during the war,
and, since the peace, converted into an hospital, and a
depôt for military stores. The pier, near which are
several houses, is of rude construction, with but one
projecting arm, and affording shelter to vessels only from
the north-east.
The civil jurisdiction is exercised by a judge and six
jurats, the former of whom is nominated by the governor, and the latter elected by the commonalty; they
hold their several appointments for life, unless removed
for misbehaviour, or malversation in office. The judge
and jurats, with the queen's officers, viz., the procureur,
or attorney-general; the comptroller, or solicitor-general;
and the greffier, or registrar, who is also nominated by
the governor, compose the court, the decision of which,
however, is not necessarily definitive, being subject to
an appeal to the royal court at Guernsey, and from that
to the queen in council. In all criminal cases the court
of Alderney has only the power of receiving evidence,
which is transmitted to the superior court of Guernsey,
where judgment is pronounced, and the sentence of the
law executed. The entire jurisprudence is similar to
that of Guernsey, as appears by the order of the royal
commissioners sent to the island by Queen Elizabeth,
in 1585. The judge and jurats, together with the
douzainiers, the latter being twelve men chosen by the
commonalty for their representatives, compose the assembly of the states of the island, wherein all ordinances
for its government are proposed. But the douzainiers
have only a deliberate voice, and no vote, the judge
and jurats alone deciding upon the expediency of any
proposed measure. The governor, or his lieutenant,
must be present at each assembly, but has no vote in it.
The public acts were first registered at Alderney in
1617, and the first contract was enrolled in the year
1666. The privileges of the charter are inherited by
birth, or obtained by servitude.
It is not known at what time the church was built:
it is an ancient edifice, not entitled to architectural
notice; the tower was added to it in 1767, and a chapel
near it was erected in 1763. The net income of the incumbent is £120. From the year 1591 to 1607 Alderney was without an officiating minister; baptisms and
marriages were solemnized at Guernsey, and registered
in the parish of St. Saviour. There is a place of worship
for Wesleyans. A school for boys, and another for
girls, were founded by J. Le Mesurier, Esq., the last
governor; the building was erected in 1790. A general
hospital was erected in 1789, and is supported by subscription. There still exists part of a castle begun by
the Earl of Essex, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, but
never finished; the ruinous foundations yet bear that
favourite's name. The islet of Burhou, lying to the
westward, is used as a rabbit-warren.
Aldersey
ALDERSEY, a township, in the parish of Coddington, union of Great Boughton, Higher division of
the hundred of Broxton, S. division of the county of
Chester, 8¾ miles (S. E. by S.) from Chester; containing 138 inhabitants. It comprises 743 acres; the soil
is clayey. Salt-works were carried on here in the
middle of the sixteenth century; and there is still a
brine spring in the neighbourhood, but it is not worked,
owing to the distance from which coal must be brought
for that purpose.
Aldershott (St. Michael)
ALDERSHOTT (St. Michael), a parish, in the
hundred of Crondall, Odiham and N. divisions of
the county of Southampton, 3 miles (N. E. by N.)
from Farnham; containing 685 inhabitants. It is situated on the road between Farnham and Guildford; and
comprises 4130 acres, of which 731 are arable, 550
pasture, 130 woodland, 20 acres sites and gardens, 19
hops, and 2700 common. The Basingstoke canal passes
within a mile and a half of the village. The living is a
perpetual curacy; net income, £64; patrons, J. Eggar,
S. Andrews, J. Alden, and W. Tice, Esqrs.; impropriators, the Master and Brethren of the Hospital of
St. Cross, Winchester. The church contains a curious
monument to the Titchbourne family, whose ancient
seat has been converted into a farmhouse. There are
some remains of an extensive Roman camp on Brixbury
Hill.
Alderton (St. Margaret)
ALDERTON (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union
of Winchcomb, Upper division of the hundred of
Tewkesbury, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 4¼ miles (N. N. W.) from Winchcomb; containing, with the hamlet of Dixton, 411 inhabitants. It
comprises by admeasurement 1750 acres; the surrounding country is beautiful, and extensive views are
commanded from the hills. Near Alderton Hill stood
the fine old mansion, recently taken down, where one
of the ancestors of the family of Tracy (Lord Sudely)
was born; and at Dixton is a large manor-house, where
the Higfords, who have been great benefactors to the
parish, resided for several centuries. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £22. 1. 10½.;
net income, £337; patron and incumbent, the Rev. C.
Covey. The glebe consists of 230 acres, allotted in lieu
of tithe, and the tithes for the hamlet of Dixton have
been commuted for a rent-charge of £150: a handsome
and commodious parsonage-house has been built by the
present rector, on an eminence. The church, which is
an ancient structure, is distinguished for the elegance
of its arches. Numerous fossils are found in the stonequarries in the parish.
Alderton (St. Margaret)
ALDERTON (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union
of Potterspury, hundred of Cleley, S. division of
the county of Northampton, 3¾ miles (E. S. E.) from
Towcester; containing 166 inhabitants. On the north
the parish is bounded by the river Tow, and on the east
partly by the road leading from Northampton to StonyStratford. It consists of 869a. 20p.; the surface is
boldly undulated, and the village stands on the western
declivity of an eminence. The living is a rectory, annexed to that of Grafton-Regis, and valued in the
king's books at £12.
Alderton (St. Andrew)
ALDERTON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
of Woodbridge, hundred of Wilford, E. division of
Suffolk, 7 miles (S. E. by S.) from Woodbridge; containing 620 inhabitants. It comprises 2377 acres, of
which 368 are common or waste. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £14. 18. 4., and
in the patronage by turns of the lords of the four
manors in the parish, of whom the Bishop of Norwich,
as lord of Alderton Hall, is one. The tithes have been
commuted for £630, and there are about 22 acres of
glebe.
Alderton (St. Giles)
ALDERTON (St. Giles), a parish, in the union of
Malmesbury, forming a detached portion of the hundred of Chippenham, Malmesbury and Kingswood,
and N. divisions of Wilts, 9 miles (N. W. by N.) from
Chippenham; containing 183 inhabitants. It comprises
1584 acres, of which a considerable portion is waste
land. Stone is quarried suitable for building and the
repair of roads. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the
gift of J. Neeld, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted
for £145, and the glebe consists of 47 acres. The
present church has been lately built, with much taste,
and has a square tower surmounted by a spire: the
former church was a very ancient structure.
Alderwasley
ALDERWASLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of
Wirksworth, union of Belper, hundred of Appletree, S. division of the county of Derby, 2¼ miles
(E. by S.) from Wirksworth; containing 398 inhabitants. The manor anciently belonged to the Ferrars
family, and was afterwards annexed to the earldom and
duchy of Lancaster. The Le Foune or Fawne family
held lands here in the reign of Henry III., and their
heiress intermarried with the Lowes, who obtained a
grant of the manor from Henry VIII.: the Hurt family
afterwards became possessed of the manor, through an
heiress of the Lowes. The township comprises 3054
acres, of which 32 are common or waste. There are
iron-works and furnaces for smelting lead-ore in the
neighbourhood. The chapel belongs to F. Hurt, Esq.,
who appoints the chaplain.
Aldfield
ALDFIELD, a chapelry, in the parish of Ripon,
Lower division of the wapentake of Claro, W. riding
of York, 3½ miles (W. by S.) from Ripon; containing
132 inhabitants. This village, which is beautifully
situated in the woody vale near Fountain's Abbey, is
resorted to on account of its mineral springs, discovered
about 1698, and whose sulphureous quality is said to
be stronger than that of the Harrogate water. The surrounding scenery comprises all the variety of Matlock,
in Derbyshire. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the
patronage of Earl De Grey; net income, £72. Rentcharges amounting to £59. 12. have been awarded as a
commutation for the tithes; £38 are payable to the
trustees of Smith's charity, and £21. 12. to the Dean and
Chapter of Ripon.
Aldford (St. John the Baptist)
ALDFORD (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Great Boughton; comprising the townships of Aldford and Churton in the Higher, and those
of Buerton and Edgerley in the Lower, division of the
hundred of Broxton, S. division of the county of
Chester; and containing 835 inhabitants, of whom,
488 are in the township of Aldford, 5 miles (S. by E.)
from Chester, on the road to Farndon and Holt. This
place, which had formerly a market and a fair, derives
its name from an ancient ford on the river Dee; the
stream divides it on the west from the county of Denbigh, North Wales, and a good bridge has been erected.
In the reign of Henry II. a castle was built, of which
at present only the earth-works, nearly adjoining the
church, are remaining; and in the reign of Charles I. a
garrison was placed here by Sir William Brereton,
during the siege of Chester. The parish contains by
measurement 2764 acres, whereof 1194 are in the township of Aldford; of the latter the soil is loam, gravel,
and clay: there are two quarries of red sandstone. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£16. 17. 8½., and in the gift of the Marquess of Westminster: the tithes of the township have been commuted
for £315, and the glebe comprises 21 acres, with a large
and commodious house. The church stands on the
verge of the castle moat, and has been repaired in various
styles; in the churchyard is the recumbent effigy of a
female, sculptured in red stone. Schools are supported;
and there are six almshouses for aged widows, endowed
with £22 per annum. Vestiges of a Roman road connecting the northern and southern branches of the Watling-street, are discernible in the parish.
Aldham
ALDHAM, a parish, in the union of Lexden and
Winstree, Witham division of the hundred of Lexden, N. division of Essex, 6 miles (E. N. E.) from Great
Coggeshall; containing 382 inhabitants. This place is
situated on the river Colne, by which it is bounded on
the north; and comprises an area of 1512 acres,
whereof 27 are common or waste. Fairs are held at the
hamlet of Ford-street on Easter-Tuesday and Nov. 1st.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£12; net income, £327; patron, the Bishop of London.
The church is a rude edifice, with a small wooden turret.
A national school is supported; and £22 per annum,
bequeathed by an unknown benefactor, are divided
among 16 married persons who have not received
parochial relief during the preceding twelve months.
The Rev. Philip Morant, author of the History of Essex,
was rector of the parish; he died Nov. 26th, 1770, aged
70 years, and was interred in the chancel of the church,
where a monument has been erected to his memory.
The learned Sir John Marsham, one of the six-clerks in
chancery, and author of several valuable works, was
proprietor of Bourchiers Hall (now a farmhouse), in the
reign of Charles I., to whose fortunes he was a firm adherent.
Aldham (St. Mary)
ALDHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Cosford, W. division of Suffolk, 2 miles
(N. N. E.) from Hadleigh; containing 293 inhabitants.
It comprises 1742a. 1r. 33p., and has, for the most part,
a hilly surface; the land consists of arable, pasture, and
wood, the last of which is tithe-free; the soil is a stiff
clay, and produces good corn. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £10. 13. 4.; net income,
£290; patron, Thomas Barret Lennard, Esq.: the
glebe consists of 45 acres. The church is situated
on a hill, and is built of flint and stone, with a round
tower: the advowson formerly belonged to the earls of
Oxford, whose arms are carved on the oak benches
fitted up in the church in 1537. Dr. Rowland Taylor
suffered martyrdom on the common of the parish, in
1555.
Aldingbourne (St. Mary)
ALDINGBOURNE (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of West Hampnett, hundred of Box and Stockbridge, rape of Chichester, W. division of Sussex,
4¼ miles (E. by N.) from Chichester; containing, with
the hamlets of Lydsey and Westergate, 772 inhabitants.
This was formerly the residence of the bishops of Chichester, whose palace here was destroyed in the parliamentary war by Sir William Waller on his march to
Arundel; a castellated building near the palace, situated
on a mound surrounded with a moat, was demolished
at the same time. The road from Chichester to
Arundel, and the Portsmouth and Arun canal, both
pass through the parish. The living is a vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £5. 10. 5.; net income,
£212; patron, the Dean of Chichester. The church is
a cruciform structure in the Norman style, with a square
embattled tower which terminates the north transept:
the south transept is an ancient chapel, having an entrance by a fine Norman doorway. At Lydsey was a
chapel founded prior to the year 1282, of which there
are now no remains.