Ashton
ASHTON, a township, in the parish of Tarvin,
union of Great Boughton, Second division of the
hundred of Eddisbury, S. division of the county of
Chester, 7½ miles (E. N. E.) from Chester; containing
401 inhabitants. The manor was held in the reign of
Edward I. by the Mainwaring family, from whom it
descended by female heirs to the Veres and Trussells:
about 1580 it was sold by Edward Vere, Earl of Oxford,
to Sir Christopher Hatton, from whom it passed by
successive sales to various owners. The property of
Ashton-Hayes was purchased in 1843 from Booth Grey,
Esq., by William Atkinson, Esq., of Manchester, who
has much improved the mansion and grounds, and introduced the latest system of agriculture. The township
comprises 1222 acres; the soil is of a sandy quality.
The tithes have been commuted for £109 payable to the
Dean and Chapter of Lichfield, and £81. 10. to the
vicar of the parish.
Ashton (St. John the Baptist)
ASHTON (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the
union of St. Thomas, hundred of Exminster, Teignbridge and S. divisions of Devon, 4 miles (N. by W.)
from Chudleigh; containing 319 inhabitants. It comprises 1726a. 3r. 5p., of which about 200 acres are furze
and fir plantations. The sudden inundations of the
river Teign, which bounds the parish on the east, frequently occasion much damage. Several mines of manganese are worked by contractors from Cornwall, who
pay to the lord of the manor a duty on the tonnage;
and large quantities of the mineral are supplied to the
Manchester and other manufacturers, for bleaching
their goods. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £11. 10. 2½.; patron and incumbent,
the Rev. George Ware, whose tithes have been commuted for £256, and who has a glebe of 50 acres. The
church contains a very finely carved wooden screen and
rood-loft.
Ashton, with Eye-Moreton
ASHTON, with Eye-Moreton, a township, in the
parish of Eye, union of Leominster, hundred of Wolphy, county of Hereford, 3¾ miles (N. N. E.) from
Leominster; containing 294 inhabitants. The tithes
have been commuted for £40 payable to the Bishop of
Hereford, and £311 payable to the vicar of the parish,
besides which the latter receives 5s. per acre on all hopgrounds.
Ashton, or Ashton-Upon-Ribble
ASHTON, or ASHTON-UPON-RIBBLE, with Lea,
Cottam, and Ingol, a township, in the parish and
union of Preston, hundred of Amounderness, N.
division of the county of Lancaster, 2 miles (W. by N.)
from Preston, and on the Fylde road, containing 710
inhabitants. Tulketh, in the township, was originally
inhabited by a body of monks from the monastery of
Savigny, in Normandy, under the immediate direction
of Evanus, and who, on seating themselves here, chose
him to be their first abbot; they afterwards removed to
Furness. The township is washed by the river Ribble
on the southern boundary, and comprises 3347 acres,
whereof 801 are in Ashton, 1668 in Lea, and 878 in
Cottam and Ingol; the surface is generally flat, and the
soil clay and marl. The Lancaster canal and the Preston
and Wyre railway pass through. Sir Henry Bold
Hoghton, Bart., is lord of the manor of Ashton and Lea.
The township has been formed into an ecclesiastical district, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, in the
patronage of the Vicar of Preston; income, £100, with
a house. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, was
built in 1836, and is a neat structure of stone, in the
Norman style, with a tower and spire. The great tithes
have been commuted for £235, and the vicarial for £13.
There is a Roman Catholic chapel at Lea, built in 1800;
the priest has a house and six acres of land. Excellent
schools, built by subscription in 1846, with a residence
for the master and mistress, are near the church; and
Tulketh Hall, now a large school, stands on a hill overlooking the Preston marshes and the river Ribble. At
Lea is a school endowed in 1784 by S. Neeld; the property consists of a farmhouse and 25 acres of land, producing £82 per annum.
Ashton, with Stodday
ASHTON, with Stodday, a township, in the parish
and union of Lancaster, hundred of Lonsdale south
of the Sands, N. division of the county of Lancaster,
3¼ miles (S. S. E.) from Lancaster; containing 185 inhabitants. Ashton is remarkable as the ancient seat of
the De Courcys, out of which family it passed by marriage to John de Coupland, the hero of Neville's Cross. It
was possessed in 1454 by the Lawrences, and came subsequently by marriage to the Butlers, Radcliffes, and
Gerards; an heiress of the last named married James,
Earl of Arran, created fourth duke of Hamilton in 1679.
The township comprises 1350 acres of land; the surface
is undulated, in some parts of high elevation, and the
views of Lancaster Castle and town and of the surrounding country are beautiful. Ashton Hall, once the
seat of the knightly family of Leyburne, and now the
property of the Duke of Hamilton, is a quadrangular
edifice, with a projecting wing to the east, and a square
tower with angular turrets on the west; it was probably
erected in the fourteenth century, but the numerous
alterations and additions which it has undergone, have
left little of the ancient baronial mansion. Stodday
Lodge is the residence of William Assheton Cross, Esq.;
in the gardens are some Roman antiquities. Walnut
Bank is the picturesque residence of Thomas Pritt, Esq.
The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £22.
A free school has an income of nearly £50 per annum.
Ashton (St. Michael)
ASHTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of
Potterspury, hundred of Cleley, S. division of the
county of Northampton, 7 miles (S. by E.) from Northampton; containing 417 inhabitants. This parish, which
is bounded on the south by the river Tow, comprises by
measurement 1100 acres of highly fertile land, chiefly
arable; and is situated near the Grand Junction canal,
and intersected by the London and Birmingham railway.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10,
and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £275,
arising from 235 acres of land allotted in lieu of tithes
on the inclosure of the parish. The church is a very
ancient structure, with a square tower, and contains a
Norman font, several good brasses, and a figure of a
Knight Templar. There is a place of worship for
Baptists.
Ashton
ASHTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Ufford, union
of Stamford, soke of Peterborough, N. division of
the county of Northampton, 4½ miles (S. E.) from
Stamford; containing 101 inhabitants. The tithes were
commuted for corn-rents, under an inclosure act, in 1796.
Ashton
ASHTON, a chapelry, in the parish and union of
Oundle, hundred of Polebrook, N. division of the
county of Northampton, 1½ mile (E. by N.) from
Oundle; containing 172 inhabitants, and comprising
1308a. 3r. 20p. It is situated on the right bank of the
river Nene, and is intersected by the road from Oundle
to Peterborough. A school was erected in 1708, by
Elizabeth Creed, under the will of her daughter Jemima,
who endowed it with land producing £44 per annum; it
has also a fund of £200 in the three per cent. consols.
Ashton-Blank.—See Aston-Blank.
ASHTON-BLANK.—See Aston-Blank.
Ashton
ASHTON, a tything, in the parish and hundred of
Bishop's-Waltham, union of Droxford, Droxford
and N. divisions of the county of Southampton; containing 310 inhabitants.
Ashton, Cold (Holy Trinity)
ASHTON, COLD (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the
union of Chipping, hundred of Puckle-Church, W.
division of the county of Gloucester, 5½ miles (N.)
from Bath; containing 414 inhabitants. In the memorable battle of Lansdown, the parliamentarians, who
had marched from Bath to attack the royalist forces
intrenched on Furze hill, were defeated, after a severe
conflict, and driven up the valley of Ashton Lodge, where,
in the hour of victory, the gallant Sir Beville Granville,
who commanded the royalists, received a mortal wound,
of which he expired in the rectory-house of this place.
The parish is situated on the road from Bath to Gloucester, and contains by measurement 2400 acres. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £17. 1. 8.;
net income, £492; patrons, the family of Batchellor.
The glebe consists of 88 acres. The church was erected
in 1406, by Thomas Key; and to perpetuate the memory of the founder, keys of a durable material are
carved over every window and door, and on many parts
of the interior of the building. The venerable Bishop
Latimer was incumbent of the parish prior to his advancement to the episcopal dignity, and in the church is
an ancient stone pulpit, in which he preached. The descendants of Sir Richard Whittington, lord mayor of
London in the years 1397, 1406, and 1419, reside here,
in an old mansion bearing date 1664.
Ashton-Gifford
ASHTON-GIFFORD, a township, in the parish of
Codford St. Peter, union of Warminster, hundred
of Heytesbury, Warminster and S. divisions of Wilts,
3 miles (S. E. by E.) from Heytesbury; containing 141
inhabitants.
Ashton-In-Makerfield
ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, or Ashton-leWillows, a township, in the union of Wigan, hundred of West Derby, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 5 miles (S.) from Wigan, and 7 miles (N. N. W.)
from Warrington. The township was until lately, with
Haydock, a chapelry in the parish of Winwick; and
consists of three parts, viz.: the Town-End, the BrynnEnd, and the Garswood-End, comprising together 6057
acres, and containing 5915 inhabitants. By an act of
parliament for the division of Winwick, passed in 1845,
the Brynn-End and the Garswood-End were made a separate parish, called the rectory of Ashton; the Town-End
was annexed to the adjoining township of Haydock, and
the two places formed into another and distinct parish,
called the vicarage of St. Thomas (the Apostle) in Ashton. The district forms part of the great coal-field of
Lancashire; it is dry and healthy, the surface level, and
the soil a heavy clay. One of the great lines of road
from London to Edinburgh runs through the town of
Ashton, and other facilities of communication are furnished by the Sankey canal, the Leeds and Liverpool
canal, and the Liverpool and Manchester railway; the
last being two miles distant, at Newton. The place has
long been famous for the manufacture of locks and
hinges; and employment is also afforded to the inhabitants in several cotton and other manufactories, and
in the working of the contiguous extensive and valuable
coal-mines. The lord of the manor, Sir John Gerard,
Bart., holds a court leet every September. A fair is held
on the 21st and 22nd of the same month.
The rectory of Ashton is endowed with the tithes of
the whole township, which have been commuted for
£600; patron, the Earl of Derby: the next presentation,
however, will be exercised by the present rector of Winwick, should a vacancy occur during his incumbency.
The church, dedicated to the Trinity, is situated near
Downall-Green, in Garswood-End; it was built in 1838,
principally at the expense of the rector of Winwick, and
is a cruciform edifice in the early English style: the
cost was £2600. The rectory-house adjoins the church,
as also does a handsome and commodious school-house:
twelve acres of land surrounding the rectory have been
purchased for glebe. The vicarage of St. Thomas is in
the patronage of the Rector of Ashton; net income, £300,
arising partly from 24 acres of glebe and the tithes of
the township of Haydock: there is a glebe-house. The
church stands in almost the centre of the town: it was
rebuilt in 1715, was enlarged in 1784, and again in
1815, and has a campanile turret with a clock. A
free grammar school, at Seneley Green, was founded
in 1588 by Robert Byrchall, and is endowed with £50
per annum. The Independents, Quakers, Unitarians,
and Roman Catholics have places of worship. Many
curious fossils are found in the coal-mines.
Ashton-Keynes (Holy Cross)
ASHTON-KEYNES (Holy Cross), a parish, in the
union of Cricklade and Wootton-Basset, hundred of
Highworth, Cricklade, and Staple, Cricklade and
N. divisions of Wilts, 4½ miles (W.) from Cricklade;
containing, with the chapelry of Leigh, 1332 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £16; income, £325; patron and impropriator, J. Pitt, Esq. There is a chapel of ease at Leigh.
Ashton, Long (All Saints)
ASHTON, LONG (All Saints), a parish, in the
union of Bedminster, hundred of Hartcliffe with
Bedminster, E. division of Somerset, 3 miles (S. W.
by W.) from Bristol; containing, with the hamlets of
Kingcot, Providence, Yanleigh, Bower-Ashton, and
Rounham, 1926 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 4112 acres, of which 1132 are arable, 2328 pasture,
and 428 woodland, waste, &c. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£10. 17. 11.; net income, £117; patrons and impropriators, Sir J. Smyth, Bart., and the family of Langton.
There were formerly a chapel and a hermitage at Rounham Ferry, in the parish. In 1661, Francis Derrick
gave a piece of land producing about £8 per annum; in
1760, Anne Smyth left a rent-charge of £10; and, in
1822, John Stanton gave £100; which funds are applied towards the support of a school further maintained
by subscription. On the eastern point of Ashton hill
are two intrenchments called Burwalls and Stokeleigh,
now overgrown with wood, which appear to have been
Roman camps; and recently, in forming the line of the
Bristol and Exeter railway, the foundation of the wall of
an ancient village was discovered, with numerous coins
of Constantine and Severus, and domestic utensils.
Ashton, Steeple (St. Mary)
ASHTON, STEEPLE (St. Mary), a parish, partly
in the union of Westbury and Whorwelsdown, and
partly in that of Melksham, hundred of Whorwelsdown, Whorwelsdown and N. divisions of Wilts; containing, with the chapelry of Semington, and the tythings of West Ashton, Hinton, and Littleton, 1941 inhabitants, of whom 848 are in the village of SteepleAshton, 4 miles (E. by S.) from Trowbridge. This
place derived the adjunct by which it is distinguished
from other localities of the same name, from the lofty
spire of its church, which was first injured, and then
struck down by lightning in 1670. It was formerly of
some importance, and had the grant of a market in the
reign of Edward III., which was confirmed in that of
Richard II., with the addition of an annual fair. In the
time of Henry VIII. Leland states that the clothing
trade was carried on here to a very considerable extent,
but it has ceased to exist; the market also has been for
many years discontinued, but the fair, though now ill attended, is still held on the 18th of September. SteepleAshton contains by estimation 5400 acres, of which
2120 are arable, 2660 pasture, and 540 woodland;
Semington consists of 1195a. 1r. 24p., of which 213
acres are arable, and 923 pasture. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £17. 2. 6.; net income, £852; patron, the Master of Magdalene College,
Cambridge, who is restricted in his presentation to one
of three senior foundation fellows. The tithes, exclusively of the tythings, have been commuted for
£362. 10., payable to the College, £285 payable to the
vicar, £18. 2. to the rector of Trowbridge, and £10 to
the impropriator. The church is a spacious structure
in the later English style, built between the years 1480
and 1500, and has a lofty square embattled tower at the
west end, crowned with pinnacles, and a north and south
porch of elegant design. There is a chapel of ease at
Semington, which probably was in early times a parish;
it is in the later English style. At West Ashton also is
a church, forming a distinct incumbency. John Hicks
bequeathed £5 per annum for teaching children, and
John Togwell a further sum for the same purpose;
which have been laid out in the purchase of £519. 10. 7.,
three per cent. consols. The parish is remarkable for
fossils of the coral-rag formation.
Ashton-Under-Hill (St. Barbara)
ASHTON-UNDER-HILL (St. Barbara), a parish,
in the union of Evesham, partly in the Upper division
of the hundred of Tewkesbury, but chiefly in the
hundred of Tibaldstone, E. division of the county of
Gloucester, 8 miles (E. N. E.) from Tewkesbury; containing 342 inhabitants, and comprising about 1300
acres. The living is annexed to the vicarage of Beckford, and the impropriation belongs to W. Wakeman
and J. Blackburne, Esqs.: the tithes were commuted
for land and a money payment, under an inclosure act,
in 1773.
Ashton-Under-Lyne (St. Michael)
ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE
(St. Michael), a markettown, parish, parliamentary
borough, and the head of a
union, in the hundred of Salford, S. division of the county
of Lancaster, 6 miles (E.)
from Manchester, 58 (S. E.)
from Lancaster, and 197
(N. W. by N.) from London;
comprising the parochial divisions of Ashton-town, Audenshaw, Hartshead, and
Knott-Lanes; and containing 46,296 inhabitants. The
primary part of the name of this place is derived from
the Saxon words æyc, an ash, and tun, an inclosed
place or town; the adjunct under-Lyne is of obscure
etymology, and various hypotheses have been ventured
in elucidation of its origin. The most probable seems
to be that of Mr. John Ross Coulthart, of Croft House,
Ashton, who ascribes the term to the situation of the town
near to or under the line or chain of hills which separates Yorkshire from Lancashire, popularly denominated
"the back-bone of England." The original proprietors,
the Asshetons, a family distinguished in the early
period of English history, exercised the power of life and
death; and a field on the west side of the Old Hall,
through which now passes the Ashton branch of the
Manchester and Sheffield railway, was the place of execution, and is still known by the name of the Gallows'
Meadow. In the reign of Henry VI., when the feudal
system was generally relaxed, Sir Ralph Assheton, still
inheriting extraordinary privileges, exercised them with
great rigour and exactitude; and in order that no fines
or forfeits might be lost for the want of strict supervision, it was customary for him, clad in black armour
and mounted on a charger, with a numerous retinue of
dependents, to perambulate the manor in person at uncertain intervals, taking cognizance of every infraction
of his rights as a baron, levying from his tenants, by
force if necessary, all fines for heriots, weifs, strays, &c.,
and rigidly punishing with the stocks, imprisonment,
or death, all offences committed within his jurisdiction.
To commemorate the abhorrence in which Sir Ralph's
conduct was held, the ceremony of "riding the black
lad" was instituted, and is still observed on every
Easter-Monday. The effigy of a man of colossal dimensions, clad in black, is placed on a horse, and, followed
by a rabble, is led in procession through the principal
streets of the borough, while the promoters of the cavalcade beg small sums from door to door; at night, the
effigy is dismounted at the old market-place, and after
being torn to pieces, the fragments are usually burned
amid the execrations of the populace.
Arms.
The Town is situated on a gentle declivity, on the
northern bank of the river Tame, above which it is elevated from 30 to 40 feet; the old streets are narrow and
irregular, but those recently formed are remarkably
spacious, and consist of substantial and handsome
houses. It is well paved, lighted with gas, cheaply and
abundantly supplied with water, and is rapidly improving under the management of local commissioners of
police. A mechanics' institution was founded in 1825;
the present commodious premises are situated at the
top of Church-street, immediately adjoining the western
gates of the parish church. The reading-room of the
institution is well supplied with periodicals, and the
library contains upwards of 1200 volumes of standard
works: the number of subscribers is 164. In 1846, a
Floral and Horticultural Society was formed for the
purpose of promoting, by means of prizes to exhibitors,
the general cultivation of tulips, herbaceous plants,
fruits, &c. The Barracks, which are capable of accommodating a small battalion of infantry and a troop of
cavalry, are eligibly situated on the road to Mossley, at
a distance of about a mile from the town; they were
erected in 1843, at a cost of £42,500, and are fitted up
with baths and every convenience for both officers and
men. The site, occupying six acres, was given by the
lord of the manor.
The principal Trade is in spinning, power-loom
weaving, and other branches of the cotton manufacture;
and there are few instances on record of a town making
such rapid progress as this in wealth and population.
In 1775, the population of the town was only 2859; in
1801, 6500; in 1811, 7800; in 1821, 9222; in 1831,
14,671; and in 1841, 22,689. In 1750, the inhabitants
were humbly engaged in spinning and weaving cotton
by hand, in their cottages: in 1785, Arkwright's machines gave an impetus to the trade; but even so late
as 1794, there were only eleven spinning-rooms or small
factories. At present there are in active operation
within the borough, 77 large factories; and within a
radius of two miles from the parish church are 160, of
5199 horse-power, consuming weekly upwards of
2,000,000 lb. of raw cotton, employing on the average
nearly 23,000 workpeople, representing a capital of not
less than £4,000,000, and sending out of the district
yarn and power-loom cloth of not less value than
£4,500,000 annually. Formerly, ginghams, muslins, and
shawls were manufactured to a considerable extent; but
the profit arising from spinning and manufacturing
cotton being greater, those branches have fallen into
decay. Wool and beaver hats, also, were a few years
ago extensively manufactured in the neighbourhood;
but the preference recently given by the public to silk
hats, has nearly ruined the trade, and produced great
distress among the workmen engaged in it. The whole
district abounds in excellent coal, which, after supplying the home consumption, is conveyed in large quantities to Manchester and other parts by means of a
branch of the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire
railway, by a branch of the Manchester and Leeds railway, and the Ashton, Huddersfield, and Peak-Forest
canals; which all touch here.
The Market, which, previously to the establishment
of the cotton trade, had been discontinued, was restored
in 1828 by act of parliament, and a commodious marketplace was formed, the Earl of Stamford and Warrington
giving 14,000 square yards of land for a site. This
spacious area was opened July 2nd, 1830; and near its
eastern extremity is a large quadrangular edifice consisting of 26 butchers' shops, let at rents varying from £10
to £13 per annum. Four and a half per cent. of the
gross produce of the tolls is claimed by the lord of the
manor, and the remainder, which is very considerable,
goes to the Commissioners of Police, and enables that
body to carry out many improvements. The principal
market-day is Saturday; and in 1846 a weekly cattlemarket, on Tuesday, was established: markets are also
held on Monday and Wednesday. By royal grant, dated
1284, two fairs were conferred; and in a confirmation of
the grant to Sir John de Assheton in 1413, it was directed that they should be held, one on the eve, feast,
and morrow of St. Swithen (July 14th, 15th, and 16th),
and the other on the eve, feast, and morrow of St.
Martin (Nov. 9th, 10th, and 11th). The present fairs,
however, are held on March 23rd, April 29th, July 25th,
Nov. 21st; and, for the sale of horned-cattle, sheep,
pigs, &c., on the second Thursday in every month.
Business is facilitated by the Ashton, Stalybridge, Hyde,
and Glossop Bank, founded in 1836; and by branches
of the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank, and Saddleworth Bank. There is also a savings' bank.
The town was incorporated in the reign of Henry VI.,
but is now under the jurisdiction of the county magistrates acting for the division, who hold petty-sessions
every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday in the Townhall, a handsome stone structure of the Corinthian
order, built in 1840, at an expense of £7500. The
building contains a court-room, news-room, prison,
police-office, a residence for the principal police-officer,
sundry committee-rooms, and a spacious public hall 83
feet by 40, where balls, concerts, lectures, and large
public meetings take place. The internal regulation of
the town is vested, by an act passed in 1827, in all
owners or occupiers of premises within the borough, of
the clear yearly value of £35 and upwards, called Police
Commissioners, who levy police rates, appoint deputy and
other salaried constables, and keep the town properly
lighted, cleansed, and watched. Besides the officers appointed by the Commissioners, the Earl of Stamford and
Warrington's leet steward annually swears into office at
the Michaelmas court, for the service of the manor, a
mayor (who acts as returning officer at parliamentary
elections), three constables, four assistant constables,
from 12 to 24 jurymen, 12 bye-law men, two bailiffs,
two pounders, three afferors, an inspector of weights and
measures, two market-lookers, three ale-tasters, and two
bellmen. A charter of incorporation, however, has just
been granted by the crown, under which many changes
will take place. Though courts leet have generally fallen
into desuetude, the one held here is singularly useful in
recovering fines under 40s., and abating nuisances within
the manor, which otherwise could only be recovered and
abated by tedious and expensive processes at law: the
court has been held from time immemorial, every six
months, in the ancient manor court-house, a curiously
formed structure, erected in 1636, near the old marketcross. The county debt-court of Ashton, established in
1847, has jurisdiction over part of the registrationdistrict of Ashton and Oldham. The inhabitants are
empowered by the Reform act to return one member to
parliament, the right of election being vested in the £10
householders: the borough is co-extensive with the
Ashton-town parochial division, and contains 1319
acres, and 671 registered electors; the entire parish
containing 9300 acres. The poor are under the management of the guardians of the Ashton union, which comprises Ashton-town, Audenshaw and Droylsden, KnottLanes, Hartshead, Denton and Haughton, Dukinfield,
Newton and Godley, Stayley, and Mottram-in-Longdendale, with an aggregate population of 101,598.
The Living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£26. 13. 4., and at £1409 in the parliamentary return
of 1833. The Grelles, as lords of Manchester, were the
earliest owners of the advowson; but in 1304, William
de Merchia, parson of Manchester, usurped the patronage, which he retained until the De la Warres, by right
of relationship to the Grelles, recovered it in 1339. In
1427, Thomas De la Warre, baron and rector of Manchester, conveyed the advowson to Sir John de Assheton,
whose descendants possessed it for upwards of a century;
at length, through the Booths of Dunham-Massey, it
became heritably vested in the earls of Stamford. The
church, which is a handsome structure in the later
English style, standing on elevated ground near the
south-eastern extremity of the town, was at one time a
chapel of ease to the church of Manchester; the date of
its foundation is not known, but it clearly appears by
the Taxation of Pope Nicholas IV., 1291, that the living
was then one of considerable importance. During the
lifetime of Sir Thomas Assheton, who died in 1516, the
church was extensively repaired, and was enlarged; but
for several generations afterwards, the fabric underwent
few changes: in January, 1791, however, it was so
severely damaged by a thunder storm, that in the following year it was wholly repewed at the cost of the seatholders, and the belfry and roof repaired at the expense
of the parishioners. The present lofty square tower
(which contains a clock, and an excellent peal of ten
bells), and the whole of the north side of the church,
were built in 1820-21: while these improvements were
in progress, a fire broke out which destroyed the principal timbers of the west end, and consumed a nobletoned organ, with many curiously-carved antique embellishments. From 1821 to 1840, the edifice was in a
very dilapidated condition, and no steps were taken
during that period to rebuild the ruined south wall and
renovate the interior: on the 18th of May, 1840, however, the foundation stone of a new south wall was laid,
and in the course of four years from that time, the
whole fabric underwent such complete restoration that,
for correct architectural design, harmonious distribution of ornament, and elaborate carving in oak, there
are few churches of the same size in the north of England comparable with it. The expense of the renovation, which amounted to £6849, was defrayed proportionately by the patron, the rector, and the seatholders;
by general voluntary contributions; and the proceeds of
a bazaar. The east window is of beautiful design, and
the walls within the communion rails, to the height of
eight feet above the encaustic pavement, are lined with
rich tabernacle stone-work; the gilded recessed compartments being interspersed with sacred mottoes and
emblematical representations. At the west end is an
exceedingly fine organ, built in 1845, at a cost of £1155,
and which was presented by Mr. Edward Brown, of
The Firs. A short distance to the south of the church,
is a school, rebuilt in 1827 at a cost of £800, which is
occupied on Sundays by upwards of 1400 children, and
on other days of the week as a school in connexion
with the National Society.
At the western extremity of the town is St. Peter's
Church, a rich specimen of the decorated style, erected
in 1821 at a cost of £14,000, of which sum £12,688
were given by the Parliamentary Commissioners, and
the remainder by the inhabitants. It is internally 142
feet long by 65 wide, and is capable of seating 1821
persons; the galleries, which have 800 sittings, being
entirely appropriated to the poor: the western gallery
contains a fine-toned organ, erected in 1831 at an
expense of £600. The eastern elevation has a spacious
circular window; the western is characterized by a remarkably fine tower, 128 feet in height, ornamented
with buttresses at the angles, and surmounted with a
perforated parapet and crocketed pinnacles. The living
is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the Rector, returned
in 1833 as being worth £137 per annum: by an order
in council, in 1840, an ecclesiastical district was annexed to it, in pursuance of the 59th of George III.,
cap. 134. To the east of the church is a school, a
spacious building, erected in 1836 at a cost of £1400,
partly defrayed by public grants and partly by subscription; the number of Sunday-school children in attendance exceeds 1350, and the number of infants and other
week-day scholars, in connexion with the National
Society, is about 500. Attached to this school is a
library of 360 volumes. The district of Christ Church
was constituted in March, 1846, and became an ecclesiastical parish in 1847, under the act 6 and 7 Victoria,
cap. 37; it comprises about 1000 acres of level land.
The church, situated in the Charlestown suburb, was built
in 1847, at a cost of about £3000, and is a cruciform
structure in the early English style, containing 852
sittings, mostly free: connected with it is an excellent
school for boys, girls, and infants, with a house for the
master. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£150; patrons, alternately, the Crown and the Bishop
of Chester. Other churches are described under the
head of Audenshaw, Hurst, Mossley, &c. There are
places of worship, and, generally, schools also, belonging
to the Independents, Wesleyans, Independent Methodists, Primitive Methodists, Methodists of the New Connexion, Baptists, Stephenites, Latter-day Saints, and
Israelites: the last-named sect, who are understood to
hold the doctrines promulgated by Joanna Southcott,
have a chapel or sanctuary in Church-street, built in
1825, at a cost of £9500, entirely defrayed by Mr. John
Stanley. The British school, near Ryecroft, built in
1846-7, cost nearly £3000, and will accommodate 1000
children. There are several charitable institutions; and
the working classes maintain 20 sick and burial societies,
having in the aggregate 14,500 members. Mr. Coulthart states in his report on Ashton, published by Her
Majesty's Commissioners for inquiring into the state of
large towns, that the operatives have also three boards
of health or self-supporting medical associations; that
the aggregate number of members belonging to them is
5600; and that the average annual number of cases
treated is 6650.
Among the Antiquities is the Old Manor-House,
situated on a promontory near the parish church, grimly
overlooking the adjacent country, and the numerous
factories on the banks of the Ashton canal and the
river Tame. It is a large irregularly-constructed pile,
having underground cells, spacious galleries, massive
doorways, and round towers at the corners, which last
peculiarity is considered to be indicative of a very remote origin; the moats, court-yards, and drawbridges,
however, have all disappeared, and scarcely any thing
remains to attest that it was at one time the fortified
baronial residence of the Asshetons. The date of its
erection is unknown, but title-deeds satisfactorily prove
that it existed in a style of feudal grandeur in 1380; it
is now used by the agents of the Earl of Stamford and
Warrington as a place of business when collecting rents,
and is also occasionally occupied by his lordship when
visiting the town or shooting in the neighbourhood.
The Manorial Corn-mills, on the north bank of the Tame,
at a distance of about 400 yards from the Old Hall, are
very ancient, though the date of their erection, and the
changes they have undergone, are not recorded; it appears, however, by the rent-roll of the manor, dated
1422, that the mills were in existence at that time, that
the milner was "John of the Edge," and his annual
rent, 16s. 4d., the mills being kept in repair by the lord.
The dates discoverable in the buildings are comparatively
modern. One of the mills has recently been appropriated to cotton-spinning, but the other is in full operation
as a soak-mill, the tenants of the manor being still
obliged to grind their corn here, though the ancient
custom of taking the sixteenth measure as toll, has been
discontinued, and in lieu a scale of charges in money
has been substituted. The parish Workhouse and Almshouses, which are situated on the east side of the
market-place, occupy a site of 1562 square yards: the
date of these buildings must be very remote, but that
of 1684, on the lintel of a door, is the only one now
visible. Druidical basins, hollowed out of the solid rock,
and used by the Druids in rites of purification, exist in
the bottom of the Medlock, in Rocher Vale; but a weir
having been thrown across the river a few yards above
the basins, they are covered with a stratum of debris
many feet in thickness. At Park Bridge, also, are a
very ancient hand-millstone, and a curiously sculptured
block of granite, dated 1496, which were found in 1845
at the bottom of an old draw-well belonging to Mr.
Samuel Lees. There are chalybeate springs near Waterhouses, and at Lees; lime-springs at Bardsley brewery,
and at Lime Hurst; and in 1845 a strong chalybeate
spring was discovered when sinking a pump at Mr.
Richmond's residence, in Bardsley Vale. None of the
springs in the neighbourhood indicate the presence of sulphur, but so strongly impregnated with iron is the water
last referred to, that it is wholly unfit for any but medicinal purposes. Vegetable fossil remains are found in
great abundance and variety in the coal-pits and stonequarries of the parish; and occasionally, specimens of
the animal kingdom are met with.
Ashton-upon-Mersey (St. Martin)
ASHTON-upon-Mersey (St. Martin), a parish,
in the union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow,
N. division of the county of Chester, 1¾ mile (N.)
from Altrincham; comprising the township of Sale, and
part of the township of Ashton, the former containing
1309 inhabitants, and the latter, together with the
remaining part of the township, in the parish of Bowdon,
1105. A moiety of the manor was held for many generations by the Carringtons, and passed by a female heir
of that family to the Booths, from whom it descended to
the earls of Stamford and Warrington. The other
moiety was possessed by the Hondfords, from whom it
came to the Breretons; it afterwards became the property of Viscount Allen, who sold it in 1749 to George,
Earl of Warrington, grandfather of the present Earl of
Stamford and Warrington, now lord of the whole manor.
The township of Ashton is situated, as the name of the
parish implies, on the banks of the Mersey; and comprises 1479 acres: the soil is of a sandy and light
quality, and large quantities of potatoes and other early
produce are grown for the supply of Manchester. The
road from Altrincham to Manchester, and the Duke of
Bridgewater's canal, intersect the parish. A court leet
is held. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £13. 4. 7.; net income, £608; patron and
incumbent, the Rev. C. B. Sowerby. Besides the
church, there are places of worship for Calvinists, Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists, and Unitarians; and in
the township of Sale is a school endowed with land and
tenements producing £25. 15. per annum. John Okell,
Esq., left £80; Thomas Ashton, Esq., £40; and Mrs.
Safe, £23; the proceeds whereof are distributed among
the poor.
Ashton-upon-Ribble, parish of Preston, Lancashire.—See Ashton.
ASHTON-upon-Ribble, parish of Preston, Lancashire.—See Ashton.
Ashton, West
ASHTON, WEST, a tything, in the parish of Steeple-Ashton, union of Westbury and Whorwelsdown, hundred of Whorwelsdown, Whorwelsdown
and N. divisions of Wilts; containing 307 inhabitants.
A church was consecrated in Oct. 1846; it was built
and endowed by Walter Long, Esq., who is patron, and
is a simple yet elegant structure, conspicuous in every
direction. The tithes have been commuted for £410
payable to the vicar of the parish, and £3. 15. to the
rector of Trowbridge.