Bayford
BAYFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of StokeTrister, union of Wincanton, hundred of NortonFerris, E. division of Somerset, 1¼ mile (E. N. E.)
from Wincanton; containing 222 inhabitants.
Bayham, a hamlet.—See Frant.
BAYHAM, a hamlet.—See Frant.
Baylham (St. Peter)
BAYLHAM (St. Peter), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, E. division
of Suffolk, 3 miles (S. by E.) from Needham-Market;
containing 275 inhabitants. The river Orwell and the
Stow-Market and Ipswich canal bound this parish,
which comprises 1332a. 3r. 19p., and is intersected by
the road from Colchester to Stow-Market. The living
is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 4. 9½.,
and in the gift of the Rev. J. C. Aldrich: the tithes
have been commuted for £300, and the glebe consists of
39 acres.
Baynton
BAYNTON, a tything, in the parish of Edington,
hundred of Whorwelsdown, Whorwelsdown and N.
divisions of Wilts; containing 33 inhabitants.
Bayswater
BAYSWATER, a hamlet, in the parish of Paddington, Holborn division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex, 1 mile from Cumberland-gate, London, on the Uxbridge road. Bayswater,
which may now be considered as a suburb to the
metropolis, consists of several ranges of neat houses,
and of some handsome detached residences; it has been
much increased by ranges of new buildings branching
off from the main street towards the north, and is desirable as a place of residence from its vicinity to Kensington gardens, which are situated on the south. The
district is lighted with gas, and the inhabitants are supplied with water from a reservoir originally constructed
for the use of Kensington Palace, and subsequently
granted to the proprietors of Chelsea water-works, on
the condition that the supply of the palace should be
regularly continued. Sir John Hill, M.D., a voluminous
writer, resided here many years, and cultivated the
plants from which he prepared his medicines, on the
spot now occupied by the proprietor of the Bayswater
tea-gardens. An episcopal chapel was built by Mr.
Edward Orme, in 1818.
Bayton (St. Bartholomew)
BAYTON (St. Bartholomew), a parish, in the
union of Cleobury-Mortimer, Lower division of the
hundred of Doddingtree, Hundred-House and W.
divisions of the county of Worcester, 1¾ mile (S. E.
by S.) from Cleobury-Mortimer; containing 468 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the north and
west by a portion of Shropshire, from which it is partly
divided by the river Rea; it comprises 1748a. 1r. 11p.,
and is intersected by the road from Worcester to Cleobury-Mortimer. The surface is hilly, but the land is
well cultivated; and coal is obtained to some extent.
Shakenhurst is a handsome seat on the margin of the
county. The living is a discharged vicarage, united to
that of Mamble, and valued in the king's books at
£5. 0. 2½.: the tithes were some years since commuted
for 180 acres of land. The church, a plain edifice, has
been recently enlarged, and the old spire replaced by a
square tower. A free school is supported by subscription.
Bayworth
BAYWORTH, a hamlet, in the parish of Sunningwell, hundred of Hormer, county of Berks; containing 75 inhabitants. Here was formerly a chapel of
ease to the rectory of Sunningwell, but it has gone to
decay.
Beachampton, or Beauchampton (St. Mary)
BEACHAMPTON, or Beauchampton (St. Mary),
a parish, in the union, hundred, and county of Buckingham, 2½ miles (S. by W.) from Stony-Stratford, and
4½ (S. W.) from Wolverton station; containing 248 inhabitants. It comprises about 1500 acres of land, in
general clayey and stoney; and is intersected by the
river Ouse, and situated near the Grand Junction canal,
from which there is a branch canal to Buckingham.
Lace-making is carried on. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £14. 16. 5½., and in the
gift of Caius College, Cambridge: the tithes have been
commuted for £345, and the glebe comprises 31 acres.
The church has some remains of the decorated style.
William Elmer founded a free grammar school in 1652,
and endowed it with freehold lands now producing £70
per annum; he also bequeathed £5 per annum for
apprenticing a poor boy, and there are other charities
amounting to about £110. The remains of the fine old
mansion of Lord Latimer, whose widow was married to
Henry VIII., are still to be seen, with the royal arms in
different parts.
Beachamwell.—See Beechamwell.
BEACHAMWELL.—See Beechamwell.
Beachfield
BEACHFIELD, a township, in the parish of Worthen, hundred of Chirbury, S. division of Salop;
containing 35 inhabitants.
Beachley
BEACHLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of Tidenham, hundred of Westbury, W. division of the county
of Gloucester, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Chepstow;
containing 224 inhabitants. This place is situated on
a small peninsula at the mouth of the Wye, formed
by the junction of that river with the Severn, over
which latter is the Old Passage ferry, lately improved
by the erection of stone piers and an establishment of
steam-packets; it is remarkable for its early vegetation,
the salubrity of its air, and the beauty of its surrounding scenery. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £16; patron, the Vicar of Tidenham; impropriator, C. S. Stokes, Esq. The chapel, which is in the
early English style, was consecrated on Sept. 10th, 1833,
and is dedicated to St. John; it was made a district
church in 1842.
Beaconsfield (All Saints)
BEACONSFIELD (All Saints), a market-town and
parish, in the union of Amersham, hundred of Burnham, county of Buckingham, 36 miles (S. E. by S.)
from Buckingham, and 23¼ (W. by N.) from London;
containing 1732 inhabitants. This parish comprises
4548a. 11p., of which 3568 acres are arable and meadow
land, 778 woodland, and 172 road and waste. The
town, which occupies 29 acres, is situated on a hill, and
is supposed to have derived its name from a beacon formerly erected there; it consists of four streets, which
meet in a convenient market-place in the centre, and
the houses are in general well built, of handsome appearance, and amply supplied with water. The environs, in which there are some handsome seats, abound
with beautiful scenery, and the air is remarkably salubrious. The market is on Thursday; the fairs, chiefly
for horses, horned-cattle, and sheep, are held on Feb.
13th and Holy-Thursday. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £26. 2. 8½.; net income,
£545; patrons, the President and Fellows of Magdalene
College, Oxford. The church is an ancient building of
stone and flint, with a tower, and contains a mural tablet
to the memory of Edmund Burke, who died at his seat
called Gregories, in the parish, and was interred here:
in the churchyard is a monument of white marble, to
the memory of Edmund Waller, the poet, who died
Oct. 21st, 1687. There is a meeting-house for Independents.
Beadlam
BEADLAM, a township, in the parish and union of
Helmsley, wapentake of Ryedale, N. riding of York,
3 miles (E.) from Helmsley; containing 158 inhabitants.
This place, which adjoins the village of Nawton, in
Kirkdale parish, is situated on the road between Helmsley and Kirkby-Moorside; a portion of the land is moor
and woodland.
Beadnell
BEADNELL, a chapelry, in the parish of Bambrough, union of Belford, N. division of Bambrough ward and of Northumberland, 10½ miles
(E. S. E.) from Belford; containing 323 inhabitants.
The surface is rather level; and of the soil, which is
generally good, two-thirds are arable, and the rest
luxuriant pasture: coal is abundant, and there are
quarries of excellent limestone. The village is pleasantly
situated on the sea-shore, having a small harbour;
several vessels are employed in conveying lobsters, cured
herrings, and other fish to London, and lime is exported
in large quantities to Scotland. Races were annually
held until 1826, when they were removed to Belford.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the
Perpetual Curate of Bambrough, with a net income of
£79: the tithes have been commuted for £40. 14. The
church, built in 1792, is a neat stone structure with a
spire, and contains 250 sittings. Here is a small castle,
which formerly belonged to the family of Forster; and
close to the sea are remains of a chapel, supposed to
have been a cell to Coldingham monastery.
Beaford (All Saints)
BEAFORD (All Saints), a parish, in the union of
Torrington, hundred of Shebbear, Black Torrington
and Shebbear, and N. divisions of Devon, 5 miles (S. E.
by E.) from Great Torrington; containing 713 inhabitants. The parish comprises 2506 acres, of which 210
are common or waste. The living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £11. 15. 7½., and in the gift of
Thomas May, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for
£244, and there are 64 acres of glebe. The church was
damaged by lightning in 1799, but has been repaired and
newly pewed. At Wooley Park are some remains of a
Danish encampment.
Beaghall, or Beal
BEAGHALL, or Beal, a township, in the parish
of Kellington, Lower division of the wapentake of
Osgoldcross, W. riding of York, 4 miles (E.) from
Ferry-Bridge; containing 568 inhabitants. This place
is situated on the south side of the river Aire, and on
the road from Ferry-Bridge to Snaith; and comprises
by computation 1570 acres, including the farm of Kellingley. A bridge crosses the river at the village, and
leads to Birkin. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £393, payable to Trinity College, Cambridge,
and the vicarial for £101. 11. 3.; there is a glebe of
2¾ acres. The Wesleyans have a place of worship. A
curious Roman swivel, which was four feet under ground,
has been dug up here.
Beaksbourne (St. Peter)
BEAKSBOURNE (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Bridge, and within the cinque-port liberty of
Hastings (of which it is a member), though locally in
the hundred of Bridge and Petham, lathe of St. Augustine, E. division of Kent, 3½ miles (E. S. E.) from
Canterbury; containing 332 inhabitants. This parish,
on account of its distance from Hastings, had formerly
a local jurisdiction, a mayor, and a prison; but it is
now united with Canterbury, the archbishops of which
once had a palace here, long since converted into a private dwelling-house. The parish comprises by measurement 1139 acres, of which 64 are in wood. The living
is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6; net income, arising from tithes, £170, with a permanent
addition of £50 annually from the Archbishop, who is
patron and appropriator.
Beal, with Lowlin
BEAL, with Lowlin, a township, in the parish of
Kyloe, union of Berwick-Upon-Tweed, in Islandshire, N. division of Northumberland; adjoining
Berwick, and containing 180 inhabitants.
Bealings, Great (St. Mary)
BEALINGS, GREAT (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Woodbridge, hundred of Carlford, E.
division of Suffolk, 2 miles (W.) from Woodbridge;
containing 377 inhabitants. It comprises 965 acres of
land; the surface is hilly, and the soil light, and subject to inundation from a confluence of small streams,
which run into the river Deben at Woodbridge, and
thence into the sea. The living is a discharged rectory,
valued in the king's books at £10. 4. 7., and in the gift
of Edward Moor, Esq.: the impropriate tithes have been
commuted for £8. 10., and the rectorial for £297. 5.;
there are 11 acres of glebe.
Bealings, Little (All Saints)
BEALINGS, LITTLE (All Saints), a parish, in the
union of Woodbridge, hundred of Carlford, E. division of Suffolk, 2¾ miles (W. by S.) from Woodbridge;
comprising by admeasurement 712 acres, and containing
322 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £6. 7. 3½.; net income, £140; patron,
F. Smythies, Esq.
Beaminster
BEAMINSTER, a market-town and parish, in the
union and hundred of Beaminster, Bridport division
of Dorset, 17½ miles (W. N. W.) from Dorchester, and
137¼ (W. S. W.) from London; containing, with the
tything of Langdon, 3270 inhabitants. During the civil
war in the reign of Charles I., Prince Maurice, commanding a party of royalists engaged in besieging Lyme,
took up his quarters in this town, which, a few days
after, was nearly reduced to ashes by fire, stated by
some historians to have been occasioned by accident,
and by others to have been the result of a quarrel between the French and the Cornish men in the service of
the king, who set fire to it in five different places. It
was rebuilt by means of a parliamentary grant of £2000,
but was again nearly destroyed by a fire which occurred
in 1684: in 1781, it experienced a similar calamity, but
the greater part of the buildings having been insured,
it soon recovered its former prosperity. The town is
pleasantly situated on the river Birt, which is formed by
the union of several small springs that rise in the immediate vicinity; the houses are in general modern and
well built, and the inhabitants are amply supplied with
water. The manufacture of woollen-cloth, which formerly flourished here, is at present on the decline, and
that of sail-cloth is now the principal source of employment; there is also a pottery for the coarser kinds of
earthenware. The market, granted to William Ewel,
prebendary of Sarum, in the 12th of Edward I., is on
Thursday; and a fair is held on Sept. 19th, for cattle.
Constables and other officers are appointed at the court
leet of the lord of the hundred. The quarter-sessions
for the county, now held at Dorchester, were formerly
held here; and in 1638, an order of session was issued
for building a house of correction at the expense of the
division. The town-hall is a neat and commodious
edifice, in which the public business is transacted.
The parish contains the manors of Beaminster Prima
and Secunda, both till lately forming prebends in the
Cathedral of Salisbury; the former valued in the king's
books at £20. 2. 6., and the latter at £22. 5. 7½. The
Living is a vicarage, annexed to that of Netherbury:
the great tithes have been commuted for £220, and those
of the incumbent for £300. The church, founded in
honour of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, is a stately
edifice in the later style of English architecture, with a
fine tower 100 feet high, richly ornamented with sculptured designs of the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the
Ascension, and other subjects of scriptural history.
There is a place of worship for Independents. The free
school was founded in 1684, by Mrs. Frances Tucker,
who endowed it with £20 per annum for the master,
leaving also £30 per annum for apprenticing boys: the
endowment now produces about £140, and the number
of scholars is 100. The Rev. Samuel Hood, father of
Lords Hood and Bridport, was master of the school
early in the eighteenth century. An almshouse for
eight aged persons was founded in 1630, by Sir John
Strode, of Parnham, Knt., the income of which amounts
to £20. Gilbert Adams, Esq., in 1626, gave £200 to
the poor; and the Rev. William Hillary, in 1712, bequeathed the reversion, after ninety-nine years, of land
in the parish of Carscombe, worth £35 per annum, for
the benefit of twelve distressed families. The Knowle
estate, in the parish, has been in the possession of the
Daniels since the reign of Henry VIII., and there is a
burial-ground for the family upon it. Dr. Thomas
Sprat, Bishop of Rochester; and the Rev. Thomas
Russel, Fellow of New College, Oxford, who distinguished himself by his defence of Warton's History of
English Poetry, were natives of the town.
Beamish
BEAMISH, a township, in the chapelry of Tanfield,
parish of Chester-Le-Street, union of Lanchester,
Middle division of Chester ward, N. division of the
county of Durham, 7½ miles (S. S. W.) from Gateshead;
containing, with the township of Lintz-Green, 2671 inhabitants. It stands in the wooded vale of Team, which
expands itself near the house of Beamish into a fine
strath, bordered on all sides by rising grounds of irregular form, richly clothed with luxuriant forest-trees.
The mansion, which contains some curious old portraits,
is one of the best family residences in the county,
having been much improved, and is remarkable for
the handsome evergreens that ornament its pleasuregrounds: the old park of Beamish occupies an upland
site to the south of the Team. There is a great quantity
of coal in the township, worked from what is called the
Tanfield colliery, and it also contains some iron-ore.
Beamsley
BEAMSLEY, a township, in the union of Skipton,
Upper division of the wapentake of Claro, W. riding of
York, 6½ miles (E. by N.) from Skipton; containing
235 inhabitants. This township, which includes Great
Beamsley in the parish of Skipton, and Little Beamsley
in that of Addingham, is on the eastern side of the river
Wharfe, and comprises by computation 1820 acres of
fertile land; Beamsley Hall is a handsome mansion
pleasantly situated. A tithe rent-charge of £20 is payable to the rector of Addingham. There is a place of
worship for Wesleyans. An hospital was founded and
endowed in 1593 by Margaret, Countess of Cumberland, for 13 poor women, 7 of them from Skipton, 5
from Silsden, and one from Stirton with Thorlby; and an
estate at Harewood was left to the charity by her
daughter, Anne, Countess of Pembroke. In 1809,
timber was felled on the lands to the amount of £1176,
of which part was invested in the Navy 5 per cents.
The inmates have each separate apartments, and the
buildings contain a chapel, in which prayers are read
daily by a chaplain, who has £20 per annum; the Earl
of Thanet, as representative of the founder, is trustee,
and the annual income is £332.
Beanacre
BEANACRE, a tything, in the parish, union, and
hundred of Melksham, Melksham and N. divisions of
Wilts; containing 257 inhabitants.