Bentham
BENTHAM, a hamlet, in the parish of Badgeworth, Upper division of the hundred of Dudstone
and King's Barton, E. division of the county of
Gloucester, 4 miles (S. W. by S.) from Cheltenham;
containing 236 inhabitants.
Bentham (St. John the Baptist)
BENTHAM (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Settle, W. division of the wapentake of
Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York; containing 3535 inhabitants, of whom 2180 are in the township of Bentham, 10 miles (W. N. W.) from Settle. This
parish is situated on the confines of the county of Lancaster, and comprises 25,811a. 13p., of which 7972a. 27p.
are in the township of Bentham; of the latter portion
about 2000 acres are common or waste: the soil is
poor, resting on a substratum of gritstone. The surface
is varied, and the lands are watered by the rivers Greta
and Wenning; the former has its source in the higher
parts of the parish, and the latter in the adjoining parish
of Clapham, and both after flowing through the parish
fall into the river Lune. The township contains the
villages of Upper and Lower Bentham. The inhabitants
are chiefly employed in the spinning of flax and the
weaving of linen, for which extensive mills have been
erected by Messrs. Hornby and Roughsedge; and there
are some potteries for various kinds of earthenware. A
market is held on Monday at Upper Bentham; and
fairs take place on the 5th of February, Easter-Tuesday,
the 22nd of June, and the 25th of October.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books
at £35. 7. 8½., and in the patronage of James William
Farrer, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £675,
and there is a good glebe-house. The church, situated
at Lower Bentham, is a handsome structure in the later
English style, with a square embattled tower; the nave
was rebuilt and enlarged in 1832. An additional church,
in the later English style, with a square embattled
tower crowned by pinnacles, has been erected at Upper
Bentham, by Hornby Roughsedge, Esq., at an expense
of £1800; the east window is embellished with stainedglass, and contains a painting of the Last Supper. There
is a chapel at Ingleton, in the parish, a very ancient
edifice: also one at Ingleton-Fell. The free school was
founded by William Collingwood, Esq., who in 1726 left
property for its endowment, and also for the foundation
and support of an hospital for six widowers and six
widows; the income is £240, of which £42 are paid
to the master, and £35 to the usher, of the school, and
£12 to each of the inmates of the hospital. Thomas
Baynes bequeathed land producing £12 per annum, for
the augmentation of the head master's salary; and
Isabel Baynes left property worth £20 per annum, to be
divided among poor housekeepers of the township.
Bentley (St. Mary)
BENTLEY (St. Mary), a parish and liberty, in the
union of Alton, hundred of Basingstoke, Odiham and
N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 4 miles
(W. S. W.) from Farnham; containing 766 inhabitants.
It is situated on the river Wey, which, flowing through
a valley in a beautifully meandering course, separates
this parish from that of Binsted; the surface is finely
varied, and the hills on the opposite side of the river
are covered with the royal forest of Alice-Holt. The
parish comprises 2125 acres of richly cultivated land, of
which nearly 200 are planted with hops; there are also
117 acres of common or waste. The village is pleasantly
situated on the north side of the road from London to
Southampton. The living is a perpetual curacy; net
income, £106; patron, the Archdeacon of Surrey. The
church, an ancient structure in the Norman style, situated on an eminence behind the village, was enlarged
in 1835. On the lands of Powderham farm are the remains of a Roman encampment, with a tessellated pavement in good preservation.
Bentley
BENTLEY, a township, in the parish of Wolverhampton, union of Walsall, S. division of the hundred
of Offlow and of the county of Stafford, 1¾ mile
(W. by N.) from Walsall; containing 428 inhabitants.
The township comprises about 1350 acres of land; and
contains coal and iron, works for which were commenced
in 1832, by the Earl of Lichfield, who is lord of the
manor and chief owner of the soil. Bentley Hall, the
ancient manor-house of the Lane family, is distinguished
as the residence of Colonel Lane, who, and his sister
Jane, concealed Charles II. after the battle of Worcester,
and assisted him in effecting his escape out of the kingdom. The Hall is a neat building standing on an eminence, and has latterly been the residence of the Anson
family.
Bentley (St. Mary)
BENTLEY (St. Mary), a parish, in the incorporation and hundred of Samford, E. division of Suffolk,
5¼ miles (S. W.) from Ipswich; containing 419 inhabitants, and comprises 2801a. 28p. This place is situated
close to the road from Ipswich to Colchester, and has a
station on the railway between those towns, nearly equidistant from the stations of Manningtree and Ipswich.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £6. 2. 11., and in the gift of the Rev. Charles
Edmund Keene: the impropriate tithes have been commuted for £443, and the vicarial for £189; there are
about 19 acres of glebe. At Dodnash, in the parish, a
small priory of Black canons, dedicated to the Virgin
Mary, was founded, it is said, by one Wymarus; at its
suppression, in 1524, its revenue was £42. 18. 8¼. per
annum, and it was granted to Cardinal Wolsey for the
endowment of his school and college.
Bentley
BENTLEY, an ancient chapelry, in the parish of
Shustock, union of Atherstone, Atherstone division
of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the
county of Warwick, 3 miles (S. W.) from Atherstone;
containing 266 inhabitants. It lies on the road from
Atherstone to Coleshill, and comprises 1835 acres. The
chapel, which was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, has
long been in ruins.
Bentley
BENTLEY, a village, in the parish of Rowley,
wapentake of Harthill, Hunsley-Beacon division, E.
riding of York, 2½ miles (S.) from Beverley; containing
62 inhabitants. This place is situated in the northern
part of the parish, and on the road from Beverley to
Hessle. In a hedge, east of the village, stands part of
one of the ancient crosses that marked the limits of the
sanctuary of Beverley minster.
Bentley
BENTLEY, a township, in the parish of Arksey,
union of Doncaster, N. division of the wapentake of
Strafforth and Tickhill, W. riding of York, 2 miles
(N. W. by N.) from Doncaster; containing 790 inhabitants. This village is about a mile from that of Arksey,
and has grown up round an ancient manor-house, now
known only by its site, but which was formerly the seat
of some very eminent persons, and the head of one of
the most considerable tenancies of the castle and honour
of Tickhill. The tithes were commuted for land and a
money payment under an act passed in the 7th and
8th of George IV. There is a place of worship for
Wesleyans.
Bentley, Fenny (St. Mary Magdalene)
BENTLEY, FENNY (St. Mary Magdalene), a
parish, in the hundred of Wirksworth, S. division of
the county of Derby, 2½ miles (N. by W.) from Ashbourn; containing 343 inhabitants. The manor belonged to a branch of the Beresfords of Staffordshire,
who settled at this place in the reign of Henry VI. The
elder branch of the Beresfords of Bentley, soon became
extinct in the male line, and the manor came, by marriage with their heiress, to the Beresfords of Staffordshire, from whom it passed into various hands. Of the
manor-house, a castellated mansion, there are still some
remains. The parish is situated on the road from Ashbourn to Tissington, and comprises about 1000 acres,
mostly good pasture land: there is a limestone-quarry.
The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's
books at £6. 12. 10., and in the gift of the Bishop of
Lichfield: the tithes have been commuted for £60, and
the glebe consists of 35 acres, with a house. The church
is a small structure with a square tower, and has a
curious richly-carved screen: it contains a monument,
with figures of his sixteen sons and five daughters, to
one of the Beresford family, who distinguished himself
in the wars with France, and died in 1473.
Bentley, Great (St. Mary)
BENTLEY, GREAT (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union and hundred of Tendring, N. division of Essex,
8 miles (E. S. E.) from Colchester; containing 1005
inhabitants. This parish, which on the west is bounded
by a small creek flowing into the river Colne, is about
eleven miles in circumference; the surface is diversified
with hill and valleys, and the general scenery is cheerful.
Fairs are held on the Monday after Trinity-Monday, for
cattle; the last Friday in Sept., for sheep; and the
Monday after St. Swithin's-day. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7, and
in the patronage of the Bishop of London: the impropriate tithes, belonging to the landowners, have been
commuted for £674, and the vicarial for £250; the
glebe consists of 13 acres. A rent-charge of £59 is also
paid to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. The
church, beautifully situated near a pleasant green, is a
spacious and venerable structure, in the Norman style.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and a school
is endowed with about £15 per annum.
Bentley, Hungry
BENTLEY, HUNGRY, a liberty, in the parish of
Longford, hundred of Appletree, S. division of the
county of Derby, 5¾ miles (S.) from Ashbourn; containing 83 inhabitants. The manor belonged to Henry
de Ferrars when the Domesday survey was taken;
afterwards to the Blounts, lords Mountjoy; and more
recently to the Browne and Wilmot families. The small
village is about two miles west of the village of Longford. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for
£67. 10. Here was a chapel, long since demolished.
Bentley, Little (St. Mary)
BENTLEY, LITTLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union and hundred of Tendring, N. division of Essex,
8 miles (E.) from Colchester; containing 472 inhabitants. It comprises 2000a. 2r. 14p., of which 1660 acres
are arable, 135 pasture, and 162 woodland. The living
is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13, and in
the patronage of Emmanuel College, Cambridge: the
tithes have been commuted for £650, and there are 58
acres of glebe. The church is an ancient building, consisting of a nave, north aisle, and chancel, with a tower
of stone. A chantry was founded by Sir John Le Gros.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and a school
is partly supported by the rector.
Bentley-Pauncefoot
BENTLEY-PAUNCEFOOT, a township, in the
parish of Tardebigg, union of Bromsgrove, Upper
division of the hundred of Halfshire, Droitwich and
E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 3 miles
(W. by S.) from Redditch; containing 238 inhabitants.
It comprises 1587 acres, whereof two-thirds are arable,
70 acres woodland, and the rest pasture. The soil is
partly light and partly a strong marl, and of full average
fertility: the surface is elevated, moderately undulated,
and well watered; and the scenery pleasing. The principal proprietor, and lord of the manors of Upper and
Lower Bentley, is William Hemming, Esq., of Foxlydiate
House, a handsome seat in the vicinity. Bentley Lodge
is an elegant mansion, surrounded by fertile lawns, pleasant walks, and extensive drives. The township seems
to have been formerly a distinct chapelry: in consequence of a dispute which arose between the parishioners,
searches were made, and the ruins of the old chapel
found. It was dedicated to St. Stephen.
Benton, Little
BENTON, LITTLE, a township, in the parish of
Long Benton, union of Tynemouth, E. division of
Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 2½
miles (N. E.) from Newcastle; comprising an area of
573a. 3r. 10p., whereof 24 acres are common or waste.
A part of the population is employed in Bigge's-main
colliery. Benton Park mansion, originally built a century ago, and enlarged in 1769, came by purchase, in
1838, with 90 acres of demesne, into the possession of
Mr. Potts, who has entirely re-beautified the interior.
The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £9. 7., and
those of corn and hay for £135. 17. In the park
grounds is an old font, with the date 1069.
Benton, Long (St. Bartholomew)
BENTON, LONG (St. Bartholomew), a parish, in
the union of Tynemouth, E. division of Castle ward,
S. division of Northumberland, 3½ miles (N. E. by N.)
from Newcastle-upon-Tyne; containing 8711 inhabitants, of whom 2451 are in the township of Long Benton.
This parish is bounded on the south by the river Tyne,
and intersected from east to west by the North Shields
and Newcastle railway, and turnpike-road; it extends
eight miles and a half from north to south, and at the
widest point is about three in breadth. The whole comprises, with the townships of Weetsleet, Killingworth,
Little Benton, and Walker, 8869a. 2r. 7p. The township of Long Benton, occupying about the middle of the
parish, consists of 3301a. 35p., of which 85 acres are
common or waste. On the banks of the river are various large manufactories, and staiths for shipping coal;
and the district contains many extensive collieries, which
are now nearly exhausted as respects coal for domestic
purposes, though much remains applicable to steam-furnaces: in Weetsleet and Walker townships are some
freestone-quarries. The village of Long Benton, consisting for the most part of one long street, is built upon
a rock, in a pleasant and healthy situation. The living,
a discharged vicarage valued in the king's books at
£3. 1. 3., is in the gift of Balliol College, Oxford, in
whose favour an impropriation was made, on the grant
of Sir Philip Somervyle, in 1342. The corn and hay
tithes have been commuted for about £1500, of which
£687. 11. are derived from the township of Long Benton,
and the vicarial tithes for £120, of which £52 are for the
township; the glebe consists of about 80 acres. The
church, which stands in a spacious burial-ground, a short
distance north of the village, was rebuilt, with the exception of the chancel, in 1791. At Walker is a separate incumbency. There are several places of worship for dissenters. The Roman wall of Severus passed through
the parish before its immediate termination at Wallsend:
on the line of this wall was an ancient chapel, and
another chapel is traditionally spoken of as having stood
near Low Weetsleet; both have long since disappeared.
Among the eminent persons connected with the place,
may be named the celebrated Dr. Charles Hutton, and
George Stephenson, the railway engineer, the former of
whom, when a boy, worked in the pits at Long Benton
colliery, and the latter was a brakesman at Killingworth
colliery.
Bentworth (St. Mary)
BENTWORTH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Alton, hundred of Odiham, Basingstoke and N.
divisions of the county of Southampton, 4 miles (W.)
from Alton; containing 609 inhabitants. On the loss
of Normandy, Peter, Archbishop of Rouen, obtained
license, in the 9th of Edward III., to alienate his manor of
"Binterworth," which he held in free socage, to William de
Melton, Archbishop of York. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £14. 10. 5., and in the gift
of the Rev. Thomas Matthews: the tithes have been
commuted for £907. 10., and the glebe comprises 90
acres with a house. George Withers, the poet, was born
here in 1588.
Benwell
BENWELL, a district chapelry comprising the
township of Benwell and part of that of Elswick, in the
parish of St. John, Newcastle, union of Newcastle,
W. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland; containing 2415 inhabitants, of whom
1433 are in the township of Benwell, 2½ miles (W.)
from Newcastle. This place, anciently Benwall, or Bythe-Wall, the Roman wall having passed this way, is
supposed to occupy the site of the Condercum of the
Notitia. The township comprises by measurement 1074
acres, chiefly elevated land, rising gradually and beautifully from the Tyne; the soil is generally good, and
being well cultivated produces abundant crops of corn
and grass. The district abounds in coal and freestone.
In the 17th century a seam of coal in the vicinity caught
fire at a candle, and continued to burn for upwards of
thirty years, bursting out in different places like a volcano. Various manufactories are situated on the low
grounds near the Tyne. The road from Newcastle to
Carlisle, and the Newcastle and Carlisle railway, pass
through the township in nearly a parallel direction.
The chapel, dedicated to St. James, stands conspicuously on an eminence near the centre of the district, and
was erected in 1832, at an expense of £1665; it is a
neat edifice in the Norman-English style, with a square
tower. The patronage is vested in the Vicar of Newcastle; the net income is £150. The tithes of the
township have been commuted for £89. 8. payable to
the Bishop, a similar sum to the Dean and Chapter, of
Carlisle, and £66. 1. 5. to the vicar, who has also a
glebe of above 12 acres. There are places of worship
for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists.
Benwick
BENWICK, a chapelry, in the parish of Doddington, union and hundred of North Witchford, Isle of
Ely, county of Cambridge, 8¼ miles (S. W.) from March;
containing 679 inhabitants. It comprises 3096 acres, of
which 77 are common or waste. The chapel is dedicated
to St. James. A rent-charge of £754. 13. 10. per
annum has been awarded as a commutation in lieu of
the tithes of Benwick.
Beoley (St. Leonard)
BEOLEY (St. Leonard), a parish, in the union of
King's Norton, Upper division of the hundred of Pershore, Northfield and E. divisions of the county of
Worcester, 2 miles (N. E.) from Redditch; containing
657 inhabitants. It belonged successively to the noble
families of Mortimer, Beauchamp, and Holland, of whose
ancient castle the mound and moat still remain; and in
the reign of Charles I. the manor was the property of
Ralph Sheldon, a distinguished royalist, whose mansion
was burned by the family themselves, to prevent its
falling into the possession of the parliamentarians. The
parish is on the borders of Warwickshire, and is intersected at its eastern extremity by the road from Birmingham to Alcester. It comprises 4489a. 3r. 3p.,
mostly arable and woodland, with a small quantity of
pasture; the surface is hilly, and the scenery beautifully picturesque. The population is employed in
straightening needles in the rough, and in agriculture.
The village of Holt-End, in the parish, is situated in a
vale, five and a half miles north-west of Henley-inArden. Beoley Hall, surrounded by groves and lawns,
was formerly a place of great consequence. The living
is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 16. 10½.;
patron and impropriator, W. Holmes, Esq.: the vicarial
tithes have been commuted for £69, and the glebe comprises 4 acres. The church, an ancient structure situated
on elevated ground, consists of a nave, chancel, and two
aisles, with a square tower; the chancel is Norman, and
the body early English: it was repewed in 1844-5, and
75 sittings gained, all of which are free. Attached to
the church is the chapel of "Our Lady," formerly a
private chapel of the Sheldon family, to whom it has a
very handsome monument: underneath the chapel is
the vault. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans at
Holt-End, erected in 1836; and connected with the
church is a Sunday school, at which from 90 to 100
pupils attend.
Bepton, or Bebton
BEPTON, or BEBTON, a parish, in the union of
Midhurst, hundred of Easebourne, rape of Chichester, W. division of Sussex, 2¾ miles (S. W.) from Midhurst; containing 207 inhabitants. The parish comprises
a portion of the South Downs, and part of it is comprehended within the borough of Midhurst. It contains
by estimation 1098 acres, of which 312 are arable, 434
meadow and pasture, 100 woodland, and 252 common
and down land. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £8, and in the gift of the family of
Poyntz: the tithes have been commuted for £140, and
the glebe comprises 20 acres. The church consists of a
nave and chancel, and is in the early English style.
Berdon (St. Nicholas)
BERDON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union
of Bishop-Stortford, hundred of Clavering, N.
division of Essex, 5 miles (S. W.) from Newport; containing 391 inhabitants. It is on the east borders of
the county of Hertford, and comprises 1771a. 3r. 37p.;
the soil, which is chiefly strong and heavy, is in some
parts light, but generally fertile. An act for inclosing
lands was obtained in 1838, at which time 13 acres were
appropriated for the recreation of the inhabitants. The
living is a perpetual curacy, till lately annexed to the
vicarage of Ugley: the tithes are impropriate in the
patrons, the Governors of Christ's Hospital, and have
been commuted for £360. The church is an ancient
edifice. A priory of Augustine canons was founded in
the reign of Henry III., the revenue of which at the Dissolution amounted to £35. 5. 1¼. The Rev. Joseph
Mede, a learned commentator on the Book of Revelation, was born here in 1586.
Bere-Church (St. Michael)
BERE-CHURCH (St. Michael), a parish, in the
union, and within the liberties of the borough, of Colchester, N. division of Essex, 2¼ miles (S. by W.)
from Colchester; containing 146 inhabitants. The living
is a perpetual curacy; net income, £100; patron and
impropriator, Sir G. H. Smyth, Bart., of Bere-Church
Hall, to whose family, and to Lord Audley, there are
monuments in the church.
Bergh-Apton (St. Peter and St. Paul)
BERGH-APTON (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Loddon and Clavering, hundred
of Clavering, E. division of Norfolk, 7½ miles (S. E.)
from Norwich; containing 564 inhabitants. It comprises 1938a. 3r. 21p.; and was formerly two parishes,
Bergh and Apton. The living is a rectory, to which a
mediety of the rectory of Holveston is annexed, valued
in the king's books at £13. 6. 8., and in the gift of the
Earl of Abergavenny: the tithes have been commuted
for £585, and the glebe comprises 48 acres, with a handsome house attached. The church, situated on an
eminence, is a neat cruciform structure, enlarged in 1838.
There is a town estate, consisting of 60 acres, which lets
for £80, applied to general purposes; also a poor's estate,
comprising 23 acres, which lets for £26 per annum. A
church existed at Apton, dedicated to St. Martin, but
there are no remains of it.
Bergholt, East (St. Mary)
BERGHOLT, EAST (St. Mary), a parish, in the
incorporation and hundred of Samford, E. division of
Suffolk, 3½ miles (N. W.) from Manningtree; containing 1461 inhabitants. This place, the name of which
implies "Wooded Hill," comprises 3063a. 2r. 34p. It
is pleasantly situated in the most cultivated part of the
county, on a spot overlooking the fertile valley of the
Stour; and the vicinity is remarkable for the beauty of
its gentle declivities, luxuriant meadows, well-tilled uplands, and woods and streams: the river Stour forms
the southern boundary of the parish. The Knights
Templars had a manor here. The living is a rectory,
consolidated with that of Brantham: the tithes have
been commuted for £820, and there are 20½ acres of
glebe. The church is a large and handsome edifice, of
which the steeple was never finished. There is a place
of worship for Independents. Lettice Dykes, in 1589,
gave property, now producing about £40 per annum, to
endow a free school, which was built by subscription on
land given by Edward Lamb. John Constable, the distinguished painter, was born here in 1776; and of the
scenery of the neighbourhood he used often to speak, as
having made him an artist.
Bergholt, West (St. Mary)
BERGHOLT, WEST (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Lexden and Winstree, Colchester division of
the hundred of Lexden, N. division of Essex, 3½ miles
(N. W.) from Colchester; containing 822 inhabitants.
It comprises 2274a. 18p., of which 1733 acres are arable,
119 pasture, 108 wood, and 312 common or waste. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10;
net income, £454; patron, William Fisher, Esq. The
church is an ancient edifice, consisting of a nave and
south aisle separated by massive pillars, and a chancel,
with a wooden turret surmounted by a shingled spire.
A chantry was founded here in 1331, by J. De Bures,
for a priest to officiate at the altar of the Virgin Mary.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Berkeley (St. Mary)
BERKELEY (St. Mary), a market-town and parish, in the union of Thornbury, Upper division of the
hundred of Berkeley, W. division of the county of
Gloucester, 17 miles (S. W.) from Gloucester, 19
(N. E.) from Bristol, and 114 (W. by N.) from London;
comprising the tythings of Alkington, Breadstone, Ham,
Hamfallow, and Hinton, and the chapelry of Stone;
and containing 4405 inhabitants. This place, according
to Sir Robert Atkyns, the historian of Gloucestershire,
derives its name from the Saxon Beorc, a birch-tree, and
Leas, a pasture; whence it has been inferred that the
parish was formerly remarkable for the growth of
birch-trees. From the fertility of the soil, and its contiguity to the river Severn, it was always a place of
considerable importance; and at a very early period it
gave name to the great manor of Berkeley, which
during the heptarchy was held of the crown, at
£500. 17. 2. per annum, by Roger de Berkeley, a near
relative of Edward the Confessor, and lord of Dursley,
from whom the earliest authentic pedigree of the Berkeley family is deduced. Berkeley, notwithstanding the
residence of the oldest branches of the family in their
castle at Dursley, was a market-town; and had a nunnery endowed with the large manor. The time of the
foundation of this establishment, and the name of the
founder, are not known; but its suppression, prior to
the Conquest, was effected by the perfidious avarice of
Earl Godwin, who, in order to obtain its ample revenues,
introduced his nephew into the convent for the purpose
of seducing the sisterhood, and, on the accomplishment
of the design, artfully reporting to his sovereign the
state of the establishment, procured its dissolution, and
was rewarded for his treachery with a grant of its lands.
A few years afterwards, William the Conqueror, professing high regard for all the relatives of Edward the Confessor, granted the manor of Berkeley to Roger Berkeley, of Dursley, by whose descendants it was held till
the reign of Henry II., when, refusing to pay the feefarm rent, and also taking part with Stephen, they were
dispossessed by the former monarch, who bestowed the
manor upon Robert Fitzhardinge, the descendant of
a younger son of the king of Denmark, and at that time
mayor of Bristol, who, being a man of great wealth,
materially assisted Henry in his contest with Stephen.
Fitz-Hardinge, however, was so greatly annoyed in his
new possession by the Berkeleys of Dursley, that Henry
II. interfered to make peace, which he ultimately effected
by arranging a marriage between Maurice, son of Robert
Fitz-Hardinge, and the daughter of Roger de Berkeley,
upon which the former assumed the name of Berkeley.
From this union descended the present family of Berkeley; the male issue of the Berkeleys of Dursley became
extinct in 1382.
The castle, erected during this reign, at the southeast end of the town, out of the ruins of the ancient
nunnery, was considerably enlarged by successive proprietors in the reigns of Edward II. and III., and became
one of the principal baronial seats in the kingdom. It
has been connected with many transactions of intense
political interest, and in the reign of John was one of
the places of rendezvous for the confederate barons, who
extorted from that monarch the grant of Magna Charta.
Edward II. after his deposition was detained a prisoner
in the castle under the alternate custody of Lords
Berkeley, Montravers, and Gournay; and, during the
illness of the first, by whom he had always been treated
with kindness and humanity, was barbarously murdered by the two latter: the room and bed in which the
murder was perpetrated are still shown to persons visiting the castle. During the reigns of Henry VI. and
Edward IV. the town suffered materially from the attacks of the Earl of Warwick, who, in right of his wife,
laid claim to the castle, of which he endeavoured to obtain possession by force; and in the civil war of the
17th century, being garrisoned for the king, it was besieged by the parliamentarians, to whom, after a vigorous
resistance of nine days, it was compelled to surrender.
The castle and estates are now the property of Earl
Fitz-Hardinge, to whom they were devised by his father,
the late Earl of Berkeley. The castle occupies a site
nearly circular in form. The entrance from the outer
into the inner court is through a massive arched portal,
on the left of which is the keep, a fine specimen of Norman military architecture, containing the dungeon chamber, without either window or chimney, in which
Edward II. was confined; in the floor is an opening to
the dungeon, which is twenty-eight feet deep. The
great hall was built in the reign of Edward III.
The town is situated on a gentle eminence in the
beautiful vale of Berkeley, at the distance of two miles
from the river Severn, the tides of which, flowing up the
Berkeley Avon, render it navigable to the town for vessels of forty or fifty tons' burthen. At present, the place
consists only of two streets irregularly built, the principal
of which is well paved and contains a few good houses:
the surrounding scenery is pleasing; and the ancient
castle, which has been partly modernised as the residence
of Earl Fitz-Hardinge, forms an interesting feature in
the landscape. The trade is principally in coal, which is
brought from the Forest of Dean, by the rivers Severn
and Avon, for the supply of the neighbourhood. The
Berkeley and Gloucester ship canal joins the Severn
at Sharpness Point, in the parish, at the distance of two
miles from the town, where are the harbour and entrance
locks, esteemed one of the finest pieces of masonry in the
kingdom; the canal, for nearly a mile, is separated from
the rapid flow of the Severn only by a high and massive
wall. The Gloucester and Bristol railway passes near
the town, on the east, where a station is fixed. The
parish is the largest in the county, being twenty-seven
miles in circumference, and comprising about 14,000
acres; it contains some fine pasture, and there are extensive dairies, from which is produced the celebrated
Berkeley cheese: an act for inclosing the waste lands,
was passed in 1839. The market, which is inconsiderable, is on Tuesday; and fairs are held on May 14th
and Dec. 1st.: a handsome market-house was erected in
1825. The corporation still exists, by prescription, but
has scarcely any municipal functions; it consists of a
mayor and twelve aldermen, who appoint a serjeant-atmace, constables, and other officers. The county magistrates hold a petty-session every alternate Tuesday.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books
at £32. 15. 7½.; patron, Earl Fitz-Hardinge; appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Bristol. The great tithes
have been commuted for £985. 10., and the vicarial for
£749. 10.; there are 7 acres of glebe annexed to the
vicarage, and one acre belonging to the Dean and Chapter. The church is a spacious structure, partly in
the later Norman and partly in the early English
style, and though greatly altered, still retains some
portion of its original character; the tower, which is
detached, has been rebuilt within the last century.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. The free
school was founded in 1696, by Samuel Turner, who
endowed it with land producing a rental of £38: which
endowment was augmented with lands purchased with
money given by Mr. John Smith and the Countess of
Berkeley, in 1717, and now let for £17 per annum.
John Attwood, in 1626, bequeathed to the poor some
land, which, together with three acres given by Thomas
Machin in 1630, yields a rental of £40; and there are
various other charitable benefactions. Edward Jenner,
M.D. and F.R.S., who introduced the practice of vaccination, was born here in 1742; and his remains were
deposited in the church.
Berkeswell (St John the Baptist)
BERKESWELL (St John the Baptist), a parish,
in the union of Meriden, Solihull division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the county of
Warwick, 2 miles (S. by W.) from Meriden; containing 1504 inhabitants. This place is supposed to derive
its name from a copious and powerful spring, which, at
a short distance from its source, turns a mill. The
parish comprises by measurement 5902 acres: the surface is flat, and the soil partly strong clay, and partly
light earth; sandstone is found. The London and
Birmingham railroad intersects the parish, and passes
within half a mile through a tunnel 300 yards long;
the river Blythe partly bounds the parish on the west,
and it is likewise crossed from south to north by the
road between Kenilworth and Coleshill. The living is
a rectory, with the living of Barston annexed, valued
in the king's books at £14. 12. 6., and in the gift of
Col. Disbrowe: the tithes have been commuted for
£795, and the glebe comprises 63 acres. The church is
an ancient structure, originally in the Norman style, of
which the chancel still remains a specimen; the nave
and tower are later English: under the chancel is a
handsome crypt. Certain lands in the parish are charged,
by a recent order of the Lord Chancellor, with the payment of £50 per annum for a schoolmaster; and there
are considerable funds for the benefit of the poor, of
which the churchwarden and rector are trustees.