Berkhampstead, or North-Church (St. Mary)
BERKHAMPSTEAD, or North-Church (St.
Mary), a parish, in the union of Berkhampstead,
hundred of Dacorum, county of Hertford, 1½ mile
(N. W. by W.) from Great Berkhampstead; containing
1265 inhabitants. It comprises 3885a. 2r., of which
about 1600 acres are arable, and 206 wood; and surrounds Great Berkhampstead: the village is situated in
a valley. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £21. 1. 3., and in the patronage of the Duchy
of Cornwall: the tithes have been commuted for £900,
and there are nearly 11 acres of glebe. On the top of
the western hill are the small but interesting ruins of
Marlin chapel, which is supposed to have been demolished by Oliver Cromwell; the walls are chiefly supported by ivy of strong and luxuriant growth, and in
the area are large timber-trees.
Berkhampstead, Great (St. Peter)
BERKHAMPSTEAD, GREAT (St. Peter), a
market-town and parish, and
the head of a union, in the
hundred of Dacorum, county of Hertford, 25½ miles
(W. by S.) from Hertford,
and 26 (N. W. by W.) from
London; containing 2979
inhabitants. The Saxon
name of this place, Berghamstede, is derived from its
situation, either on a hill or
near a fortress, which latter, from the site of the present town, appears to be the more probable. It is a
town of considerable antiquity, the kings of Mercia
having had a castle here, to which circumstance may be
attributed its early growth and subsequent importance.
According to Spelman, Wightred, King of Kent, assisted
at the council held here in 697. At the time of the
Conquest, William, on his arrival at the place, was met
by Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, who tendered his
submission; but on leaving Berkhampstead, the king's
march was greatly obstucted by the opposition of Frederick, abbot of St. Alban's, who caused the roads to be
blocked up, by cutting down the trees, and, on William's
arrival at St. Alban's, exacted an oath from him that he
would observe the ancient laws of the realm, particularly
those of Edward the Confessor. Robert, Earl of Moreton, to whom the Conqueror gave the town, built a
castle, which was subsequently taken from his son
William, who had rebelled against Henry I., and by that
monarch's order razed to the ground. Henry II. held
his court here for some time, and conferred many privileges on the town. The castle was rebuilt in the reign
of John, and soon after besieged by Louis, Dauphin of
France, who had come over to assist the barons that
were in arms against the king. In the 11th of Edward
III., Berkhampstead sent two representatives to the
great council at Westminster; and James I., who selected the place as a nursery for his children, granted
the inhabitants a charter of incorporation; but they
were so impoverished during the civil war in the reign
of his son Charles I., that they were unable to maintain
their privileges, and the charter became forfeited.
Arms.
The town is pleasantly situated in a deep valley, on
the south-western bank of the river Bulbourne, and consists of two streets intersecting at right angles, the
principal of which, nearly a mile in length, contains
several handsome houses; the air is highly salubrious,
and the inhabitants are amply supplied with water.
Assemblies are held regularly during the season. The
manufacture of wooden bowls, spoons, and other articles
of a like kind, formerly prevailed, but it is on the decline; and the making of lace, which was also carried
on extensively, has given place to the platting of straw,
in which the female part of the population are chiefly
employed. The Grand Junction canal, which passes by
the town, affords an extensive line of inland navigation;
and the railroad from London to Birmingham runs close
to the canal, and has a station at this point. The market is on Saturday; the market-house is an ancient
building in the centre of the town. Fairs are held on
Shrove-Tuesday and Whit-Monday, and there is also a
statute-fair at Michaelmas. The county magistrates
hold a petty-session on the first and third Tuesdays in
every month; and a court leet for the honour of Berkhampstead, which is part of the duchy of Cornwall, is
held at Michaelmas. The prison is used as a house of
correction, and for the confinement of malefactors previously to their committal to the county gaol.
The parish comprises 4341 acres, of which 1197 are
common or waste. The Living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £20, and in the patronage of the
Duchy of Cornwall: the tithes have been commuted for
£434, and there are two acres of glebe. The church is
a spacious cruciform structure, exhibiting some fine
portions of the several styles of English architecture;
the tower, rising from the intersection, and highly enriched with sculpture, was built by Richard Torrington,
in the reign of Henry VIII. Within the church are
two chapels at the eastern end, one dedicated to St.
John, the other to St. Catharine; and some interesting
monuments. There are places of worship for Baptists,
the Society of Friends, and Independents. The free
grammar school was instituted in the time of Henry
VIII., and endowed with lands belonging to the dissolved guild of St. John the Baptist: in the succeeding
reign it was made a royal foundation; the master,
usher, and chaplain, were incorporated by act of parliament; and the warden of All Saints' College, Oxford,
was appointed visiter. A charity school called the
Blue-coat school, for twenty boys and ten girls, was
founded in 1727, by Thomas Bourne, who endowed it
with £8000; the property now consists of £9300 in
the New South Sea annuities. Almshouses for six aged
widows were founded in 1681, and endowed with £1000,
by Mr. John Sayer; whose endowment was augmented
with £300 by his widow, in 1712; with £26. 5. per annum by Mrs. Martha Deere, in 1784; and with £400
by the Rev. Geo. Nugent and Mrs. Elizabeth Nugent,
in 1822. King James I. gave £100, and Charles I.
£200, for providing employment and fuel for the poor,
and there are several other bequests for charitable uses.
The union of which the town is the head comprises ten
parishes and places, of which seven are in the county of
Hertford, and three in that of Bucks; and contains a
population of 11,512. There are slight vestiges of the
ancient residence of the Mercian kings, on the north
side of the town; and at the north-east end of Castlestreet are the remains of the castle, consisting principally of walls of an elliptical form, defended on the
north-west side by a double, and on the other sides by
a triple, moat: the entrance was at the south-east
angle, where there are two wide piers, between which
probably was the drawbridge. An hospital, dedicated
to St. James, formerly existed; but there are no vestiges of it. At the end of the High-street is a spring of
clear water, called St. James's well, to which medicinal
properties are attributed. The poet Cowper was born
in the town in 1731.
Berkhampstead, Little (St. Andrew)
BERKHAMPSTEAD, LITTLE (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union, hundred, and county of Hertford,
4¾ miles (S. W. by S.) from Hertford; containing 555
inhabitants. The surface is hilly, and the soil consists
of clay and gravel. The living is a rectory, valued in
the king's books at £7. 8. 6½., and in the gift of the
Marquess of Salisbury: the tithes have been commuted
for £250. 18. 4., and there are nearly 39 acres of glebe.
At How Green is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
On an elevated situation near an old manor-house, a
circular tower of brick 100 feet in height, termed the
Observatory, has been erected, which commands an extensive prospect.
Berkley (St. Mary)
BERKLEY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Frome, E. division of Somerset, 2¾ miles
(E. N. E.) from Frome, and on the road from Bath to
Salisbury; containing 496 inhabitants. This place appears to have formed part of the possessions of the
Newborough family, who were relatives to, and came
over to England with, William the Conqueror, and one
of whose descendants, Thomas Newborough, was interred in the church in 1531. The parish comprises
about 1800 acres, is richly wooded, and abounds with
pleasing scenery; freestone resembling that of Bath,
but of harder quality, is extensively quarried for building, and limestone abounds. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £7. 9. 7., and in the
gift of Sir John Mordaunt: the tithes have been commuted for £354, and the glebe comprises 55¼ acres.
The church was erected in 1751. Sir John Colborne,
afterwards Lord Seaton, resided in the rectory-house for
some time.
Berkshire
BERKSHIRE, an inland county, bounded on the
north by Oxfordshire and the southern part of Buckinghamshire, on the east by the counties of Buckingham and Surrey, on the south by that of Southampton,
on the west by that of Wilts, and at its north-western
extremity, for a very short distance, by that of Gloucester. It extends from 51° 21' to 51° 48' (N. Lat.),
and from 34' 30inch" to 1° 43ft' (W. Lon.); and contains nearly
726 square miles, or about 464,500 statute acres. There
are 31,653 houses inhabited, 1590 uninhabited, and 201
in the course of erection; and the population amounts to
161,147, of whom 80,231 are males, and 80,916 females.
At the period of the conquest of Britain by the Romans,
the south-eastern part of the county was inhabited by
the Bibroci; a small portion of it, on the south side, by
the Segontiaci; and the remaining more extensive tract
by the Attrebatii, or Attrebates. Under the Roman
dominion it was included in the great division called
Britannia Prima; and in the time of the heptarchy it
formed part of the powerful kingdom of the West
Saxons, or Wessex. Berkshire is in the diocese of
Oxford, province of Canterbury, and forms an archdeaconry, in which are comprised the deaneries of
Abingdon, Newbury, Reading, and Wallingford, containing 148 parishes. For purposes of civil government
it is divided into the hundreds of Beynhurst, Bray,
Charlton, Compton, Cookham, Faircross, Farringdon,
Ganfield, Hormer, Kintbury-Eagle, Lambourn, Morton,
Ock, Reading, Riplesmere, Shrivenham, Sunning, Theale,
Wantage, and Wargrave. It contains the borough
and market towns of Abingdon, Reading, Wallingford,
and Windsor: the incorporated market-towns of Maidenhead, Newbury, and Wokingham; and the other market-towns of Farringdon, Hungerford, East Ilsley, Lambourn, and Wantage. Under the act of the 2nd of
William IV. cap. 45, the county sends to parliament
three knights of the shire: Reading and Windsor continue to return two representatives each; the number
for Wallingford has been restricted by the statute to
one; and Abingdon still sends one, as heretofore. It is
included in the Oxford circuit: the Lent assizes and the
Epiphany sessions are held at Reading; the summer
assizes and midsummer sessions at Abingdon; the
Michaelmas sessions at either of these towns, at the
option of the magistrates; and the Easter sessions at
Newbury. The county gaol and house of correction is
at Reading, and the county house of correction at
Abingdon.
The surface of Berkshire comprises four grand natural divisions: the first is the great Vale of White Horse,
which is bounded on the south by the White Horse hills
(a continuation of the Chiltern range), on the east and
north by the Thames, and on the west by Wiltshire, constituting the whole north-western part of the county.
Here, along the banks of the Thames, is a fertile but
narrow range of meadows, seldom exceeding half a mile
in breadth, from which the land rises in most parts
gradually, forming moderately elevated ridges, or distinct eminences. Between these hills and the chalk
range, with a gentle inclination towards the south, lies
the Vale, properly so called, remarkably productive of
every kind of grain and pulse. The next grand division
comprises the chalk hills, which form so prominent a
feature in the western part of the county, presenting
towards the Vale a steep declivity, mostly bare of wood,
but clothed with a fine sward. The third great natural
division consists of the Vale of the Kennet, containing a
variety of richly diversified scenery. The fourth is the
Forest district, which comprises the remaining eastern
part of the county, being the whole of that lying eastward of the Loddon, except a detached range of chalk
hills included between the Thames and an imaginary
line drawn from Maidenhead to Wargrave, and which
may be considered as forming a collateral part of the
second division, or chalk district. The surface of the
Forest district is agreeably varied, particularly in
Windsor Forest, and the views from Windsor Terrace
are of unrivalled beauty; but it contains the greatest
quantity of waste land of any in the county, the most
extensive tracts of waste being situated on the south side
of it, and one of them, called Maidenhead Thicket, on
the north.
The soils are various, but those of a chalky or gravelly
nature predominate. Owing to the great extent of
barren heaths in the south and east parts of the county,
and of sheep-walks on the chalk hills, the quantity of
land in cultivation does not exceed the general average
of the kingdom. The total amount of arable land is
computed at 255,000 acres; the rotations of crops are
of infinite variety, but wheat and barley are the principal.
The natural grass lands, bordering on the rivers, and
in the dairy district occupying the western part of the
Vale of White Horse, together with other dry pastures,
parks, &c. but exclusively of the sheep downs of the
chalk districts, are computed to comprise about 97,000
acres, of which 72,000 are included in the Vale. The
dairy district includes the greater part of the hundreds
of Shrivenham and Farringdon, and smaller portions of
those of Ganfield and Wantage; the cheese made in it
is for the most part of the kind known by the name of
"Single Gloucester," and a large quantity is annually
sent down the Thames to the metropolis. The native
breed of hogs is the most esteemed of any in Great
Britain.
The woodlands occupy about 30,000 acres, much
of which consists of coppices, of which those in the
Vale of the Kennet supply large quantities of hoops and
brooms to the London market. The best wooded
tracts are in Windsor Forest, on the south side of the
Kennet, and in several parishes to the north of that
river; and Bagley wood, near Oxford, is one of the
largest. A considerable extent of boggy land in the
vicinity of Newbury is planted with alder-trees, the
wood of which, at eight or nine years' growth, is there
made into rakes, prongs, shafts for mops and besoms,
&c. Along the banks of the Thames and on its islands
are numerous osier-beds; and in every other suitable
situation osier plantations are objects of considerable
attention, more especially along the courses of the rivers
Kennet and Loddon: the greater part of the produce,
after being prepared for the basket-makers, is conveyed
by the Thames to London. The celebrated Royal forest
of Windsor was formerly of much greater extent than it
is at present, having comprised large portions of the
counties of Surrey and Bucks, and the whole southeastern part of Berkshire, as far as Hungerford, on the
border of Wiltshire: the Vale of the Kennet was disafforested by charter in 1226, and the circuit of the
forest is now reduced to about 56 miles. The greater
part is under tillage; and Windsor Great Park was
reduced by George III. from 3800 to 1800 acres, 2000
acres having been brought into cultivation. The forest
is computed to comprehend 69,600 acres, of which about
5500 are inclosed lands belonging to the crown; 29,000,
other private property; 600, encroachments upon the
wastes; and the remaining 24,500 acres, open forest
land, including heaths and water.
Berkshire was formerly one of the principal seats of
the clothing-trade, which, about the middle of the 17th
century, was carried on to a very considerable extent,
particularly at Abingdon, Reading, and Newbury, and
in their vicinities. Sacking and sail-cloth were also
made at Abiugdon and Wantage; and silk is yet manufactured on a small scale at Wokingham. There are
some large breweries, especially at Windsor, which is
celebrated for its ale; several paper-mills on the banks of
the Kennet; and numerous corn-mills. The principal
rivers are the Thames, the Kennet, the Loddon, the
Ock, and the Lambourn. The Thames forms the entire
northern boundary of Berkshire, in a circuitous course
of nearly 105 miles, in the whole of which it is navigable; and is augmented by the influx of all the others
before it quits the county. The Kennet is navigable,
partly by means of artificial collateral cuts, to its junction with the Thames a little below Reading. The
Kennet and Avon canal, constructed under an act obtained in 1794, connects the navigable channel of the
former river at Newbury with that of the latter at
Bath; the Wiltshire and Berkshire canal, formed under an
act obtained in 1795, branches from it, at Simington, in
the county of Wilts, and, entering this county at
Hackson bridge, near Shrivenham, traverses the Vale
of White Horse, to the Thames at Abingdon. The
north-western part of the shire also derives some advantage from the Oxford and the Thames and Severn
canals; and the south-eastern, from the Basingstoke
canal. The Great Western railway enters the county a
little to the east of Maidenhead, and passes on the south
side of that town, to Reading, after which it skirts the
border of the county as far as to the north of Basildon
Park; it then crosses the Thames into Oxfordshire, and
runs for a short distance along the boundary of that
county, recrossing the Thames a little above South
Stoke, and again entering Berkshire, whence it proceeds,
by Dudcote and Wantage, into Wilts. At Dudcote
branches off a line in a northern direction, by Abingdon,
to Oxford.
The remains of antiquity are various and interesting. The Roman stations were, Spinæ, at the present
village of Speen; that called Bibractè, the exact site of
which is yet undecided; and an important station, the
name of which has not been transmitted to modern
times, at Wallingford. Several Roman roads crossed
the county; but it is difficult to reconcile their courses
to any general theory, or to fix with precision the exact
places to which they tended. The principal were, one
from Glevum, now Gloucester, to London; and the
Ikeneld-street, which enters from Oxfordshire at Streatley, where it divides into two branches, one of which,
under the name of the Ridgway, runs along the entire
northern verge of the chalk hills, and may be regarded
as the main line, and the other, under the name of the
Westridge, passes by Hampstead Hermitage, the Long
Lane, and the vicinity of Newbury, to Old Sarum, in
Wilts. Another very ancient, and perhaps a Roman,
road enters from Wiltshire, on the north-western confines of the county, under the name of the Port-way,
and appears to have taken a direction towards some spot
south of Wallingford. There are also numerous remains
of camps, of which it is thought that Letcombe Castle
and Uffington Castle, both occupying commanding situations on the downs, were constructed by the Britons
and subsequently used by the Romans. In a field
about half a mile from Little Coxwell is a space of
fourteen acres, styled Cole's Pits, in which are 273 pits,
for the most part circular, and excavated in the sand to
the depth of from seven to twenty-two feet: they are
supposed to mark the sites of ancient British habitations. Near Uffington Castle is the rude figure of a
horse, giving name to the hills and vale of White
Horse; it is formed by cutting away the turf on the
steep brow of the chalk hill above Uffington, and occupies about an acre of ground. At a little distance
from this is a mount called Dragon hill, supposed to
mark the place of interment of some British chieftain;
and many tumuli are dispersed over the downs, especially in the way from Uffington to Lambourn, where a
group of them has acquired the name of the "Seven
Barrows."
Within the limits of the county were anciently
twelve religious houses, including an alien priory, and
two commanderies of the Knights Hospitallers; also
three colleges, of which that of the royal chapel of
St. George, at Windsor, still remains; and ten hospitals,
five of which yet exist, namely, two at Abingdon, and
one each at Donnington, Lambourn, and Newbury. Of
the magnificent abbey built by Henry I. at Reading, little
more than rude heaps of stones can now be seen; but
there are considerable remains of the church of the
Grey friars there, converted into a bridewell. There
are likewise some vestiges of the monasteries of Abingdon, Hurley, and Bisham, and of the collegiate church
of Wallingford. The fragment of a wall, and extensive
ditches and earthworks, indicate the site of the important castle of Wallingford; and there yet exist ruins of
the gateway of that of Donnington. The most remarkable mansion, in point of antiquity, is the manor-house
at Appleton, which appears to be of as remote a date as
the reign of Henry II. Berkshire has for a series of
centuries derived some degree of celebrity from containing, at its easternmost extremity, one of the chief residences of the kings of England,—the vast and magnificent pile of Windsor Castle; and there are also many
seats of the nobility and gentry, distinguished for their
architectural beauties. The mineral waters are unimportant, the following only possessing any note, viz., a
mild cathartic at Cumner; a weak chalybeate at Sunninghill; a strong chalybeate in the parish of Wokingham, called Gorrick Well; and some springs near
Windsor, of the quality of the Epsom waters. The
county gives the title of Earl to the family of Howard,
Earls of Suffolk and Berkshire.
Berkswich.—See Baswich
BERKSWICH.—See Baswich.
Bermondsey (St. Mary Magdalene)
BERMONDSEY (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish
and union, in the borough of Southwark, E. division
of the hundred of Brixton and of Surrey, 1½ mile
(S. S. E.) from London; containing 34,947 inhabitants.
This place, in Domesday book, is described as a royal
demesne, and, in other ancient records, as having been
occasionally the residence of William the Conqueror,
and his successor, William Rufus, who had a palace
here. In 1089, a priory for Cluniac monks was founded
by Aldwin Child, a citizen of London, as a cell to the
abbey of La Charité in France, from which establishment brethren of that order are said to have been sent
hither through the influence of Lanfranc, Archbishop of
Canterbury. To this monastery William Rufus and
some of his successors were great benefactors. Henry I.
gave the palace to the monks, for the enlargement of
their cloister, reserving part of it as a residence for
himself, in which King John having subsequently resided, it obtained the appellation of King John's Palace,
and has been by some antiquaries considered rather
the original site than, as it was in reality, only an
appendage to the monastery. This establishment increased so much in wealth and importance that it was
found necessary to enlarge the buildings; and an
hospital was erected adjoining it in 1213, for the reception of their converts and the education of children
of indigent parents, which was dedicated to St. Thomas
the Martyr. In the 45th of Edward III. it was sequestrated, with other alien priories, to the use of the
crown, but was re-established. Richard II. elevated it
into an abbey, and it retained its grandeur and importance till the Dissolution, when its revenue was estimated
at £548. 2. 5¾. The site appears to have been very extensive, comprising the present churchyard, and an
adjoining area, still called King John's Court; and
vestiges of the place and conventual buildings may be
traced in the gardens of the houses which have been
erected on the site: a gateway, which was standing in
1807, has been taken down, in order to form Abbeystreet. Bermondsey owes its origin to the monastery,
in the vicinity of which a gradual accumulation of buildings had formed a village in the reign of Edward III.
when a church was founded by the prior, for the use of
the inhabitants. Catherine of France, widow of Henry
V., lived in retirement in the monastery, where she
died in 1436; here also, in 1486, Elizabeth, queen of
Edward IV. who had been sentenced by the council to
forfeiture of lands, ended her life in confinement.
Bermondsey is situated on the southern bank of the
river Thames. The houses are in general ancient and
irregularly built, but there are several modern and handsome structures; the streets are paved, and lighted
with gas, and the inhabitants are supplied with water
from the South London and the Southwark water-works.
An act for more effectually paving, lighting, and otherwise improving the parish, was passed in 1845. A
great alteration has lately taken place by the formation
of the London and Greenwich railway, which commences near the foot of London bridge, and crosses
the parish by means of a magnificent viaduct of lofty
arches, for the construction of which numbers of houses
were purchased by the directors and pulled down along
the line. The Bricklayers' Arms branch of the Croydon
railway is almost exclusively within the parish; it was
opened in May 1844, and is about 1¾ mile long: the
cost was defrayed jointly by the Croydon and SouthEastern Railway Companies. The tanning of leather is
carried on to a very great extent; there are numerous
woolstaplers, fellmongers, curriers, and manufacturers of
vellum and parchment, besides an extensive hat-factory,
some vinegar-works, a distillery, and brewery. The
situation is also favourable to other trades; there are a
small dock and several yards for boat-builders, and
within the parish are likewise rope-makers, anchorsmiths, and stave-merchants, and an establishment for
the printing and dyeing of calico. About 200 acres of
land are cultivated for the production of vegetables.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books
at £15. 8. 11½., and in the patronage of the family of
Knapp; net income, £514. The parish church, of which
the west front and tower were repaired and embellished
in 1830, is in the later English style. A district church,
dedicated to St. James, was completed in 1828, partly
by a grant from the Parliamentary Commissioners, at an
expense of £21,412; it is a handsome edifice in the
Grecian style, with a tower, and a portico of four pillars
of the Ionic order: an altar-painting, of the Ascension,
which cost £500, the bequest of Mr. J. Harcourt, was put
up in 1845. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £300; patron, the Rector of Bermondsey. A
church district named Christchurch was endowed by
the Ecclesiastical Commission in 1845, and one named
St. Paul's in 1846: a church has just been consecrated in the former district, which has consequently
become an ecclesiastical parish; the edifice is in the
Romanesque style, built at a cost of about £4600,
exclusive of the site, and situated at an angle formed by
a road crossing the road to Lower Deptford. There are
places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans;
and a handsome and spacious Roman Catholic chapel
erected in 1834, at a cost of about £6000. Close to it
is a convent of the Sisters of Mercy, erected in 1839,
for about forty inmates, with a private chapel and a
schoolroom for 300 female children; it cost about
£4000. "The Bermondsey Free School," for sixty
boys, who are instructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic, was founded in 1709, by Josiah Bacon, who left
£700 for building the premises, and £150 per annum
for its endowment; the schoolroom, which was erected
in 1718, in the Grange road, is a neat brick building,
having a bust of the founder in a niche over the entrance. The united "Charity Schools," established in
1712, are supported partly by an endowment of £109
per annum. In 1770, a chalybeate spring was discovered, and a spa established which, for many years,
was a celebrated place of entertainment. Israel Mauduit,
an ingenious writer on politics and commerce, was born
in Bermondsey in 1708.
Berners-Roothing.—See Roothing.
BERNERS-ROOTHING.—See Roothing.
Berrick-Prior
BERRICK-PRIOR, a liberty, in the parish of Newington, union of Wallingford, hundred of Ewelme,
county of Oxford, 4¼ miles (N. N. E.) from Wallingford; containing 181 inhabitants.
Berrick-Salome
BERRICK-SALOME, a chapelry, in the parish of
Chagrove, union of Wallingford, hundred of
Ewelme, county of Oxford, 2½ miles (N.) from Bensington; containing 164 inhabitants. The chapel is
dedicated to St. Helen. Here is a school with a small
endowment.
Berrier
BERRIER, a township, in the parish of Greystock
union of Penrith, Leath ward, E. division of Cumberland, 8 miles (W. by S.) from Penrith; containing, with
the township of Murrah, 127 inhabitants, of whom 65
are in Berrier. Mary Jackson, in 1799, left £230 in
reversion, to found and endow a school for girls, which
was built by subscription in 1828.
Berrington
BERRINGTON, a township, in the parish of Kyloe,
union of Berwick-Upon-Tweed, in Islandshire, N.
division of Northumberland; adjoining Berwick, and
containing 316 inhabitants.
Berrington
BERRINGTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Chipping-Campden, union of Shipston-on-Stour, Upper
division of the hundred of Kiftsgate, E. division of the
county of Gloucester; containing 158 inhabitants.
Berrington (All Saints)
BERRINGTON (All Saints), a parish, in the union
of Atcham, hundred of Condover, S. division of
Salop, 5½ miles (S. E. by S.) from Shrewsbury; containing 651 inhabitants. The navigable river Severn
passes through the parish. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £10. 12. 1., and in the
gift of Lord Berwick: the tithes have been commuted
for £520 payable to the rector, and £74 payable to impropriators; the glebe consists of 31 acres.
Berrington
BERRINGTON, a hamlet, in the parish and union
of Tenbury, Upper division of the hundred of Doddingtree, Hundred House and W. divisions of the
county of Worcester, 2 miles (W. by S.) from Tenbury; containing 207 inhabitants. The hamlet comprises 1274a. 2r. 9p., and forms the most eastern district of the county, being bounded on the north by the
river Teme, and surrounded on the west and south by a
portion of the county of Hereford.
Berrow (St. Mary)
BERROW (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Axbridge, hundred of Brent with Wrington, E.
division of Somerset, 9½ miles (W. by S.) from Axbridge; containing 578 inhabitants. The parish is
situated on a small inlet from the Bristol Channel, to
which it gives the name of Berrow bay, and by which
it is bounded on the west. It comprises 1650 acres of
land; the range of sand-hills that bound the coast contain many botanical and entomological rarities. The
living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £13. 11. 10½.; patron, the Archdeacon of
Wells. The great tithes have been commuted for £102,
and the impropriator has 18 acres of glebe: the vicarial
tithes have been commuted for £218. 13., and there is an
acre of vicarial glebe. The church is likely to be buried
in the sands, which have accumulated to such an
extent, that the wall of the churchyard is twenty feet
below the surface of the ground. There is a place of
worship for Wesleyans.
Berrow (St. Faith)
BERROW (St. Faith), a parish, in the union of
Upton-On-Severn, and in a detached part of the Lower
division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, locally in the
Lower division of the hundred of Pershore, Upton
and W. divisions of the county of Worcester, 7 miles
(W.) from Tewkesbury; containing 480 inhabitants.
This beautiful parish, about a mile in breadth, extends
in an eastern direction three miles from the summit of
Raggedstone hill or the Gloucester beacon, and from the
Keysand hill, which latter forms the southern limit of
the Malvern range. There is a sudden descent for a
quarter of a mile to the foot of the hill, whence the
country is undulated, with here and there deep narrow
ravines alternating with low flat ridges or terraces of
considerable extent; the entire surface, dotted with
fruit and forest trees, presenting to the eye a varied
landscape. At the western extremity of the parish,
where it touches the parishes of Eastnor and Bromsberrow, the three counties of Worcester, Hereford, and
Gloucester unite. The area is about 2100 acres, whereof four-tenths are arable, five-tenths pasture, and onetenth woodland with 72 acres of common or waste: the
soil is a rich loam, but the system of cultivation might
be much improved, and a better mode of drainage
adopted. Quarries of limestone and roadstone are
wrought in the parish. The road between Tewkesbury
and Ledbury passes near its northern border. The
living is a perpetual curacy, valued in the king's
books at £7. 18. 4.; patrons and appropriators, the
Dean and Chapter of Worcester. The tithes have been
commuted for £350, of which £40 are paid to the incumbent, whose total income is £100: there are 44
acres of glebe land; and a cottage named the Vicarage,
with a rood of garden ground attached. The church is a
small building in the decorated and later English styles,
and consists of a chancel, nave, and south aisle, with a
western tower, and north porch; the chancel, which is
of good proportions, has been built since the erection
of the nave: the edifice will afford accommodation to
about 250 persons. A national school, taught by a
mistress, has just been established.
Berry-Pomeroy (St. Mary)
BERRY-POMEROY (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Totnes, hundred of Haytor, Paignton and S.
divisions of Devon, 1½ mile (E. N. E.) from Totnes; containing with the township of Bridgetown, 1149 inhabitants. This place derives its distinguishing appellation
from a family of that name, one of whom, Ralph de
Pomeroy, soon after the Conquest founded a castle here,
of which there are still some remains. The parish comprises by measurement 4335 acres, whereof 2629 are
arable, 1204 pasture, 237 woodland, 167 orchard, and
62 common or waste, and is intersected by the navigable
river Dart; the low lands are rich and fertile, abounding in irrigated meadows and fruitful orchards, and on
the high grounds are produced excellent crops of corn.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£18. 19. 7.; patron and impropriator, the Duke of
Somerset: the great tithes have been commuted for
£400, and the vicarial for £420, with a glebe of 3
acres. The church contains a finely-carved screen and
rood-loft. A chapel in the pointed style was erected
at Bridgetown, at the expense of the patron, in 1832.
Berryn-Arbor (St. Peter)
BERRYN-ARBOR (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Barnstaple, hundred of Braunton, Braunton and N. divisions of Devon, 2¾ miles (E. by S.) from
Ilfracombe: containing 899 inhabitants. It comprises
by computation 5000 acres of fertile land: limestone of
fine quality is quarried to a considerable extent. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £34. 15. 10.;
patrons, in turn, the Bishop of Exeter, the Fursdon
family, the Rev. E. W. Richards, and J. D. Basset, Esq.:
the tithes have been commuted for £545, and the glebe
comprises 130 acres, with a house. The church is a
neat edifice, with a handsome tower. There is a place
of worship for Independents. Bishop Jewell, celebrated
for his support of the Protestant faith, was born here in
1522.
Bersted, South (St. Mary Magdalene)
BERSTED, SOUTH (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the hundred of Aldwick, rape of Chichester,
W. division of Sussex, 6 miles (S. E.) from Chichester;
containing, with the town of Bognor, and the tythings
of North and of South Bersted, and Shripney, 2490 inbitants, of whom 194 are in North Bersted. It comprises 2455 acres, of which about 1575 acres are arable,
774 pasture, and 6 woodland; the surface is pleasingly
varied, and the soil in general a rich loam resting upon
a reddish clay or brick earth, and in some parts sand
and gravel. The village, which formerly consisted only
of a few fishermen's cottages, has been greatly improved.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£7. 18. 9.; patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury;
appropriators, the Dean and Chapter: the great tithes
have been commuted for £810, and those of the vicar
for £400. The church, erected in 1400, is a plain edifice,
with a tower surmounted by a low spire of shingles; in
the churchyard is the tomb of Sir Richard Hotham,
Knt., founder of the town of Bognor. A chapel dedicated to St. John was erected at Bognor, and consecrated
in 1822. Stephen de "Berghestede," who was elevated
to the see of Chichester in 1262, was a native of the
place; and Dr. Lloyd, Bishop of Oxford, was vicar.
Berwick
BERWICK, a parish, in the union of West Firle,
hundred of Longbridge, rape of Pevensey, E. division
of Sussex, 3 miles (E. S. E.) from Lewes; containing
199 inhabitants. It is bounded on the east by the Cuckmere river, and intersected by the road from Lewes to
Eastbourne, and comprises 1060 acres, of which 330 are
common or waste; the soil is chiefly chalk, clay, and
rich loam. The Berwick station of the Brighton and
Hastings railway is equidistant from the station at
Lewes and that at Pevensey. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £13. 6. 8., and in the gift
of John Ellman, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted
for £387. 10., and the glebe consists of 21 acres. The
church is a handsome structure in the later English
style, with a tower formerly surmounted by a spire,
which was destroyed by lightning in 1774. Wood
fossils are found in a sand-pit.
Berwick (St. James)
BERWICK (St. James), a parish, in the union of
Wilton, hundred of Branch and Dole, Salisbury and
Amesbury, and S. divisions of Wilts, 8 miles (N. W.)
from Salisbury; containing 247 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Salisbury to Devizes,
and comprises by computation 2300 acres of arable and
pasture land, of which the soil is fertile, and the substratum chiefly chalk; many sheep are fed on the
Downs. A fair is held on the 4th of October. The
living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £8. 10.; net income, £54; patron, Lord Ashburton. The great tithes have been commuted for £133,
and the vicarial for £30: there is an acre of glebe.
The church is a very substantial building, having in the
north transept a curious stone pulpit, which has been
much noticed by antiquaries, and until within these few
years was used by the officiating minister.
Berwick (St. John)
BERWICK (St. John), a parish, in the union of
Tisbury, hundred of Chalk, Hindon and S. divisions
of Wilts, 5¼ miles (E. by S.) from Shaftesbury; containing 419 inhabitants. It comprises about 1700 acres;
the surface is hilly, and the soil consists of all the varieties of clay, chalk, and sand. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £26. 13. 4., and in the
gift of New-College, Oxford: the tithes have been commuted for £500, and there are 53½ acres of glebe. The
church is a handsome edifice in the later English style.
There is a place of worship for Baptists. About a mile
southward from the village is an intrenchment called
Winkelbury Camp, supposed to have been constructed
by the Romans.
Berwick (St. Leonard)
BERWICK (St. Leonard), a parish, in the union of
Tisbury, hundred of Dunworth, Hindon and S. divisions of Wilts, 1 mile (E.) from Hindon; containing 41
inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road
from London to Exeter, comprises by measurement
1200 acres of fertile land. A fair for sheep is held on
St. Leonard's day; it is numerously attended. The
manor-house, now in ruins, was for many years the residence of the Howe family, of whom Sir George Howe
had the honour to entertain the Prince of Orange in
1688. The living is a rectory, with the perpetual curacy
of Sedghill annexed, valued in the king's books at
£8. 6. 8.; net income, £374; patron, J. Bennet, Esq.
Berwick-Bassett (St. Nicholas)
BERWICK-BASSETT (St. Nicholas), a parish, in
the union of Marlborough, hundred of Calne, Marlborough and Ramsbury, and N. divisions of Wilts,
8 miles (N. W. by W.) from Marlborough; containing
175 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 1388
acres of fertile land, of which about one-third is pasture:
there are about 8 acres of wood. The ancient manorhouse, many ages since the residence of the Goddard
family, is still remaining. The living is a perpetual
curacy, united to the vicarage of Calne. The church is
a neat plain edifice, and contains a carved screen and
font. Henry Webb, in 1775, endowed a school with
£14 per annum.
Berwick-Hill
BERWICK-HILL, a township, in the parish of
Ponteland, union and W. division of Castle ward,
S. division of Northumberland, 9¼ miles (N. N. W.)
from Newcastle-upon-Tyne; containing 112 inhabitants.
The township comprises 1594a. 27p., of which two-thirds
are arable, and the remainder grass land and waste; the
soil is of a strong quality, producing good crops, particularly of grain. The surface is elevated, and commands
fine and extensive views; on the south is Prestwick
Carr; and the river Pont flows on the west and north.
The tithes have been commuted for £244. 11. 4. payable
to Ralph Carr, Esq., and £22. 14. 2. to the vicar of
Ponteland.
Berwick-In-Elmett.—See Barwick.
BERWICK-IN-ELMETT.—See Barwick.
Berwick, Little
BERWICK, LITTLE, a chapelry, in the parish of
St. Mary, Shrewsbury, N. division of Salop; containing 271 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £54; patrons, the Earl of Tankerville and others. Near the chapel is an almshouse consisting of sixteen tenements, erected under the will of
Sir Samuel Jones dated in 1672, and endowed by him
with £80 per annum; he also bequeathed £40 per
annum as a stipend for the minister, and £20 per annum
towards repairing the chapel and almshouses, all charged
on the Berwick estate. The property of the charity,
with funds derived from other sources, yields an income
of £183.
Berwick-Upon-Tweed (Holy Trinity)
BERWICK-UPON-TWEED (Holy Trinity), a
port, borough, market-town,
parish, and county of itself,
and the head of a union,
64 miles (N. by W.) from
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and
334 (N. by W.) from London; containing 8484 inhabitants. The name of this
town, which Leland supposes to have been originally
Aberwick, from the British
terms, Aber, the mouth of a river, and Wic, a town, is
by Camden and other antiquaries considered to be expressive merely of a hamlet, or granary, annexed to a
place of greater importance. Such appendages are
usually in ancient records styled berewics, and the town
is thought to have obtained its name from having been
the grange or berewic of the priory of Coldingham, ten
miles distant. The earliest authentic notice of Berwick
occurs in the reign of Alexander I. of Scotland, and in
that of Henry II. of England, to the latter of which
monarchs it was given up, with four other towns, by William the Lion, in 1176, as a pledge for the performance
of the treaty of Falaise, by which, in order to obtain his
release from captivity after the battle of Alnwick, in
1174, he had engaged to do homage to the English monarch as lord paramount for all his Scottish dominions.
Richard I., to obtain a supply of money for his expedition to the Holy Land, sold the vassalage of Scotland
for 10,000 marks, and restored this and the other towns
to William, content with receiving homage for the territories only which that prince held in England. King
John, upon retiring from an unsuccessful invasion of
Scotland, burnt the town, which the Scots almost immediately rebuilt.
Arms.
In 1291, the commissioners appointed to examine
and report on the validity of the title of the respective
claimants to the crown of Scotland, met at Berwick, and
pursued the investigation which led to the decision in
favour of John Balliol. Edward I. having compelled
Balliol to resign his crown, took the town by storm in
1296, when a dreadful carnage ensued; here he received
the homage of the Scottish nobility in the presence of a
council of the whole nation, and established a court of
exchequer for the receipt of the revenue of the kingdom
of Scotland. Wallace, in the following year, having
laid siege to the town, took and for a short time retained possession of it, but was unsuccessful in his
attempt upon the castle, which was relieved by the
arrival of a numerous army. Edward II., in prosecuting the war against Scotland, assembled his army here
repeatedly, and hence made inroads into the enemy's
territory. Robert Bruce obtained it in 1318, and, having
raised the walls and strengthened them with towers,
kept it, notwithstanding attacks from Edward II. and
III., until it surrendered to the latter after the celebrated
battle of Hallidown Hill, within the borough, which
took place on the 19th of July, 1333. From Edward
IV. and his successors it received several charters and
privileges in confirmation and enlargement of the charter granted by Edward I., in which the enjoyment of
the Scottish laws as they existed in the time of Alexander III. had been confirmed. After having been exposed
during the subsequent reigns to the continued aggressions of the Scots and the English, Elizabeth repaired
and strengthened the fortifications, and new walled part
of the town: the garrison which had for some time been
placed in it, was continued till the accession of James to
the English throne, when its importance as a frontier
town ceased. During the civil war in the reign of
Charles I., it was garrisoned by the parliament.
The Town is pleasantly situated on the northern bank,
and near the mouth, of the river Tweed, over which is a
handsome stone bridge of fifteen arches, built in the
reigns of James I. and Charles I., and connecting it with
Tweedmouth on the south. The streets, with the exception of St. Mary gate, usually called the High-street,
Castlegate, Ravensdowne, the Parade, and Hide-hill,
are narrow, but neatly paved, and the houses are, in
general, well built: the town is lighted with gas, and an
abundant supply of water is obtained by pipes laid down
to the houses from the public reservoirs, which are the
property of the corporation. Fuel is also plentiful, there
being several colleries on the south, and one on the
north, side of the river, within from two to four miles
of the town. A public library was established in 1812,
and a reading-room in 1842; the theatre, a small neat
building, is opened at intervals, and there are assemblyrooms. The new fortifications, which are exceedingly
strong, have displaced those of more ancient date, of
which only a few ruins now remain; they afford an
agreeable promenade, much frequented by the inhabitants. The present works consist of a rampart of earth,
faced with stone: there are no outworks, with the exception of the old castle, which overlooks the Tweed,
and is now completely in ruins, and an earthen battery
at the landing-place below the Magdalen fields. The
line of works below the river is almost straight, but to
the north and east are five bastions, to two of which
there are powder magazines: the harbour is defended
by a four and a six gun battery near the governor's
house; and a saluting battery, of twenty-two guns,
commands the English side of the Tweed. There are
five gates belonging to the circumvallation, by which entrance is obtained. The barracks, which were built in
1719, form a small quadrangle, neatly built of stone,
and afford good accommodation for 600 or 700 infantry.
To these was recently attached the governor's house, for
officers' barracks; but that building and the ground
adjoining, formerly the site of the palace of the kings of
Scotland, have been sold by the crown to a timbermerchant, and are now occupied for the purposes of his
trade.
The port was celebrated in the time of Alexander III.
for the extent of its traffic in wool, hides, salmon, &c.,
which was carried on both by native merchants, and by
a company of Flemings settled here; the latter of whom,
however, perished in the conflagration of their principal
establishment, called the Red Hall, which was set on
fire at the capture of the town and castle by Edward I.
At present, there is a considerable coasting-trade, though
it has somewhat declined since the termination of the
continental war: the exports are corn, wool, salmon,
cod, haddock, herrings, and coal; and the imports,
timber-deals, staves, iron, hemp, tallow, and bones for
manure. About 800 men are employed in the fishery:
the salmon and trout, of which large quantities are
caught, are packed in boxes with ice, and sent chiefly to
the London market; great quantities of lobsters, crabs,
cod, haddock, and herrings are also taken, and a large
portion forwarded, similarly packed, to the metropolis.
The principal articles of manufacture, exclusively of
such as are connected with the shipping, are, damask,
diaper, sacking, cotton-hosiery, carpets, hats, boots, and
shoes; and about 200 hands are employed in three ironfoundries, established within the present century.
Steam-engines, and almost every other article, are made;
the gas-light apparatus for Berwick, Perth, and several
other places, was manufactured here, and iron-works
have lately been erected at Galashiels and at Jedburgh
by the same proprietors. The harbour is naturally
inconvenient, the greater part of it being left dry at
ebb-tide; it has, however, been recently deepened by
several feet, and vessels of large tonnage come to the
quay. The river is navigable only to the bridge, though
the tide flows for seven miles beyond it: on account of
the entrance being narrowed by sand-banks, great impediments were occasioned to the navigation till the
erection, in 1808, of a stone pier on the projecting rocks
at the north entrance of the Tweed; it is about half a
mile in length, and has a light-house at the extremity.
This, together with the clearing and deepening of the
harbour, has materially improved the facilities of navigation, and been of great importance to the shipping
interest of the place. On the Tweedmouth shore, for a
short space, near the Carr Rock, ships of 400 or 500
tons' burthen may ride in safety. The smacks and
small brigs, formerly carrying on the whole traffic of the
place, are now superseded by large and well-fitted steamvessels, schooners, and clipper-ships. There are numerous and extensive quays and warehouses, with a
patent-slip for the repair of vessels; and the town has
the advantage of a railway to Edinburgh, in continuation
of the railway along the east coast hence to Newcastleupon-Tyne: the great railway bridge over the Tweed
here, was commenced in the spring of 1847. The
market, which is well supplied with grain, is on Saturday,
and there is a fair on the last Friday in May, for blackcattle and horses; statute-fairs are held on the first
Saturday in March, May, August, and November.
By charter of incorporation granted in the second
year of James I., the government was vested in a mayor,
bailiffs, and burgesses; and there were, besides, an
alderman for the year, a recorder, town-clerk, towntreasurer, four sergeants-at-mace, and other officers;
but the control now resides in a mayor, six aldermen,
and eighteen councillors, together composing the council, by whom a sheriff and other officers are appointed.
The borough is distributed into three wards, and its
municipal and parliamentary boundaries are the same;
the mayor and late mayor are justices of the peace, and
twelve other gentlemen have been appointed to act
under a separate commission. Berwick was one of the
royal burghs which, in ancient times, sent representatives to the court of the four royal burghs in Scotland;
and on being annexed to the kingdom of England, its
prescriptive usages were confirmed by royal charter. It
sent representatives to parliament in the reign of Henry
VIII., since which time it has continued to return two
members. The right of election was formerly vested in
the freemen at large, in number about 1140; the resident freemen and certain householders are now the
electors, and the sheriff is returning officer. The limits
of the borough include the townships of Tweedmouth
and Spittal, on the south side of the river. The corporation hold courts of quarter-session for the borough,
and a court of pleas every alternate Tuesday for the
recovery of debts to any amount; a court leet, also, is
held under the charter, at which six petty constables are
appointed. The powers of the county debt-court of
Berwick, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of Berwick. The town-hall is a spacious
and handsome building, with a portico of four massive
columns of the Tuscan order: a portion of the lower
part, called the Exchange, is appropriated to the use of
the poultry and butter market; the first story contains
two spacious halls and other apartments, in which the
courts are held and the public business of the corporation transacted, and the upper part is used as a gaol.
The whole forms a stately pile of fine hewn stone, and
is surmounted with a lofty spire, containing a peal of
eight bells, which on Sunday summon the inhabitants
to the parish church.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books
at £20; net income, £289; patrons and appropriators,
the Dean and Chapter of Durham. The church is a
handsome structure in the decorated English style,
built during the usurpation of Cromwell, and is without
a steeple. One of the Fishbourn lectureships is established here. There are places of worship for members
of the Scottish Kirk, the Associate Synod, the Scottish
Relief, Particular Baptists, Wesleyans, and Roman
Catholics. A school for the instruction of the sons of
burgesses in English and the mathematics was founded
and endowed by the corporation, in 1798; to each department there is a separate master, paid by the corporation, and the average number of pupils is about 300.
The burgesses have also the patronage of a free grammar school, endowed in the middle of the seventeenth
century by Sir William Selby, of the Moat, and other
charitable persons. The Blue-coat charity-school was
founded in 1758 by Captain Bolton, and endowed with
£800, since augmented with several benefactions, especially with one of £1000 by Richard Cowle, who died at
Dantzic in 1819; the whole income is £155, which is
applied to educating about 150 boys, of whom 40 are
also clothed. The school of industry for girls, established in 1819, affords instruction to 106 girls; and
there are several infant, Sunday, and other schools. A
pauper lunatic house was erected in 1813, and a dispensary established in 1814. A considerable part of
the corporation land is allotted into "meadows" and
"stints," and given rent-free to the resident freemen
and freemen's widows, according to seniority, for their
respective lives. Among the most important bequests
for the benefit of the poor, are, £1000 by Richard
Cowle, £1000 by John Browne in 1758, and £28 per
annum by Sarah Foreman in 1803. The poor law union
of which the town is the head comprises seventeen
parishes and places, sixteen of them being in the county
of Durham; and contains a population of 20,938. Some
remains are still visible of the ancient castle of Berwick,
and of a pentagonal tower near it; also of a square fort
in Magdalen fields, and some entrenchments on Hallidown Hill. All vestiges of the ancient churches and
chapels of the town, the Benedictine nunnery said to
have been founded by David, King of Scotland, the
monasteries of Black, Grey, White, and Trinitarian
friars, and three or four hospitals, have entirely disappeared. The Magdalen fields, already mentioned, belonged to the Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen. During
the reigns of William the Lion, and of Edward I., II., III.,
and other Scottish and English monarchs, Berwick was
a place of mintage, and several of its coins are still preserved. There is a mineral spring close to the town,
which is occasionally resorted to by invalids.