Branscombe (St. Winifred)

BRANSCOMBE (St. Winifred), a parish, in the union of Honiton, hundred of Colyton, Honiton and S. divisions of Devon, 4¾ miles (E.) from Sidmouth; containing 956 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the south and east by the British Channel, and comprises 2987 acres, of which 462 are common or waste; in some parts its scenery is beautiful and romantic. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £18. 15. 10., and in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, the appropriators: the great tithes have been commuted for £268; and those of the incumbent for £225, with a glebe of 3 acres. The founder of Wadham College, Oxford, was buried here.

Bransdale, East Side

BRANSDALE, EAST SIDE, a hamlet, in the parish of Kirkby-Moorside, union of Helmsley, wapentake of Ryedale, N. riding of York, 11 miles (N. W.) from Pickering; containing 134 inhabitants. This place, and Bransdale, West Side, form one township, and comprise together about 3000 acres of land: they are separated by a stream running in a direction from north-northwest to south-south-east. There is a chapel of ease in the hamlet of Cockan, in the township.

Bransdale, West Side

BRANSDALE, WEST SIDE, a hamlet, in the parish of Kirkdale, union of Helmsley, wapentake of Ryedale, N. riding of York, 11 miles (N. by W.) from Helmsley; containing 80 inhabitants.

Bransford

BRANSFORD, a chapelry, in the parish of Leigh, union of Martley, Lower division of the hundred of Pershore, Worcester and W. divisions of the county of Worcester, 3¾ miles (W. S. W.) from Worcester; containing 277 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1034 acres of rich land, whereof two-thirds are arable, and the remainder pasture. It is situated on the south of the river Teme, in the eastern part of the parish, and is crossed from north to south by the road from Worcester to Hereford. The chapel, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is an ancient structure, containing about 100 sittings.

Bransgore

BRANSGORE, a chapelry, in the parish and hundred of Christchurch, Ringwood and S. divisions of the county of Southampton, 5 miles (N. E. by N.) from Christchurch. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £73; patron, the Vicar of Christchurch. The chapel was built in 1822, at an expense of £2800, defrayed by the Parliamentary Commissioners; and is a neat edifice in the later English style, with a tower and spire. National schoolrooms were built by subscription, in the year 1839.

Branston, or Braunston (St. Guthlake)

BRANSTON, or Braunston (St. Guthlake), a parish, in the union of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of Framland, N. division of the county of Leicester, 9 miles (S. W. by W.) from Grantham, containing 333 inhabitants, and comprising about 2200 acres. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 10. 5.; net income, £350, derived from land; patron, the Duke of Rutland: there is a good rectoryhouse. The church has been recently embellished with a handsome east window, and refitted with open seats; the pulpit is of stone, after the model of that of St. Peter's, Oxford.

Branston (All Saints)

BRANSTON (All Saints), a parish, in the wapentake of Langoe, parts of Kesteven, union and county of Lincoln, 4½ miles (S. E.) from Lincoln; containing 1122 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £18. 17. 11.; net income, £677; patron and incumbent, the Rev. P. Curtois: land was assigned in 1801, in lieu of tithes. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Branstone

BRANSTONE, a township, in the parish and union of Burton-Upon-Trent, N. division of the hundred of Offlow and of the county of Stafford, 2 miles (S. W. by W.) from Burton; containing 441 inhabitants. The village is seated on the north bank of the river Trent, and the road from Burton to Lichfield passes through it. Sinai Park, which occupies a fine eminence, was the summer retreat of the abbots of Burton. On the top of the hill are the lines of an encampment.

Brantham (St. Michael)

BRANTHAM (St. Michael), a parish, in the incorporation and hundred of Samford, E. division of Suffolk, 1 mile (N. by E.) from Manningtree; containing 404 inhabitants. It comprises 1922a. 2r. 20p., of which 1860 acres are in cultivation; the river Stour, which here divides into two branches, is navigable on the southern side of the parish. The living is a rectory, with that of East Bergholt consolidated, valued in the king's books at £25. 10., and in the patronage of Emmanuel College, Cambridge: the tithes of the two parishes have been commuted for £1320, and there are 42½ acres of glebe. There was formerly a chapel in the hamlet of Catawade.

Branthwaite

BRANTHWAITE, a township, in the parish of Dean, union of Cockermouth, Allerdale ward above Derwent, W. division of Cumberland, 6 miles (S. W.) from Cockermouth; containing 300 inhabitants. Several years since, a considerable quantity of a ferruginous kind of limestone, called catscalp, was obtained here, and sent to the iron-works at Clifton and Seaton; but this branch of trade has ceased. There are quarries of white freestone, a woollen manufactory, a paper-mill, and two corn-mills. The Methodists have a place of worship.

Brantingham (All Saints)

BRANTINGHAM (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Beverley, partly in the Hunsley-Beacon division of the wapentake of Harthill, and partly in the wapentake of Howdenshire, E. riding of York; comprising the townships of Thorpe-Brantingham and Ellerker, and containing 635 inhabitants, of whom 112 are in Thorpe-Brantingham, 2 miles (S. E. by E.) from South Cave. It comprises 3370 acres, chiefly arable and pasture land, besides some thriving plantations, which contribute much to the beauty of the scenery. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12. 9. 2.; net income, £176; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Durham. The great tithes have been commuted for £25, and the vicarial for £7; there is an appropriate glebe of 3 acres, and a vicarial glebe of 2. The church is in the perpendicular style, with some traces of Norman architecture in the porch. There is a chapel of ease at Ellerker.

Branton

BRANTON, a township, in the parish of Eglingham, union of Glendale, N. division of Coquetdale ward and of Northumberland, 9¼ miles (S. S. E.) from Wooler; containing 119 inhabitants. Some antiquaries have supposed that this is the Roman station Bremenium. The township comprises 1143 acres, whereof two-thirds are arable, and the remainder pasture, including 16 acres of plantation. There is a fine freestone quarry, out of which Lilburne tower was built. The village is situated on the south side of the Breamish, and at a short distance west of the road from Morpeth to Wooler. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £60. 10. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians.

Branton, or Brampton

BRANTON, or Brampton, a hamlet, in the parish of Cantley, union of Doncaster, S. division of Strafforth and Tickhill wapentake, W. riding of York, 4 miles (S. E.) from Doncaster; containing 286 inhabitants. The river Torne passes at a short distance east of the village. A national school was opened in 1835, which is also used as a chapel of ease on Sunday evenings.

Branton-Green.—See Dunsforth, Upper.

BRANTON-GREEN.—See Dunsforth, Upper.

Branxton

BRANXTON, a parish, in the union of Glendale, W. division of Glendale ward, N. division of Northumberland, 4¾ miles (E. S. E.) from Coldstream, and 9¼ (N. W.) from Wooler; containing 261 inhabitants. This parish comprises by measurement 1535 acres, and is situated about half a mile to the south of the road from Wooler to Coldstream. The battle of Flodden, in 1513, was principally fought here: the Earl of Surrey drew up his men, after crossing the Till, on the flat ground immediately under Kingchair or Kingshire Hill, the foot of which bounds the parish. The battle was hotly contested from the south to the north of Branxton, especially about the church and village, and thence to the north of the Wooler road. In Westfield, about 150 yards from the turnpike-road, on Sir Henry Askew's property, is an unhewn pillar of basalt, about five feet high, and more than three feet in diameter, commemorative of the battle; it is called the King's stone, and is said to point out the place where King James fell. In June 1524, a skirmish took place between the Lord of Fowberry, at the head of 100 cavalry, and a party of Scottish infantry, who, in number about 500, crossed the Tweed, for the purpose of plundering traders resorting to Berwick fair. There are several quarries of whinstone applicable for making roads and building farmhouses. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £3. 6. 8.; net income, £200; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Durham; impropriators, the landowners. The glebe-house was built in 1838, and commands extensive prospects. The church was rebuilt in 1844, in the Norman style, at a cost of £500: a very ancient arch, supposed to be nearly 800 years old, and which divides the chancel from the nave, was preserved in the rebuilding. Some very fine jaspers and moss agates have been found; and swords and balls, some of which are in the possession of the Askew family, have been ploughed up at various times. The Rev. Percival Stockdale, a writer of considerable merit, was born here in 1733, during the incumbency of his father.

Brascote

BRASCOTE, a hamlet, in the parish of NewboldVerdon, union of Market-Bosworth, hundred of Sparkenhoe, S. division of the county of Leicester; containing 55 inhabitants.

Brashfield

BRASHFIELD, a hamlet, in the parish of Mitchelmersh, hundred of Buddlesgate, Romsey and S. divisions of the county of Hants; containing 399 inhabitants. There is a place of worship for dissenters.

Brassington

BRASSINGTON, a chapelry, in the parish of Bradborne, hundred of Wirksworth, S. division of the county of Derby, 3¾ miles (W. by N.) from Wirksworth; containing 776 inhabitants. One of two manors here belonged, at the time of the Domesday survey, to Henry de Ferrers, and passed to the Nevills, Talbots, and various other families. The second manor, called the King's or the Duchy manor, from having been parcel of the duchy of Lancaster, was granted in 1630 by Charles I. to Charles Harbord and others, by whom it was conveyed, shortly afterwards, to the Pegge and Lees families; it subsequently passed, in moieties, to the Lowes, Haynes, Newtons, &c. The chapelry is situated on the road from Hognaston to Winster, and a short distance south of the Cromford canal. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £87; patron and impropriator, John Bainbrigge Story, Esq., of Lockington Hall. The chapel exhibits various styles, from the Norman to the later English. A plot of about five acres of land, given by Thurston Dale, in 1742, is now in the occupation of a schoolmaster, who instructs twelve children free in a national school.

Brasted (St. Martin)

BRASTED (St. Martin), a parish, in the union of Seven-Oaks, hundred of Codsheath, lathe of Suttonat-Hone, W. division of Kent, 3¾ miles (W. by N.) from Seven-Oaks; containing 1130 inhabitants. It is situated near the South-Eastern railway; and comprises 4300 acres by computation, of which about 2500 are arable, 250 meadow and pasture, 100 acres hops, and the remainder wood, coppice, and church land. A fair is held on Holy-Thursday. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £22. 6. 8.; net income, about £600; patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Brattleby (St. Cuthbert)

BRATTLEBY (St. Cuthbert), a parish, in the wapentake of Lawress, parts of Lindsey, union and county of Lincoln, 6½ miles (N. N. W.) from Lincoln; containing 168 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 1060 acres: the soil is various, and near the village forms good grazing-land; limestone and lias are quarried in the higher grounds. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 10.; net income, £260; patrons, the Master and Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford. The tithes were commuted for land at the inclosure; the total glebe comprises 185 acres. The church has been rebuilt.

Bratton

BRATTON, a chapelry district, in the parish and hundred of Westbury, poor law union of Westbury and Whorwelsdown, Westbury and S. divisions, and Trowbridge and Bradford subdivisions, of Wilts, 3 miles (E. N. E.) from Westbury; containing 729 inhabitants. Bratton Castle is a strong encampment, where the Danes, after their defeat by the Saxons, held out for fourteen days. On the slope of the hill beneath it is the figure of a horse, cut out, as tradition relates, by the troops of Alfred, in memory of the victory which they obtained on Eddington Down: several fragments of military weapons have been dug up in the vicinity. The chapel is dedicated to St. James. There is a place of worship for Particular Baptists.

Bratton-Clovelly

BRATTON-CLOVELLY, a parish, in the union of Oakhampton, hundred of Lifton, Lifton and S. divisions of Devon, 9 miles (W. S. W.) from Oakhampton; containing 870 inhabitants, and comprising about 9000 acres. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £21. 5. 2½.; net income, £412; patron, the Bishop of Exeter. On an eminence about three miles northward is Broadbury Castle, an ancient earthwork defended by a single vallum and fosse.

Bratton-Fleming (St. Peter)

BRATTON-FLEMING (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Barnstaple, hundred of Braunton, Braunton and N. divisions of Devon, 7 miles (N. E. by E.) from Barnstaple; containing 708 inhabitants. It comprises 4881 acres, and is bounded by valleys remarkable for their romantic beauty; there are quarries of slate for paving. In 1838 an act was passed for inclosing waste lands, when about three acres were appropriated for recreation. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £29. 15. 5., and in the gift of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge: the tithes have been commuted for £435, and there is an excellent glebe, with a house in the Elizabethan style. The church, which was rebuilt about 150 years ago, is of very plain architecture, with the exception of two east windows of the perpendicular style, the only part of the original edifice remaining. There is a fellowship in Caius College, founded by the Rev. Mr. Wortley (formerly incumbent) and appropriated to the natives of the parish, if such can be found. On Bratton Down are numerous barrows; and at Nightacott, in the neighbourhood, are six upright stones, the supposed remains of a Druidical circle.

Bratton-Seymour (Holy Trinity)

BRATTON-SEYMOUR (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of Wincanton, hundred of Norton-Ferris, E. division of Somerset, 3 miles (W. N. W.) from Wincanton; containing 103 inhabitants. It comprises 1093a. 2r. 36p., of which 790 acres are pasture, 218 arable, and 73 woodland. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £5. 4. 7., and in the alternate patronage of Sir Ralph Lopes, Bart., and Mr. John Hodges: the tithes have been commuted for £132, and there are nearly 59 acres of glebe.

Braughin (St. Mary)

BRAUGHIN (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Bishop-Stortford, hundred of Braughin, county of Hertford, 10 miles (N. E.) from Hertford, and 28 (N.) from London; containing, with part of the hamlet of Puckeridge, 1358 inhabitants. This place, in the Norman survey called Brachinges, and by the Saxons Brooking, from the streams and meadows in its vicinity, was anciently a market-town of considerable importance, and a demesne of the Saxon kings: by some historians it is supposed to have been a Roman station, and the remains of a camp may still be distinguished. The town or village is pleasantly situated on the small river Quin, near its confluence with the Rib, and even now exhibits traces of its former greatness. The market, which was granted in the reign of Stephen, has been discontinued; but a fair is held on Whit-Monday and the following day. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £19. 13. 4.; net income, £192; patron, the Rev. W. Tower: in 1812, land and corn-rents were assigned in lieu of all tithes. The church is a handsome and spacious edifice, with a square embattled tower surmounted by a spire. There is a place of worship for Independents. On a lofty eminence to the south of the village, are the remains of an encampment, of which part of the vallum and fortifications may be traced: the form is quadrilateral, and the area contains nearly 40 acres; the south-western angle is rounded, and on the north is a triple rampart.

Brauncewell (All Saints)

BRAUNCEWELL (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Sleaford, wapentake of Flaxwell, parts of Kesteven, county of Lincoln, 4¾ miles (N. N. W.) from Sleaford; containing 125 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the road from London to Lincoln; and, including the hamlet of Dunsby, comprises 2430 acres by measurement. Since the improvements of the last century, and the introduction of extraneous manures, the soil, formerly poor, has been much enriched; and the village, which had fallen into decay, has been rebuilt: freestone of the upper oolite formation is quarried. The living is a discharged rectory, with the vicarage of Anwick and the rectory of Dunsby united, valued in the king's books at £9. 8. 11½.; net income, £580; patron, the Marquess of Bristol. The church, a very substantial structure, was rebuilt in 1814. Some traces of the foundations of the church of Dunsby may still be seen, on a spot called Old Dunsby.

Braunston, anciently Brandeston (All Saints)

BRAUNSTON, anciently Brandeston (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Daventry, hundred of Fawsley, S. division of the county of Northampton, 2¾ miles (N. W.) from Daventry; containing 1469 inhabitants. The parish comprises by computation 2962 acres, and the small brook Leam separates it from Warwickshire: the road from Daventry to Coventry, forming part of the Holyhead road, passes through it; and the Oxford and Grand Junction canals unite here. The village, which once consisted of two detached portions, called Great and Little Braunston, commands, from the brow of a steep declivity, an extensive opening into Warwickshire. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £31. 2. 11.; net income, £837; patrons, the Principal and Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford. About 390 acres of land were assigned in lieu of tithes, in 1766; and there is an excellent glebe-house, lately erected. The church is in the decorated English style, consisting of a nave, north and south aisles, and chancel, with a handsome square embattled tower, crowned with pinnacles at the angles, and surmounted by a crocketed octangular spire, rising to the height of 150 feet: standing on a bank, the edifice forms a fine feature in the country, visible for many miles round. There are places of worship for Calvinistic Baptists and Wesleyans; and a national school is supported partly by an endowment of £29 per annum, arising from land bequeathed by Mr. William Makepeace in 1733. A pit on the side of the old road to Daventry has produced a large number and variety of organic remains, and an almost complete series of rocky stratifications; and some very scarce plants have been found in the parish. Dr. Edward Reynolds, Bishop of Norwich, and an able political writer, was incumbent here.

Braunston, or Branston (All Saints)

BRAUNSTON, or Branston (All Saints), a parish, in the union and soke of Oakham, county of Rutland, 2 miles (S. W.) from Oakham; containing 443 inhabitants. It comprises between 1500 and 2000 acres, of which the greater portion is arable; the soil is various, but chiefly clay of inferior quality. An act of parliament was passed in 1801, for inclosing the waste lands. The living is annexed to the vicarage of Hambleton: the church is a small neat edifice.

Braunstone

BRAUNSTONE, a chapelry, in the parish of Glenfield, union of Blaby, hundred of Sparkenhoe, S. division of the county of Leicester, 2¾ miles (S. W. by W.) from Leicester; containing 195 inhabitants. This place, which is separated from the parish of Aylestone by the river Soar, comprises about 1700 acres; the soil is partly clay and partly of lighter quality, forming good arable and pasture land, and the surface is pleasingly diversified with hill and dale. The chapel is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

Braunstone-Frith

BRAUNSTONE-FRITH, an extra-parochial district, in the union of Blaby, hundred of Sparkenhoe, S. division of the county of Leicester, 2 miles (W. S. W.) from Leicester; containing 7 inhabitants.

Braunton (St. Brannock)

BRAUNTON (St. Brannock), a parish, in the union of Barnstaple, hundred of Braunton, Braunton and N. divisions of Devon, 5 miles (W. N. W.) from Barnstaple; containing 2274 inhabitants. The parish is supposed to derive its name from that of its patron saint. It comprises 9150 acres, of which 3723 are common or waste; on the west it is bounded by the Bristol Channel, and on the south by the navigable river Taw, at the mouth of which is a lighthouse. A tract of land, comprising about 900 acres, and formerly overflowed by the sea, is considered the richest in the county. There is a mine of manganese. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £16. 3. 6½.; net income, £450; patron, the Dean of Exeter. There is a place of worship for Independents. A free school was founded by the Rev. William Chaloner, in 1667; the endowment was augmented by Arthur Acland, Esq., in 1690, and the income is now £75. The remains of some ancient chapels exist.