Bruton (St. Mary)
BRUTON (St. Mary), a market-town and parish,
in the union of Wincanton, hundred of Bruton, E.
division of Somerset, 12 miles (S. E.) from Wells, and
110 (W. by S.) from London; comprising, with the
chapelry of Wyke-Champflower, the tything of Redlynch,
and part of Discove, 2074 inhabitants, of whom 1885
are in the town. This place takes its name from the
river Bri or Bru, which rises in the adjoining forest of
Selwood. Prior to the Conquest it was distinguished
for an abbey founded by Algar, Earl of Cornwall, in
1005, for monks of the Benedictine order; upon the
ruins of which, William de Bohun in the time of Stephen erected a priory for Black canons, which was
raised into an abbey in the beginning of the reign of
Henry VIII., by William Gilbert, the prior, by whom it
was almost rebuilt: it was dedicated to the Blessed
Virgin, and its revenue, at the Dissolution, was £480. 17. 2.
The abbey, after its suppression, became the residence of
the lords Fitzharding and Berkeley, who sold the manor
to the Hoare family, in 1777; the remains have been
converted into a parsonage-house, and the other vestiges
consist of the altars, the tomb of the last abbot, and an
ancient well. The town is pleasantly situated at the
base of a steep hill, and along the side of a romantic
combe, watered by the Bru, over which is a stone
bridge: it consists principally of one well-paved street;
the houses are in general neatly built. The manufactures
were once considerable, but are now confined chiefly to
stockings and machinery; about 250 persons are employed in silk-throwing. The market is on Saturday;
the fairs are on April 23rd, and Sept. 17th. The townhall, a spacious building, of which the lower part was
used for the market, and the upper contained a large
court-room where the petty-sessions were held, is now
converted into tenements.
The parish is situated on the road from Bath to
Weymouth, and comprises by measurement 3713 acres;
stone of good quality for building is quarried to a considerable extent. The living is a perpetual curacy;
net income, £138; patron and impropriator, Sir H. R.
Hoare, Bart., whose tithes have been commuted for
£130. 8. The glebe comprises 20 acres. The church is
a spacious and handsome structure chiefly in the later
English style, with a square embattled tower crowned
by pinnacles and elaborately decorated, and two porches,
having over the entrance the arms of some of the
abbots. The roof is of open timber frame-work, richly
carved and of elegant design; the chancel is of modern
erection, and in the Grecian style: the tomb of Prior
Gilbert is preserved. There is a chapel at Wyke-Champflower, and another at Redlynch; and the Independents
have a place of worship. The free grammar school was
founded by deed dated Sept. 24th, 1519, by Richard
Fitzjames, Bishop of London, Sir John Fitzjames, chief
justice of England, and Dr. John Edmonds, who endowed it with estates now producing altogether £280
per annum: it has four exhibitions, of £50 per annum
each, to either of the universities. An hospital for fourteen aged men, the same number of women, and sixteen
boys who are also educated and apprenticed, was founded
about 1618, by Hugh Saxey, auditor of the household to
Queen Elizabeth and James I., who endowed it with
estates at present worth £1381. 11. per annum. The
buildings, which were completed about 1636, form a
spacious quadrangle near the west end of the town, and
are in the Elizabethan style: in one of the wings is a
neat chapel, with a schoolroom below it; and over the
entrance to the hall is the bust of the founder: the
eastern side of the quadrangle was rebuilt some years
since. Many marine shells and fossils have been dug up
at Creech Hill, where was an encampment, and on which
also a beacon formerly stood: human skeletons and
skulls have been found at Lawyat; and at Discove, the
remains of a tessellated pavement were discovered in
1711. The benevolent founder of the hospital, the two
Fitzjames's, the Earl of Falmouth, who was killed in a
naval engagement in 1665, and Dampier, the celebrated
navigator, were born here.
Bryan-Maund
BRYAN-MAUND, a township, in the parish of
Bodenham, union of Leominster, hundred of Broxash, county of Hereford; containing 153 inhabitants.
Bryanston (St. Martin)
BRYANSTON (St. Martin), a parish, in the union
of Blandford, hundred of Pimperne, Blandford division of Dorset, 1½ mile (N. W. by W.) from BlandfordForum; containing 144 inhabitants. It is situated on
the river Stour, which forms its northern boundary; and
comprises 1691 acres. The soil is generally chalky, but
fertile; the surface is varied, and the lower grounds are
subject to occasional inundation from the river, on
whose banks are some tracts of fine meadow-land. The
living is a rectory, united to that of Durweston, and
valued in the king's books at £8. 11. 5½.: the tithes
have been commuted for £177.
Bryants-Piddle
BRYANTS-PIDDLE, a tything, in the parish of
Aff-Piddle, union of Wareham, hundred of Hundred's-Barrow, Wareham division of Dorset, 9¼
miles (E. by N.) from Dorchester; containing 64 inhabitants.
Bryngwyn (St. Peter)
BRYNGWYN (St. Peter), a parish, in the union
of Abergavenny, division and hundred of Raglan,
county of Monmouth, 1½ mile (N. W.) from Raglan;
containing 306 inhabitants. The parish is situated near
the left bank of the river Usk, and intersected by the old
and new roads from Monmouth to Abergavenny. It
contains by estimation about 1250 acres, of which 513
are arable, 688 pasture and meadow, 10 woodland, and
the remainder roads, waste, &c.; the surface is boldly
undulated, and from some elevated portions, especially
from a place called Camp Hill, very beautiful views are
obtained: the soil consists of different combinations of
clay and gravel. Petty-sessions for the division of
Raglan are held on the third Monday in each month, at
Cross Buchan, in the parish. The living is a discharged
rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 8. 9., and in
the gift of the Earl of Abergavenny: the incumbent's
tithes have been commuted for £164, and the glebe consists of about 39 acres, with a good parsonage-house,
enlarged and considerably improved by the rector, the
Rev. W. Crawley. A. Jones, Esq., is impropriator of the
tithes of five farms, which have been commuted for £66.
The church is an ancient structure.
Bryning, with Kellamergh
BRYNING, with Kellamergh, a township, in the
ecclesiastical parish of Warton, parish of Kirkham,
union of the Fylde, hundred of Amounderness, N. division of the county of Lancaster, 2¾ miles (S. W. by W.)
from Kirkham; containing 152 inhabitants. So early
as the reign of Edward I., these two places appear
to have been considered as one township; and in
Edward IV.'s reign the Bethun family held lands in
both. Kellamergh gave name to a family when it was
usual to pass lands without dating the deeds of conveyance, or before the 18th of Edward I.: that manor was
subsequently held by a grant from the crown, by the
Middletons, who also held "Brenninge." The township
comprises 1043a. 1r. in equal portions of arable and
pasture; the surface is rather level, and the soil principally a strong clay. The tithes have been commuted
for £164 payable to the Dean and Chapter of ChristChurch, Oxford, and £35. 19. to the vicar.
Bubbenhall, or Bobenhall (St. Giles)
BUBBENHALL, or Bobenhall (St. Giles), a
parish, in the Kenilworth division of the hundred of
Knightlow, union, and S. division of the county, of
Warwick, 5½ miles (S. S. E.) from Coventry; containing 262 inhabitants. In the time of Edward I., John
Fitzwith was lord of the manor, which came afterwards
by marriage to John Beauchamp, who was the first person created a baron, in England, by a patent, temp.
Richard II. 1387; he was attainted of treason the same
year, and was hanged, drawn, and quartered. From the
29th of Elizabeth the manor was possessed by the family
of Wootton, with whom it continued during several
reigns. The parish comprises 1114 acres, of which 78
are woodland, and the rest chiefly arable; it is partly
bounded by the river Avon on the north. The living is
a perpetual curacy; net income, £70; patron, the
Bishop of Worcester.
Bubnell
BUBNELL, a township, in the parish and union of
Bakewell, hundred of High Peak, N. division of the
county of Derby, 2¾ miles (S. E.) from Stoney-Middleton; containing 128 inhabitants. The great tithes of
the township have been commuted for £169 payable to
the impropriators, and £7 payable to the Dean and
Chapter of Lichfield.
Bubwith (All Saints)
BUBWITH (All Saints), a parish, in the union of
Howden, Holme-Beacon division of the wapentake of
Harthill, E. riding of York; consisting of the seven
townships of Breighton with Gunby, Bubwith, Foggathorpe, Gribthorpe, Harlthorpe, Spaldington, and Willitoft; and containing 1370 inhabitants, of whom 524 are
in the township of Bubwith, 6½ miles (N. N. W.) from
Howden. The parish is bounded for about a mile on
the west by the navigable river Derwent, and is intersected by the road between Selby and Market-Weighton;
in the township are about 1300 acres of well-cultivated
land, entirely of level surface. The village is situated
close to the river, over which is a stone bridge of ten
arches, built in 1793, at a cost of £2000. A corn market, established a few years ago, is held every Wednesday. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £15. 2. 11.; net income, £102: it is in
the alternate patronage of the Crown and the Dean and
Chapter of York, the latter being appropriators. The
church, partly in the Norman and partly in the early
English style, has a square tower. There are places
of worship for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists.
Nicholas de Bubwith, Bishop of Bath and Wells, who
was one of the English prelates that were present at
the council of Constance, in the year 1415, was a native
of the parish.
Buckby, Long (St. Lawrence)
BUCKBY, LONG (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the
union of Daventry, hundred of Guilsborough, S. division of the county of Northampton, 5 miles (N. E.)
from Daventry; containing, with a part of the hamlet
of Murcott, 2145 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 3470 acres. The soil is generally a rich loam,
alternated with some portions of sand and gravel; the
surface is pleasingly undulated, and the lower grounds
are watered by several brooks. The river Nene has its
source within three miles; the Grand Junction canal
passes through the parish; and the Crick station on
the London and Birmingham railway, is about two miles
and a half distant from the town. The town is above
a mile long, with a market square, and there are a few
good houses. Shoes are made to a great extent; a market is held every Tuesday, and two fairs annually. The
living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books
at £10, and in the patronage of the Bishop of Lichfield,
with a net income of £150, and a house; impropriators,
Sir James Hay Langham, Bart., and the bishop, who has
leased his portion to J. King, Esq. The tithes were
commuted for land in 1765 and 1771. The church is a
plain modern structure with an ancient embattled tower.
There are places of worship for Particular Baptists and
Independents. The Rev. Langton Freeman, in 1783,
gave £400, which were laid out in land at present yielding £20 per annum, for the endowment of a school, now
conducted on the national system. Near Mr. Allen's
house is a large artificial mound, evidently of Roman
formation.
Buckden (St. Mary)
BUCKDEN (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
St. Neot's, hundred of Toseland, county of Huntingdon, 4 miles (S. W. by W.) from Huntingdon;
containing 1209 inhabitants. In the reign of Henry I.,
the manor was granted by the abbot of Ely to one of the
bishops of Lincoln, whose successors always resided
here, till this part of the diocese was transferred to the
see of Ely: the episcopal palace is a venerable structure, still standing. The parish is situated on the great
north road, and bounded on the east by the navigable
river Ouse; it comprises 3039 acres, the surface of
which is in general flat. The living is a discharged
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8; net income,
£171; patron, the Bishop of Lincoln. The tithes were
commuted for land and a money payment in 1813; the
glebe contains 76 acres, with a glebe-house. The church
has a tower surmounted by an elegant spire, and contains the remains of Bishops Barlow, Sanderson, and
Green. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
William Burberry, in 1558, bequeathed property now
producing £120 per annum, for distribution among the
poor.
Buckden
BUCKDEN, a township, in the parish of Arncliffe,
union of Skipton, E. division of the wapentake of
Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York, 20 miles
(N.) from Skipton; containing 387 inhabitants. This
township, which consists of the village, and several hamlets extending along a narrow valley to the sources of
the river Wharfe, comprises 12,969 acres, whereof 2802
are common or waste; and includes the ancient forest
of Langstroth, which was the favourite hunting-ground
of the Percy family, and was well stocked with roebuck
and fallow-deer. It appears to have formed part of the
royal demesnes in the reign of Edward II., who granted
to Edward de Percy the privilege of free warren in all
his lands of Buckden; and for a long time it was the
subject of much litigation between various parties who
claimed that privilege. The deer were destroyed in the
time of Charles II., and the land disafforested. A fair
for cattle is held on the 12th of October. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £270. 3. 1., payable to University College, Oxford; and there is a glebe
of 17 acres.—See Hubberholme.
Buckenham-Ferry (St. Nicholas)
BUCKENHAM-FERRY (St. Nicholas), a parish,
in the union and hundred of Blofield, E. division of
Norfolk, 9 miles (E. S. E.) from Norwich; containing
60 inhabitants. It comprises 908a. 1r. 14p., of which
133 acres are wood and water, and the remainder arable
and pasture in nearly equal portions; the village is
pleasantly situated on the river Yare, over which is a
ferry. The Norwich and Yarmouth railway passes
through the parish. The living is a discharged rectory,
with that of Hassingham consolidated, valued in the
king's books at £6, and in the gift of Sir W. B. Proctor,
Bart.: the tithes have been commuted for £130, and
the glebe comprises 37 acres, with a house. The church
contains portions of the early, decorated, and later English styles, and consists of a nave and chancel, with
an ancient octagonal tower: in the year 1824, the Rev.
T. Beauchamp put in a splendid east window of stained
glass, containing representations of St. Nicholas, the
Four Evangelists, and others. The Romans are supposed to have had a minor station here, relics having
been discovered in the vicinity. There is a farmhouse,
built of part of the materials of the old manor-house
formerly the property of Sir W. Godsalve, to whom
Queen Elizabeth, having crossed the ferry here, paid a
visit: the parlours are boarded with wainscot, and a
carved mantel-piece is ornamented with the arms of the
Godsalve family.
Buckenham, New (St. Martin)
BUCKENHAM, NEW (St. Martin), a town and
parish, in the union of Guiltcross, hundred of Shropham, W. division of Norfolk, 5 miles (S. E. by S.)
from Attleburgh, and 96 (N. E. by N.) from London;
containing 716 inhabitants. This place owes its origin
to William D'Albini, Earl of Chichester, who, disliking the
situation of a castle which had been built at Old Buckenham about the time of the Conquest, demolished that
structure, and erected another here, in the reign of
Henry II. The new castle was pleasantly situated on
an eminence to the east of the former, and consisted of
a keep, two round towers, a grand entrance tower, and a
barbican, inclosed with embattled walls surrounded by
a fosse. Its owner, who had view of frankpledge, and
the power of life and death, obtained from Henry many
privileges for his new burgh, among which were those
of holding a mercate court, the assize of bread and ale,
and a market; and the lord of the manor still claims
the right of officiating as butler at the coronation of the
kings of England. The town is pleasantly situated; the
houses are neatly built, and there is an ample supply of
water. The market (on Saturday) has fallen into disuse;
the fairs for horses, cattle, &c., are on the last Saturday
in May, and Nov. 22nd and 23rd, and a statute-fair for
hiring servants is held a fortnight before Old Michaelmasday. A high bailiff is chosen annually at the "Portman" court, and a court baron and court leet are held
by the proprietor of the manor. The parish comprises
about 330 acres, 80 of which are uninclosed common,
and the rest chiefly arable. The living is a perpetual
curacy, and has a net income of £115: it is in the patronage of the Inhabitants, who pay a yearly modus of 3½d.
in the pound on the rental in lieu of tithes. The church
is an ancient and handsome structure, containing portions of several orders of architecture, and has a square
tower with six bells: the north aisle was rebuilt in 1749,
by the aid of several distinguished families; the chancel
is separated from the north aisle by a richly carved
screen, and contains some interesting monuments.
There are places of worship for Methodists.
Buckenham, Old (All Saints)
BUCKENHAM, OLD (All Saints), a parish, in
the union of Guiltcross, hundred of Shropham, W.
division of Norfolk, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Attleburgh;
containing 1255 inhabitants. This was anciently a place
of considerable importance, and is supposed to derive
its name either from Boccen, a beech-tree, and Ham, a
dwelling-place; or from an allusion to the bucks, or
deer, that thronged the adjacent forests. It was given
by the Conqueror to William D'Albini, whose son of the
same name married the widow of Henry I., became Earl
of Chichester, and founded a priory for Augustine
canons, in honour of St. James the Apostle, about the
middle of the twelfth century. At the Dissolution, the
establishment consisted of a prior and eight canons,
whose revenue was estimated at £131. 11. Here were
three guilds, dedicated respectively to St. Margaret, St.
Peter, and St. Thomas the Martyr. The parish comprises 4820a. 1r. 7p., of which 3703 acres are arable,
1050 pasture, 49 wood, and 18 water: the common was
inclosed in 1790. The living is a perpetual curacy, in
the patronage of the Inhabitants, with a net income of
£102: the tithes have been commuted for £1527. 18.
The church has a thatched roof, and an octagonal tower
with five bells. There are places of worship for Baptists,
Sandemanians, and Primitive Methodists.
Buckenham Parva or Tofts (St. Andrew)
BUCKENHAM PARVA or TOFTS (St. Andrew),
a parish, in the union of Swaffham, hundred of Grimshoe, W. division of Norfolk, 6 miles (N. E.) from
Brandon; containing 77 inhabitants. It comprises by
admeasurement 650 acres, of which about one-fifth is
wood and plantation, and the remainder arable and pasture land in equal portions. The estate belongs chiefly
to the Hall, a large handsome mansion in a spacious
park, built in the reign of Charles II.: the road from
London to Watton passes through the park. The
living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books
at £3, and in the patronage of the Rev. T. Newman.
The church has long been demolished, together with the
village of Buckenham.
Buckenhill
BUCKENHILL, a township, in the parish of Woolhope, union of Ledbury, hundred of Greytree, county
of Hereford, 8½ miles (N. by E.) from Ross; containing 137 inhabitants.
Buckerell, or Bokerell (St. Mary)
BUCKERELL, or Bokerell (St. Mary), a parish,
in the union of Honiton, hundred of Hemyock, Honiton
and N. divisions of Devon, 3 miles (W.) from Honiton;
containing 360 inhabitants. This place was anciently
the property of the Pomeroys, of Bury, and was given, in
the reign of John, by Sir Henry Pomeroy to his second
son Sir Geoffrey, from whom, by marriage of his descendant in the female line, it was conveyed to the
Fulfords and Gwynnes, of Ford Abbey. A hamlet in
the parish, now called Weston, but anciently Weringstone, was a manor belonging to Dunkeswell Abbey,
and, after the Dissolution, was granted by Henry VIII.
to John Drake, merchant. The surface of the parish is
intersected by a semicircular ridge of hills; and near
Godford Cross is a rill of water, which has its rise under
Wulphere Church, so designated from the Saxon chieftain of that name, whose stronghold was Hembury
Fort. Hembury-Fort House, originally built by Admiral
Graves, was once called Cockenhayes, and a Roman
road leading to it is still known as Cockenhay-street;
it is situated directly under the ancient fort, and forms
an interesting feature in the landscape. Deer Park,
which occupies the site of an old lodge and chace, after
the Conquest was held by Matthew de Buckington, from
whose crest (a buck) and the rill previously noticed,
the parish is supposed to have derived its name. The
village is pleasantly situated near the banks of the Otter;
a pleasure fair is held there on the first Monday in
September. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £10. 0. 2½.; patrons, the Dean
and Chapter of Exeter; impropriator, J. Northcote,
Esq. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for
£135. The church is an elegant structure in the later
English style, and contains a richly carved oak screen
separating the nave from the chancel, some monuments
to the family of Admiral Graves, and the Gwynnes of
Ford Abbey, and an elegant tablet to the memory of
Elizabeth, late wife of the Rev. E. E. Coleridge, the
present incumbent, by whom the church, to which an
aisle was added in 1839, has been restored and beautified.
A vicarage-house was built in 1829. Andrew Buckerell,
mayor of London in 1232 and for five successive
years, was a native of the parish.
Buckfastleigh (Holy Trinity)
BUCKFASTLEIGH (Holy Trinity), a markettown and parish, in the union of Totnes, hundred of
Stanborough, Stanborough and Coleridge, and S.
divisions of Devon, 2¾ miles (S. W. by W.) from Ashburton; containing 2576 inhabitants. This place, which
was formerly of considerable importance, derived its
origin and name from a Cistercian abbey, founded about
the year 1137, and the abbot of which had the power of
inflicting capital punishment within his domains, which
were very extensive, comprehending some estates at or
near Kingsbridge. The district is remarkable for the
salubrity of its air and the variety of its scenery. The
town contains many houses built with the materials of the
ruined abbey, and consists principally of one narrow
street, in the upper part of which is the market-house, a
mean building, obstructing the thoroughfare. Its present prosperity is derived from the woollen manufacture
in the immediate neighbourhood, in which more than
500 persons are employed; and within the parish are
strata of limestone, of which the larger blocks are
wrought into mantel-pieces on the spot, and the smaller
burnt into lime: copper-works have been also established. The market, though scarcely deserving the
name, is still held on Friday; and fairs for live-stock
are held on the third Thursday in June and the second
Thursday in September.
The parish comprises 4379 acres, of which 1072 are
common or waste. The living is a vicarage, valued in
the king's books at £19. 1. 0½.; net income, £155;
patron and incumbent, the Rev. Matthew Lowndes;
impropriator, the Earl of Macclesfield. The church,
situated on an eminence, nearly half way between the town
and the remains of the abbey, comprises a nave, chancel,
and transepts, with chapels on the north and south sides,
and a tower of very ancient date, which has an embattled
and projecting parapet, and is surmounted by a spire.
There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. About three-quarters of a mile from the town
are the picturesque remains of the abbey, which was
surrendered to the crown in 1538, when its revenues
were estimated at £466. 11. 2.: they consist principally
of an ancient gateway, supposed, from the great antiquity of its style, to have been the entrance to the original establishment, and part of the abbot's tower, of more
modern erection, near which has been erected a mansion in the style of an ancient Norman castle, with two
wings and four embattled towers. Within the limits of
the parish are the remains of two encampments supposed to be either of Saxon or Danish origin, the larger
of which, called Hembury Fort, commands the banks of
the river Dart, which bounds the parish on the east.
Buckholt-Farm
BUCKHOLT-FARM, an extra-parochial liberty, in
the union of Stockbridge, hundred of Thorngate,
Romsey and S. divisions of the county of Southampton, 5 miles (S. W.) from Stockbridge; containing 11
inhabitants. It comprises 1050 acres of land; and is
crossed by the Roman road from Salisbury to Winchester. The tithes, belonging to the Dean and Chapter
of Sarum, have been commuted for £160.
Buckhorn-Weston
BUCKHORN-WESTON, a parish, in the union of
Wincanton, hundred of Redlane, Shaston division of
Dorset, 8 miles (W. by N.) from Shaftesbury; containing 460 inhabitants. It comprises by computation
1700 acres: the soil is mostly clay, but fertile, and the
meadows on the banks of the river Cale are luxuriantly
rich. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books
at £10. 1. 3., and in the patronage of Lady Stapleton:
the tithes have been commuted for £310, and the glebe
comprises 63 acres. In the chancel of the church is an
ancient statue, supposed to be that of the father-in-law
of Gascoigne, lord chief justice in the reigns of Henry
IV. and V.; the gallery of the church is said to have
been painted by Sir James Thornhill.
Buckhow-Bank
BUCKHOW-BANK, a township, in the parish of
Dalston, union of Carlisle, ward, and E. division of
the county, of Cumberland, 5½ miles (S. S. W.) from
Carlisle; containing 636 inhabitants. The village lies
on the eastern bank of the river Caldew, and there are
several cotton-mills within the township, in connexion
with the manufacturers at Carlisle. The soil is very
favourable to the growth of wheat.
Buckingham (St. Peter and St. Paul)
BUCKINGHAM (St.
Peter and St. Paul), a
parish, and the head of a
union, in the hundred and
county of Buckingham, 17
miles (N. W.) from Aylesbury, and 57 (N. W. by W.)
from London; comprising
the borough and markettown of Buckingham (which
has a separate jurisdiction),
the chapelry of Gawcott,
the hamlets of Bourton,
Bourtonhold, and Lenborough, and the precinct of Prebend-End; and containing 4054 inhabitants, of whom
1816 are in the township, or principal district, of Buckingham. This place is of great antiquity, and is supposed to have derived its name from the Saxon Bucca,
a "stag" or "buck," ing, a "meadow," and ham, a "village;" being surrounded with extensive forests well
stocked with deer. In 915, Edward the Elder fortified
both sides of the river, where the town is situated, with
high ramparts of earth, to protect the inhabitants from
the incursions of the Danes; the remains are still
visible. In 941, the Danes perpetrated dreadful outrages in the neighbourhood, and in 1010 took possession of the town as a place of safety. In the reign of
Edward III., Buckingham sent three representatives to
a council of trade held at Westminster, at which time it
was a considerable staple for wool; but upon the removal of that mart to Calais, its prosperity declined,
and it finally became one of those decayed towns for
which relief was granted by parliament, in 1535. About
this period the assizes, formerly held here, were removed
to Aylesbury; but in 1758, Lord Cobham obtained an
act for holding the summer assizes at Buckingham. In
1644, Charles I. fixed his head-quarters at the place;
and Sir William Waller, after the battle of CropredyBridge, and Fairfax, after his defeat at Boarstall House,
in this county, took up their stations here. In 1724,
the inhabitants suffered severely from an accidental fire,
which destroyed several entire streets, and many of the
houses have not yet been rebuilt. Her Majesty and
Prince Albert visited the town in January, 1845.
Seal and Arms.
Buckingham
BUCKINGHAM is pleasantly situated on a peninsula
formed by the river Ouse, which nearly encompasses the
town and is crossed by three stone bridges, two of them
of great antiquity: that on the London road is a neat
structure of three arches, erected about the year 1805,
by the Marquess of Buckingham. It is divided into
three districts, viz., the Borough, Bourton-Hold, and the
Prebend-End, the first of which contains the principal
streets: the houses in general are built of brick; the
streets are paved but not flagged, and are lighted with
gas. The trade chiefly consists in the sorting of wool,
the tanning of leather, and the manufacture of lace; and
before the introduction of that manufacture into Nottingham, where machinery is used, lace-making afforded
employment to a large portion of the female inhabitants.
In the vicinity are several limestone-quarries, and a
quarry of marble of a darkish brown colour and exceedingly hard, but which, as it can neither endure the
weather nor retain a polish, is not now worked. The
river affords facility of conveyance; and there is a
canal, which joins the Grand Junction at Cosgrove: an
act was passed in 1846 for the formation of a railway
from Brackley, by Buckingham, to the Oxford and
Bletchley line. The market is on Saturday, and there
is also a very good market, exclusively for calves, every
Monday. Fairs, chiefly for the sale of cattle, sheep, and
horses, are held on Old New-Year's day, the last Monday in January, March 7th, the second Monday in April,
May 6th, Whit-Thursday, July 10th (a wool-fair),
September 4th, October 2nd, the Saturday after Old
Michaelmas-day (which is also a statute-fair for the
hiring of servants), November 8th, and December
13th.
The town was first incorporated by Queen Mary, in
1554, and another charter was granted by Charles II.;
but it having been surrendered, the charter of Mary
continued to be the governing one, until the passing of
the Municipal act, by which the government is vested
in a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors, assisted by a recorder, town-clerk, and other officers. The
jurisdiction extends over the town and parish, and the
total number of magistrates is nine. The borough has
constantly returned two representatives to parliament
since the 36th of Henry VIII.: the right of election,
prior to the act of the 2nd of William IV., cap. 45, was
vested exclusively in the bailiff and twelve principal
burgesses, but, by that act, was extended to the £10
householders of an enlarged district of 18,265 acres.
The mayor is returning officer. A court of quartersessions was granted in 1836. There was also, until
lately, a court wherein any action might be brought,
provided the amount sought to be recovered did not
exceed £20; but this court has been superseded by the
county debt-court of Buckingham, established in 1847,
which has jurisdiction over the registration-districts of
Buckingham and Winslow. The town-hall is a spacious
and convenient brick building, nearly in the centre of
the town. The old borough gaol, a square stone edifice,
was built by Lord Cobham, in 1758; it has been lately
enlarged, and, by internal improvement, adapted to the
system of classification.
The parish comprises by computation 4680 acres: the
soil is a good loam, alternated with gravel; the surface
is rather hilly, and the surrounding scenery pleasingly
varied. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in
the king's books at £22; patron, the Duke of Buckingham; impropriators, the landowners: the present net
income, £200, is about to be considerably increased by
means of the Tithe Commutation act, under which
certain ancient payments in lieu of tithes have been
found invalid. The old church, having been for many
years in a very dilapidated condition, fell down on
March 26th, 1776, and the present edifice was erected in
1781, at a cost, it is said, of £7000, in addition to the
old materials. It does not occupy the site of the former
church, but that of an ancient castle, supposed to have
been built by one of the earls of Buckingham subsequently to the Conquest, and the foundations of which
are occasionally discovered. The structure has a square
embattled tower surmounted by a well-proportioned
spire. The interior is handsomely fitted up in the
Grecian style: the altar is ornamented with a good copy
of Raphael's Transfiguration, over which is a beautifully
painted window, presented by the late Duke of Buckingham, on his elevation to the dukedom, and said to have
cost £1300; and at the west end is the finest-toned
organ in the county. At Gawcott is a separate incumbency. There are places of worship for Independents,
the Society of Friends, and Wesleyans. The free
grammar school was instituted by Edward VI., who
endowed it with the revenue of a dissolved chantry in
the town; the master is appointed by the corporation.
The schoolroom was the chapel of a chantry founded in
1268, by Matthew Stratton, Archdeacon of Buckingham,
and dedicated to St. John the Baptist and Thomas à
Becket: the original entrance, a Norman arched doorway, is still remaining; and there are in the chapel
some remains of seats put up in the old church in the
reign of Edward VI., very curiously carved. The union
comprises 29 parishes or places, of which 28 are in the
county of Buckingham, and one in the county of Oxford;
and contains a population of 14,239. Buckingham gives
the titles of Duke and Marquess to the family of Temple,
whose magnificent seat is at Stowe, about two miles to
the west.