Colton - Comberbach

A Topographical Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848.

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'Colton - Comberbach', in A Topographical Dictionary of England, (London, 1848) pp. 668-672. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp668-672 [accessed 19 March 2024]

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Colton (St. Andrew)

COLTON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the incorporation and hundred of Forehoe, E. division of Norfolk, 7½ miles (W. by N.) from Norwich; containing 282 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on the south by a stream tributary to the river Yare, forms part of the manor of Costessey, and comprises 900a. 2r. 29p.; about 726 acres are arable, and 169 pasture. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 9. 9½., and in the patronage of the Crown, with a net income of £348; there are 25½ acres of glebe. The church is in the later English style, and has an embattled tower. The Rev. Henry Rix, in 1726, bequeathed land for the endowment of a school and other charitable purposes, the income of which, with a subsequent gift, amounts to £15. 10.; and the poor receive £17. 5. per annum from ten acres of land allotted for fuel, at the inclosure, in 1801.

Colton (St. Mary)

COLTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Lichfield, S. division of the hundred of Pirehill, N. division of the county of Stafford, 2 miles (N. by E.) from Rugeley; containing 672 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on the north by the river Blythe, and on the south by the Trent, comprises by measurement about 3000 acres, in equal portions of arable and meadow: the soil is of average quality. The Grand Trunk canal passes through the south-western part of the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £5; net income, £461; patron and incumbent, the Rev. Charles Landor. The glebe comprises 40 acres. The church is an ancient structure, with a tower; the north aisle was rebuilt in 1801. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; also a school founded by contributions in 1763, and since endowed with £500 by John Spencer, Esq.; and a school for younger children, endowed by Mr. Webb with land producing £5 per annum.

Colton

COLTON, a township, in the parish of BoltonPercy, W. division of Ainsty wapentake, W. riding of York, 6¼ miles (S. W.) from York; containing 142 inhabitants. It comprises about 1120 acres of land, of which the greater portion is arable. The York and North-Midland railway passes through the township, and at a short distance west of the village is the road from York to Tadcaster. A neat mansion here was occupied by the late John Bacon Sawrey Morritt, Esq., the proprietor of Rokeby, in the county, and intimate friend of Sir Walter Scott.

Columb, St., Major (St. Columba)

COLUMB, ST., MAJOR (St. Columba), a markettown and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Pyder, E. division of Cornwall, 32 miles (S. W. by W.) from Launceston, and 245 (W. by S.) from London; containing 3146 inhabitants, of whom 1337 are in the town. This place takes its name from an ancient church erected by the founder of Bodmin Priory, and dedicated to St. Columba. It is situated on the summit of an eminence, supposed to have been occupied as a Danish fortification, and is surrounded by extensive tracts of fine meadow land; the streets are roughly paved, and the inhabitants are well supplied with water. A copper-mine, called Wheal-Constance, was opened a few years since, in which a fine vein of cobalt has been discovered; and there are several stream-works in the parish. The market, granted to Sir John Arundel in 1333, by Edward III., is on Thursday, for corn and provisions; and there is also a market for butchers' meat only, on Saturday: the market-house is an ancient building. The fairs are on the Thursday after Mid-Lent Sunday, for cattle and sheep, and the Thursday after Nov. 13th, for sheep only. The county magistrates hold a petty-session for the eastern division of the hundred, on the first Tuesday in every month: the powers of the county debt-court of St. Columb, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of St. Columb.

The parish comprises 12,046 acres, of which 4980 are common or waste. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £53. 6. 8., and in the patronage of E. Walker, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £1500, and the glebe contains 30 acres, with a glebehouse. The church is an ancient and venerable structure, with a lofty embattled tower crowned by pinnacles; within are several interesting monuments. There are places of worship for Bryanites, Independents, and Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists; also a Roman Catholic chapel at Llanherne. In 1628, James Jenkins gave by will £200, which have been invested in the purchase of land, producing £73 per annum, for distribution among the poor. The union comprises 16 parishes or places, and contains a population of 16,167. The curious Druidical circles called the Hurlers are in the neighbourhood. About two miles to the south-east of the town is a large elliptical encampment, called Castle an Dinas, defended by a double vallum, and having only one entrance: the longer diameter of the inner area is 1700 feet, and the shorter 1500; within are two tumuli, one of which is surrounded by a small ditch. It is supposed to have been erected by the Danes, and to have been the residence of one of their chiefs. At the distance of a mile and a half, in the same direction, is a fine cromlech, covered with ivy; and three miles to the north-east, on the road to Wadebridge, are nine upright stones, called "the Nine Maidens."

Columb, St., Minor (St. Columb)

COLUMB, ST., MINOR (St. Columb), a parish, in the union of St. Columb Major, hundred of Pyder, E. division of Cornwall, 5¼ miles (W. by S.) from St. Columb Major; containing 1681 inhabitants. The parish comprises 5535 acres, and is bounded on the west by the bays of Towan and Watergate, in which are the small harbours of New Quay and Porth, on the Bristol Channel. The cliffs on this part of the coast are very lofty, and over them proceeds a narrow path, which descends to a fine sandy beach, stretching to Mawgan Porth: in the rocks are many curious caverns, formed by the action of the sea. The pilchard-fishery is carried on extensively at New Quay, the harbour there having been formed for the vessels employed in that concern, in which the principal part of the population is either interested or engaged. Lead-ore is found in several parts, and three mines have been opened, of which two, at New Quay and Narrow Cliff, are still worked with moderate success; but the third, at Watergate, after a large outlay in the buildings and machinery, has been abandoned. There are also quarries of slatestone well adapted for common building purposes, and a quarry of stone partaking of the properties of granite, which is much valued. A fair for cattle held here on the 9th of June, is one of the chief cattle-fairs in the county. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £117; patron and impropriator, Sir J. B. Y. Buller, Bart. The church is a spacious and ancient structure, with a very lofty tower; the roof is of oak. There are places of worship for Wesleyans and Baptists. Considerable remains exist of Rialton Priory, a cell to the priory of Bodmin, built by Thomas Vivian, prior of Bodmin, about the close of the 15th century; they consist of the archways leading into three courts, and are embattled, and mantled with ivy. There are also some earthworks, the principal of them being at Porth Island; and several barrows, in one of which, on a farm at Tretharas, five urns containing bones were found a few years since.

Colveston (St. Mary)

COLVESTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Swaffham, hundred of Grimshoe, W. division of Norfolk, 6½ miles (N. by E.) from Brandon; containing 42 inhabitants. It lies near the road from Brandon to Swaffham; and comprises 800 acres, the property of Lord Berners, by whose family the manor has long been held. The living is a discharged rectory, consolidated with the vicarage of Didlington, and valued in the king's books at £9. 0. 2½.: the church, which was dependent on that of St. Bartholomew at Ickburgh, was, with the village, long since demolished.

Colwall (St. James)

COLWALL (St. James), a parish, in the union of Ledbury, hundred of Radlow, county of Hereford, 3½ miles (N. E. by N.) from Ledbury; containing 940 inhabitants. This parish is supposed to have derived its name from Collis Vallum, "a fortified hill," which is descriptive of the situation of the place. The Herefordshire beacon, an ancient encampment on one of the highest of the Malvern hills, and the lines of the circumvallation of which are still very distinct, is thought to have been formed by the Britons to repel the Romans; and some antiquaries are of opinion that here Caractacus was taken prisoner. Near the place a coronet of gold was discovered in 1650, said by some to have belonged to a British prince; it was sold for a very large sum. The parish is traversed by the two roads from Malvern to Ledbury, the one through Malvern-Wells, and the other through the Wyche; it comprises 3458a. 3r. 26p. Limestone is quarried, which, as well as other strata, contains fossil remains; and common stone is quarried for roads and buildings. From forty to fifty people are employed in glove-making. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20. 6. 8., and in the gift of the Bishop of Hereford: the tithes have been commuted for £480; there is an excellent glebe-house, and the glebe contains 61 acres. The church is an ancient structure with a handsome tower, and contains portions in the early and decorated English styles. There is a place of worship for Plymouth Brethren; also a free grammar school, founded in 1612 by Humphry Walwyn, and under the patronage of the Grocers' Company.

Colwell, with Great Swinburn

COLWELL, with Great Swinburn, a township, in the parish of Chollerton, union of Hexham, N. E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 8¾ miles (N. by E.) from Hexham; containing 393 inhabitants. Colwell, Great and Little Swinburn, and Whiteside Law, form two contiguous townships in the parish, situated near the intersection of the Cambo road and the Watling-street. The tithes of Colwell with Great Swinburn have been commuted for £213 payable to the Mercers' Company, London, and £116 payable to the vicar.

Colwich (St. Michael)

COLWICH (St. Michael), a parish, in the S. division of the hundred of Pirehill, union, and N. division of the county, of Stafford, 3 miles (N. W. by N.) from Rugeley; containing, with Fradswell chapelry, the townships of Bishton, Moreton, Shugborough, and Wolseley, and part of those of Drointon, Great and Little Haywood, and Hixon, 2015 inhabitants, of whom 205 are in the township of Colwich. This parish, which is situated on the banks of the Trent, and intersected by the road from London to Liverpool, comprises by measurement 6492 acres. The scenery is very delightful, the river flowing through a vale of the richest verdure, adorned with a variety of elegant villas, among which are the charming seats of Shugborough and Wolseley. There are two quarries from which a durable stone is obtained for building. The Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal forms a junction with the Grand Trunk canal near Great Haywood: the Trent-Valley railway passes through the parish; and in 1846 an act was obtained for a railway from this place, through the Potteries, to Macclesfield. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6. 0. 5.; patron, the Bishop of Lichfield: the great tithes have been commuted for £700, and the vicarial for £500; the glebe consists of about 6 acres, 4½ of which are in the parish of Stowe. The church is of some antiquity, and contains a monument to the memory of the celebrated navigator, George, Lord Anson, who was interred in the family cemetery at this place, June 14th, 1762. At Great Haywood is a parochial chapel, and there is an endowed chapel at Fradswell. The Independents have a place of worship. In 1837 was established here the Mount Pavilion convent of Benedictine nuns; attached to it is a private chapel. The remains of Haywood Abbey, situated in the parish, have been converted into a gentleman's seat.

Colwick (St. John the Baptist)

COLWICK (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Basford, S. division of the wapentake of Thurgarton and of the county of Nottingham, 2½ miles (E.) from Nottingham; containing 109 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the river Trent, comprises by computation 1235 acres; the surface is varied, the soil on the hills is a strong clay, and the remainder rich pasture and meadow land. The manor is the property of John Musters, Esq., who has a splendid house here; the village is pleasantly situated under a long range of hills on the north bank of the Trent. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 1. 0½.; net income, £220; patron, Mr. Musters. The church, which stands embosomed in foliage, contains some ancient monuments of the Byron and Musters families.

Colyford

COLYFORD, a hamlet, in the parish and hundred of Colyton, Honiton and S. divisions of Devon, one mile (S. S. E.) from Colyton. This place was made a borough before the reign of Edward I., and is still governed by a mayor, who is annually chosen at the court of the lord of the manor. The corporation consists of the mayor and burgesses; and the mayor, who holds office for one year, and is constable the next, is possessed of a small field, and has the tolls of a wellattended cattle-fair, held on the first Wednesday after March 12th. The road from Exeter to Weymouth runs through the village. There are lands still called Chapel Lands, but the existence of the chapel is known only by tradition: the great tithes within the limits of the borough belong to the vicar of Colyton. A Roman road passed through the place, the remains of which are sometimes dug up. Sir T. Gates, who discovered the Bermuda Isles, was born here.

Colyton, or Culliton (St. Andrew)

COLYTON, or Culliton (St. Andrew), a markettown and parish, in the union of Axminster, hundred of Colyton, Honiton and S. divisions of Devon, 5 miles (S. W.) from Axminster, and 151 (W. S. W.) from London; containing 2451 inhabitants. This place derives its name from the river Coly, on which it is situated, near the confluence of that stream with the Axe. In the reign of Edward III. it obtained the grant of a weekly market and an annual fair. During the civil war, the royal forces in possession of the town were attacked and defeated by a detachment of the parliamentarian army stationed at Lyme. The town is pleasantly seated on the road between Axminster and Sidmouth, in a fertile vale, containing some fine pasture land and orchards, and abounding with excellent timber; the houses, many of which are very ancient, are in general irregularly built of flint, with thatched roofs. The inhabitants are supplied with water from two conduits connected with springs a little south of the town. The principal branch of manufacture was that of paper, which is at present on a reduced scale, there being but one establishment, in which only ten persons are employed: a tan-yard gives employment to about thirty hands. The market is on Thursday, and there are smaller markets on Tuesday and Saturday. Two small fairs are held under the control of feoffees, by charter of Henry VIII.; one on the first Thursday after the 1st of May, and the other on the first Thursday after the 14th of October; and there is likewise a fair at Colyford on the first Wednesday after the 12th of March. The petty-sessions for the division are held here; and two constables and a tythingman are annually appointed at the court leet of the lord of the manor.

The parish comprises 6430 acres, of which 140 are common or waste. The living is a vicarage, with the perpetual curacies of Monkton and Shute annexed, valued in the king's books at £40. 10. 10.; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. The great tithes have been commuted for £600, the vicarial for £460; and there is a glebe of about an acre, with a glebe-house. The church is a spacious structure in the later English style, with a low embattled tower rising from the centre, surmounted by a handsome octagonal lantern turret with pierced parapets: the aisles have been widened to include the transepts, and the cruciform arrangement is thus destroyed. In the chancel is a beautiful altar-tomb with the effigy of a daughter of one of the Courtenays, earls of Devon, richly enshrined in tabernacle work; and in the angles north and south of the chancel are the sepulchral chapels of the Poles, and of the extinct family of Yonge: the Poles' chapel is separated from the church by an exquisitely carved screen. There are places of worship for Independents, Wesleyans, and Unitarians. A school is supported out of a general fund arising from an endowment in land by Henry VIII.; the land, now worth about £300 per annum, was part of the property of Henry Courtenay, Marquess of Exeter, who was executed Feb. 14th, 1539. The ruins of Colcombe Castle, the seat of the Courtenays, have been converted into a farmhouse.

Colyton-Rawleigh (St. John the Baptist)

COLYTON-RAWLEIGH (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of St. Thomas, hundred of East Budleigh, Woodbury and S. divisions of Devon, 2¼ miles (N.) from Otterton; containing 841 inhabitants. This place, according to tradition, derived the adjunct to its name from the great Sir Walter Raleigh, to whom the manor is said to have belonged. It is situated on the river Otter, and intersected by the road from Honiton to Exmouth, and comprises 3329 acres, of which 500 are open downs; the soil is generally light and gravelly, and the surface is varied with hill and dale. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £16. 4. 9½.; net income, £401; patron, the Dean of Exeter; the glebe comprises 45 acres, and the glebehouse is a handsome residence, built by the incumbent, at an expense of £1200. The church is an ancient structure. There is a place of worship for Baptists.

Combe, with Westington

COMBE, with Westington, 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, 1½ mile (W. S. W.) from Chipping-Campden; containing 178 inhabitants. It forms a deep valley between the hills which bound Chipping-Campden on the west and south; and was anciently a lordship, granted by Hugh, surnamed Keviliock, Earl of Chester, to the abbey of Bordesley.

Combe

COMBE, a tything, in the parish of Wotton-underEdge, union of Dursley, Upper division of the hundred of Berkeley, W. division of the county of Gloucester, one mile (N. E. by E.) from Wotton; containing, with Simond's-Hall, 576 inhabitants.

Combe

COMBE, a tything, in the parish and hundred of Crewkerne, union of Chard, W. division of Somerset; containing 74 inhabitants.

Combe (St. Nicholas)

COMBE (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Chard, E. division of the hundred of Kingsbury, W. division of Somerset, 2½ miles (N. W.) from Chard; containing 1293 inhabitants. It comprises 4203a. 1r. 7p., of which about 2007 acres are pasture, meadow, and orchard, 2031 arable, and 52 wood. Fairs are held on June 18th and the Wednesday before December 11th. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £15. 4. 4½.; patron, the Bishop of Bath and Wells. The great tithes have been commuted for £315, and the vicarial for £440; the glebe contains 13 acres, with a glebe-house. The church has been repaired, and the gallery enlarged.

Combe (St. Swithin)

COMBE (St. Swithin), a parish, in the union of Hungerford, hundred of Pastrow, Kingsclere and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 6 miles (E. by S.) from Hungerford; containing, with the hamlet of East Wick, 203 inhabitants. The parish is situated at the head of a valley, stretching towards Hurstbourne-Tarrant, and at the south base of Wallborough Hill, belonging to the chain of the north downs; it comprises by measurement 2074 acres. The living is a discharged vicarage, endowed with a portion of the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4.; patrons, the Dean and Canons of Windsor; impropriators, the Provost and Fellows of King's College, Cambridge. The church, which was formerly much larger, was attached to a monastic establishment in the vicinity, the remains whereof have lately been converted into a farmhouse. Round the summit of Wallborough Hill are a fosse and mound, marking the site of a Roman or British encampment.

Combe

COMBE, a tything, in the parish of Enford, union of Pewsey, hundred of Elstub and Everley, Everley and Pewsey, and S. divisions of Wilts, 8¼ miles (W.) from Ludgershall; containing 79 inhabitants.

Combe, Abbas.—See Abbas-Combe.

COMBE, ABBAS.—See Abbas-Combe.

Combe, English

COMBE, ENGLISH, a parish, in the union of Bath, hundred of Wellow, E. division of Somerset, 3 miles (S. W.) from Bath; containing 486 inhabitants. This parish, which comprises by computation 1796 acres, is situated near the Great Western railway, and about two miles from the London and Exeter road, from the river Avon, and the Kennet and Avon navigation. There are several quarries, from which stone is obtained for building and the repair of roads. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £9. 3. 11½., and in the gift of the family of Radford: the impropriate tithes, belonging to Mrs. Salisbury, have been commuted for £187, and the vicarial for £170; the glebe contains about 15 acres, with a glebe-house. The church is a very handsome structure, and has been repaired at a considerable expense. There are places of worship for Baptists and Lady Huntingdon's Connexion. The Gurnays had a castle here, but little more than the fosse which encompassed it is visible. The ancient road Wansdyke crosses the parish, passing by an eminence called Roundbarrow or Barrow Hill, which has been erroneously considered of artificial construction.

Combe-Fields, or Combe-Abbey

COMBE-FIELDS, or Combe-Abbey, an extraparochial liberty, in the union of Rugby, Kirby division of the hundred of Knightlow, N. division of the county of Warwick, 5¼ miles (E.) from Coventry; containing 195 inhabitants, and comprising 3656 acres. It is well watered by two branches of the river Sow, which partly bound it on the east and west; the Oxford canal winds through the district, and it is also intersected by the road from Coventry to Lutterworth. Richard de Camvilla, in 1150, founded here a Cistercian abbey, which was dedicated to St. Mary, and richly endowed; at the Dissolution it contained about fourteen monks, and was valued at £343. 0. 5. per annum. The site, which was granted by Edward VI. to the Earl of Warwick, is occupied by the manor-house: there are still some vestiges of the cloisters. The present noble mansion, the seat of the Earl of Craven, was chiefly erected by Lord Harrington in the reign of James I., but has since received many additions, rendering it one of the finest seats in the country; the apartments are sumptuously furnished, and are adorned with paintings by the best masters. The park is beautifully diversified, enriched with wood and water, and embracing wide prospects.

Combe-Florey (St. Peter)

COMBE-FLOREY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Taunton, hundred of Taunton and TauntonDean, W. division of Somerset, 6 miles (N. E. by E.) from Wiveliscombe; containing 304 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1600 acres: there are quarries of sandstone and conglomerate of good quality, for building. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 13. 9., and in the patronage of the Crown: the incumbent's tithes have been commuted for £220, and a rent-charge of £44 is paid to an impropriator; the glebe comprises 70 acres, with a glebe-house. The church is a neat plain edifice. The able and eccentric writer, Sydney Smith, who died in 1845, was incumbent of the parish.

Combe-Hay

COMBE-HAY, a parish, in the union of Bath, hundred of Wellow, E. division of Somerset, 3½ miles (S. by W.) from Bath; containing 239 inhabitants. The parish comprises by measurement 1080 acres. The surface in some parts is hilly, and the soil in these is a light stone brash, but in the valleys fertile; the district abounds with fine timber. Stone of inferior quality is quarried for building cottages, and for the roads; and fullers'-earth is found in abundance. A small brook flows through the parish into the Avon, and the Somersetshire coal-canal also intersects it. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 12. 3½., and in the gift of the Hon. H. Hanbury Tracey: the tithes have been commuted for £240, and the glebe comprises 38 acres. The church is a neat edifice. There is a place of worship alternately used by Baptists and Independents. The Roman Fosse-way passes near; the ditch on each side is here very perfect.

Combe-Hill, with Healy.—See Healy.

COMBE-HILL, with Healy.—See Healy.

Combe, Long (St. Lawrence)

COMBE, LONG (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the union of Woodstock, hundred of Wootton, county of Oxford, 5 miles (W. by S.) from Woodstock; containing 605 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the patronage of Lincoln College, Oxford, the impropriators; net income, £90. The church is in the early English style, with a square embattled tower having angular pinnacles surmounted by vanes; it contains some interesting details, and near the stone steps leading to the rood-loft is a stone pulpit, finely sculptured. It anciently occupied a very low situation, but was rebuilt on its present site in 1395.

Combe-Martin (St. Peter)

COMBE-MARTIN (St. Peter), a market-town and parish, in the union of Barnstaple, hundred of Braunton, Braunton and N. divisions of Devon, 5 miles (E.) from Ilfracombe, and 176 (W. by S.) from London; containing 1399 inhabitants. This place derives its name from its situation in a valley, and its adjunct from its proprietor at the time of the Conquest. In the reign of Edward I., some mines of lead, containing a considerable portion of silver, were discovered, and 377 men from the Peak in Derbyshire were brought to work them: in the reign of Edward III. they produced such a quantity of that metal as to assist the king materially in defraying the expense of carrying on the war with France. These mines, after remaining in a neglected state for many years, were re-opened in the reign of Elizabeth, and worked with considerable advantage under the direction of Sir Bevis Bulmer. They were unsuccessfully explored in 1790: in 1813 a more profitable attempt was made, which, after four years, however, was discontinued: the works have been since renewed, and the mines are at present in operation. Some iron and copper are also found; and limestone is quarried and burnt for agricultural use to a great extent. There is a variety of geological productions in one of the hills, as well as numerous fossils.

The town is situated in a deep romantic glen, extending in a north-west direction, and opening into a small cove on the Bristol Channel, which is capable of being converted into a good harbour, and which formed a convenient port for shipping the mineral produce, and still affords the inhabitants the means of conveying coal and lime to other towns, whence they receive corn and bark in return. The houses, many of which are in ruins, and overgrown with ivy, extend for nearly a mile, in an irregular line, along the side of the vale: the surrounding scenery is strikingly magnificent. The market has been discontinued; but the charter, granted to Nicholas Fitz-Martin by Henry III., in 1264, is still retained by the exposure of some trifling articles for sale on the market-days: the market-house is rapidly falling to decay. Fairs are held on Whit-Monday and Lammas feast; and the county magistrates hold a petty-session for the division, on the first Monday in every month, at a small inn. The parish comprises 3600 acres, of which 1837 are common or waste. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £39. 8. 9., and in the gift of the family of Toms: the tithes amount to about £400 per annum, and the glebe contains 60 acres, with a glebe-house. The church is a handsome structure with a tower, built about the time of Henry III.; the nave is separated from the chancel by a screen. Here are places of worship for Wesleyans and Independents. A school was endowed in 1733, by George Ley, Esq., with land producing £25 per annum: the premises were rebuilt a few years since, by George Ley, Esq., grandson of the founder. There are three rings of stone on the summit of one of the hills in the parish, called Hangman Hill, the height of which is 1189 feet. Dr. Thomas Harding, a learned Roman Catholic divine and controversialist, was born here in 1512.

Combe, Moncton (St. Michael)

COMBE, MONCTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Bath, hundred of Bath-Forum, E. division of Somerset, 3½ miles (S. E. by S.) from Bath; containing 1107 inhabitants. The manufacture of paper is carried on; and on Combe Down are extensive quarries, where stone was obtained for erecting many of the best houses in Bath: clusters of hexagonal brown crystals are found in the cavities of the stone, and in the fissures of the rocks are some fine and curiously frosted stalactites. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Rector of South Stoke. On the brow of the hill which surmounts the village, and forming a conspicuous feature in the landscape, is an elegant chapel in the decorated English style, with a tower and spire 90 feet high, lately erected by voluntary contributions: the Rector also presents to this incumbency.

Combeinteignhead

COMBEINTEIGNHEAD, a parish, in the union of Newton-Abbott, hundred of Wonford, Teignbridge and S. divisions of Devon, 3 miles (E.) from NewtonBushell; containing 425 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the navigable river Teign, by which it is bounded on the north, and comprises 1950 acres, whereof 320 are common or waste. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £32. 2. 8½., and in the gift of J. W. Harding and W. Long, Esqrs.: the tithes have been commuted for £350, and the glebe comprises 42 acres, with a glebe-house. The church contains an ancient wooden screen. The church-house, now occupied by the poor, is of very early foundation. A school was founded by Margaret Burgoyne, in 1783, with an endowment of £100 stock.

Comberbach

COMBERBACH, a township, in the parish of Great Budworth, union of Northwich, hundred of Bucklow, N. division of the county of Chester, 3 miles (N. by W.) from Northwich; containing 303 inhabitants. It comprises 355 acres, the soil of which is clay, with peat. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.