Farndon (St. Chad)
FARNDON (St. Chad), a parish, in the union of
Great Boughton, Higher division of the hundred of
Broxton, S. division of the county of Chester; containing, with the townships of Barton, Churton, Clutton, and Crewe, 999 inhabitants, of whom 521 are in
the township of Farndon, 8 miles (S.) from Chester.
This parish is situated on the road to Wrexham, and
bounded on the west by the river Dee, which separates
it from the county of Denbigh; it comprises 2796a.
1r. 35p., of which 884 acres are in Farndon township.
There are some quarries of red sandstone for ordinary
uses. The river is navigable for small boats, and over
it is a bridge, erected in 1345, formerly of ten arches,
whereof eight are still remaining; it affords communication with the borough of Holt. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £115; patron and impropriator, the Marquess of Westminster, whose tithes in
Farndon township have been commuted for £104. The
church, an ancient structure in the early English style,
on a sandstone rock of considerable elevation, was garrisoned in the civil war by the parliamentary forces, and
in consequence sustained great injury during the siege
of Holt Castle, in 1645; in 1658 it was repaired: it
contains some interesting monuments, and has a curious
stained window representing several persons who commanded in Chester during the war. A parochial school
was erected in 1623. John Speed, the celebrated topographer and historian, was born here in 1552.
Farndon, West
FARNDON, WEST, a hamlet, in the parish of
Woodford, union of Daventry, hundred of Chipping-Warden, S. division of the county of Northampton, 9½ miles (S. S. W.) from the town of Daventry;
containing 128 inhabitants.
Farndon (St. Peter)
FARNDON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of
Newark, S. division of the wapentake of Newark and
of the county of Nottingham, 2¼ miles (S. W. by W.)
from Newark; containing 575 inhabitants. The parish
is bounded on the west by the Trent, on the bank of
which the village is pleasantly situated. The living is a
discharged vicarage, with that of Balderton annexed,
valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4.; net income,
£244; patron, the Prebendary of Farndon in the Cathedral of Lincoln: the tithes were commuted for land in
1767. The church is a large and lofty edifice. There
is a small endowment for a school.
Farndon, East (St. John the Baptist)
FARNDON, EAST (St. John the Baptist), a
parish, in the union of Market-Harborough, hundred
of Rothwell, N. division of the county of Northampton, 2 miles (S. S. W.) from Market-Harborough;
containing 250 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated about 1½ mile to the west of the London road,
comprises by computation 1471 acres, chiefly pasture;
the soil is generally clay, and the surface hilly. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£13. 1. 0½.; net income, £400; patrons, the President
and Fellows of St. John's College, Oxford: the tithes
were commuted for land and a money payment in 1780;
the land comprises 325a. 3r. 8p. The church is in the
Norman style, with later insertions. The Independents
have a place of worship; and a parochial school is supported. There is a mineral spring.
Farndon, West
FARNDON, WEST, a hamlet, in the parish of
Woodford, union of Thrapstone, hundred of Huxloe,
N. division of the county of Northampton; containing
128 inhabitants.
Farne-Islands.—See Farn-Islands.
FARNE-ISLANDS.—See Farn-Islands.
Farnham (St. Lawrence)
FARNHAM (St. Lawrence), a parish, partly in
the union of Tisbury, hundred of Chalk, S. division of
Wilts, but chiefly in the union of Wimborne and
Cranborne, hundred of Cranborne, Shaston division
of Dorset, 7 miles (N. E. by N.) from Blandford; containing 117 inhabitants. The parish comprises 373
acres, of which 25 are waste or common. A fair, chiefly
for cheese, is held on the 21st of August. The living is
a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£7. 10., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income,
£149. The church, a neat structure of considerable
antiquity, was enlarged in 1836, when 150 additional
sittings were provided.
Farnham (St. Mary)
FARNHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Bishop-Stortford, hundred of Clavering, N. division
of Essex, 3¼ miles (W. by N.) from Stansted-Mountfitchet; containing 549 inhabitants. It borders closely
on the county of Hertford. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £23. 8. 9., and in the gift
of Trinity College, Oxford: the tithes have been commuted for £607, and the glebe contains 23 acres, to which
there is a house. The church, a small low edifice
with a tower, contains several ancient monuments. A
school, conducted on the national plan, is endowed with
£45 per annum; and there are some small bequests for
the poor.
Farnham
FARNHAM, a township, in the parish of Allenton,
union of Rothbury, W. division of Coquetdale ward,
N. division of Northumberland, 6 miles (W.) from
Rothbury; containing 40 inhabitants. It is divided into
High and Low Farnham, and situated on the river Coquet, in the south of the parish.
Farnham (St. Mary)
FARNHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Plomesgate, E. division of Suffolk, 2¾
miles (S. W.) from Saxmundham; containing 186 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, with a net income of £78; the patronage and impropriation belong
to the family of Long, whose tithes have been commuted
for £240.
Farnham (St. Andrew)
FARNHAM (St. Andrew), a market-town, parish, and the head of a
union, in the hundred of
Farnham, W. division of
Surrey, 10 miles (W. by S.)
from Guildford, and 38
(S. W.) from London, on the
road to Southampton; comprising the tythings of Badshot, Runfold, Culverlands,
Tilford, Farnham, Runwick,
Wrecklesham, and Bourne;
and containing 6615 inhabitants, of whom 3400 are in
the town or tything of Farnham. This place, originally
called Fernham, from the fern growing on the extensive
heaths by which on all sides, except the south-west, it is
for many miles surrounded, was by Ethelbald, King of
the West Saxons, annexed to the see of Winchester. In
893, Alfred obtained a signal victory over the Danes who
were ravaging this part of the country. In the reign of
Stephen, Henry de Blois, brother of that monarch, and
Bishop of Winchester, erected on a hill commanding the
town a castle of great strength and of considerable extent, which is said to have been seized by the Dauphin
of France, in his expedition against King John. In the
following reign, this castle, having become a retreat for
the malcontents, was demolished by Henry III., in the
war with the barons; but it was rebuilt by the bishops
of Winchester, with greater magnificence, as the episcopal palace. During the parliamentary war, the castle
was garrisoned for the king, but being besieged by Waller, the republican general, it fell into his hands, and
was afterwards dismantled and nearly destroyed. The
principal remains are some portions of the walls, and the
keep, which still retains vestiges of its ancient strength;
on the top is a neat garden, about 40 yards square, in
which are cherry, apple, and other fruit trees. There
are two fosses, an inner and an outer: the inner is converted into a kitchen and pleasure garden; the outer,
which is very deep, surrounding the walls, is in parts
planted with forest-trees. At the Restoration, the
greater part of the present house was erected by Bishop
Morley, at an expense of £8000; it has been since modernised, and is still the principal residence of the
bishops of the diocese. The structure is quadrangular,
built of brick covered with stucco, excepting the tower at
the west end, and seems to have been patched up at different times. From the top of the keep are some fine
views of the neighbourhood, and from a spacious lawn
in front is a prospect of the market-place and town of
Farnham, with the distant country. The park, three
miles in circumference, commands a good view of the
valley in which the town lies, and of the scenery to the
south and south-east. To the east of the palace is a
noble avenue of ancient elms, forming a delightful promenade about half a mile in length, open to the inhabitants.
Seal and Arms.
The town is situated on the river Wey, and consists
of four chief streets diverging nearly at right angles
from the market-place in the centre, and of several
smaller streets, roughly paved, and lighted with gas.
The houses are mostly well built; many of them are
handsome, and the general appearance of the place is
respectable and prepossessing: the principal houses
are supplied by a company with water brought from the
Lawday-house hill, about a mile distant, by means of
iron pipes, into a reservoir which holds 1000 hogsheads
on the Castle-hill. The view of the castle from the
market-place, though partially obstructed by the markethouse, is picturesque; and the environs abound with
pleasing and richly-varied scenery. Farnham is celebrated for the cultivation of hops, which has prevailed
here for about 150 years; from the favourable nature of
the soil, and the peculiar care bestowed on their culture,
the hops possess a decided superiority over those produced in any other part of the kingdom, and invariably
obtain a higher price. On the banks of the Wey are
several flour-mills, from which large supplies are sent
to the London market by the Basingstoke canal, which
crosses the high road within four miles of the town;
there are also several breweries, and a small factory for
weaving coarse cloth for sacking, and oilcloth. An act
was passed in 1846 for a railway from Guildford, by
Farnham, to Alton. The market is on Thursday; and
fairs are held on Holy-Thursday, Midsummer-day, and
November 13th, for live-stock. Farnham was anciently
a borough, and returned members to parliament from
the 4th of Edward II. till the 38th of Henry VI. It had
a charter of incorporation granted by the bishops, under
which the government was vested in two bailiffs and
twelve burgesses; but these privileges were so little regarded that the vacancies in the number of the burgesses were not filled up; and in 1790, the bailiffs,
having been indicted for not repairing the bridges at
Tilford, surrendered their charter to the bishop, and
sent the records of the borough to the castle. The town
is now within the jurisdiction of the county magistrates,
who hold petty-sessions for the division on the last
Thursday in every month; and the bishop holds a court
leet in autumn, at which constables and tythingmen are
appointed. The powers of the county debt-court of
Farnham, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of Farnborough, and nearly the whole of
that of Farnham.
The parish comprises 10,395a. 1r. 16p., of which 3372
acres are arable, 1093 in hop-grounds, 977 meadow, 640
pasture, 1276 wood and plantations, and upwards of
2500 waste. The living is a vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £29. 9. 5.; net income, £430; patron,
the Archdeacon of Surrey. The church is a spacious
structure in the later English style, with a low tower at
the west end; the nave is separated from the aisles by
obtuse pointed arches resting upon octagonal pillars:
additional accommodation has been provided by building
a gallery. A handsome church in the later English
style, dedicated to St. Peter, was erected at Wrecklesham, in 1840, by subscription; there is a district
church at Hale, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist;
and at Tilford is a licensed place of worship, in connexion with the Establishment. The Independents
have meeting-houses in the town, and at Tilford and
Hungary-hill; and there is a free grammar school,
founded prior to 1611. Almshouses for eight aged
persons were founded in 1619 by Andrew Windsor, to
which the principal bequests are, £500 by Mrs. Mary
Smither, in 1792; £2232. 16., three per cent. consols.,
by Captain Samuel Fenner; £640 by Mr. D. Bristow, in
the three per cent. consols.; and £575. 10., three per
cent. consols., by T. B. Mill, Esq. There are also
several benefactions for the poor generally: the principal
is by Henry Smith, who in 1650 bequeathed £1000,
which were laid out in lands now producing upwards of
£110 per annum.
At the distance of about two miles south of the town
are the remains of the Abbey of Waverley, founded in
1128, by Giffard, Bishop of Winchester, for monks of
the Cistercian order, then introduced into England. The
abbot, according to Gale, was accounted the superior of
the order in this country; the clear revenue of the
society, at the Dissolution, was £174. 8. 3. The remains consist of part of the south aisle of the church, in
the windows of which, within the memory of the present
generation, were many specimens of the rich stained
glass wherewith the church was decorated; and part of
the dormitory, refectory, and the cloisters, mantled with
ivy, and extending in detached portions over a space of
three or four acres: stone coffins and sepulchral remains
have been frequently discovered on the spot. Peter de
Rupibus, Bishop of Winchester, died at Farnham, and
was buried at Winchester, but his heart was deposited
at Waverley, and is said to have been dug up entire a
few years since, inclosed in a leaden box containing a
saline liquid. Henry III. visited the monastery on the
17th of December, 1225, and was received with great
solemnity, and next day admitted a member of the
fraternity. Hely, Bishop of Winchester, was buried here,
and his heart at Winchester. On the 2nd of June,
1268, John Breton was consecrated Bishop of Hereford
in this house by the Bishop of Winchester. At Moor
Park died Sir William Temple, the eminent statesman,
and patron of Dean Swift, who, on quitting college,
came to reside at the place, where, with the exception of
a journey to Ireland for the recovery of his health, and
a short residence at his prebend of Kilroot, he remained
till the death of Sir William, and contracted an intimacy
with the daughter of Mr. Johnson, steward to his
patron, whose virtues he celebrated under the name of
Stella. At the extremity of Moor Park is St. Mary's
Well, commonly called "Mother Ludlam's Cave," a
remarkable cavern. Nicholas de Farnham, successively
physician to Henry III., Bishop of Chester, and Bishop
of Durham, and author of several works on the practice
of physic and the properties of herbs; and the Rev.
Augustus Montague Toplady, the controversial divine,
were natives of Farnham. William Cobbett, also, was
born and buried here.
Farnham
FARNHAM, a parish, in the Lower division of the
wapentake of Claro, union of Great Ouseburn (under
Gilbert's act), W. riding of York; comprising the
townships of Farnham, Ferensby, and Scotton; and
containing 580 inhabitants, of whom 170 are in the
township of Farnham, 2 miles (N.) from Knaresborough.
The parish comprises by computation 2800 acres; the
soil is chiefly a stiffish mould on a substratum of limestone, thin, and of moderate quality, and the greater
portion of the land is arable. There are some quarries
of magnesian limestone. The living is a perpetual
curacy, valued in the king's books at £6. 12. 1.; net
income, £130; patrons, the Rev. Thomas Collins, incumbent, and Thomas Shann, Esq. The church, which
belonged to the priory de Bello Valle, in the county
of Lincoln, is an ancient structure, pleasantly situated on
an eminence; the chancel is Anglo-Norman.
Farnham-Royal (St. Mary)
FARNHAM-ROYAL (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Eton, hundred of Burnham, county of Buckingham, 4½ miles (N. W.) from Colnbrook; containing,
with the hamlets of Hedgerley-Dean and Seer-Green,
1258 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from
Windsor to Beaconsfield, and comprises by computation
2917 acres; the surface is pleasingly undulated, and
the surrounding scenery abounds with interest. The
Great Western railway crosses the parish at Salt-Hill.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£12. 16. 0½., and in the gift of Eton College: the tithes
have been commuted for £304. 17. 8., and there are
about 19 acres of glebe. The church, a plain neat
structure, has been almost entirely rebuilt within the
last twenty years, and contains a monument to the wellknown Jacob Bryant, author of many learned works, who
lived and was buried here. At Seer-Green is a chapel of
ease. There are places of worship for Independents.
Farnham-Tollard
FARNHAM-TOLLARD, a tything, in the parish of
Tollard-Royal, union of Wimborne and Cranborne, hundred of Cranborne, Shaston division of
Dorset; containing 224 inhabitants.
Farnhill
FARNHILL, a township, in the parish of Kildwick, union of Skipton, E. division of the wapentake
of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York,
3¾ miles (S. S. E.) from Skipton; containing 459 inhabitants. This township, which was separated from
Cononley in 1838, is pleasantly situated on the east
side of Airedale, and comprises about 400 acres; the
surface is varied, and the village consists chiefly of
scattered houses, some of which adjoin the village of
Kildwick.
Farnhurst
FARNHURST, a parish, in the union of Midhurst,
hundred of Easebourne, rape of Chichester, W. division of Sussex, 5 miles (N. by E.) from Midhurst;
containing 762 inhabitants. The road from London to
Chichester, viâ Haslemere, runs through the village,
where large quantities of charcoal were formerly made
by government; the concern is now in the hands of a
private individual, who has also some chemical-works.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage and
impropriation of the Earl of Egmont; net income, £111.
The church is in the early English style.
Farningham (St. Peter and St. Paul)
FARNINGHAM (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Dartford, hundred of Axton,
Dartford, and Wilmington, lathe of Sutton-atHone, W. division of Kent, 5 miles (S.) from Dartford; containing 701 inhabitants. This parish, anciently
called Fremingham, signifying "the village by the brook,"
is situated upon the road from London to Maidstone,
and on the river Darent, and comprises 2625a. 3r. 8p.,
of which 278 acres are in wood; the lands are chiefly
arable. The village is pleasantly seated on the river,
over which is a neat bridge of four arches; on the
banks are some flour-mills, and there is a commodious
hotel and posting-house. It had formerly a market on
Tuesday, and a fair for four days, commencing on the
eve of St. Peter's day; there is still a fair for horses and
cattle on October 15th. The living is a vicarage, in the
patronage of the Archbishop, valued in the king's books
at £9. 5. 10.; net income, £260; appropriators, the
Dean and Chapter of Canterbury. The church is principally in the early English style, having at the west
end a handsome flint tower, and containing brasses and
other remnants of antiquity, with an octagonal font
curiously and elaborately carved.
Farn-Islands
FARN-ISLANDS, a cluster of seventeen small
islands, in the parish of Holy-Island, union of Berwick, in Islandshire, county of Northumberland;
extending about 7 miles (S. E.) from Holy-Island, and
containing 15 inhabitants. The largest of these isles,
anciently Farne, and now called House Island, lies nearly
two miles to the east of Bambrough Castle, and is remarkable as the spot where St. Cuthbert passed a few
of the later years of his life, and where a priory subordinate to Durham was subsequently founded for Benedictine monks, whose revenue at the Dissolution was
£12. 17. 8. Ethelwold, St. Bartholomew, and Thomas,
prior of Durham, among other celebrated devotees, since
the time of St. Cuthbert, sequestered themselves in the
place. A square tower, the ruins of a church, and other
buildings, are still remaining; also a stone coffin, wherein it is said the body of St. Cuthbert was first laid.
At the northern end of the isle is a deep chasm, through
which, in stormy weather, the sea forces its way with
such violence as to form a fine jet d'eau sixty feet high,
called the Churn.
Farnley
FARNLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of Otley,
Upper division of the wapentake of Claro, W. riding
of York, 2 miles (N. N. E.) from Otley; containing 217
inhabitants. It comprises about 1810 acres, the property of F. Hawksworth Fawkes, Esq., of Farnley Hall,
whose ancestors were proprietors in the reign of Henry
III. The soil is fertile, and in a high state of cultivation; the surface is boldly undulated: the substratum
abounds with excellent freestone, which is quarried for
building. The village, seated on the north side of
Wharfdale, is small and straggling. The chapel is an
ancient structure, the former chancel of a larger building.
The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £40;
patron, Mr. Fawkes.
Farnley
FARNLEY, a chapelry, in that part of the parish of
St. Peter, Leeds, which is within the liberty of Leeds,
though locally in the wapentake of Morley, union of
Leeds, W. riding of York, 3½ miles (W. by S.) from
Leeds; containing 1530 inhabitants. It comprises by
computation 2200 acres, nearly encompassed by rivulets
flowing through deep valleys. The neighbourhood
abounds with iron-ore and coal, of both which there are
several mines in operation; and the quarries of Park
Spring produce stone of excellent quality, whereof considerable quantities are sent to London. The new line
of road from Leeds to Halifax, by which the distance
between those places is shortened to 14½ miles, intersects
the chapelry. The village is extensive, and many of the
inhabitants are employed in the woollen manufacture.
The chapel, rebuilt in 1760, is a good edifice, containing
300 sittings: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the
patronage of the Vicar of Leeds, with a net income of
£204; appropriators, the Dean and Canons of ChristChurch, Oxford, whose tithes have been commuted for
£300. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Farnley-Tyas
FARNLEY-TYAS, a chapelry, in the parish of
Almondbury, union of Huddersfield, Upper division
of the wapentake of Agbrigg, W. riding of York, 4
miles (S. S. E.) from Huddersfield; containing 844 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1700 acres, chiefly
the property of the Earl of Dartmouth, who is lord of
the manor. The surface, which is very elevated, forming
one of the highest spots in the county, is finely varied,
and beautifully embellished with wood. The substratum
abounds with coal, of which a mine is in operation;
there are likewise quarries of stone, mostly flags, but
also used for the roads; and many of the inhabitants
are employed in hand-loom weaving, and in some powerlooms. A church dedicated to St. Lucian was erected
and endowed in 1839, at the expense of Lord Dartmouth;
it is a handsome structure, in the later English style,
with a square embattled tower surmounted by a lofty
spire, and contains 540 sittings, of which 230 are free.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of his
lordship.
Farnsfield (St. Michael)
FARNSFIELD (St. Michael), a parish, in the union
of Southwell, Southwell division of the wapentake of
Thurgarton, S. division of the county of Nottingham,
4 miles (N. W. by W.) from Southwell; containing
1099 inhabitants. The parish comprises 3689a. 1r. 32p.;
the village, which is large and well built, is situated on
an eminence commanding some fine views over the
adjacent country. The living is a discharged vicarage,
in the patronage of the Chapter of the Collegiate Church
of Southwell, valued in the king's books at £4. On the
inclosure of the parish in 1780, an allotment of 157a.
3r. 15p. was given in lieu of tithes; and there is a glebe
of 19a. 3r. 5p. in addition. The church has a square
tower, in which are five harmonious bells. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyans; and a school is endowed
with a house and land of the annual value of £20.
Farnworth (St. John)
FARNWORTH (St. John), a parish, in the union of
Bolton, hundred of Salford, S. division of Lancashire, 2¼ miles (S. S. E.) from Bolton; comprising
the townships of Farnworth and Kearsley, and containing 8265 inhabitants, of whom 4829 are in Farnworth.
This place probably derives its name from the AngloSaxon word Fearn; the fern plant formerly overran the
land, and still grows abundantly in the neighbourhood.
In the reign of Queen Mary, Farnworth township, lately
a part of the parish of Deane, was a portion of the township of Barton-upon-Irwell, in Eccles parish, though
distant from it about five miles. In 1663 it was still
called "the hamlet of Farnworth within the township of
Barton;" and so late as 1725 a determination was made,
that the inhabitants of Barton should convey their felons
to the gaol of Lancaster without the assistance of Farnworth and Kearsley, which previously had contributed
to that cost. The Hultons of Farnworth Hall, a branch
from the parent stock of Hulton, were settled here in
the 4th of Edward II., and the last of the family at
Farnworth died in the reign of Elizabeth. There are
extensive coal-mines belonging to the Earl of Ellesmere,
and William Hulton, Esq.; large spinning and powerloom mills; and one of the best paper-mills in the kingdom, belonging to Messrs. John and Thomas B. Crompton,
whose premises, called the "Farnworth mills," are of
great extent, and who are patentees of a process for
cutting, drying, and finishing paper.
The township of Farnworth and the adjoining township of Kearsley were separated by an order in council
dated 23rd July 1828, from the parish of Deane, and
constituted a distinct parish, under the act 58th George
III. cap. 45. The living is a vicarage, in the patronage
of Hulme's Trustees; income, about £260, arising partly
from endowment, and partly from pew-rents, with a very
good vicarage-house, built by the parishioners at a cost
of £2000. The church is a handsome stone structure
with a tower, erected in 1825, by the Commissioners
for Building Churches, at an expense of £8000. The
Independents and Wesleyans have places of worship.
A school, erected on land given by James Roscow in
1715, was endowed in 1728 with £300 by Nathan
Dorning; the Commissioners of Inclosures, in 1798,
allotted certain land to the trustees, and in 1825 the
school-house was rebuilt: there is a house and garden
for the master, who teaches nine boys free. A handsome
national school accommodates 500 children, and adjoining it is an infants' school capable of receiving about 150.
A very neat daily and infant school has been built by
the mill-owners; and there is also a Sunday school
occupied by the Wesleyan Methodists, supported by an
endowment from the late Mrs. Holland, of Bradford
House, near Bolton.
Farnworth
FARNWORTH, a parochial chapelry, in the parish
of Prescot, hundred of West Derby, S. division of the
county of Lancaster, 5¾ miles (W.) from Warrington;
comprising the townships of Bold, Cronton, Ditton,
and Widness, which are in the union of Prescot, and
contain 3836 inhabitants; and the townships of Cuerdley, Penketh, and Great Sankey, which are in the union
of Warrington, and contain 1440 inhabitants. The
chapelry is bounded by the river Mersey for three miles,
and being rather elevated land, commands views of the
Cheshire hills and the Welsh mountains: the soil is of
various quality; and red sandstone is quarried. The
manufacture of watch-movements is carried on to a considerable extent, as is also that of sailcloth. Cattle-fairs
are held in spring and autumn. The St. Helen's and
Runcorn railway, and the Huyton branch of the London
and North-Western railway, pass near the village.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of
the Vicar of Prescot; net income, £172, with a house.
The chapel is dedicated to St. Wilfrid, and is an ancient
edifice, in which different kinds of architecture are combined. The earliest notice of it is preserved in Sir Peter
Leycester's History of Cheshire, where it is mentioned
that "Sir Peter Dutton received orders from William
Harrington, chief steward of Halton, under Henry,
Archbishop of Canterbury, and other feoffees of King
Henry V., to deliver an oak for the repair of Farnworth
chapel." The east window is handsomely enriched, and
the edifice contains some interesting monuments to the
Bold and other families. There is an endowed chapel at
Sankey, which see. A grammar school was founded in
the reign of Henry VIII. by Bishop Smith, who was
born here, and who endowed it with £10 per annum,
since increased to £50 by bequests; there are also
excellent national schools.