Faxfleet - Felpham

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

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'Faxfleet - Felpham', in A Topographical Dictionary of England, (London, 1848) pp. 225-228. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp225-228 [accessed 19 March 2024]

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Faxfleet

FAXFLEET, a township, in the parish of South Cave, union of Howden, locally in the Hunsley-Beacon division of the wapentake of Harthill, E. riding of York, 7 miles (S. W.) from South Cave; containing 358 inhabitants. This township, which includes the hamlet of Osmerdike, is situated at the confluence of the Humber, Ouse, and Trent, and comprises by computation 1630 acres of land. Osmerdike was once a lake or mere, overflowed by the tide, from which it is now protected by embankments. A tithe rent-charge of £27 is paid to the vicar, and one of £24 to the impropriator. The poor have four acres, the gift of an unknown donor.

Faxton

FAXTON, a chapelry, in the parish of Lamport, union of Brixworth, hundred of Orlingbury, N. division of the county of Northampton, 6 miles (W. S. W.) from Kettering; containing 108 inhabitants, and comprising 1775a. 28p. The chapel is dedicated to St. Denis. Lady Danvers in 1730 founded an almshouse for four persons, to which Jane Kemsey in 1736 bequeathed £100.

Fazakerley

FAZAKERLEY, a township, in the parish of Walton-on-the-Hill, union and hundred of West Derby, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 4¼ miles (N. E.) from Liverpool; containing 428 inhabitants. This place was long the residence of an ancient family of the same name, of whom Richard Fazakerley was living in the reign of Henry III.; they intermarried with the families of Walton of Walton, Blundell of Crosby, and Pemberton. Henry Gillibrand, Esq., of Gillibrand Hall, near Chorley, on succeeding to the property, assumed the name of Fazakerley. The Old Hall, a venerable mansion, was taken down in 1823. The township comprises 1565½ acres, all arable: the surface is rather level; pretty well wooded; and the soil various, sandy in some parts, and stiff clay in others. The Liverpool and Bury railway has a station here, and the line of the Liverpool, Ormskirk, and Preston railway also passes through. There is a small school, having a trifling endowment in land, the gift of Samuel Turner in 1725.

Fazeley

FAZELEY, a district chapelry, in the parish and union of Tamworth, S. division of the hundred of Offlow and of the county of Stafford, 1½ mile (S.) from Tamworth; containing, with the liberties of Bangley, Bitterscote, Bonehill, and Dunstall, 1510 inhabitants. The chapelry is situated on the road to Birmingham, and bounded by the river Tame; and comprises, with the liberties, 1987a. 1r. 26p., in equal portions of arable and pasture: the surface is level, and the soil gravelly. The Roman Watling-street passes through; and the canal from Birmingham here divides into two branches, one uniting with the Trent and Mersey canal, and the other extending to Coventry and Oxford. There are a cotton-spinning mill employing 120 hands, a bleach-green, and a corn-mill. Fairs for cattle are held on March 21st; the second Mondays in January, February, April, September, and December; the third Mondays in July, August, and November; the last Mondays in May and June; and the first Monday after Old Michaelmas-day. The living is a perpetual curacy; patron and impropriator, Sir Robert Peel, Bart.: the glebe consists of a few acres, with a house. The chapel or church, a neat edifice with a campanile tower, was built in 1810, by the late Sir Robert Peel, who also gave the endowment. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and two national schools are connected with the church.

Fearby

FEARBY, a township, in the parish of Masham, union of Leyburn, wapentake of Hang-East, N. riding of York, 2 miles (E.) from Masham; containing 236 inhabitants. It is situated in a hilly district, and comprises 852a. 1r. 2p. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £17, and the impropriate for £96, payable to Trinity College, Cambridge.

Fearnhead, with Poulton.—See Poulton.

FEARNHEAD, with Poulton.—See Poulton.

Featherstone

FEATHERSTONE, a township, in the parish and union of Haltwhistle, W. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 3¾ miles (S. W.) from Haltwhistle; containing 265 inhabitants. It comprises, besides a few scattered houses, the hamlets of HorseClose, Kellah, and Row-Foot. Featherstone Castle is on the east side of the South Tyne, opposite its confluence with the Hartley burn, in a beautiful situation. It was from an early period the seat of the Featherstonehaugh family, one of whom, Timothy, raised a troop of horse for the king during the civil war, and was knighted under the royal banner. The castle stands in a spacious lawn skirted with trees of luxuriant foliage, and is an exceedingly fine structure, with embattled walls, and four towers, of which three are of recent erection; the interior is enriched by some splendid pictures, and attached are a domestic chapel, and a well-arranged suite of offices. The gardens are surrounded by walls in the castellated style; and the extensive woods and plantations belonging to the estate, contribute much to the grandeur of this noble mansion. The whole of the buildings, and the improvements around them, with the exception of the ancient tower, originated with Lord Wallace, who, for nearly forty years, was a member of the house of commons; in 1828 he was elevated to the peerage for his eminent services, having filled various high offices in the government: he died in 1844.

Featherstone

FEATHERSTONE, a chapelry, in the parish of Wolverhampton, union of Penkridge, E. division of the hundred of Cuttlestone, S. division of the county of Stafford, 5 miles (N. by E.) from Wolverhampton; comprising 480 acres by measurement, and containing 34 inhabitants. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £99.

Featherstone (All Saints)

FEATHERSTONE (All Saints), a parish, partly in the Lower division of the wapentake of Agbrigg, and partly in the Upper division of that of Osgoldcross, union of Barwick (under Gilbert's act), W. riding of York; containing 1065 inhabitants, of whom 318 are in the township of Featherstone, 2 miles (W.) from Pontefract. The parish consists of the townships of Featherstone, Ackton, Whitwood, and Purston-Jaglin; and comprises by computation 4000 acres, of which about 1200 are in the first-named. Coal is abundant, and a good vein is at present in operation at Whitwood, and another at Purston-Jaglin. There are glass-houses and a pottery at the confluence of the Aire and Calder, near Castleford. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 8. 6½.; net income, £256; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford. The church is a small ancient edifice, and contains a monument to a descendant of General Fairfax.

Feckenham (St. John the Baptist)

FECKENHAM (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Alcester, Upper division of the hundred of Halfshire, Droitwich and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 8½ miles (S. S. E.) from Bromsgrove; containing 2787 inhabitants. This parish, anciently called Fecheham, is situated on the borders of Warwickshire, which bounds it on the east; and on the road from Alcester to Kidderminster. It comprises 6764 acres, whereof two-thirds are arable, 100 acres wood, and the remainder pasture; the soil is various, consisting of strong clay, marl, gravel, and sand. The surface, in some parts, rises into hills of considerable elevation, and the low lands are watered by a brook; the scenery is rather romantic. The population is employed in the manufacture of needles and fish-hooks, and in agriculture, in about equal numbers; the manufacture, for which the place has long been celebrated, employs much capital, and is brought to great perfection. The village is situated in the southern part of the parish; it is irregularly formed, and consists of numerous cottages, and a few respectable shops and inns. There are fairs for cattle on March 26th and September 30th. The Droitwich station on the Birmingham and Gloucester railway is distant about five miles. NorthgroveManor farm, the most ancient freehold in the parish, containing, with other lands, 450 acres, belonged in the time of Richard II. to the Northgrove family, then to the Jenets, and in 1664 came to the family of Sir Thomas Cookes, Bart., by marriage; in 1844 it was purchased by William Hemming, Esq., of Foxlydiate House, Tardebigg. Dunstall Court, a mansion in the Elizabethan style, was rebuilt in the year 1844; it is surrounded with 120 acres of land, and is the property of John Webb, Esq.

The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £9; patron and impropriator, the Rev. Edward Neale: the impropriate tithes have been commuted for £924, and the vicarial for £276; the glebe comprises 10½ acres, with a glebe-house. The church was a uniform edifice in the pointed style, but has within the last two centuries undergone considerable alteration; it consists of a nave, north and south aisles, a chancel, a gallery on the north, and an organ gallery on the west, side: the ancient tower still remains. A district church was built in 1845, at Hunt-End, in the northern portion of the parish, and about two miles from the village. There are two places of worship for Wesleyans, and one for Baptists. A free grammar school was founded and partly endowed, in 1611, by Richard Hanbury, of London, and was further endowed in 1695, by Sir Thomas Cookes, with £50 per annum, paid out of the Dunstall Court estate by Mr. Webb. John de Feckenham, an eminent divine, and the last abbot of Westminster, was born here.

Feering (All Saints)

FEERING (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Witham, Witham division of the hundred of Lexden, N. division of Essex, 1¼ mile (N. N. E.) from Kelvedon; containing 817 inhabitants. The parish is separated from that of Kelvedon by the river Pant, over which is a light and elegant bridge, and comprises 3243a. 3r. 5p., whereof 2738 acres are arable, 266 pasture, and 130 woodland. The soil is of good quality, and the surface generally elevated. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £11; patron and appropriator, the Bishop of London: the appropriate tithes have been commuted for £520, the impropriate for £244. 12., and the vicarial for £280; and there are 9 acres of glebe. The church is an ancient edifice, with a tower of stone, and a porch built of brick in the reign of Henry VII.

Feizor

FEIZOR, a hamlet, in the township of Lawkland, parish of Clapham, union of Settle, W. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York, 3½ miles (N. W.) from Settle; containing 36 inhabitants. There are but 10 houses, two of which have the singular custom of changing their parish every year, being alternately in Giggleswick and Clapham; one of the remaining eight is in the parish of Giggleswick, and seven are in that of Clapham.

Felaws-Houses

FELAWS-HOUSES, an extra-parochial liberty, adjoining the parish of St. Stephen, Ipswich, union and liberty of Ipswich, E. division of the county of Suffolk; containing 30 inhabitants.

Felbrigg (St. Margaret)

FELBRIGG (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union of Erpingham, hundred of North Erpingham, E. division of Norfolk, 3 miles (S. W.) from Cromer; containing 133 inhabitants. It comprises 1467a. 1r. 6p., whereof 681 acres are arable, 477 meadow and pasture, and 308 woodland; about 800 acres were heath and common until 1781, when they were inclosed. The Hall, which stands on a commanding eminence, in a richly-wooded park, is the seat of W. H. Windham, Esq., by whose ancestors it was from time to time considerably enlarged; it is a spacious and handsome mansion, in the style that prevailed in the reign of Henry VIII. The living is a discharged rectory, with the rectories of Aylmarton, Runton, and Metton united, valued in the king's books at £6. 18. 4., and in the patronage of Mr. Windham. The tithes have been commuted for £175. The church is in the decorated and later styles, with a square embattled tower, and contains numerous monuments to the Windham family, one of which is beautifully executed by Nollekens to the memory of William Windham, the profound scholar and distinguished statesman, who died in 1810. On a large marble slab in the nave, is a fine brass representing the figure, in complete armour, of Sir Simon de Felbrigge, who lived in the reign of Henry VI., and was one of the early knights of the Garter.

Feldom

FELDOM, a township, in the parish of Marsk, union of Richmond, wapentake of Gilling-West, N. riding of York; containing 39 inhabitants.

Felix-Kirk (St. Felix)

FELIX-KIRK (St. Felix), a parish, in the union of Thirsk, wapentake of Birdforth, N. riding of York, 4 miles (N. E. by E.) from Thirsk; comprising the townships of Boltby, Felix-Kirk, Sutton-under-WhitestoneCliffe, and Thirlby; and containing 931 inhabitants, of whom 119 are in the township of Felix-Kirk. At Mount St. John, in this parish, was a commandery of the knights of the order of St. John of Jerusalem, founded in the reign of Henry I. by William Percey, who endowed it with lands in the vicinity, to the extent of five knights' fees; it continued to flourish till the Dissolution, when its revenue was returned at £102. 13. 10., and the site and land were granted in exchange to the Archbishop of York. There are no remains; the site is occupied by a mansion erected about 1720. The township comprises about 1100 acres: the village is pleasantly situated in a richly-wooded district, abounding with diversified scenery. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10; net income, £450; patron and appropriator, the Archbishop. The church is an ancient and venerable structure, containing, in the chancel, the recumbent figures of a knight in chainarmour, and his lady. There is a chapel of ease in the village of Boltby. At Ravensthorp was a castle belonging to the family of De Ros, of which some slight remains still exist.

Felixstow (St. Peter and St. Paul)

FELIXSTOW (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Woodbridge, hundred of Colneis, E. division of Suffolk, 11½ miles (S. E. by E.) from Ipswich; containing 552 inhabitants. This place is supposed to have derived its name from the landing here of Felix from Burgundy to take possession of the see of Dunwich, of which he was the first bishop. In the reign of William II., Bigod gave the church of St. Felix to the monks of Rochester, who made it a cell to their monastery; and at the suppression, the site and revenues were granted to Cardinal Wolsey, towards the endowment of his intended colleges: there are still some remains of the original building, called the Old Hall. The parish comprises 1331a. 1r. 20p.; the surface is level, and the soil a rich loam. The living is a vicarage, annexed to that of Walton, and valued in the king's books at £5. 9. 7.: the church is an ancient structure, and contains a font of curious character. A considerable number of Roman coins has been found.

Felkington

FELKINGTON, a township, in the parish of Norham, union of Berwick-upon-Tweed, N. division of Northumberland, 14½ miles (N. by W.) from Wooler; containing, with Grievestead, 141 inhabitants. The manor once formed part of the large possessions of the Greys, and the families of Clifford and Hilderton held lands here under the Greys. The township comprises by computation 1400 acres, and is situated in the part of the county called Norhamshire; the lands are chiefly in farms.

Felkirk (St. Peter)

FELKIRK (St. Peter), a parish, in the wapentake of Staincross, W. riding of York, 6¼ miles (N. E. by E.) from Barnsley; containing with the townships of Brierley, Havercroft with Cold Hiendley, South Hiendley, and Shafton, 1186 inhabitants. It comprises about 5880 acres, of which nearly 2830 are arable, 2460 grassland, 185 wood, 250 common, and 155 waste, roads, canal, and buildings. The surface is boldly undulated, swelling occasionally into lofty hills; the soil is generally fertile, though in some places strong land prevails. There are quarries of good sandstone, which is used for building and other purposes; and at Shafton a coal-mine is in operation, the vein of which is four feet and a half thick. The Barnsley canal and the Midland railway intersect each other in the western part of the parish, and proceed for some distance through Havercroft and Cold Hiendley. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 1. 10½., and in the patronage of the Archbishop of York, the appropriator; net income, £136. The church, situated on gently rising ground, is a handsome edifice in the later English style, with a square embattled tower, the arch beneath which is supported by two ancient pillars, whose capitals are beautifully ornamented with figures in the Saxon style; in the interior is the sepulchral chapel of the viscounts Galway. A parochial school is endowed with £17 per annum; and there are several bequests for distribution among the poor.

Felling

FELLING, a hamlet, in the chapelry of Heworth, parish of Jarrow, E. division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 2 miles (S. E.) from Gateshead, on the road to Sunderland and South Shields. This place is conveniently situated on the south bank of the Tyne, and vessels can lie in safety at its quay. Here are some chemical-works, established in 1834, and in which 300 hands are employed; an oil-mill; an extensive copperas-factory, established a century ago; a brown-paper mill, erected about fifty years since, and two forges for anchors and shovels. Freestone-quarries supply an excellent material for grindstones. Felling is a station of the Brandling Junction railway. The Independents, Primitive Methodists, Methodists of the New Connexion, and Wesleyans, have places of worship, with Sunday schools attached; and there is a neat Roman Catholic chapel, erected in 1841, the site for which, with the cemetery-ground, was presented by William Cayley, Esq.

Felliscliffe

FELLISCLIFFE, a township, in the parish of Hampsthwaite, Lower division of the wapentake of Claro, W. riding of York, 8 miles (W.) from Knaresborough; containing 363 inhabitants. The township comprises about 2500 acres, of which the surface is varied. A school is endowed with £14 per annum.

Fellside

FELLSIDE, a township, in the parish of Whickham, union of Gateshead, W. division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 5½ miles (S. W.) from Newcastle; containing 593 inhabitants. It is situated on the east side of the river Derwent, and contains the delightful park of Gibside.

Felly

FELLY, an extra-parochial district, in the union of Basford, N. division of the wapentake of Broxtow and of the county of Nottingham, 8 miles (S. W. by S.) from Mansfield; containing 41 inhabitants. Ralph Brito and his son, in 1156, gave a church and an old hermitage, then standing here, to the monks of Radford or Worksop, who built a priory for Black canons, in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary; at the time of the Dissolution its revenue was valued at £61. 4. 8. There are still some remains of the building.

Felmersham (St. Mary)

FELMERSHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the hundred of Willey, union and county of Bedford, 7 miles (N. W. by N.) from Bedford; containing, with the hamlet of Radwell, 531 inhabitants. The river Ouse runs through the parish, and is crossed by a bridge at Radwell. The living is a discharged vicarage, with that of Pavenham annexed, valued in the king's books at £13. 13. 4., and in the gift of Trinity College, Cambridge, with a net income of £169: the tithes were commuted for land in 1765. The church is a handsome edifice, in the early English style.

Felmingham (St. Andrew)

FELMINGHAM (St. Andrew), a parish, in the Tunstead and Happing incorporation, hundred of Tunstead, E. division of Norfolk, 2½ miles (W. S. W.) from North Walsham; containing 408 inhabitants. It is intersected by the road from Aylsham to North Walsham: on a tributary to the Bure is a flour-mill. There are two livings, one of which is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6; patron and appropriator of three-fourths of the rectorial tithes, the Bishop of Norwich: the appropriate tithes have been commuted for £351. 15. 6., the vicarial for £148. 17. 6., and the glebe comprises about 13 acres. The other living is a discharged rectory, valued at £6, endowed with onefourth of the great and small tithes, and in the patronage of Mrs. Postle, lady of the manor: the tithes have been commuted for £166. 1. The church is chiefly in the decorated style, and has a tower. At the inclosure of the parish, 30 acres were allotted to the poor from Bryant's heath.

Felpham (St. Mary)

FELPHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of West Hampnett, hundred of Avisford, rape of Arundel, W. division of Sussex, 2 miles (E.) from Bognor, on the road to Arundel; containing 555 inhabitants. It is situated on the shore of the English Channel, and comprises 1664a. 1r. 20p., exclusively of gardens, buildings, &c.; the soil is generally good, except on the border of the sea. The living comprises a sinecure rectory and a discharged vicarage, valued together in the king's books at £29. 6. 8.; patrons and appropriators of the vicarage, the Dean and Chapter of Chichester. The great tithes have been commuted for £717, and the incumbent's for £200; the appropriate glebe consists of 7½ acres, and the vicarial of half an acre. The church consists of a nave, chancel, and aisles, with a square embattled tower, and contains a tablet to the memory of Hayley, the poet, with a long poetical epitaph written by Mrs. Opie. Felpham was the residence, and the burial-place, of the celebrated Dr. Cyril Jackson, Dean of Christ-Church, and tutor to the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., who visited him here when on his death-bed.