Fordingbridge (St. Mary)
FORDINGBRIDGE (St. Mary), a market-town and
parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Fordingbridge, Ringwood and S. divisions of the county of
Southampton, 20 miles (W. by N.) from Southampton,
through Ringwood, and 92 (S. W. by W.) from London;
containing, with the tythings of Bickton, Middle, North,
and South Burgate, Godshill, and Midgham, 3073 inhabitants. This town is noticed in Domesday book under
the name of Forde, and is stated to have contained a
church and two mills: it has suffered repeatedly by fire,
particularly at the beginning of the last century. It is
pleasantly situated on the border of the New Forest, and
on the banks of the Upper Avon, which is here navigable, and crossed by a bridge of seven arches at the southeast entrance into the town. There is a sailcloth
manufactory: and formerly the manufacture of bedticks and checks was carried on to a considerable extent,
but of these only a small quantity is now made. The
market is on Friday, and a fair is held on the 9th of
September, chiefly for amusement. The powers of the
county debt-court of Fordingbridge, established in 1847,
extend over the registration-districts of Fordingbridge
and Ringwood. The parish comprises by computation
5818a. 3r. 19p., of which 3382 acres are arable, 1441
meadow, 350 wood, and 623 common. The living is a
vicarage, endowed with a portion of the rectorial tithes,
valued in the king's books at £30. 2. 3½., and in the gift
of the Provost and Fellows of King's College, Cambridge,
the impropriators of the remainder of the rectorial tithes:
the impropriate tithes have been commuted for £1250,
the incumbent's for £670, and the glebe comprises 7½
acres. The church is a handsome structure in the early
and decorated English styles, with a square embattled
tower rising from the north porch; the west window is
large, and beautifully enriched with flowing tracery.
There are a chapel of ease at Ibsley, and places of worship in the parish for the Society of Friends and Independents. The poor law union of Fordingbridge comprises 9 parishes or places, of which 6 are in the county
of Southampton, and 3 in that of Wilts; and contains a
population of 6705. In the neighbourhood are the
remains of several encampments; the principal is at
Godshill, about two miles from the town.
Fordington (St. George)
FORDINGTON (St. George), a parish, in the union
of Dorchester, liberty of Fordington, Dorchester
division of Dorset; adjoining the borough of Dorchester, and containing 2937 inhabitants. This place
derived its name from a ford over the Frome, across
which river are now several bridges in the neighbourhood. In the 29th of Edward III., Queen Isabel procured the grant of a market on Tuesday, and a fair on
the eve, day, and morrow of St. George. The parish
surrounds the whole of Dorchester, and comprises by
measurement about 4000 acres, whereof the greater part
is arable, and the remainder pasture; the soil is chiefly
a light marl, on a chalky stratum. There are some factories for weaving woollen-cloth, employing upwards of
fifty hands; and an iron-foundry is carried on. The
living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books
at £15; net income, £225; patron, the Prebendary of
Fordington in the Cathedral of Salisbury. The church
was founded about 1400, but only a small portion of the
original structure now remains; it is a cruciform edifice,
partly Norman and partly of English architecture, with
a porch in which is some rude sculpture. Christchurch,
at West Fordington, was consecrated in 1846. In the
parish are many barrows, some of them very large; and
Roman coins are frequently ploughed up. In 1747,
above 200 skeletons, the supposed remains of persons
who fell in the Danish wars, were discovered at the
depth of four or five feet; they were re-interred in the
churchyard, or in pits dug on the spot.
Fordington
FORDINGTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Ulceby,
union of Spilsby, Wold division of the hundred of
Calceworth, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln;
containing 29 inhabitants. It is supposed that here was
anciently a church or chapel, and Roman coins and other
antiquities have been found.
Fordley, Suffolk.—See Middleton.
FORDLEY, Suffolk.—See Middleton.
Fordon
FORDON, a chapelry, in the parish of Hunmanby,
union of Bridlington, wapentake of Dickering, E.
riding of York, 12½ miles (N. by E.) from Driffield; containing 63 inhabitants. It comprises about 1500 acres
of land, and is situated four miles south-west from the
village of Hunmanby. The chapel is a small ancient
structure, of which the chancel was rebuilt, and the rest
of the edifice repaired, in 1829; service is performed
only a few times during the year.
Fordsbridge
FORDSBRIDGE, an independent chapelry and
extra-parochial district, in the union of Leominster,
hundred of Wolphy, county of Hereford, 4 miles
(S. E. by S.) from Leominster; containing 14 inhabitants. This district is situated a little below the junction
of the Arrow and Lug rivers, and intersected by the road
from Leominster to Hereford; it comprises by admeasurement 318 acres, chiefly arable, with a small portion
of pasture and woodland. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £90; patrons, the family of Arkwright.
Fordwich (St. Mary)
FORDWICH (St. Mary), a parish, and a member
of the town and port of Sandwich, in the union of
Bridge, locally in the hundred of Downhamford,
lathe of St. Augustine, E. division of Kent, 2 miles
(E. by N.) from Canterbury; containing 231 inhabitants. This place takes its name from a ford or pass at
the crooked winding of the river Stour, and was anciently
of much more importance; the sea flowed up to it, and
it was a great resort for shipping. In the time of the
Saxons, here was a collector of the customs, appointed
by the king. In 1055, Edward the Confessor granted
the place to the abbey of St. Augustine, Canterbury. In
the Domesday survey it is recorded as the "small borough
of Forwich," and later authorities state it to have been
a borough by prescription, governed by a mayor, jurats,
and commonalty, with a high steward, treasurer, and
town-clerk. The mayor, who by virtue of his office was
also coroner, and the jurats, who were justices, had the
privilege of holding a general session of the peace and
gaol delivery, together with a court of record. The
parish comprises by estimation 357 acres, of which 175
are pasture, 154 arable, 18 in hop plantations, and 10
woodland. The village is situated on the south side of
the Stour, a little below the bridge, to which the river is
navigable; there are some extensive flour-mills. The
living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's
books at £5. 15. 2.; net income, £178; patron, Earl
Cowper.
Fore
FORE, a hamlet, in the parish of St. Clement,
Ipswich, union and liberty of Ipswich, E. division of
Suffolk; containing 892 inhabitants.
Forebridge, with Burton
FOREBRIDGE, with Burton, a township, in the
parish of Castle-Church, E. division of the hundred
of Cuttlestone, union, and S. division of the county,
of Stafford, ¾ of a mile (S. E.) from Stafford; containing 1318 inhabitants. This place forms a handsome
suburb of the town of Stafford. A district church, in
the early decorated style, consisting of a nave, transepts, and chancel, was consecrated by the Bishop of
Lichfield, in January, 1844, and provides about 600 sittings, of which half are free. It is dedicated to St. Paul;
and the living is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the
Incumbent of Castle-Church, with an income of £120.
Here is a school, endowed with £15 per annum, and in
union with the National Society.
Foremark (St. Saviour)
FOREMARK (St. Saviour), a parish, in the union
of Burton-upon-Trent, hundred of Repton and
Gresley, S. division of the county of Derby, 7 miles
(S. S. W.) from Derby; containing, with the township
of Ingleby, 212 inhabitants. The parish is intersected
by the river Trent: the surface is hilly, and the soil,
which is rich and fertile, is chiefly pasture-land; it is
well wooded, principally with oak. The living is a
donative curacy; net income, £30; patron and impropriator, Sir Robert Burdett, Bart. The old church,
which was an appendage to the priory of Repton, stood
in the hamlet of Ingleby, on the bank of the Trent,
about one mile to the east; but falling into decay, the
present church, a plain small edifice, was erected by
Sir Francis Burdett, then possessor of Foremark, at an
expense of £2000, and consecrated in 1666. Sir Robert
allows £10 per annum to teach twelve scholars: a new
school-house was built in 1845. In the parish is a singular rocky bank, the centre of which, presenting the
appearance of an edifice in ruins, tradition asserts to
have been the residence of an anchorite, whence it has
derived the name of Anchor Church.
Forest, Cheshire.—See Macclesfield-Forest.
FOREST, Cheshire.—See Macclesfield-Forest.
Forest, with Frith
FOREST, with Frith, a township, comprising Ettersgill, Middle Forest, and Harwood parts, in the parish of Middleton-in-Teesdale, union of Teesdale,
S. W. division of Darlington ward, S. division of the
county of Durham, 4½ miles (N. W.) from Middleton;
containing 884 inhabitants. The township contains
several lead-mines, and abounds with romantic scenery;
it is washed on the south by the Tees, where that river,
rolling over a rocky bed, forms several cascades, two of
which, Caldron Snout and High Force, rank amongst
the most remarkable waterfalls in the kingdom.
Forest
FOREST, an extra-parochial district, in the parish
and liberty of Beaulieu, union and E. division of the
hundred of New-Forest, Southampton and S. divisions
of Hants; containing 80 inhabitants.
Forest, Far (The)
FOREST, FAR (The), an ecclesiastical district,
partly in the parish of Rock, union of CleoburyMortimer, but chiefly in the parish of Ribbesford,
union of Kidderminster, Lower division of the hundred of Doddingtree, Hundred-House and W. divisions of the county of Worcester, 4 miles (W.) from
Bewdley; containing about 800 inhabitants. The road
from Bewdley to Cleobury-Mortimer passes through.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the
Incumbents of Rock and Ribbesford, alternately; net
income, £100, with a house. The church, dedicated to
the Trinity, and in the early English style of architecture, was consecrated by the Bishop of Hereford on the
1st November, 1844.
Forest-Green
FOREST-GREEN, a hamlet, in the parish of Avening, union of Stroud, hundred of Longtree, E. division of the county of Gloucester; containing 321 inhabitants.
Forest, High and Low
FOREST, HIGH and LOW, two grieveships, in the
parish of Allendale, union of Hexham, S. division of
Tindale ward and of Northumberland; containing
respectively 1600 and 297 inhabitants.
Forest-Hill (St. Nicholas)
FOREST-HILL (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the
union of Headington, hundred of Bullington, county
of Oxford, 4 miles (E. by N.) from Oxford; containing 149 inhabitants. This place, which was a cell to the
abbey of Osney, is associated with the memory of Milton, as the birthplace of his first wife, who was born
here on the 28th January, 1625. It was the frequent
resort of the poet, and ultimately his entire property, of
which, in consideration of some pecuniary claims upon
the manor, and also of his marriage into the Powell
family, he was put into possession during the protectorate of Cromwell, in 1650. Much of the beautiful
imagery in his writings, and especially in his L'Allegro,
corresponds with the scenery of the place; and there are
still some remains of the house of Mr. Powell, his wife's
father. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£85; patrons and impropriators, the Rector and Fellows
of Lincoln College, Oxford. The church is a plain
edifice. Mickle, the translator of the Lusiad of Camoens,
was interred in the churchyard.
Forest-Quarter
FOREST-QUARTER, a township, in the parish of
Stanhope, N. W. division of Darlington ward, S.
division of the county of Durham, 7 miles (W.) from
Stanhope; containing 3531 inhabitants. The township
includes the chapelry of Weardale, and contains the
small market-town called St. John's Chapel, and the
hamlets of Burtree-ford, Daddry-Shields, Ireshope Burn,
Hadry-Clough, Wear's Head, and West Black-Dean; it
extends westward to the borders of Cumberland, and
comprises about 20,000 acres of land, intersected by the
river Wear, which here flows in a direction east-southeast to west-north-west. At Copt Hill is a chapel
built by Dr. Barrington, Bishop of Durham, who endowed it with land now let for £15 per annum. There
are places of worship for Primitive and Wesleyan
Methodists.
Forest-Row
FOREST-ROW, a hamlet, in the parish and union
of East Grinsted, rape of Pevensey, E. division of
Sussex, 3 miles (S. E.) from East Grinsted, on the road
to Lewes and Tonbridge-Wells. Petty-sessions are held
on the second Tuesday in every month; and there are a
pleasure-fair on June 25th, and a cattle-fair on November 8th. A chapel of ease, dedicated to the Holy Trinity,
was erected in 1835 by subscription, containing 436
sittings; it is built of stone procured in the neighbourhood, and is a neat edifice with a tower surmounted by
a spire. A national school is supported by Lord Colchester, whose seat adjoins the village.
Formby
FORMBY, a chapelry, in the parish of Waltonon-the-Hill, union of Ormskirk, hundred of West
Derby, S. division of Lancashire, 12 miles (N. by W.)
from Liverpool; containing 1446 inhabitants. This
place was held in early times, as at present, by different
proprietors; a large portion of the property descended
to the Blundells, of Ince-Blundell, holders of the manor
jointly with the Formby family, the latter descendants
of Thomas de Forneby, who was living in the 46th of
Edward III. The chapelry comprises 6703a. 3r. 8p., of
which the surface is level, and the soil chiefly sand and
moss; a considerable part is waste land, lying on a wild
sea-shore that extends for several miles, where are
numerous sand-hills and mosses, which abound in birds,
many of them very rare, and where wild plants grow in
great variety. The beach is well adapted for bathing,
being very firm, and the water clear; the air is salubrious, and the chapelry is remarkable for longevity, and
for freedom from fever and consumption. A brewery
here, established nearly a century ago, is the property of
Mr. Richard Tyrer. Formby Hall is the seat of the
Formby family. The village had a chartered market,
which has fallen into disuse. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Walton; net
income, £140, with a house. The chapel, dedicated to
St. Peter, was rebuilt in 1746, and enlarged in 1830, and
is a plain building with a campanile tower. The Roman
Catholic chapel of Formby is dedicated to St. Peter and
St. Paul, and was built in the reign of James II.; there
is a house and garden for the priest, the Rev. John
Smith. Two schools are endowed with about £34 per
annum, the bequest of Richard Marsh in 1703. The
ancient churchyard, half a mile from the shore and two
miles from the village, is used as a burial-place for the
Roman Catholic population; it is curiously surrounded
by sand-banks: no vestige of the church which stood
upon the spot remains.
Forncett (St. Mary)
FORNCETT (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Depwade, E. division of Norfolk, 3 miles
(W. N. W.) from Long Stratton; containing 305 inhabitants, and comprising about 900 acres. A fair for
toys is held on September 11th. The living is a rectory,
united to the rectory of Forncett St. Peter: the church
is a handsome structure, chiefly in the later English
style, with a square embattled tower. A school is
partly supported by the rents of land amounting to
£18. 4. per annum.
Forncett (St. Peter)
FORNCETT (St. Peter), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Depwade, E. division of Norfolk, 2¾
miles (W. by N.) from Long Stratton; containing 669
inhabitants. It comprises 1825a. 2r., of which 1374
acres are arable, and 451 pasture, meadow, and woodland. The living is a rectory, with that of Forncett
St. Mary united, valued in the king's books at £20;
net income, £979; patron, the Earl of Effingham,
who must present a Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. The tithes of St. Peter's have been commuted
for £773. 18. 9., and there are 57½ acres of glebe. The
church is an ancient structure, chiefly in the later English
style, with a circular tower in the Norman.