Fringford (St. Michael)

FRINGFORD (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Bicester, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford, 3¼ miles (N. N. E.) from Bicester; containing 390 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 16. 0½., and in the patronage of the Crown: the church is an ancient structure in the Norman style, of which the chancel has been rebuilt.

Frinstead (St. Dunstan)

FRINSTEAD (St. Dunstan), a parish, in the union of Hollingbourn, hundred of Eyhorne, E. division of the lathe of Aylesford, W. division of Kent, 4 miles (S. by W.) from Sittingbourne; containing 202 inhabitants. It comprises 1296a. 2r. 28p., chiefly under cultivation; 162 acres are in wood. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 11. 8.; patron and incumbent, the Rev. H. Hinton, whose tithes have been commuted for £280, and whose glebe comprises 7 acres.

Frinton

FRINTON, a parish, in the union and hundred of Tendring, N. division of Essex, 13 miles (S. E.) from Manningtree; containing 44 inhabitants. The parish appears to have been of greater extent, till reduced to its present limits by encroachments of the sea, which, according to calculation, take from it about one acre annually. Its area is 474 acres; the soil is heavy, and favourable for the growth of wheat. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 6. 8., and in the gift of the family of Lushington: the tithes have been commuted for £150, and the glebe comprises 27 acres. The present church is a very small edifice, not capable of holding more than 40 persons. The ruins of the ancient church are situated near the sea.

Frisby

FRISBY, a hamlet, in the parish of Gaulby, union of Billesdon, hundred of Gartree, S. division of the county of Leicester, 8½ miles (E. by S.) from Leicester; containing 15 inhabitants. Here was once a chapel.

Frisby-on-the-Wreak (St. Thomas à Becket)

FRISBY-on-the-Wreak (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish, in the union of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of East Goscote, N. division of the county of Leicester, 4 miles (W. S. W.) from Melton-Mowbray; containing 429 inhabitants. It comprises 1412a. 13p., of which one-fourth part is arable, and the remainder pasture. The soil near the river Wreak is a rich black loam, resting on gravel alternated with sand, and in other parts is mostly a strong clay; the surface is generally hilly, except in the vicinity of the river. In the village is an old stone cross. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 16. 8., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £180; impropriator, Lord Scarsdale: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1760. The church, which is very ancient, is in the early English style, with fine antique windows, and contains 350 sittings. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Mrs. Judith Briggs in 1718 left 48 acres of land, the rent of which, £68, is divided among aged females.

Friskney (All Saints)

FRISKNEY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Spilsby, Marsh division of the wapentake of Candleshoe, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 4 miles (S. W.) from Wainfleet; containing 1607 inhabitants. This parish, which is the most extensive in the wapentake, is situated on the sea-coast, between Wainfleet and Boston, and comprises by measurement 7006 acres of land, for the most part of excellent quality. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £15. 6. 8.; patrons and impropriators, the Booth family: the great tithes have been commuted for £950, and the vicarial for £750; the glebe comprises 9½ acres. The church is in the ancient English style, and contains some elegant monuments to the Booths, and one, lately discovered, representing a knight in chain-armour, sculptured in soft sandstone, with the arms of Friskney emblazoned. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and a school in union with the National Society is supported by the rent of allotments of land.

Friston (St. Mary)

FRISTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Plomesgate, E. division of Suffolk, 3 miles (S. E.) from Saxmundham; containing 455 inhabitants. This parish, which is partly bounded on the south by the river Alde, comprises about 1400 acres. The surface is varied; in the lower grounds, the soil is partly marshy, and partly a fertile loam, comprising a considerable tract of good arable land. The living is a vicarage, with that of Snape consolidated, valued in the king's books at £5; net income, £194; patron and impropriator, R. W. H. H. Vyse, Esq. The church is a small building, serving, from its elevated situation, as a landmark to mariners.

Friston

FRISTON, a parish, in the union of Eastbourne, hundred of Willingdon, rape of Pevensey, E. division of Sussex, 3 miles (W. by S.) from Eastbourne; containing 91 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated near the Downs, is bounded on the south by the English Channel, and on the west by Cuckmere haven. The living is a vicarage, united to that of East Dean, and valued in the king's books at £7. The church is a small structure in the decorated English style, containing in the chancel some monuments to the Selwyn family; it forms a good landmark for mariners.

Frith, with Wrenbury.—See Wrenbury.

FRITH, with Wrenbury.—See Wrenbury.

Frith, with Forest.—See Forest, Durham.

FRITH, with Forest.—See Forest, Durham.

Fritham

FRITHAM, a hamlet, in the parish of Bramshaw, union and hundred of New-Forest, Romsey and S. divisions of the county of Southampton, 3½ miles (N. W.) from Lyndhurst; containing 127 inhabitants.

Frithelstock (St. Mary and St. Gregory)

FRITHELSTOCK (St. Mary and St. Gregory), a parish, in the union of Torrington, hundred of Shebbear, Torrington and N. divisions of Devon, 2 miles (W.) from Torrington; containing 705 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Johns family: the tithes have been commuted for £360. In the reign of Henry III., Sir Robert Beauchamp founded a house of Augustine canons, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, St. Gregory, and St. Edmund, and valued at the Dissolution at £127. 2. 4. per annum: a small portion of the conventual church is yet remaining.

Frith-Ville, or West Fen

FRITH-VILLE, or West Fen, a township, in the union of Boston, W. division of the soke of Bolingbroke, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln; containing 333 inhabitants. This township, with six others, was created such by an act of parliament in 1812, when the drainage of about 14,000 acres in Wildmore Fen, and in the East and West Fens, was carried into effect. A neat church was built in 1821, at Mount-Pleasant: the living is in the gift of Trustees.

Frittenden (St. Mary)

FRITTENDEN (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Cranbrooke, Lower division of the lathe of Scray, W. division of Kent, 4¼ miles (N. E. by N.) from Cranbrooke; containing 804 inhabitants. It consists of 3318 acres, of which 310 are in wood. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 18. 9., and in the gift of T. L. Hodges, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £412, and the glebe comprises 13 acres, with a house. The church is principally in the decorated English style, and forms a striking object in the scenery of the Weald of Kent.

Fritton (St. Catherine)

FRITTON (St. Catherine), a parish, in the union and hundred of Depwade, E. division of Norfolk, 2½ miles (E. by N.) from Long Stratton; containing 301 inhabitants. It comprises 882a. 2r. 22p., of which 625a. 3r. 38p. are arable, 184a. 1r. 34p. pasture, and 63 acres common; the surface is generally flat, and the soil is mixed, but of great fertility. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £9; patron and incumbent, the Rev. T. Howes, whose tithes have been commuted for £283, and whose glebe comprises 8½ acres. The church is an ancient structure, chiefly early English, with a circular tower in the Norman style, surmounted by an octagonal turret.

Fritton (St. Edmund)

FRITTON (St. Edmund), a parish, in the hundred of Mutford and Lothingland, E. division of Suffolk, 6 miles (S. W. by S.) from Yarmouth; containing 223 inhabitants. It comprises 1555 acres, of which 280 are waste land or common. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4.; patron and incumbent, the Rev. F. W. Cubitt, whose tithes have been commuted for £266, and whose glebe comprises 14 acres. The church is an ancient structure in the Norman style, with a circular tower; the roof is of stone, neatly groined.

Fritwell (St. Olave)

FRITWELL (St. Olave), a parish, in the union of Bicester, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford, 5 miles (N. W. by N.) from Bicester; containing 524 inhabitants. In 1159, Pope Alexander III. ratified a grant made by Malcolm, King of Scotland, of the church of Fritwell to the monks of St. Frideswide, Oxford; and by an inquisition taken in 1405, it appeared that the Earl of Ormond held a manor within the parish, called Ormondston. The parish is high table-land, and contains one of the sources of the river Ouse; it comprises 1850a. 2r. 10p., of which about one-fifth is arable, and the remainder pasture, with a very small portion of woodland. The manor-house occupied by the owner, William Willes, Esq., is a fine specimen of domestic architecture of the time of Elizabeth or James I. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 9. 4.; net income, £103; patrons and impropriators, the Willes family: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1807. The church is an interesting edifice in the Norman style; the roof is supported by circular arches resting on massive round pillars with plain capitals: a portion of the ancient rood-loft, of highly decorated character, was recently removed. There are remains of Ormondston manor-house now held by a farmer.

Frizington, High and Low

FRIZINGTON, HIGH and LOW, a township, in the parish of Arlecdon, union of Whitehaven, Allerdale ward above Derwent, W. division of Cumberland, 3 miles (E. by S.) from Whitehaven; containing 250 inhabitants, and comprising 1881a. 1r. 39p. Ironore is obtained; and there is a chalybeate spring, the water of which is said to possess the same virtues as that at Harrogate.

Frocester (St. Peter)

FROCESTER (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Wheatenhurst, Lower division of the hundred of Whitstone, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 5½ miles (W. by S.) from Stroud; containing 344 inhabitants. It is situated on the old road from Gloucester to Bath, and comprises about 1800 acres; the surface is varied, rising in some parts into considerable elevation, and on the hills are quarries of good stone for building and for the roads. The village is pleasantly seated at the foot of a lofty hill, from the summit of which is an extensive and interesting view of the vale watered by the Severn. The Gloucester and Bristol railway has a station here, 10¾ miles from the Gloucester station. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10. 5. 10.; patron and impropriator, Lord Ducie. The tithes have been commuted for £260, and the glebe comprises one small field, attached to the glebe-house. A college of prebendaries anciently existed here. Frocester Court, now a farmhouse, was originally a stately mansion, and it is on record that Queen Elizabeth paid a visit to its proprietor; a barn on the farm, probably the grand hall of the building, has still a roof of oak, of great length and solidity.

Frodesley (St. Mark)

FRODESLEY (St. Mark), a parish, in the union of Atcham, hundred of Condover, S. division of Salop, 8¾ miles (W. by N.) from Wenlock; containing 214 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 2200 acres; the surface is hilly, and the soil various, in some parts a rich black loam, and in others clayey. Mines of coal were opened many years since, but the working of them was soon discontinued; they were re-opened in 1833, and a small mine is now in operation: the coal, in burning, emits a strong sulphureous smell. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 14.; net income, £370; patron and incumbent, the Rev. T. Gleadow. The church was rebuilt in 1809, in a neat style. Two ancient mansions, called respectively the Hall and Lodge, of which the former was of great antiquity, and the latter was surrounded by a park of 360 acres now thrown open, are both farmhouses. Near the Lodge is a votive altar to the goddesses of Britain, inscribed in Roman characters, with the name of L. Caractacus; it is of cubic form, and placed on a pedestal of a different kind of stone. The Roman Watling street, in the line of the present turnpike-road, runs through the parish.

Frodingham (St. Lawrence)

FRODINGHAM (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the union of Glandford-Brigg, E. division of the wapentake of Manley, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 8½ miles (W. N. W.) from Glandford-Brigg; comprising the townships of Bromby, Frodingham, Scunthorpe, and part of Crosby; and containing 701 inhabitants, of whom 73 are in Frodingham township. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12. 16. 8.; net income, £222; patron and impropriator, C. Winn, Esq. £5. 16., the produce of bequests, are annually distributed among widows.

Frodingham, North (St. Elgin)

FRODINGHAM, NORTH (St. Elgin), a parish, in the union of Driffield, N. division of the wapentake of Holderness, E. riding of York, 6 miles (S. E. by E.) from Driffield; containing 831 inhabitants. It comprises about 3000 acres, of which 300 are grass-land, 9 wood, and the remainder arable. The soil is a strong clay, and the surface level, with occasional remarkable diluvial elevations, formed of sand and gravel, and provincially called "barfs;" there are also some carrs, composed of vegetable remains, which, previous to draining, formed considerable lakes. The village is well built, and consists chiefly of a number of detached houses, forming one long street; it is situated about half a mile eastward from the navigable river Hull, over which is a bridge. Frodingham had the privilege of a weekly market; but its ancient charter was transferred, about eighty years ago, to Driffield, in consequence of the superior locality of that town for the purposes of trade: fairs, however, are held for pedlery, &c., on July 10th and October 2nd. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5, and in the patronage of the Rev. Francis Drake, with a net income of £170; impropriator, P. Saltmarshe, Esq.: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1801. The church is a very ancient structure, with a tower of chaste design; but the beauty of the whole edifice was injured by the last reparation, in 1816. There are places of worship for Independents and Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists. A silver coin of Edward the Confessor was found on the glebe-farm, in digging a well, in 1833.

Frodingham, South

FRODINGHAM, SOUTH, a township, in the parish of Owthorne, union of Patrington, S. division of the wapentake of Holderness, E. riding of Yorkshire, 4 miles (N.) from the town of Patrington; containing 68 inhabitants.

Frodsham (St. Lawrence)

FRODSHAM (St. Lawrence), a market-town and a parish, in the union of Runcorn, Second division of the hundred of Eddisbury, S. division of the county of Chester, 4 miles (W. S. W.) from Preston-Brook, 10 (N. E. by N.) from Chester, and 192 (N. N. W.) from London; comprising the lordship of Frodsham, and the townships of Alvanley, Frodsham, Helsby, Kingsley, Manley, Newton-by-Frodsham, and Norley; and containing 5821 inhabitants, of whom 1806 are in the township, and 1022 in the lordship, of Frodsham. This place is mentioned in Domesday book as the property of the Earl of Chester. A charter was granted about 1220 by Ranulph de Blundeville, sixth earl, to the inhabitants of Frodsham, which was pleaded in answer to a writ of Quo Warranto issued in the 22nd of Henry VII., and was confirmed in the 33rd of Henry VIII. and 21st of Elizabeth; but the manor having been separated from the earldom, about the beginning of the seventeenth century, the chartered privileges of the burgesses expired.

The Town is situated on an eminence on the bank of the river Weaver, near its confluence with the Mersey, and consists of a broad street, a mile in length, extending along the road from Chester to Warrington, and another branching from it and leading to the church. At the east end is a stone bridge of four arches over the Weaver, which is navigable here; and at the west end stood a Norman castle. Courts leet and baron are held in the spring and at Michaelmas. The lord of the manor, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, has the tolls of a market held on Saturday, and of two fairs, on the last Tuesday in April, and the last Thursday in October; but the market, owing to the vicinity of Warrington, is inconsiderable. The Liverpool and Birmingham railway has a station at Preston-Brook. The parish (whose population is entirely agricultural) is 32¼ miles in circumference, and contains about 15,000 acres, whereof 2169 are in the township, and 2522 in the lordship, of Frodsham. The Living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £23. 13. 11½.; net income, £590; patrons, the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford. There are 50 acres of glebe. The church stands on elevated ground, in the village of Overton, is built of red freestone, and appears to be of high antiquity, the nave displaying traces of Norman architecture. At Alvanley is a church, and at Norley another; and the Wesleyans have a place of worship. A school, erected about 1660, near the church, was rebuilt in 1824, and is supported by endowment; national schools for girls are maintained by subscription, and various benefactions are distributed among the poor.