Geddington - Giggleswick

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

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'Geddington - Giggleswick', in A Topographical Dictionary of England, (London, 1848) pp. 287-291. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp287-291 [accessed 17 March 2024]

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Geddington (St. Mary Magdalene)

GEDDINGTON (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of Kettering, hundred of Corby, N. division of the county of Northampton, 3 miles (N. E. by N.) from Kettering; containing 833 inhabitants. This place was of some importance at a very early period, and had a royal seat, called the Castle or Hall Close, immediately adjoining the north side of the churchyard, where Henry II., in 1188, held a parliament, to raise money for a crusade. The parish is situated on the river Ise, and comprises 2222a. 36p., of which about 450 acres are woodland, and the remainder arable and pasture: stone of good quality for building and for the roads, and limestone for manure, are quarried to a considerable extent. The road from Kettering to Stamford passes through the village, which is adorned with one of the most perfect of the numerous crosses erected by Edward I. in memory of his queen, Eleanor: this cross has never been repaired.

The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 11. 0½., and held with Newton, a donative; net income together, about £190; patron and impropriator, the Duke of Buccleuch. The tithes were commuted for land in 1807, when 85 acres were allotted to the vicarage. The church is an ancient structure, consisting of a nave, two aisles (the northern one late Norman, the southern early English), and a chancel, which is of equal length with the nave, and is enriched with a singularly beautiful window, and stone reredos. The tower and spire are of the perpendicular style, and are extremely graceful and well proportioned; the spire is octagonal, with three stages of lights, the lower ones being double. Three sedilia, with a piscina, are in tolerable preservation; and in the chancel are memorials of the Tresham family, some members of which were engaged in the Gunpowder plot. A parochial school is supported by the Duke of Buccleuch. Sir Robert Dallington, Knt., gave £300 to be invested in land, which now produces a rent of £90; and Mr. S. Lee, ranger of Geddington chase, gave £100, also invested in land, yielding £25 per annum: the amounts are divided among the poor. Coeval with the foundation of the church, about 1100, appears to have been a priory, now totally destroyed; the gateway, the last relic of it, was standing about 35 years ago, when it was pulled down by Mr. Brooksbank, the then owner of the property.

Gedgrave

GEDGRAVE, an extra-parochial liberty, locally in the parish of Sudborne, hundred of Plomesgate, E. division of Suffolk; containing 69 inhabitants, and comprising 1786 acres of land. This place, which forms an appendage to the borough of Orford, is bounded on the east and south by the river Alde, and on the west by Butley creek. It is of some antiquity, and appears to have been a parish, having, in 1291, a church of its own, but of which no vestige is now remaining.

Gedling (All Saints)

GEDLING (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Basford, S. division of the wapentake of Thurgarton and of the county of Nottingham, 3½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Nottingham; containing, with the hamlet of Carlton and township of Stoke Bardolph, 2642 inhabitants. The parish comprises 4379 acres, mostly arable-land, of various quality: in the township of Gedling are 1626 acres. The population is chiefly agricultural, but a considerable portion of it is employed with stocking-frames, of which great numbers are at work in the hamlet of Carlton. The village is situated in a picturesque valley opening into the vale of the Trent. The living comprises a rectory and a vicarage, the former valued in the king's books at £14. 6. 0½., and the latter at £6. 16. 8.; net income, £1075; patron, the Earl of Chesterfield: the tithes were commuted for land in 1792. The church is a handsome structure with a lofty spire. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans.

Gedney (St. Mary Magdalene)

GEDNEY (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of Holbeach, wapentake of Elloe, parts of Holland, county of Lincoln, 11 miles (N. W.) from Wisbech; containing 1797 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 11,000 acres, of which two-thirds are arable, and the remainder, with the exception of a few acres of wood, is pasture; the soil is a deep loam, in some parts mixed with fine sand, and in others with blue and yellow clays. In 1834 an act was passed for embanking, draining, and improving the lands. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £30. 11. 10½., and in the gift of the Crown; impropriator, the Rev. C. Strong. There is also a sinecure rectory, valued at £23. 11. 0½., and in the same patronage. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £545, the rectorial for £1135. 10., and the vicarial for £991. 18.; the rectorial glebe comprises 106 acres, and the vicarial 19 acres. The church is a beautiful structure, supposed to have been built by the abbots of Crowland, who had large possessions in the parish; it contains 53 windows, those of the north aisle having considerable remains of painted glass. The rents of land, amounting to £83. 10., are annually divided among the poor. Here are vestiges of intrenchments, probably the site of Roman fortifications.

Gedney-Hill, or Gedney-Fen

GEDNEY-HILL, or Gedney-Fen, a parish, in the union of Holbeach, wapentake of Elloe, parts of Holland, county of Lincoln, 6¾ miles (E.) from Crowland; containing 480 inhabitants. This parish, which was separated from the parish of Gedney about 70 years since, comprises 2053a. 2r. 24p., including about 58 acres of roads and water; four-fifths are computed to be pasture and meadow, and one-fifth is arable-land. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of certain Feoffees of an estate bequeathed for charitable uses; net income, £102. The chapel is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The estate, which was originally given by Lawrence Frosdyke, Abbot of Crowland, in 1441, produces a rental of £322, which, by a decree in chancery, is applied to the repair of the chapel, the payment of the stipend of the incumbent, the salary of a schoolmaster, the repair of the highways, and other uses. Several coins of Antoninus have been found here.

Gee-Cross, county Chester.—See Werneth.

GEE-CROSS, county Chester.—See Werneth.

Geldestone (St. Michael)

GELDESTONE (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Loddon and Clavering, hundred of Clavering, E. division of Norfolk, 2¼ miles (N. W. by W.) from Beccles; containing 386 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the south by the navigable river Waveney, which separates it from the county of Suffolk; and comprises 820a. 2r. 2p., whereof 404 acres are arable, 400 pasture, and 14 woodland. There are an extensive brewery and a malting establishment, from which is a small cut to the Waveney. Geldestone Hall is a handsome residence: in digging its foundations about 80 years since, a Saxon ornament of pure gold was discovered. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6, and in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for £168, and the glebe comprises 14 acres. The church is chiefly in the later English style, with a circular tower of earlier date, and has an ancient font curiously sculptured.

Gelston

GELSTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Hough-on-the-Hill, poor law union of Grantham, wapentake of Loveden, parts of Kesteven, county of Lincoln; containing 98 inhabitants.

Gembling

GEMBLING, a township, in the parish of Fostonupon-Wolds, union of Driffield, wapentake of Dickering, E. riding of York, 7¼ miles (E. by S.) from Driffield; containing 114 inhabitants. It comprises nearly 1000 acres, and has a small scattered village, situated near the sources of the river Hull.

Gennys, St. (St. German)

GENNYS, ST. (St. German), a parish, in the union of Stratton, hundred of Lesnewth, E. division of Cornwall, 10 miles (N. by E.) from Camelford; containing 689 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the coast of the Bristol Channel, in a bleak district abounding in mineral wealth; and comprises 4000 acres, of which 2100 are waste land or common. A copper-mine was opened a few years since; and at Crackington, within the parish, are two slate-quarries. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8; patron and impropriator, the Earl of St. Germans: the great tithes have been commuted for £220, and the vicarial for £160; the glebe contains 20 acres.

George, St.

GEORGE, ST., a parish, in the union of Clifton, hundred of Barton Regis, W. division of the county of Gloucester, 2 miles (E.) from Bristol; containing 8318 inhabitants. This place, which is bounded on the south by the Avon, was constituted a distinct parish by act of parliament in the 24th of George II., having been previously part of the out-parish of St. Philip and St. Jacob, Bristol. Many coal-pits are worked. The living is a vicarage not in charge, in the patronage of the Rev. G. Salt; net income, £530; impropriator, W. Blathwayte, Esq. The church was consecrated in 1756. A church district called Two-Mile Hill, was endowed in 1845 by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners: the living is in the gift of the Crown and the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, alternately. Anciently there was an hospital for lepers, dedicated to St. Lawrence.

George, St., in the East

GEORGE, ST., in the East, a parish, in the Tower division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex; containing 41,350 inhabitants. This parish is distinguished from others of the name of St. George by its situation in the eastern part of the metropolis, and was separated from the parish of Stepney, in which it was previously a hamlet, in the year 1727. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the various trades connected with the shipping interest, in the making of ropes and cordage, and other articles for the rigging, repairing, and supply of vessels. A considerable portion of the district is of modern erection, many of the streets and lanes having been taken down to furnish the site of the London Docks, of which the foundation stone was laid by Lord Sidmouth, then first lord of the treasury, on the 26th June, 1802. These docks, with the various and extensive works connected with them, extend into the parish of Wapping, but occupy an area of 48 acres within this parish: the principal dock, which is 20 acres in extent, was completed in 1805; the entrance basin, into which is a commodious inlet from the river, occupies an area of three acres, and the dock and basin together afford ample accommodation for 220 sail of full-rigged vessels. From the great increase of trade, more room was found necessary; and an additional dock of smaller dimensions was subsequently constructed to the east of the former, and of which the entrance basin is in the adjoining parish of Shadwell. The whole expense of these extensive works, with their warehouses, quays, and appendages, is estimated at £3,000,000. Ships laden with tobacco and rice which are not of East or West India growth, and also all vessels laden with wine, brandy, or other spirits, are compelled to unload in the London docks; but vessels having other cargoes are at liberty to enter or not at discretion. The London and Blackwall railway intersects the parish in a right line, from east to west; and the entrance of the Thames Tunnel nearly adjoins it.

The living is a rectory, in the patronage of Brasenose College, Oxford; net income, £396, with a residence. The church, a handsome and spacious structure of the Doric order, with a lofty tower, was erected in 1729, and contains 3000 sittings; over the altar is a good painting of the Saviour in the Garden, by Clarkson, above which is a window of stained glass, emblematic of Faith, Hope, and Charity, inserted in 1829, when the church was new roofed, and thoroughly repaired, at an expense of £8000. The Danish church in Wellclose-square was originally built at the expense of Christian V., King of Denmark, for the use of the numerous people of that country who resided in the parish. It is a neat structure of brick, with a campanile turret, and contains monuments to several Danish merchants, and to Caius Gabriel Cibber, statuary to Frederick, King of Denmark, and afterwards to Charles II. and William III., kings of England; also a monument to Cibber's wife Jane, grand-daughter of Sir Anthony Colley. In Princes-square is the Swedish church, built in 1729, and nearly resembling the Danish church. A district church dedicated to Christ, of which the first stone was laid in March, 1840, has been erected in Watney-street, at an expense of £6028; it is a neat structure in the Norman style, with two campanile turrets, and contains 1249 sittings, of which 547 are free: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Rector. The parish also contains a chapel dedicated to the Trinity, in Cannon-street road; and another dedicated to St. Matthew, in Pell-street. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans, and a Roman Catholic chapel. The parochial school was founded in 1736, by Henry Raine, Esq., who built school-houses. He also gave £4000, new South-Sea annuities, for the foundation and endowment of a second school, or asylum, for clothing and boarding 40 girls, to be chosen from the most deserving of the first school, and to be instructed in needlework, and such domestic duties as may qualify them to become useful and respectable servants. Ten of these girls, after being four years in the asylum, are annually placed out to service, in February, and after attaining the age of 22, and bringing satisfactory testimonials from the families in which they have lived, are entitled to draw lots for a marriage portion of £100, to be given annually, provided their intended husbands be approved by the committee, and are members of the Church of England, and inhabitants of the parish of St. George, Shadwell parish, or Wapping. National schools, also, are supported by subscription. At Glasshouse-yard, near the entrance to the London docks, is an establishment of free baths, with a washhouse, for the destitute poor, opened in May, 1845: in the first year it was used by 27,662 bathers, and 35,480 washers.

Georgeham (St. George)

GEORGEHAM (St. George), a parish, in the union of Barnstaple, hundred of Braunton, Braunton and N. divisions of Devon, 8 miles (N. W. by W.) from Barnstaple; containing 923 inhabitants. It comprises 4059 acres, of which 373 are waste land or common. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £40. 17. 11.; net income, £534; patron and incumbent, the Rev. Francis Hole. The church was repewed and embellished in 1762, at the expense of Sir John Chichester; on the outside of the entrance to the chancel is a representation of the Crucifixion, and the edifice contains several monuments, among which is one of a Knight Templar, with two lions at the feet. The churchyard, about two miles from the beach, has a truly picturesque character, and contains tombs of the Hole and Chichester families.

Germans, St. (St. Germanus)

GERMANS, ST. (St. Germanus), a parish, the head of a union, and formerly a representative borough and a market-town, in the S. division of the hundred of East, E. division of Cornwall, 9 miles (W. N. W.) from Devonport, and 227 (W. S. W.) from London; containing 2843 inhabitants. This place derived its name from St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre, who is supposed to have resided on the spot during a visit which he made to Cornwall, in the fifth century. Athelstan having conquered the Cornish Britons, in the early part of the tenth century, founded a see here, which, in the reign of Canute, was united with that of Crediton, the seat of the united dioceses being subsequently transferred to Exeter. The removal of the see probably contributed to the decay of the town; the market, then held on Sundays, having become very inconsiderable when the Norman survey was made. Leland mentions it as a poor fishing-town; and adds, the glory of it stood by the priory, a convent of Augustine canons, whose revenue, at the Dissolution, amounted to £227. 4. 8.: the site is occupied by Port Elliot, a modern mansion belonging to the Earl of St. Germans.

The town is situated in a beautiful valley, on the borders of a creek called St. Germans, formed by the rivers Tidi and Lynher, which, uniting with the Tamar, fall into the sea. Fairs for cattle are held on May 28th and August 1st. The place is governed by a portreeve, chosen annually at the court leet for the manor: it returned two representatives to parliament from the year 1562 to the 2nd of William IV., when it was disfranchised. The parish comprises about 10,000 acres. Stone of a dun colour is quarried for building and roadmaking; slate-stone is also abundant, and there are two quarries of slate of strong but inferior quality, which is used for flooring and roofing. Every facility for the transport of the produce of the parish, and for the supply of coal and other necessaries, is afforded by vessels that can approach the quay at St. Germans, and discharge their cargoes. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £101; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Canons of Windsor. The church consists of the nave and aisles of the conventual church, with a fine Norman doorway at the west end, between two low towers, of which one is square, and the other octagonal in the upper stage. Within are several monuments of the families of Eliot, Glanvill, and Scawen, among which is a magnificent tomb in memory of Edward Eliot, uncle of the first lord Eliot, with a recumbent figure of the deceased, and other figures, executed by Rysbrach; here is also a monument of Walter Moyle, an eminent writer, the friend and correspondent of Locke, and who died in 1721. A chapel has been erected at Hessenford, by subscription, aided by a grant of £75 from the Incorporated Society; it was consecrated in 1833, and 308 of the sittings are free. The living is in the gift of the Incumbent of St. Germans, who also presents to a chapel at Tideford. There are places of worship for the Society of Friends, and Wesleyans. The poor law union comprises 14 parishes or places, and contains 16,120 inhabitants. St. Germans gives the title of Earl to the family of Eliot.

Germans-Week (St. Germanus)

GERMANS-WEEK (St. Germanus), a parish, in the union of Oakhampton, hundred of Lifton, Lifton and S. divisions of Devon, 11 miles (W. by S.) from Oakhampton; containing 414 inhabitants. It comprises 1830 acres, of which 860 are waste land or common. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to that of Bradwood-Widger.

Germoe (St. Germoe)

GERMOE (St. Germoe), a parish, in the union of Helston, W. division of the hundred of Kerrier and of the county of Cornwall, 5¾ miles (W. by N.) from Helston; containing 1336 inhabitants. The parish derives its name from St. Germoe or Germoch, said to have been an Irish king. It comprises 1282 acres, whereof 60 are waste or common; and within it are extensive tin-mines, which afford employment to a considerable portion of the population. Stone is quarried for building and other purposes; it is chiefly a kind of spar, or inferior granite. The living is a vicarage, annexed, with the livings of Cury and Gunwalloe, to the vicarage of Breage: the great and small tithes have been commuted each for £105. The church is a handsome structure in the early English style, with an embattled tower: on the north side of the churchyard is what is called St. Germoe's chairs, consisting of a stone seat, divided into three parts by pillars in the Norman style, with pointed arches, and placed in a recess similarly decorated. Here is a meeting-house for Wesleyans.

Gerrans (St. Gurons)

GERRANS (St. Gurons), a parish, in the union of Truro, W. division of the hundred of Powder and of the county of Cornwall, 4 miles (N.) from St. Mawes; containing 816 inhabitants. The parish is situated at the upper extremity of St. Mawes harbour, being bounded on the east by the English Channel, and comprises by measurement 2460 acres, chiefly arable; 400 are waste land or common: the soil is generally rich. A fair is held for cattle at Trewithian on the 15th of May, and is numerously attended. The living is a rectory, in the patronage of the Bishop of Exeter, valued in the king's books at £15. 12. 6.; net income, £258. The church contains a splendid monument to the memory of E. Hobbs, Esq. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. On the estate of Trewithian is the ancient fortification called Dingerein, supposed by Whitaker to have been the abode of King Gerennius.

Gerrards-Cross

GERRARDS-CROSS, a posting-village, in the parish of Chalfont St. Peter, union of Amersham, hundred of Burnham, county of Buckingham, 3¼ miles (E. by S.) from Beaconsfield. This place is situated on the road between Uxbridge and Beaconsfield; and in its immediate vicinity is Bulstrode Park, a seat of the Duke of Portland's.

Gestingthorpe (St. Mary)

GESTINGTHORPE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Sudbury, hundred of Hinckford, N. division of Essex, 2½ miles (N. E.) from Castle-Hedingham, and on the road from London to Sudbury; containing 834 inhabitants. The parish is separated on the north from Belchamp-Walter by a small rivulet, and comprises 2609a. 3r. 13p., of which 2300 acres are arable, 155 pasture, and 155 woodland; the soil is generally strong and heavy, but in some parts a rich loam intermixed with sand. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7; there is also a sinecure rectory, valued at £13. 6. 8.: patron of both, J. P. Elwes, Esq. The rectorial tithes have been commuted for £520, and the vicarial for £183; the glebes respectively comprise 96 and 34 acres. The church is a handsome edifice of brick, with a tower, and contains a curious font; the altar is adorned with a painting of the Ascension, and there is a monument of a Knight Templar.

Gibside—See Whickham.

GIBSIDE.—See Whickham.

Gidding, Great (St.Michael)

GIDDING, GREAT (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Oundle, hundred of Leightonstone, county of Huntingdon, 6 miles (S. W.) from Stilton; containing 481 inhabitants. The parish comprises 2296a. 3r. 37p., of which the surface is undulated, and the soil a strong clay, producing, under good cultivation, excellent grain. It is one of the few parishes in the county still uninclosed, with the exception of some home closes and a farm called Gidding Grove. The system of cultivation followed here is the three-field system, and the rotation of crops, after fallow, is, wheat, barley, and beans or oats, which last, however, are but sparingly sown. About 260 acres are common land, over which several proprietors have, together, the right of pasturage. Two small brooks traverse the parish. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8. 5. 2.; patron and impropriator, the Earl Fitzwilliam: the vicarial tithes have been commuted for £139, and the impropriate for £397; there is a glebe of 15 acres, and a good vicarage-house has been built. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a lofty tower and spire. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans; a school for ten boys and ten girls is supported by the Earl Fitzwilliam, and five almshouses for widows have a small endowment to keep them in repair.

Gidding, Little (St. John)

GIDDING, LITTLE (St. John), a parish, in the union of Oundle, hundred of Leightonstone, county of Huntingdon, 5¾ miles (S. W. by S.) from Stilton; containing 45 inhabitants. It comprises 712a. 15p.; the surface is generally flat, and the soil a clay of inferior quality. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 6. 4., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £126: the glebe comprises 22 acres. The church is a small edifice of brick, to which a west front of stone was added in 1814; the interior is arranged in the style of a collegiate chapel, and additional seats have been put up by the rector. Nicholas Farrar, distinguished in the reign of Charles I. for his adherence to the Protestant religion, was lord of the manor.

Gidding, Steeple (St. Andrew)

GIDDING, STEEPLE (St. Andrew), a parish, in the hundred of Leightonstone, union and county of Huntingdon, 6 miles (S. W. by S.) from Stilton; containing 110 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 1091 acres, the soil of which is clay and loam, with some veins of rather coarse gravel. Here was a large mansion, the residence of the Cotton family; the avenue to it still remains, and some of the existing cottages are built of the materials which formed the stables. The village is about three miles and a half from the old north road which runs through Biggleswade. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £8. 17. 8½., and in the patronage of J. M. Heathcote, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £175, and the glebe comprises 5 acres. The church is an ancient structure in the early English style; a portion of it was probably built in the reign of Edward IV. A school in union with the National Society is supported by the rector.

Gidley (Holy Trinity)

GIDLEY (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of Oakhampton, hundred of Wonford, Crockernwell and S. divisions of Devon, 8¼ miles (S. E. by E.) from Oakhampton; containing 182 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £14. 19. 0½.; net income, £72; patron, the Rev. Thomas Whipham. In the reign of Henry II. the family of Prous had a castle here, of which there are still some remains.

Gifford-Fonthill.—See Fonthill, Gifford.

GIFFORD-FONTHILL.—See Fonthill, Gifford.

Giggleswick (St. Alkald)

GIGGLESWICK (St. Alkald), a parish, and formerly a market-town, in the union of Settle, W. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York; containing 4134 inhabitants, of whom 875 are in the township of Giggleswick, ½ a mile (W. by N.) from Settle. This place, in the Domesday survey Ghigelswic, is supposed to have derived its name from Gikel, one of its Saxon proprietors, of whom mention occurs in Leland: the manor passed from its ancient lords to the Percy family, and Henry de Percy obtained from Edward II. a grant of free warren in all his lands of Giggleswick. The parish includes the townships of Settle, Rathmell, Langcliffe, and Stainforth. It embraces a deep and picturesque vale, watered by the river Ribble and its tributary, Tems beck, which flows through the village; and comprises by computation 17,090 acres. The vale is, at its head, rocky, narrow, and forked, but opens into fertile tracts of meadow and pasture land, and towards the south expands into a wide plain. To the north are the high mountains of Pennigant and Ingleborough, and on the east the projecting rock called Castleberg, which rises to the height of 210 feet above the market-place of Settle, and is supposed to have been crowned with a fortification, from which it derived its name: this rock anciently served as the gnomon of a rude but magnificent natural sun-dial, pointing out by its shadow on some masses of rock in the vale the precise hour of the day. Here are several large cotton factories, affording employment to between 500 and 600 hands. The road from Leeds to Kendal intersects the parish. The village, which is situated on the west side of the vale, is neatly built; and the approach to it from the north has a truly picturesque aspect, from the high ridges of limestone, and the numerous yew-trees which spring out of the clefts. Above the village was a pool of water, now dried up; and at the base of a ledge of rocks called the Scar, extending for two miles in length, is a well, noticed by Drayton, in 1612, as ebbing and flowing with the tide, though thirty miles distant from the sea. This, however, is not the case: the well ebbs and flows in the space of twenty-five minutes, and the cause is supposed to be a natural syphon formed in the rock through which the water passes; but in very dry or very wet weather, no variation is observable.

The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £21. 3. 4., and in the patronage of J. N. Coulthurst and John Hartley, Esqrs., with a net income of £550; impropriators, Thomas Clapham, Esq., and others. The church is a spacious and handsome structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower: on a brass in the middle aisle is an inscription to the memory of the Rev. W. Paley, and Elizabeth his wife, parents of Archdeacon Paley. Churches have been erected at Settle, Rathmell, and Stainforth. The free grammar school was founded by Edward VI. in the seventh year of his reign, and endowed with property previously belonging to the collegiate church of St. Andrew, in Acaster. The tithes, lands, and premises forming the endowment, were, at the period of the foundation, of the yearly value of £23. 3., subject to the payment to the king of £3. 3.; in 1800 the income had increased to £400, and at present it amounts to about £1140 per annum, owing to the inclosure of Walling Fen. There is no restriction as to the number of the scholars, or their place of birth or residence; the institution has long enjoyed a high degree of reputation, and possesses an exhibition of £38 a year to either of the universities, founded with the amount of various benefactions. Archdeacon Paley received the rudiments of his education in this school, of which his father was head master for nearly 55 years. A national school is endowed with £35 per annum; and upwards of £100 yearly, the interest of money and rent of land, bequeathed by several individuals, are appropriated to the poor.