Gosport
GOSPORT, a sea-port and market-town, in the parish
of Alverstoke, hundred of East Meon, Fareham and
S. divisions of the county of Southampton, 17½ miles
(S. E. by E.) from Southampton, and 78 (S. W.) from
London; containing 8862 inhabitants. This place is
supposed to have been originally written God's Port,
which name, it is said, was given to it by King Stephen,
who landed here after having been shipwrecked: that
monarch, also, granted the manor and all rights belonging thereto to his brother, Henry de Blois, Bishop of
Winchester. It is styled a borough, in a decree of the
court of exchequer, passed in the 44th of Elizabeth, by
which it was decided that the inhabitants were entitled
to the exclusive right of the ferry between it and Portsmouth; but this right was in a great degree abandoned
in 1809, when an act was obtained for the regulation of
the ferry, and for granting to proper persons licences to
ply. Gosport, mentioned by Leland, in the reign of
Henry VIII., as a poor village inhabited by fishermen,
has risen to consequence principally during the two last
centuries, owing to its situation on one side of the harbour of Portsmouth, to which town and the queen's dockyard it stands immediately opposite, occupying a projecting point of land forming the western shore of the
harbour. About 50 years since, a line of regular fortifications for the protection of the town, but more especially for that of the shipping, naval arsenal, and stores,
was constructed, extending from a lake on the northern
side of the town (flowing out of the harbour to the village of Forton) to Oyster Pool and Alverstoke Lake, on
the southern side. Within the works are the queen's
brewery and cooperage, with storehouses on a very
large scale for wine, malt, hops, &c. The buildings were
formerly called Weovil Brewhouse; but within the last
few years, far more extensive buildings and storehouses
have been erected, together with mills for grinding flour,
and bake-houses for preparing biscuits, the whole comprising every thing necessary for providing a large portion of the food and clothing for the navy. The whole
eastern front of the establishment, which contains within
its walls several handsome houses for the principal
officers, is bounded by convenient and extensive quays
adjoining the harbour; and the place is now named, by
authority, the Royal Clarence Victualling-Yard. Vessels
of considerable burthen can take in their stores here, and
many small sloops, belonging to the establishment, are
employed in the conveyance of articles for the use of
the ships in the harbour and at Spithead.
The approach to Gosport from the sea presents a
noble prospect, including the forts, storehouses, and
other buildings. The principal street, which extends
from the harbour to the fortifications, was formerly
interrupted by the market-house, but in 1811, a handsome new edifice was erected on a vacant site on the
north side, at the eastern end of the street, fronting the
water; along the shore are various ranges of buildings,
consisting chiefly of neat and well-built houses. In
1763, the inhabitants procured an act of parliament for
paving the streets and removing nuisances, which was
confirmed and enlarged by an act in 1814, whereby provision was made for watching and lighting the town.
Concerts and balls occasionally take place. In 1834, an
act was obtained for building a bridge over Stoke or
Haslar Lake, which separates Gosport from Haslar Hospital, and for making approaches thereto; and in 1842
an act was passed for erecting a pier at Gosport. A
branch from the South-Western railway at Bishop's-Stoke, called the Gosport Branch railway, has been completed to this town; the line is 15¾ miles in length:
the original capital was £300,000, afterwards extended
to £400,000. From the terminus here, extends a line
into the Royal Clarence Yard, executed at a cost of
£8000, for Her Majesty's use when visiting the Isle of
Wight; it is about 600 yards in length, and was opened
in September, 1845. There are several breweries, and
an extensive iron-foundry for the manufacture of various
articles for the use of shipping, especially anchors. The
markets are on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Gosport is a distinct liberty and manor, and appoints its
own constables, ale-conners, and other officers, at the
court leet of the Bishop of Winchester.
Stokes Bay, to the south-west of Gosport, is justly
celebrated for the excellence of its anchorage, affording
security to an unlimited number of vessels. On the
shore forming this bay, and immediately opposite the
fashionable town of Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, many
good and handsome houses, besides an hotel, readingrooms, and baths, have been erected within the last few
years, and denominated Anglesey Ville. Near Forton
Lake, about a mile north of Gosport, is the new barrack,
belonging to the garrison of Portsmouth, and consisting
of four ranges of building connected by an arcade, with
offices, &c. Upon the north side of the lake, near its
entrance, on a spot called Priddys Hard, is the magazine,
in which, and in a smaller building dependent on it, a
considerable portion of the powder for the service of the
port is stored: the larger stores of powder are on a
peninsular point of land, called Tipners Hard, on the
opposite side of the harbour. Near Priddys Hard, on
what is an island at high water, are the ruins of a castle,
built in the reign of Charles I. or II., and called James'
Fort, to co-operate with another, the ruins of which may
be seen on the north side of Gosport Beach, known as
Charles' Fort. The Royal Hospital at Haslar, for the reception of sick and wounded seamen of the Royal Navy,
built in 1762 through the influence of the Earl of Sandwich, is a very extensive edifice, situated near the extremity of the point of land which bounds the west side
of the entrance to Portsmouth harbour. In 1818, the
principal wing of the building was appropriated to seamen and marines labouring under lunacy, who had been
previously placed in an asylum at Hoxton. The number
of persons within the walls at present is about 400; the
annual expenses of the establishment, during the time
of war, amount to upwards of £5000. About threequarters of a mile south-west of the hospital is Fort
Monkton, a modern and regular fortification, exceedingly
strong, on which are mounted 32 pieces of heavy ordnance: to the west, ranges a strong redoubt, which,
together with the fort, secures this part of the coast.
On the shore eastward, a high and massive stone wall
has been erected, to preserve the land from the encroachments of the sea. Still further to the east, and
near the extremity of the neck of land which bounds
the entrance to the harbour on this side, is the Blockhouse, a very strong fort with a battery.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage
of the Rector of Alverstoke; and is endowed with a
freehold farm, comprising about 70 acres, rather more
than four miles from Gosport, and which was purchased
in 1743 for £940. The church, dedicated to the Holy
Trinity, and situated on the south side of the town, was
built by contributions, on a piece of waste ground granted
by the bishop as lord of the manor, and was consecrated
on September 27th, 1696. In consequence of the
growth of the town, the length of the building was increased in 1745, and galleries were erected; and in 1830,
owing to the dangerous state of the roof, the owners of
pews determined to raise the side walls, put on a new
roof, bring forward the galleries, and add 300 free sittings; which, with other improvements, were effected
at an expense amounting to between £3000 and £4000.
It is now a spacious, and, particularly as regards its
internal appearance, a chaste and handsome edifice of
the Ionic order, calculated to accommodate 3000 persons, and including upwards of 400 free sittings, besides
seats for charity children. In this church is an organ
which was formerly in the chapel of the magnificent
mansion of Canons, belonging to the Duke of Chandos.
In 1796, the incumbent having obtained from the bishop
a site between Alverstoke Lake and the south side of the
church, erected a large house and out-buildings for the
use of himself and his successors, which cost above
£6000, and are now rented by the board of ordnance:
the present residence of the incumbent was built in 1806.
The district parish of St. Matthew was constituted in
Sept. 1845, under the act 6th and 7th Victoria, cap. 37,
and the church was consecrated in May, 1846: the edifice is in the early English style, and contains 840 sittings, all free; the cost of its erection, exceeding £4000,
was defrayed chiefly by the exertions of Bishop Wilberforce. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the alternate
patronage of the Bishop of Winchester and the Rector
of Alverstoke; net income, £200. There are places of
worship for Independents, Wesleyans, and Roman
Catholics; and several charity schools.
Gosport
GOSPORT, a tything, in the parish of Bosham,
union of West Bourne, hundred of Bosham, rape of
Chichester, W. division of Sussex; containing 74
inhabitants.
Goswick
GOSWICK, a township, in the parish of HolyIsland, union of Berwick, Islandshire, N. division
of Northumberland; adjoining Berwick, and containing 172 inhabitants. This place, which is about 5 miles
north-by-west from Holy-Island, lies contiguous to a
small bay of the North Sea, and occupies the entrance
to the fordable sands between the main land and Holy-Island, on which account it is supposed to have become
connected with the parish. It comprises 1348 acres, of
which 81 are waste land or common.
Gothan (St. Lawrence)
GOTHAN (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the union
of Basford, S. division of the wapentake of Rushcliffe and of the county of Nottingham, 7½ miles
(S. S. W.) from Nottingham; containing 747 inhabitants.
The parish comprises about 2200 acres: the surface is
varied with hill and dale; the soil in the valleys is a
rich loam, well adapted for wheat. Limestone is quarried in the hills; and alabaster is found in considerable
quantity, and, when burnt and reduced to powder, is
formed into excellent plaster for flooring. The village
is bounded on the west by the lofty hills of the Wold,
and on the east by an extensive tract of marsh land,
which is subject to frequent inundation. The living is
a rectory, valued in the king's books at £19. 8. 6½.,
and in the gift of the Duke of Portland, Earl Howe,
Lord St. John, and George Savile Foljambe, Esq., in
rotation: the tithes were commuted for land and a
money payment in 1804, when 427a. 3r. 11p. were
allotted, in addition to 43 acres of Keyworth common
allotted in the 38th of George III. The church has been
repewed, and 477 free sittings provided. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyans; and a national school,
and an infants' school, have been each endowed with
£30 per annum by Countess Howe.
Gotherington
GOTHERINGTON, a hamlet, in the parish and
hundred of Bishop's-Cleeve, union of Winchcomb,
E. division of the county of Gloucester, 4 miles (W.
by N.) from Winchcomb; containing 381 inhabitants.
The tithes were commuted for land in 1806.
Goudhurst (St. Mary)
GOUDHURST (St. Mary), a parish, in the union,
and partly in the hundred, of Cranbrooke, but chiefly
in the hundred of Marden, Lower division of the lathe
of Scray, W. division of Kent, 4 miles (E. N. E.) from
Lamberhurst; containing 2711 inhabitants. This parish
is intersected by the road from Lamberhurst to Cranbrooke, and comprises 9722a. 2r. 18p. The surface is
principally hilly, and the soil of a sandy quality; the
scenery is diversified by woods, chiefly of oak, and
covering 2008 acres, and there are some hop plantations. The village had formerly a market on Wednesday, and a considerable business in the manufacture of
cloth, both of which have now entirely ceased, but there
is a fair for horses and for toys on August 26th and
27th, and for Welsh cattle on November 5th. The living
is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £26. 19. 2.;
net income, £400; patrons and appropriators, the Dean
and Chapter of Rochester. The church is a handsome
structure, situated on the declivity of a lofty hill, commanding a fine view over the counties of Kent, Surrey,
and Sussex; its tower was formerly surmounted by a
spire, which was destroyed by lightning in 1637. Christchurch, on Kilndown, now a district church, was erected
in 1839, at a cost of £2500; it is in the later English
style, with a tower and spire, and contains 413 sittings,
of which 313 are free. The altar-piece, of stone, richly
carved, was the gift of A. B. Hope, Esq.; a fine-toned
organ was presented by Lady Beresford, and the communion-plate, which is a splendid service, by Viscount
Beresford, of Bedgebury Park. The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with £213 per annum, and in the
gift of his Lordship. There are two places of worship
for Wesleyans. John Horsmonden, in 1670, bequeathed
a rent-charge of £35, for the instruction of children;
and Thomas Bathurst, in 1718, gave another of £6.
Goulsby, or Golceby (All Saints)
GOULSBY, or Golceby (All Saints), a parish; in
the union of Horncastle, N. division of the wapentake
of Gartree, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 6¾
miles (S. W.) from Louth; containing 347 inhabitants.
The parish comprises by estimation 1132 acres of land,
chiefly the property of Matthew Bancroft Lister, Esq.,
lord of the manor: the village, which is of considerable
size, is situated in a narrow dale, on one of the tributary
streams of the Bain, and extends into Asterby parish.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £6. 0. 2., and in the gift of Mr. Lister, the
impropriator, and incumbency of the Rev. Joseph Martin Lister, whose net income is £136. The tithes have
been commuted for land; the glebe comprises 117a.
2r. 22p. The church is a neat modern structure. There
are places of worship for Primitive and Wesleyan
Methodists.
Gowdall
GOWDALL, a township, in the parish of Snaith,
union of Goole, Lower division of the wapentake of
Osgoldcross, W. riding of York, 1½ mile (W.) from
Snaith; containing 237 inhabitants. The township
comprises by admeasurement 1151a. 2r. 5p., of which
the greater part was in open fields, and waste, until inclosed in 1772. The river Aire passes on the north of
the village. Here is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Gowthorpe
GOWTHORPE, a chapelry, in the parish of Swardeston, union of Henstead, hundred of Humbleyard,
E. division of the county of Norfolk. The curacy is
consolidated with the rectory of Intwood: the chapel
is dedicated to St. James the Apostle.
Gowthorpe, York.—See Youlthorpe.
GOWTHORPE, York.—See Youlthorpe.
Goxhill (All Saints)
GOXHILL (All Saints), a parish, in the union of
Glandford-Brigg, N. division of the wapentake of
Yarborough, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln,
3 miles (E. S. E.) from Barrow-on-Humber; containing
892 inhabitants, and comprising 6000 acres. This place
was distinguished for a priory, founded by William de
Alta Ripa, for Cistercian nuns, about the year 1185, and
the remains of which, called the Chapel, form the
kitchen, dairy, &c., of a farmhouse. A pleasure-fair is
held in May. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £14. 18. 4., and in the patronage
of the Crown, with a net income of £116: the tithes
were commuted for land in 1773. The church is a large
handsome structure, on an eminence. There is a place
of worship for Wesleyans. A fund of £12 per annum,
arising from an allotment of land, is distributed among
the necessitous poor.
Goxhill (St. Giles)
GOXHILL (St. Giles), a parish, in the union of
Skirlaugh, N. division of the wapentake of Holderness, E. riding of York, 2½ miles (S. S. W.) from
Hornsea; containing 64 inhabitants. This place at an
early period gave name to a family, whose estate here
passed by marriage to the Despensers; the Lellies
afterwards possessed the property, and in the 15th century it came to the Constables, by marriage of Marmaduke Constable with the daughter and heiress of Robert
Stokes, Esq. The parish comprises 812a. 3r. 7p., the
property of the Rev. Charles Constable; about one-third
of the land is pasture, and the remainder, with the exception of 10 acres of wood, is arable. The living is a
discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £8, and
in the gift of the Rev. C. Constable: the tithes have been
commuted for £175, and the glebe comprises 39 acres.
The church, situated upon an eminence amidst lofty
trees, has been rebuilt by the patron, at an expense of
several hundred pounds, and is now a handsome structure in the later English style, with a square embattled
tower.
Goytrey (St. Peter)
GOYTREY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union and
division of Pont-y-Pool, hundred of Abergavenny,
county of Monmouth, 4 miles (N. E.) from Pont-yPool; containing 567 inhabitants. The parish is bounded
on the north-east by the river Usk, and comprises 3332a.
1r. 4p., of which about one-third is uncultivated; of the
remaining two-thirds, 750 acres are underwood, and the
rest is divided into arable, pasture, meadow, and water.
The surface is considerably undulated; the soil in general
is a sandy gravel. There are quarries of limestone and
building-stone, and flagstones and pipe-clay are procured. The Brecon and Monmouth canal passes
through the parish, which is also traversed by the road
from Pont-y-Pool to Abergavenny and Monmouth. The
living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books
at £4. 7. 6., and in the gift of the Earl of Abergavenny:
the tithes have been commuted for £295, and the glebe
comprises 3 acres. The church is an ancient edifice,
consisting of a nave and chancel, and has a font of
Saxon construction. There are places of worship for
Welsh Baptists and Calvinists.
Graby
GRABY, a hamlet, in the parish of Aslackby, union
of Bourne, wapentake of Aveland, parts of Kesteven,
county of Lincoln, 4 miles (S. E. by S.) from the town
of Falkingham; containing 18 inhabitants.
Grace-Dieu.—See Belton.
GRACE-DIEU.—See Belton.
Grace-Dieu Park
GRACE-DIEU PARK, an extra-parochial liberty,
in the Lower division of the hundred of Raglan, union
and county of Monmouth, 4½ miles (W. by S.) from
Monmouth; containing 11 inhabitants. An abbey of
the Cistercian order was founded here, in 1226, by John
of Monmouth, Knt., in honour of the Blessed Virgin:
at the Dissolution it contained two monks, whose revenue was £26. 1. 4.
Grade (Holy Cross)
GRADE (Holy Cross), a parish, in the union of
Helston, W. division of the hundred of Kerrier and
of the county of Cornwall, 10 miles (S. S. E.) from
Helston; containing 333 inhabitants. The parish is
bounded on the east by Cadgith Cove, and the coast is
defended by a lofty and interesting range of cliffs, rising
in the form of an amphitheatre, to the height of 200
feet, and indented with some curious caverns. The number of acres is 1946, of which 246 are waste land or
common: the soil is principally rock and clay marl; the
surface is partly hilly and partly flat, the whole having a
considerable elevation above the sea. Stone is found,
chiefly of the serpentine formation, and susceptible of a
high polish. The living is a rectory, with that of Ruan
Minor, valued in the king's books at £11. 1. 5½., and in
the gift of the Rev. Canon Rogers, and P. V. Robinson,
Esq.: the tithes of Grade have been commuted for £295,
and the glebe comprises four acres. The church contains some ancient monuments to the family of Erisey.
About half a mile from it is a well, arched over, called
St. Grade's Well.
Graffham (All Saints)
GRAFFHAM (All Saints), a parish, in the union
of St. Neot's, hundred of Leightonstone, county of
Huntingdon, 4¾ miles (E. by N.) from Kimbolton;
containing, with East Perry, 307 inhabitants, and comprising about 1800 acres. A pleasure-fair is held at
Midsummer. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £16. 14. 4½., and in the gift of Lady
O. B. Sparrow, with a net income of £199: the tithes
were commuted for 330 acres of land, at the inclosure of
the parish, in 1780. The church is ancient.
Graffham (St. Giles)
GRAFFHAM (St. Giles), a parish, in the union of
West Hampnett, hundred of Easebourne, rape of
Chichester, W. division of Sussex, 4 miles (S. W.)
from Petworth; containing 390 inhabitants. The parish
is situated on the northern acclivity of the Downs, which
are here beautifully ornamented with shrubs and underwood; the views over the Weald abound with variety.
It comprises 1658a. 23p., of which 513 acres are arable,
470 meadow and pasture, 427 woodland, and 233 furze
and open common. A pleasure-fair is held on the 16th
of June. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £9. 10. 5., and in the patronage of Bishop
Wilberforce: the tithes have been commuted for £183,
and the glebe consists of 10 acres. The church, partly
in the early and partly in the decorated English style,
with a square embattled tower surmounted by a spire,
was nearly rebuilt in 1838, at the expense of the Rev.
H. E. Manning, the rector.