Grantham (St. Wulfran)
GRANTHAM (St. Wulfran), a borough, markettown, and parish, and the
head of a union, in the wapentake of Loveden, parts
of Kesteven, county of Lincoln; containing, with the
three townships of Manthorpe
with Little Gonerby, Harrowby, and Spittlegate with
Houghton and Walton, 8691
inhabitants, of whom 4683
are in the town, 24 miles
(S. by W.) from Lincoln, and 111 (N. by W.) from London. This place, from its situation on the Ermin-street,
is supposed to have been a Roman station, but there is
no evidence of its having ever been occupied by that
people; and of the origin of an ancient castle to the
east of the church, and near the river Witham, of which
the foundations are said to have been dug up, no
authentic information is recorded. The manor was held
by Editha, queen of Edward the Confessor, and continued in the crown till the reign of Henry III. About
the year 1290, a house of Franciscan or Grey friars was
founded on the west side of the town, the site of which
was granted by Henry VIII. to Robert Bocher and
David Vincent: this place, called the Grange, is extraparochial, is now used as a garden, and comprises many
acres adjoining the market-place. There was also a commandery of Knights Hospitallers in the town, the remains of which form part of the Angel inn. During the
civil war of the 17th century, Grantham was an object
of interest with the contending parties; and the neighbourhood was the scene of the first advantage gained
over the royalists by Cromwell.

Seal and Arms.
The town is pleasantly situated on the river Witham,
near the vale of Belvoir, and on the great road to York.
It consists principally of four spacious streets, and is
well paved; it was first lighted with gas in 1833, by a
company established with a capital of £6000, and is
amply supplied with water. The houses are in general
of respectable appearance, and in the town and the
several approaches to it many substantial houses have
been recently erected, among which is a savings' bank,
a handsome structure of stone, in the Elizabethan style,
forming a conspicuous ornament. The theatre, a neat
brick building, is opened during the winter season; and
assemblies are held at the guildhall. The environs
abound with pleasing scenery, and are ornamented with
several seats and villas. The trade is chiefly in corn,
malt, and coal, of which large quantities are sent to the
adjoining counties. A navigable canal, commencing
within a quarter of a mile of the town, and joining the
Trent at Nottingham, was constructed under an act of
parliament passed in 1793. The great railway from
London to York will run by the town; and an act was
obtained in 1846 for a railway from Ambergate and
Nottingham, by Grantham, to Boston and Spalding. The
market, which is extensively supplied with corn, is on
Saturday, and every alternate week there is a large mart
for live-stock; the fairs are on the fifth Monday in Lent,
Holy-Thursday, July 10th, October 26th, and December
17th, for horses and cattle.
Charters were granted to the town by Edward IV.,
Richard III., Henry VIII., Edward VI., Philip and Mary,
Elizabeth, James I., Charles I. and II., and James II.
Under these the corporation consisted of an alderman,
recorder, deputy-recorder, 13 com-burgesses (including
the alderman), and 12 second burgesses, assisted by a
town-clerk, coroner, and other officers: the jurisdiction
extended over the borough and liberties, which latter
comprised certain parishes or townships called the Soke.
By the act of the 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76,
the government is now vested in four aldermen and
twelve councillors, one of whom is mayor; the justices
of the peace consist of the mayor, late mayor, and 4
others nominated by the crown. The freedom is inherited by birth, and acquired by servitude. The elective franchise was conferred in the 7th of Edward IV.,
since which time the borough has returned two members to parliament: the right of election was formerly
in the freemen not receiving alms, whether resident or
not, in number upwards of 800; but by the act of the
2nd of William IV., cap. 45, the non-resident freemen,
except within seven miles, were disfranchised, and the
privilege was extended to the £10 householders, of an
enlarged district. The ancient borough comprised 408
acres; the present electoral limits comprehend 5310.
The borough magistrates hold petty-sessions in the
guildhall weekly, or oftener if required; and under the
charter of James I. there is a court of record for debts
not exceeding £40. The justices for the parts of Kesteven, although otherwise unconnected with the town,
hold petty-sessions in it by virtue of an act of parliament: the powers of the county debt-court of Grantham, established in 1847, extend over the registrationdistrict of Grantham, and part of that of Newark. The
guildhall, a neat and commodious edifice, was built in
1787, and, in addition to the rooms for the transaction
of public business, contains a spacious assembly-room.
The common gaol and house of correction is adapted
to the classification of prisoners.
The living comprises the united vicarages of North
and South Grantham; the former, with the vicarage of
Londonthorpe, valued in the king's books at £19. 4. 7.;
and the latter, with the vicarage of Braceby, at
£17. 15. 7½.; net income, £1006; patrons, alternately,
the Prebendaries of North and South Grantham in the
Cathedral of Salisbury. The tithes were commuted for
land and corn-rents in 1795. The church is a magnificent structure, partly in the early and partly in the
decorated English style, with a lofty tower engaged in
the lower stages, and surmounted by a richly crocketed
spire. The tower communicates with the nave and
aisles by three finely pointed arches, and the interior of
the church displays great variety in the piers and arches
which support the roof; the chancel has a range of
small clerestory windows, and a stone screen of exquisite
design. Among the numerous monuments, the most
elegant are those to Sir Thomas Bury, chief baron of the
exchequer in the reign of George I.; Sir Dudley Ryder,
chief justice of the court of king's bench; and Captain
Cust, R.N., who fell in the action at Port Louis, in 1747.
A lecture in the church on Wednesday morning is endowed with a stipend of £90 per annum; the right of
presentation belongs to the Drapers' Company, London.
A district church, dedicated to St. John, has been completed at Spittlegate. There are places of worship for
Huntingtonians, Independents, and Weslevans, and a
Roman Catholic chapel.
The free grammar school was founded in 1528, by
Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester, who endowed it
with £6. 13. 4. per annum for the master, which sum,
and others for repairs of the house, are charged upon
estates belonging to Corpus Christi College, Oxford. It
was further endowed by charter of Edward VI., with the
revenues of two dissolved charities, called the Holy
Trinity and the Blessed Mary, and certain obits, and
was ordered to be called the "Free Grammar School of
King Edward VI." The annual income now exceeds
£700, the surplus of which is appropriated to the foundation of exhibitions to Oxford and Cambridge. Sir
Isaac Newton, who was born at Woolsthorpe, about
eight miles from Grantham, received the rudiments of
his education in this school. Various charitable bequests have been left for the poor. The union, of Grantham comprises 52 parishes or places, of which 46 are
in the county of Lincoln, and 6 in that of Leicester; and
contains 25,619 inhabitants. Near the town is a chalybeate spring, but the water is not much used. Bishop
Fox and Dr. John Still, Bishop of Bath and Wells in
the reign of Elizabeth, the supposed author of Gammer
Gurton's Needle, the earliest comedy extant in the English
language, were natives of the town. Grantham gives the
inferior title of Baron to Earl de Grey.
Grantley
GRANTLEY, a township, in the parish and liberty
of Ripon, W. riding of York, 5½ miles (W. by S.) from
Ripon; containing 246 inhabitants. The township includes the hamlets of Redmires and Low Grantley, and
comprises about 900 acres, mostly the property of Lord
Grantley. Grantley Hall, a seat of his lordship's, is a
handsome mansion in pleasant grounds. A school is
endowed with land producing £10 per annum.
Grappenhall (St. Wilfrid)
GRAPPENHALL (St. Wilfrid), a parish, in the
union of Warrington, hundred of Bucklow, N. division of the county of Chester; containing, with the
chapelry of Latchford, 2948 inhabitants, of whom 587
are in the township of Grappenhall, 2¾ miles (S. E.) from
Warrington. This parish is bounded on the north by
the river Mersey. The township comprises 1548a. 2r.
31p., whereof about two-thirds are arable, and one-third
pasture, with a very small portion of woodland; the
soil is various, in some parts a stiff clay, and in others a
light sandy loam, and the surface is generally level.
There are three tan-yards, and the cotton manufacture
is carried on at Latchford. The Duke of Bridgewater's
and the Old Quay Company's canals pass through the
parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £6. 11. 10½.; net income, £542; patron,
Thomas Greenall, Esq. The church is an ancient
structure, in the Norman and early English styles, with
additions; it is a handsome erection of stone, and consists of a nave, chancel, aisles, and a tower. At Latchford is a district church. A school was built at the expense of the parish in 1712, and is endowed with land
producing £10 per annum.
Grasmere (St. Oswald)
GRASMERE (St. Oswald), a parish, in Kendal
ward and union, county of Westmorland; comprising the townships of Grasmere, and Rydal with Loughrigg, the chapelry of Langdale, and part of Ambleside;
and containing 1681 inhabitants, of whom 345 are in
the township of Grasmere, 4 miles (N. W. by W.) from
Ambleside. This place anciently formed part of the
extensive parish of Kendal, in which it was a chapelry;
it is beautifully situated on the road from Kendal to
Whitehaven, and is watered by the small stream Rothay, which unites the lakes of Grasmere and Windermere. The lake of Grasmere, which elicited the praise
of Gray at a time when the lake-district was almost unknown, is of an oval shape, about a mile in length, and
something less than half a mile in breadth, and is wholly
surrounded by mountains. The parish comprises 6900
acres, of which 5000 are waste land or common. Slate
is quarried in several parts, and also the stone provincially called ragstone, which is used for all kinds of
buildings: lead-mines were formerly worked. At the
back of the village is Helm Crag, composed of huge and
lofty masses of rock. There are three bobbin-mills in
the parish, employing about 150 hands; and in the
chapelry of Langdale are powder-works. A fair for
sheep is held on the first Tuesday in September. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£28. 11. 5½., and in the gift of the family of Le Fleming: the tithes have been commuted for £160, and the
glebe contains 6 acres. The church, a very ancient edifice, lately repaired by subscription at an expense of
£330, belonged to the Abbey of St. Mary, York; near
it is a well which never freezes, consecrated to Oswald,
who was Bishop of York in the twelfth century. There
are chapels at Ambleside, Langdale, and Rydal; also
a place of worship for Independents; and a grammar
school, founded in 1723 by John Kelswick, and endowed by him with lands now producing about £160
per annum.
Grassby (All Saints)
GRASSBY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of
Caistor, S. division of the wapentake of Yarborough,
parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 3¼ miles (N. W.
by N.) from Caistor; containing 374 inhabitants. This
parish, which is situated on the slope of a range of hills,
forming a portion of the North Wolds, comprises about
1200 acres; the soil is generally chalky, in some parts
of a clayey nature. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £5. 17. 8½.; patron, S.
Turner, Esq.; impropriator, M. Barkinshaw, Esq. The
tithes were commuted for land and money payments in
1815; the glebe comprises 151a. 2r. 4p., valued at £256
per annum. The church is an ancient structure. A place
of worship for Wesleyans was built in 1840.
Grassington
GRASSINGTON, a township, in the parish of Linton, union of Skipton, E. division of the wapentake of
Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York, 10
miles (N.) from Skipton; containing 1056 inhabitants.
This township, which is on the eastern side of Wharfdale, comprises by computation 4960 acres, chiefly a
high moor affording tolerable pasturage: the population
is partly employed in mines, worsted-mills, and other
works. The lead-mines and smelting-works are scattered over a district nearly three miles in extent, and
are drained by a level which was commenced in 1796,
and completed in 1830, at an expense of more than
£35,000; the mines produce annually about 900 tons
of lead, and afford constant occupation to about 300
persons. The village is situated on the acclivities of
the valley; fairs are held in it on the 4th of March, 24th
of April, 29th of June, and 26th of September. There
are places of worship for Independents, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans.
Grassthorpe
GRASSTHORPE, a township, in the parish of
Marnham, union of Southwell, N. division of the
wapentake of Thurgarton, S. division of the county of
Nottingham, 4½ miles (S. E. by E.) from Tuxford; containing 94 inhabitants. The tithes were commuted for
land and a money payment in 1799. An ancient chapel,
dedicated to St. James, has been converted into a dwelling-house.
Grately (St. Leonard)
GRATELY (St. Leonard), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Andover, Andover and N. divisions of
the county of Southampton, 6½ miles (W. S. W.) from
Andover; containing 141 inhabitants. This place was
of some importance at an early period, and the residence of Athelstan, King of the West Saxons, who held
his court here, at which time it had five churches. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£15. 9. 2., and in the gift of the Rev. J. Constable: the
tithes have been commuted for £263. 5., and the glebe
comprises 40 acres. Benson Earle in 1790 bequeathed
£5 per annum for a schoolmistress, and the interest of
£200 to the poor.
Gratton
GRATTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Youlgrave,
union of Bakewell, hundred of High Peak, N. division of the county of Derby, 5½ miles (S. by W.) from
Bakewell; containing 35 inhabitants.
Gratwich (St. Mary)
GRATWICH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Uttoxeter, S. division of the hundred of Totmonslow, N. division of the county of Stafford, 4¾ miles
(W. S. W.) from Uttoxeter; containing 119 inhabitants.
It is bounded on the east by the river Blythe, and comprises 852a. 2r. 1p., of which 230 acres are arable, 568
pasture, and the remainder woodland; the surface is
undulated, the scenery picturesque, and the soil of fertile
quality. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in
the king's books at £4. 7. 6., and in the gift of Earl
Talbot: the tithes have been commuted for £100. 3.,
and the glebe comprises 23 acres, with a house. The
church is a small brick edifice, with a tower of wood.
Graveley (St. Botolph)
GRAVELEY (St. Botolph), a parish, in the union
of St. Neot's, hundred of Papworth, county of Cambridge, 6 miles (S.) from Huntingdon; containing 294
inhabitants, and comprising 1558a. 1r. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 3. 4.; net
income, £312; patrons, the Master and Fellows of
Jesus College, Cambridge. The tithes were commuted
for land and a money payment in 1802; the land comprises 577 acres. The church is an ancient structure,
in the decorated English style. A school was founded
in 1763, by the Rev. Henry Trotter, then rector.
Graveley (St. Mary)
GRAVELEY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Hitchin, hundred of Broadwater, county of Hertford, 2 miles (N.) from Stevenage; containing, with
the merged parish of Chivesfield, 403 inhabitants. The
parish comprises 1817a. 1r. 13p.; the soil is a black
loam, resting on chalk. The living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £12. 0. 10., and in the gift of the
Rev. T. Fordham Green: the tithes have been commuted
for £430, and the glebe comprises 32 acres, with a
house. The church has a square embattled tower at the
west end, surmounted by a spire covered with lead.
There are some remains of Chivesfield church. The Roman road from Verulam to Chesterfield passes through
the parish.
Graveney (All Saints)
GRAVENEY (All Saints), a parish, in the union
of Faversham, hundred of Boughton-under-Blean,
Upper division of the lathe of Scray, E. division of
Kent, 3 miles (N. E. by E.) from Faversham; containing 214 inhabitants. It comprises 2002 acres, of which
19 are in wood. The living is a discharged vicarage,
united to the rectory of Goodneston, and valued in the
king's books at £12. The church is principally in the
early English style, and contains several ancient memorials, including two to Judge Martyn and his wife.
Gravenhanger
GRAVENHANGER, a township, in the parish of
Muckleston, union of Drayton, Drayton division of
the hundred of North Bradford, N. division of Salop,
6½ miles (N. E.) from the town of Drayton; containing
148 inhabitants.
Gravenhurst, Lower (St. Mary)
GRAVENHURST, LOWER (St. Mary), a parish,
in the union of Ampthill, hundred of Flitt, county of
Bedford, 3 miles (E.) from Silsoe; containing 50 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 1200 acres,
of which 800 are arable, 300 pasture, and 100 meadow,
all in one freehold farm; about 100 acres are a rich alluvial
soil, and the remainder a fertile clay. A few of the inhabitants are employed in the straw-plat manufacture.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£7. 12. 11.; net income, £243; patron, the Lord
Chancellor. The tithes were commuted for land and
corn-rents in 1820; the land consists of about 40 acres,
and a good glebe-house has been lately built. The
Countess de Grey, and Trinity College, Cambridge, are
entitled to a portion of the tithes. The church was
erected by Robert de Bilhemore, whose armorial bearings are displayed on the porch, and to whose memory
there is a tomb.
Gravenhurst, Upper (St. Giles)
GRAVENHURST, UPPER (St. Giles), a parish,
in the union of Ampthill, hundred of Flitt, county of
Bedford, 4 miles (E. by N.) from Silsoe; containing
373 inhabitants. The manufacture of straw-plat is
carried on to a considerable extent. The living is a
perpetual curacy; net income, £50; patrons, the Parishioners; impropriators, the Master and Fellows of
Trinity College, Cambridge. The tithes were commuted
for land and corn-rents in 1820. There are 4 acres of
glebe in the parish, and 5 at Wootton.
Gravesend (St. George)
GRAVESEND (St.
George), a market-town
and parish, having separate
jurisdiction, in the union of
Gravesend and Milton,
locally in the hundred of
Toltingtrough, lathe of
Aylesford, W. division of
Kent, 15½ miles (N. W. by
W.) from Maidstone, and
22½ (E. by S.) from London;
containing, with the parish
of Milton, 15,670 inhabitants, of whom 6414 are in Gravesend. This place,
called in Domesday book Graves-ham, and in the Textus
Roffensis Græves-ænd, appears to have derived those
names from the Saxon gerefa, a greeve or reeve; implying either the habitation of the portreeve, or the limit of
his jurisdiction: by some antiquaries the name is derived from græf, a coppice, denoting the situation of the
place at the extremity of a wood towards the sea. In
the reign of Richard II., the French laid waste many of
the adjacent villages, plundered and burnt the town, and
carried off several of the inhabitants prisoners. It was
soon afterwards rebuilt, and to indemnify the inhabitants for the loss they sustained upon that occasion,
Richard II. granted them the exclusive privilege of conveying passengers to and from London, which right is
still exercised under regulations adapted to the present
times. In the reign of Henry VIII., two platforms were
raised for the protection of the town, and a blockhouse
was erected at Tilbury, on the opposite bank of the
Thames, for the defence of the river. In 1727 the
greater part of the town was destroyed by a fire that
broke out near the church, which edifice, with more
than 100 houses, was burnt down. George I. landed
here on his first arrival from Germany, and Gravesend
has been frequently distinguished by crowned heads
landing and embarking at the pier.

Seal and Arms.
The town is in the two parishes of Gravesend and
Milton, which are separated by the High-street. It is
pleasantly situated on an acclivity rising from the south
bank of the Thames, and is paved and lighted under the
provisions of an act which was extended by another
passed in 1840; in 1846 an act was obtained for better
supplying the town with water. It has been much improved within the last few years, principally owing to
the introduction of steam navigation on the river; and
there are now several piers or landing-places, one of
which, erected under an act obtained in 1833, was
opened on July 29th, 1834: it is composed of iron and
timber, is 160 feet in length, and has two flights of
stairs for landing. The Terrace pier, situated in front of
the Terrace gardens, and in a line with Harmer-street,
is wholly of cast-iron, and was completed in the spring
of 1845, from the designs of Mr. Redman; it is 250
feet in length, and supported on Doric columns. The
salubrity of the air, the beauty of the surrounding
scenery, the short distance from the metropolis, and the
facility of conveyance by steam-boats, have, within the
last few years, greatly contributed to render Gravesend
a place of resort; and in proportion to the increase of
visiters, preparations have been made for their accommodation. At the east and west ends of the town are
convenient bathing-houses, fitted up with warm, cold,
vapour, and shower baths; and bathing-machines are
kept at the water-side. Adjoining the bathing-house at
the west end, Mr. Palliser, the proprietor of the Falcon
tavern, has built a splendid hotel, called the Clifton, at a
cost of upwards of £10,000. An elegant building,
erected for a literary institution and as assembly-rooms,
was opened in March, 1842, at the north end of Harmerstreet; it is in the Grecian style, with a portico supported by columns of the Ionic order, and contains a
fine organ presented by Mr. Harmer. A theatre is
occasionally used. In the 35th of Henry VIII., a blockhouse was erected at Milton, upon ground conveyed to
that monarch by William Burston: it remained in the
possession of the crown till 1835, when the board of
ordnance sold the land adjoining it to four of the inhabitants, who afterwards disposed of the same to a company;
and some gardens, called the Terrace Gardens, have
been laid out there under the able direction of Mr.
Loudon. Milton, within the last few years, has undergone great changes, and is now the best part of the town;
the new street called Harmer-street opens an approach
to the Terrace Gardens from the new London road. At
the eastern extremity is the parsonage-house of Milton;
and near it New-Tavern Fort, mounting 16 pieces of
ordnance, with accommodations for a commandant and
some veterans of the artillery: of late, however, the
commandant's house has been leased to the town-clerk
of Gravesend, under a covenant that he shall quit in the
event of a war. A company was formed some years
ago, with a capital of £30,000, and took about 17 acres
of ground in the vicinity, which they laid out at a great
expense, as botanic and zoological gardens, and in which
they erected a handsome banqueting-room, capable of
accommodating 600 persons; the place is called the
Rosherville Gardens, and is now only resorted to for
purposes of amusement.
Gravesend being within the jurisdiction of the port
of London, all outward-bound ships, until recently,
were here obliged to undergo a second clearing; but
this practice has been disused. Outward-bound vessels
take in their pilots at Gravesend, and also all vessels
entering the port of London, for the navigation of the
river. The outward-bound Indiamen, likewise, receive
their supplies of fresh provisions, vegetables, liquors,
ammunition, and stores, at the place. A considerable
number of vessels is employed in the cod and turbot
fisheries; and fine shrimps are caught here in great
abundance. There are extensive lime and brick works,
and a manufactory for ropes and twine; and shipbuilding has been carried on largely in a yard to the
north-west of the town, where several men-of-war and
frigates, exclusively of smaller vessels, have been built.
The principal trade arises from the supply of the
numerous ships which, on their passage outward, stop
to take in stores, &c., and from the number of seamen
who furnish themselves with slops, for the sale of which
there are numerous shops in the town. A considerable
quantity of ground in the neighbourhood is appropriated
to the cultivation of vegetables for the use of the shipping,
and of asparagus of superior quality for the London
market, for the conveyance of which, and for the promotion of the general trade, great advantages are
afforded by the Thames. The Gravesend and Rochester
single-track railway, formed for the most part along the
bank of the Thames and Medway canal, was opened in
February, 1845; it was subsequently sold to the SouthEastern Company, who filled up the canal, and laid
down a second line of rails. This latter company obtained an act in 1846 for a railway from Gravesend to
Greenwich, 22½ miles in length. The market-days are
Wednesday and Saturday, the former for corn; the
fairs are on May 4th and October 24th, for horses,
cloth, and various sorts of merchandise. Between
Gravesend and Tilbury Fort, is a ferry.
The inhabitants, with those of the parish of Milton,
were incorporated by charter of Queen Elizabeth,
under the designation of the "Portreeve, Jurats, and
Inhabitants of Gravesend and Milton;" and this charter
was ratified and extended by Charles I., who enjoined
that the mayor and jurats should attend all foreign
ambassadors, and other illustrious visiters who landed
at the place, and conduct them in their barges to London; or, if they preferred proceeding by land, escort
them to Blackheath. By the act of the 5th and 6th of
William IV., cap. 76, the corporation now consists of a
mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors, and the borough
is divided into two wards; the mayor and late mayor
are justices of the peace, and the total number of
magistrates is eight. The corporation hold a court of
record, under the charter of Charles, every third Tuesday, for the recovery of debts to any amount, the mayor
and three of the aldermen presiding; and petty-sessions
are held three times a week. The powers of the county
debt-court of Gravesend, established in 1847, extend
over the registration-district of Gravesend, and part of
the districts of North Aylesford and Orsett. The corporation of London, as conservators of the rivers
Thames and Medway, hold courts for the county of
Kent twice in the year. The town-hall, rebuilt by the
corporation in 1836, is a handsome edifice, supported on
four columns in front, and having underneath it, and
at the back, a spacious and convenient market.
The rural district of the parish comprises by computation 496 acres, of which about 300 are arable, 100
pasture, and 80 garden-ground. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £15, and in the patronage
of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for
£284. 10. 6., and the glebe comprises 22 acres. The
church, built under an act passed in the 4th of George
II., by which the sum of £5000 was granted to defray the
expense, is a neat and spacious structure of brick, with
quoins and cornices of stone. A proprietary chapel for
Gravesend and Milton, erected at a cost of £7500, was
completed in 1834; it is dedicated to St. John, and is a
handsome edifice of grey brick. There are places of
worship for Independents and Wesleyans; and a cemetery has been formed by a company, under an act of the
1st of Victoria, for the convenience of all denominations,
at a short distance from the town: it comprises six
acres of land ornamentally laid out, and substantially
walled in, with catacombs, chapels, a board-room for the
directors, and other buildings. The free school was
founded by the corporation, and in 1703 Mr. David
Varchell, one of the body, endowed it with tenements
producing at present about £70 per annum: the endowment, in 1710, was augmented by Mr. James Fry, with
a rent-charge of £14. 10. On the enlargement of the
market-place, provision was made for the erection of
a more commodious free school, which was completed
in 1835, and is now united with a national school. The
almshouses of the charity estate of Henry Pinnock and
James Fry, also, have been rebuilt in the Elizabethan
style, corresponding with the free school opposite, by
aid of the Commissioners of Pavements, and by subscription. The poor law union of Gravesend and Milton
is limited to these two parishes, and is superintended
by eight guardians.
Graveship, Nether
GRAVESHIP, NETHER, a township, in the parish,
union, and ward of Kendal, county of Westmorland,
1 mile (S.) from Kendal; containing 334 inhabitants.
Collinfield House, in the township, exhibits some beautiful geometrical windows, fine specimens of the style
prevailing in the reign of Elizabeth. At a place called
Stone-Cross Barn, an ancient cross has been standing
from time immemorial.
Grayingham (St. Radegund)
GRAYINGHAM (St. Radegund), a parish, in the
union of Gainsborough, wapentake of Cottingham,
parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 1½ mile (S.) from
Kirton; containing 157 inhabitants, and comprising
1642a. 2r. 37p. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £25. 17. 6.; net income, £450; patron,
Sir J. C. Thorold, Bart. The glebe comprises 18a. 2r.
8p.; the glebe-house was lately built by the Rev. W.
Verelst, rector. The church, originally in the early
English style, has been much disfigured by additions and
alterations; in the lower portions of the tower are some
of the most perfect of the original details.
Grayrigg
GRAYRIGG, a chapelry, in the parish and union of
Kendal, partly in Lonsdale ward, but chiefly in
Kendal ward, county of Westmorland, 5½ miles (N.
E. by E.) from Kendal; comprising the townships of
Dillicar, Docker, Grayrigg, Lambrigg, Whinfell, and part
of Patton; and containing 801 inhabitants, of whom
264 are in Grayrigg township. The chapelry consists by
computation of 17,000 acres, of which one-third is arable, one-third pasture, and the remainder common and
waste; the surface is undulated and partly mountainous, and the soil generally productive. The Lancaster and Carlisle railway intersects the chapelry,
passing amidst scenery of the most romantic character.
Between the townships of Docker and Lambrigg it is
carried over a deep gill by a noble viaduct, justly admired for its proportions, and light yet substantial
appearance; near this viaduct is the Grayrigg station,
and there is another station at a place called Low Gill,
in Dillicar. The living is a perpetual curacy, with a
net income of £100; patron, the Vicar of Kendal. The
chapel, dedicated to St. John, was rebuilt at the expense
of the inhabitants, in 1708, and again, on an enlarged
plan, in 1837, at a cost of £1017, raised by subscription,
aided by a grant of £100 from the Incorporated Society;
it is a neat edifice, in the later English style. The
Society of Friends have a meeting-house (which has not
been used, however, for the last few years), with a
burial-ground attached. A boys' school has an endowment of £30 per annum; and a girls' school has
been lately built. At Grayrigg are the remains of a
Roman camp.
Graysouthen
GRAYSOUTHEN, a township, in the parish of
Brigham, union of Cockermouth, Allerdale ward
above Derwent, W. division of Cumberland, 3½ miles
(W. by S.) from Cockermouth; containing 584 inhabitants. There are two collieries, a sickle-manufactory,
and a flax-mill in which linen-thread is spun. The
tithes were commuted for land under several inclosure
acts, the last of which was in 1819. A school is endowed with £15 per annum.
Greasborough
GREASBOROUGH, an ecclesiastical district, in the
parish and union of Rotherham, N. division of the
wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, W. riding of
York, 2 miles (N. by W.) from Rotherham; containing
1623 inhabitants. This district comprises by computation 2270 acres, the whole of which, with the exception of about 280 acres, is the property of the Earl
Fitzwilliam. The surface is finely varied, rising into
eminences of considerable elevation, and diversified by
extensive woods; the substratum is rich in mineral produce, coal of excellent quality is extensively worked, and
a productive ironstone-mine is in operation. The village
is situated on a delightful eminence near Wentworth
Park, part of which is in the township: the Greasborough canal and Midland railway pass through the
township, and there is a branch line from the Sheffield
and Rotherham railway to this place, opened in 1839.
The church, dedicated to St. Mary, was built in 1828, at
an expense of £6000, towards which the Parliamentary
Commissioners granted £2000, and the Earl Fitzwilliam
the remainder, together with the site; it is a handsome
structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower crowned by pinnacles, and contains 1000
sittings, of which 400 are free. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Earl Fitzwilliam, with a
net income of £182; impropriator, the Earl of Effingham. The Independents and Wesleyans have places of
worship. In various parts of the township the remains
of a Roman road are distinctly visible; it crosses the
village, and passes along the head of a fine piece of water
intersected with islands, and covering 20 acres of land.