Hamptworth
HAMPTWORTH, a tything, in the parish of Downton, union of Alderbury, hundred of Downton, Salisbury and Amesbury, and S. divisions of the county of
Wilts; containing 202 inhabitants.
Hamsey (St. Peter)
HAMSEY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of
Chailey, hundred of Barcomb, rape of Lewes, E.
division of Sussex, 2 miles (N.) from Lewes; containing 533 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from
London to Lewes, by Chailey, and is bounded on the
east and south by the river Ouse. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £16. 12. 8½., and
in the gift of Sir George Shiffner, Bart.: the tithes have
been commuted for £630, and the glebe comprises 26
acres. The church is of early English architecture, with
portions in the later style. On the summit of the downs
above Combe Place, broken swords, daggers, spears,
and other military relics, with some ancient coins, have
been dug up at various times.
Hamstall-Ridware (St. Michael)
HAMSTALL-RIDWARE (St. Michael), a parish,
in the union of Lichfield, N. division of the hundred
of Offlow and of the county of Stafford, 5½ miles
(E. N. E.) from Rugeley; containing 391 inhabitants.
The parish is bounded on the south by the river Trent,
which separates it from King's-Bromley; and comprises 2959a. 1r. 27p., the soil being generally fertile,
partly a rich loam and partly of lighter quality. The
surface is mostly flat, with some rising ground, and
the low lands are watered by the river Blythe, which
flows through the parish into the Trent. The ancient
manor-house, formerly a splendid mansion, of which
the gateway-tower is still remaining, is now occupied as
a farmhouse; adjoining the gateway is an exploratory
tower fifty feet high, commanding an extensive view
over the surrounding country. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £6. 1. 0½., and in the gift of
Lord Leigh: the tithes have been commuted for £268,
and the glebe comprises 33 acres. The church, an ancient
structure in the decorated English style, has some remains of stained glass, and numerous interesting monuments to the Combermere and Egerton families; a marble
tomb erected over the remains of fourteen brothers and
sisters of the same family; and a tablet to the memory
of the Rev. Thomas Alastree, "who was a minister 54
years, composed 500 sermons, and preached 5000 times."
A school was erected in 1809; and there are several
benefactions for the poor. In cleansing a ditch near
the church, a very ancient silver sacramental cup was
found.
Hamsteels, with Burnop.—See Burnop.
HAMSTEELS, with Burnop.—See Burnop.
Hamsterley
HAMSTERLEY, a parochial chapelry, in the parish
of St. Andrew Auckland, N. W. division of Darlington ward, S. division of the county of Durham,
6¼ miles (W.) from Bishop-Auckland; containing 490
inhabitants. The township comprises 3516 acres, of
which about 100 are woodland and plantations, 1000
waste or common, and the remainder arable, meadow,
and pasture: coal is obtained in the neighbourhood.
The village, which is neat, is pleasantly situated on the
summit of a steep hill. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Donald Maclean, Esq., with a
net income of £96; the impropriate tithes have been
commuted for £83. The chapel, dedicated to St. James,
is an ancient building, formerly prebendal to Auckland
College. There are places of worship for Baptists and
Wesleyans.
Hamworthy
HAMWORTHY, a chapelry, in the parish of Sturminster-Marshall, borough and union of Poole,
hundred of Cogdean, Wimborne division of Dorset,
1½ mile (W.) from Poole; containing 351 inhabitants.
It comprises 1031 acres, of which 397 are waste land
or common, and is divided into Higher and Lower
Ham, the latter being the more considerable: from its
situation immediately adjoining the harbour of Poole, it
possesses every facility for carrying on trade. Charles X.,
after having been compelled to abdicate the throne
of France, landed at this place on his route to Lulworth
Castle. The chapel was destroyed during the parliamentary war, but has been rebuilt.
Hanbury (St. James)
HANBURY (St. James), a parish, in the union of
Burton-upon-Trent, N. division of the hundred of
Offlow and of the county of Stafford; comprising
the townships of Coton, Draycott-in-the-Clay, Fauld,
Hanbury, Hanbury-Woodend, and Marchington-Woodlands, and the chapelries of Marchington and Newborough; the whole containing 2483 inhabitants, of
whom 114 are in the township of Hanbury, 6¾ miles
(N. W. by W.) from Burton. This parish is very extensive, being upwards of five miles square. The living is
a vicarage not in charge, in the gift of the Bishop of
Lichfield: the tithes have been commuted for £862, of
which £510 are paid to the bishop, and £352 to the
vicar, who has also a glebe of 20 acres. The church,
principally in the later English style, with a Norman
font, was repewed, and the north aisle rebuilt, in 1824.
Marchington and Newborough form separate incumbencies. A school is endowed with about £24 per
annum, and there are several bequests for the poor. In
the year 680, the Saxon princess, St. Werburgh, became
abbess of a nunnery founded here by her brother Ethelred, King of Mercia: she was buried in this convent;
but in 876 her remains were removed to Chester, where
an elegant shrine was erected to her memory. No
vestige of the nunnery is now visible.
Hanbury (St. John the Baptist)
HANBURY (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Droitwich, Middle division of the hundred
of Oswaldslow, Droitwich and E. divisions of the
county of Worcester, 4 miles (E. by N.) from Droitwich; containing 1069 inhabitants. The parish comprises 7002 acres, whereof 100 are waste land or common: the surface is diversified with hills, and many of
the high grounds command pleasing views; the soil is
chiefly stiff clay or marl, producing excellent wheat and
beans. The Birmingham and Worcester canal, the
Birmingham and Gloucester railway, and the roads from
Bromsgrove and Droitwich to Alcester, pass through
the parish. Hanbury Hall occupies the summit of a
gently rising ground, in a well-wooded park; it was
built about 1700, and ornamented by the pencil of Sir
James Thornhill. Mere Hall, built in 1333, is a beautiful
specimen of half-timbered architecture, presenting a
very picturesque appearance. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £29. 16. 8., and in the
gift of Thomas Bowater Vernon, Esq.: the tithes have
been commuted for £1115, and the glebe comprises 162
acres. The church, which stands upon a very lofty
eminence, is in the early, decorated, and later English
styles, and contains some elegant monuments to the
Vernons, particularly one by Sir Francis Chantrey to
the late Thomas Taylor Vernon, Esq. The Rev. Richard
Vernon, in 1627, founded a charity school; and Thomas
Vernon, Esq., in 1711, gave land towards its support,
besides £200 for apprenticing children, and £1000,
which now produce an annual income of £120, to be
distributed in clothing among the poor.
Hanbury-Woodend
HANBURY-WOODEND, a township, in the parish
of Hanbury, union of Burton-upon-Trent, N. division of the hundred of Offlow and of the county of
Stafford; containing 311 inhabitants. It lies at the
eastern extremity of the parish, and comprises 247 acres,
with scattered houses.
Hanby
HANBY, a hamlet, in the parish of Lavington,
union of Grantham, wapentake of Beltisloe, parts of
Kesteven, county of Lincoln, 4½ miles (W. S. W.) from
Falkingham; containing 44 inhabitants.
Handborough (St. Peter and St. Paul)
HANDBOROUGH (St. Peter and St. Paul), a
parish, in the union of Witney, hundred of Wootton,
county of Oxford, 3½ miles (S. W. by S.) from Woodstock; containing 1009 inhabitants. It comprises by
computation 2112 acres, of which 170 are woodland.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£11. 6. 0½.; net income, £353; patrons, the President
and Fellows of St. John's College, Oxford: the tithes
were commuted for land in 1772. The church is partly
in the Norman style, with a spire of graceful proportions; the north entrance is a fine Norman arch, ornamented with an effigy of St. Peter: the font is adorned
with emblems of the Crucifixion, and part of the roodloft is remaining, in the decorated style.
Handchurch, or Hanchurch
HANDCHURCH, or Hanchurch, a township, in
the parish of Trentham, union of Stone, N. division
of the hundred of Pirehill and of the county of Stafford, 3 miles (S.) from Newcastle-under-Lyme; containing 191 inhabitants. The village lies one mile southwest of Trentham, on the side of an abrupt declivity, on
the summit of which is a square plot of ground surrounded by venerable yew-trees, and supposed to be the
site of some ancient church or religious house.
Handford, or Hanford
HANDFORD, or Hanford, a parish, in the union
of Stone, N. division of the hundred of Pirehill and
of the county of Stafford, 1 mile (N.) of Trentham;
containing 733 inhabitants. This place was till lately
a chapelry in the parish of Trentham; but is now a
distinct parish, under the act 58th of George III., cap.
45. Blue bricks of the hardest quality, and tiles, are
made here. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the
patronage of the Duke of Sutherland, who is impropriator; net income, £190. The church, a neat structure,
was erected in 1828.
Handforth, or Handford, with Bosden
HANDFORTH, or HANDFORD, with Bosden, a
township, in the parish of Cheadle, union of Stockport, hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of the
county of Chester; containing 2394 inhabitants, of
whom 681 are in Handforth. The manor, as early as
the reign of Henry III., was in the family of Handford,
from whom, with the manor of Bosden, it passed to the
Breretons, and subsequently to the Booths. Nathaniel
Booth, Lord Delamere, in 1766 alienated the manor of
Handforth to Mr. Edward Wrench, whose nephew sold
it to the Coopers, of Chester. The township comprises
1615 acres, of a clayey soil. The population is mainly
engaged in manufactures. The Handforth station of the
Manchester and Birmingham railway is 5¼ miles from
the Stockport station. A chapel, dedicated to St. Chad,
was built in 1837, at a cost of £850; it is in the later
English style, and contains 250 sittings.
Handley (All Saints)
HANDLEY (All Saints), a parish, in the union
of Great Boughton, hundred of Broxton, S. division
of the county of Chester; containing 386 inhabitants,
of whom 302 are in the township of Handley, 7½ miles
(S. E. by S.) from Chester. The manor, from the period
of the Conquest until the reign of Edward III., was in
the Boydells, and, having passed with the coheiress of
that family to the Holfords, was sold in 1585 to Sir
George Calveley, and afterwards came to the Leighs.
The parish is situated on the Chester and Whitchurch
road, and comprises about 1320 acres, chiefly land for
cheese-farming: about 1000 acres belong to Samuel
Sandbach, Esq., lord of the manor, whose son has a
farm-residence here. The soil is chiefly a strong clay,
the surface rather level, and the scenery, which is extensive, includes the Welsh hills: red sandstone is quarried
for building. There is a fox-cover of nine acres. Calveley
Hall, on Milton green, is now a farmhouse; it has a fine
oaken staircase, and wainscoted rooms. The living is
a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£6. 0. 5., and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter
of Chester; net income, £253. The tithes of Handley
township have been commuted for £195, and the glebe
consists of 11 acres. The church was built about 300
years ago, and is ornamented with a square tower. A
school was lately erected at the expense of the lord of
the manor, and is endowed with the interest of £200.
Handley (St. Mary)
HANDLEY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Wimborne and Cranborne, hundred of SixpennyHandley, Wimborne division of Dorset, 5½ miles
(N. W. by W.) from Cranborne; containing, with the
tythings of Gussage with Minchington and Woodcutts,
and the district of Newton and Deanlane, 1076 inhabitants. It comprises 5928 acres, of which 192 are common or waste land. A market was granted for this
place at an early period, and the market-day was
changed in the reign of Henry III.; but it has been disused from time immemorial. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the gift of the Dean and Canons of Windsor.
The church has been enlarged, and 156 free sittings provided.
Handsacre, or Hansacre
HANDSACRE, or Hansacre, a hamlet, in the parish of Armitage, union of Lichfield, S. division of
the hundred of Offlow and of the county of Stafford,
3½ miles (E. S. E.) from Rugeley; containing 967 inhabitants. Hubert de Handsacre was lord of the manor
in the reign of Henry I., and it continued with his descendants till 1452, when it passed by marriage to other
families. In the civil contentions which led to the deposition of Richard II., Sir William Handsacre espoused
the cause of that unfortunate monarch, and Sir Robert
Mavesyn, lord of the neighbouring manor of Mavesyn-Ridware, that of the usurper, afterwards Henry IV.
Each assembled his vassals, and marched to join the
armies then lying in view of each other near Shrewsbury; but meeting in their route, a skirmish ensued in
which Sir William was slain. Sir Robert proceeded to
the army of Henry, and met a similar fate fighting
against the gallant Percy. After the death of these
chiefs, Margaret, daughter and coheiress of Sir Robert
Mavesyn, gave her hand and fortune to Sir William,
son of the knight slain by her father. The hamlet comprises about two-thirds of the parish; and has several
malt-kilns, and brick and tile yards. The Uttoxeter
road here crosses the Trent by a beautiful iron bridge,
140 feet in span; it was commenced in 1829, and
opened in 1832. The old stone bridge is still standing,
a few hundred yards below it, and has seven arches, but
is very narrow and inconvenient.—See Armitage.
Handsworth (St. Mary the Virgin)
HANDSWORTH (St. Mary the Virgin), a parish,
in the union of West Bromwich, S. division of the
hundred of Offlow and of the county of Stafford, 2½
miles (N. W.) from Birmingham; containing 6138 inhabitants. This place, called in the Domesday survey, and
in Dugdale, Hornesworde, Hornesworth, and Hanneworth,
formed part of the extensive estates and barony conferred by the Conqueror on his follower, William Fitz
Ausculf, whose principal seat was Dudley Castle. The
parish comprises 7594 acres, of which about 375 are uninclosed; the soil is in general light and gravelly, the
surface pleasingly undulated, and the river Tame flows
through the lower lands, separating the townships of
Handsworth and Perry-Bar. Hamstead Hall, the present manor-house, is delightfully situated on the south
bank of the river; the estate belonged to the Wyrley
family from the time of Henry II., and the manor from
the middle of the reign of Charles II., till the year 1819,
when the proprietor, Wyrley Birch, Esq., transferring
his residence to the county of Norfolk, sold his property
at Handsworth to the Earl of Dartmouth, to whose seat
at Sandwell it is immediately adjacent. On the opposite bank of the Tame, towards the west, is Perry Hall,
an ancient moated mansion with a park and extensive
lands, which have belonged to the Gough family since
the year 1669, together with a moiety of the manor, of
which they have now acquired the whole. Between the
old Walsall and the Aston roads is Heathfield, the residence of the late James Watt, who purchased and nearly
rebuilt it in 1790–1; the house is embosomed in trees,
chiefly of his own planting, and formed an appropriate
retirement for the declining years of a man whose memory will ever be cherished by the friends of science and
the arts. There are also various excellent villas scattered through the parish, belonging to professional men,
merchants, and manufacturers engaged in, or who have
retired from, the trades of Birmingham and the neighbouring iron-works in this part of the county. The
village, and the most populous portions of the parish,
are situated on the roads to Wolverhampton and Walsall, and consist of ranges of neat and well-built houses.
Petty-sessions for the division are held every Saturday,
at the New inn. The Grand Junction canal passes
through the township of Perry-Bar.
On entering the parish from Birmingham by the Wolverhampton road, is the demesne of Soho, the seat of
M. P. W. Boulton, Esq., whose well-wooded and pleasingly-watered grounds skirt the road on the left; and
in a valley to the south, is the celebrated manufactory
of the same name. These grounds, previously a barren
heath, with a small public-house at the summit, and a
feeble mill for laminating metals, worked by a waterwheel, below, were purchased in 1762, by Mr. Matthew
Boulton, then of Birmingham, where he had for some
years carried on the manufacture of articles in steel. In
1764–5, Mr. Boulton built the present manufactory, at
that time unequalled in magnitude, and in architectural
taste, by any similar establishment; and entering into
partnership with Mr. Fothergill, he devoted his attention to perfecting the processes of making all kinds of
articles in steel, and introduced those of or-molu, plated
and wrought silver, at the same time rendering his
works a seminary for artists in drawing and modelling;
while his partner was employed in opening a mercantile correspondence throughout Europe. The manufacture of astronomical clocks for some years was carried
on at Soho; and the art of copying pictures in oil
colours, called Polygraphic, was invented and pursued
here under the direction of Mr. Francis Eginton, to
whom it was subsequently resigned, and who became
celebrated for his paintings on glass. Mr. Boulton soon
after, through the medium of Dr. Small, became acquainted with Mr. Watt, civil engineer, of Glasgow, who
in 1764 had invented "a method of saving steam and
fuel in fire-engines," for which in 1769 he obtained a
patent, the greater share in which he made over to Dr.
Roebuck: this latter gentleman, however, in 1773–4
agreed to transfer his interest in the concern to Mr.
Boulton, with whose assistance Mr. Watt, in 1775, procured an act of parliament, prolonging the term of the
patent for 25 years; and at this time commenced the
parnership of Boulton and Watt, and the manufacture
of steam-engines at Soho.
In 1776, comparative trials were made between the
first steam-engines constructed on Mr. Watt's principle
at Soho, and at Bedworth, in Warwickshire, and the
best atmospheric engines on Newcomen's plan; from
which it appeared that, by the former a saving of three-fourths of the fuel was effected. This result soon became known in Cornwall, where the working of the
mines by the old steam-engines was attended with so
great an expense as to occasion the discontinuance of
many of them, and to endanger the permanent working
of the whole; several of the new engines were consequently erected there, which fully realised the expectations held out, and not only restored into operation the
mines that had been discontinued, but also prompted to
the opening of others. Mr. Watt, by successive inventions, secured by patents in the years 1781–2–4 and 5,
rendered the steam-engine applicable to all kinds of millwork, and brought it to a degree of perfection which
formed a new era in the history of our manufactures,
and led to their vast improvement and subsequent extension, multiplying our national resources at a period when
much needed. Greater facilities for the manufacture of
steam-engines at Soho, in order to supply the increasing
demand, were obtained on the admission of the sons of
the proprietors into the firm, by the erection of additional works called the Soho Foundry, on the banks
of the Birmingham canal, at Smethwick, in the years
1795–6 and 7. Mr. Watt had, in 1780, invented a process for copying letters; and the manufacture of machines for that purpose was carried on here, in partnership with Mr. Boulton and Mr. Kier, under the firm of
James Watt and Co.
Mr. Boulton's attention had long been directed to the
improvement of the coin of the realm, for which he
erected a mint here in 1788, with superior coiningpresses, partly resembling those of the mint at Paris,
but with great additions, striking the coin in collars so
as to make it perfectly round, and so constructed as to
feed themselves, each producing from 60 to 80 per
minute with the attendance only of a boy, and deriving
their moving power from a steam-engine. Coinages
were undertaken at Soho, for Messrs. Monneron, of
Paris, for the East India Company, for Sierra Leone,
and Bermuda; and a complete recoinage was made for
government, of the copper coin, for the supply of Great
Britain, in 1797 and 1798, and again in 1806 and 1807.
The execution of these coins was greatly admired at the
time, and their intrinsic merit has now been confirmed
by their durability. Various fine medals, also, of our
most celebrated naval and other officers, and of the leading events of the French war, were engraved and struck
here; and on the occasion of the brilliant victory off
Trafalgar, on the 21st of October, 1805, Mr. Boulton,
with the approval of government, presented every officer
and man engaged in that action with a medal of Lord
Nelson, having on the reverse a representation of the
battle, with the words of that hero's memorable signal,
"England expects every man to do his duty." So great,
indeed, was the improvement in the coin, and so excellent were the principles upon which the coinage was
conducted, that an end was put to the counterfeits for
which the neighbourhood of Birmingham had been so
notorious, and with them to the frequent capital punishment of the unfortunate artists. In executing the machinery of his mint, Mr. Boulton was assisted by Mr.
John Southern, then at the head of the drawing-office of
Boulton and Watt, and afterwards a partner with their
sons; by Mr. James Lawson, an engineer brought up
in their establishment, and who, in 1807, was appointed
superintendent of machinery at the British mint; and
by Mr. Peter Ewart, previously an apprentice under the
late Mr. John Rennie, and for whom, subsequently, the
office of chief engineer and inspector of machinery to the
admiralty was created. The first earl of Liverpool,
sensible of the advantages of Mr. Boulton's improvements of the coinage, instigated the removal of the
British mint from the Tower, where it had been carried
on from remote ages, in a space too confined for the increasing demands of the country, and the erection of the
present mint, on the site of the old victualling-office,
Tower-hill; in which measure he was assisted by Sir
Joseph Banks. The plan of the new establishment, as
far as regarded the distribution of the buildings connected with the mechanical department, was arranged by
Mr. Boulton; and the requisite coining machinery and
steam-engines were executed at Soho, and erected under
his direction. Mints for Russia and Denmark were also
planned, and the machinery prepared, at Soho, under
Mr. Boulton's superintendence; and at a later period,
mints for Calcutta and Bombay, the former, perhaps,
the largest mechanical establishment in the world, were
planned, detailed drawings made, the coining machinery
and moving power executed, and the agents of the East
India Company instructed here, under the able direction
of his son and successor, Mr. Matthew Robinson Boulton. The application of coal-gas to the purpose of
affording an economical light, was the invention of the
late Mr. Murdoch, who had been for many years the
principal mechanical agent of Boulton and Watt in
Cornwall, and who was afterwards connected with their
sons in the Soho foundry; the first apparatus was constructed there under his direction, and the first public
exhibition of it was made in a splendid illumination of
the Soho manufactory, in celebration of the peace in
1802. The Soho Plate Company, established in 1764,
employ about 80 hands in the manufacture of silver and
plated ware, and parabolic and other reflectors for lamps,
lighthouses, &c.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books
at £13. 9. 2., and in the gift of the Rev. John Peel: the
tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of
£1391. 5.; there is a glebe-house, and the glebe contains 94 acres. The church, an ancient and handsome
structure in the decorated and later English styles, was
enlarged a few years since by subscription, towards
which the Incorporated Society contributed £500 in consideration of securing 500 free sittings. It contains a
few old monuments to the Stanfords and Wyrleys, lords
of the manor, to the Goughs, and to Mrs. M. A. Sacheverel, and others. In the chancel is a bust of Matthew
Boulton, Esq., the founder of Soho, who died in 1809,
at the age of 81, and is buried here: it was executed by
Flaxman, who studied the rudiments of his art at Soho,
and felt gratified in being employed to commemorate his
early patron; and the inscription was written by the
late Matthew Robinson Boulton, who died in 1842, and
whose remains, together with those of his wife and sister, are deposited in the same vault. In an adjoining
chapel is a statue of James Watt, who died in 1819, in
his 84th year, and is interred in the vault beneath; it
is an excellent likeness, full of expressive character, and
is considered as the masterpiece of his friend, the late
Sir Francis Chantrey. This chapel was erected by the
present Mr. Watt, who obtained a faculty for the ground
in 1822: the interior is of Roche-Abbey stone, in the
early English style, with a painted window exhibiting
heraldic mechanical emblems, intermixed with the
thistle and other ornaments; and the exterior harmonizes in style with the Wyrley chapel, in the opposite
angle of the east end of the church, now belonging to
the Earl of Dartmouth. In the chancel is likewise a
fine bust, by Chantrey, of Mr. Murdoch, who died here,
at an advanced age, in 1839; and in the south wall of
the nave are monuments, with busts by Hollins, of Nathaniel Gooding Clarke, Esq., one of his Majesty's justices for Wales, and Mr. Joseph Grice; also mural
tablets, by the same artist, to the two late rectors, the
Rev. Thomas Lane Freer and the Rev. James Hargreaves. A church, to which a district has been
assigned, was erected at Perry-Bar in 1833, at the sole
expense of Mr. Gough. See Perry-Bar. Another dedicated to St. James, was erected in 1839, at a cost of
£3000, on an elevated site given by Mr. John Crockett,
near the Wolverhampton road, in the south-western
part of the parish; it is a neat structure in the early
English style, with a square embattled tower, and contains 1000 sittings, of which 700 are free. The living
is endowed with £40 per annum out of the tithes of the
parish, and the whole net income of the incumbent
amounts to £150; patron, the Rector. There is a place
of worship for Independents in the village. Numerous
benefactions have been left to the poor.
Handsworth (St. Mary)
HANDSWORTH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Sheffield, S. division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, W. riding of York, 4½ miles
(E. by S.) from Sheffield; containing 2862 inhabitants.
It comprises by computation 3500 acres: the commons
were inclosed in 1805, and have been rendered profitable; the substratum abounds in mineral wealth. The
village stands on an eminence, upon the road to Worksop, and commands extensive views of the adjacent
country, which is richly diversified: the river Rother
flows through a valley about a mile and a half distant,
and the Midland railway passes within a mile. The
stately mansion erected here by George, the sixth earl of
Shrewsbury, was nearly destroyed during the war in the
reign of Charles I., and is now a farmhouse. The living
is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 4. 7., and
in the patronage of Trustees, with a net income of £700.
The church, an ancient structure, was enlarged in 1832,
and 200 additional sittings provided; in the interior are
three fine pillars supporting two pointed arches and one
circular arch; the chancel window is lancet-shaped, and
betokens great antiquity. A chapel has been built at
Gleadless, containing 320 sittings, 250 of which are free:
the living is in the Rector's gift. A school is endowed
with £20 per annum.
Hanford
HANFORD, an extra-parochial liberty, in that part
of the hundred of Redlane which is in the Sturminster
division of Dorset, 5¼ miles (N. W. by N.) from Blandford-Forum; containing 19 inhabitants, and comprising
760 acres of land. This was once a distinct parish.
Here is a chapel, in which service is performed every
Sunday; it is the burial-place of the family of Seymer,
whose mansion is situated on the south side, and northward are the foundations of an ancient village.
Hangleton (St. Helen)
HANGLETON (St. Helen), a parish, in the union
of Steyning, hundred of Fishergate, rape of Lewes,
E. division of Sussex, 4½ miles (N. W.) from Brighton;
containing 71 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1151
acres, whereof 541 are waste land or common; it is
elevated ground near the coast, of which it commands an
interesting view. There are two ancient mansion-houses,
one of which, in the Elizabethan style, contains some
curious carving and rich stucco-work. The living is a
discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £11.
14. 2.; net income, £209; patroness, Lady Amherst.
The church is in the early English style.
Hanham
HANHAM, a hamlet, in the parish of Bitton, union
of Keynsham, Upper division of the hundred of Langley and Swinehead, W. division of the county of
Gloucester, 5 miles (E. S. E.) from Bristol; containing
1217 inhabitants. The hamlet is bounded on the southwest by the navigable river Avon, and comprises by
computation 1212 acres: a quarry, very extensively
wrought, supplies the cities of Bath and Bristol with
paving-stone. On Jefferies' Hill is Christ-church, a
handsome structure in the later English style, of which
the first stone was laid on the 28th of February, 1840;
Dr. Warneford gave £400 towards the endowment, and
the Incorporated Society £300 to provide 540 free sittings. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the Vicar's
gift. Tithe rent-charges have been awarded amounting
to £195, of which £90 are payable to the vicar.
Hankelow
HANKELOW, a township, in the parish of Audlem,
union and hundred of Nantwich, S. division of the
county of Chester, 1½ mile (N. N. E.) from Audlem;
containing 279 inhabitants. It comprises 636 acres of
land, the soil of which is of a sandy nature. The vicarial
tithes have been commuted for £80. 12. 7., and the impropriate for £53.
Hankerton (Holy Cross)
HANKERTON (Holy Cross), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Malmesbury, Malmesbury and Kingswood, and N. divisions of Wilts, 3½ miles (N. E.) from
Malmesbury; containing, with the hamlet of Cloatby,
417 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £8. 10., and in the patronage of the
Rector of Crudwell: the tithes have been commuted for
£295, of which £15 are paid to the Lady de Grey, and
£280 to the vicar, who has 16½ acres of glebe.
Hanley
HANLEY, a township, in the parish, borough, and
union of Stoke-upon-Trent, N. division of the hundred
of Pirehill and of the county of Stafford, 2½ miles
(N. E. by E.) from Newcastle-under-Lyme, and 150
(N. W. by N.) from London; containing 10,185 inhabitants. This township, and the township of Shelton,
which adjoins it, form together a large market-town in
the centre of the populous district of the Potteries;
they are of comparatively recent origin, and chiefly inhabited by persons employed in potteries, the proprietors of which have handsome mansions in the neighbourhood. The streets are paved with brick, and lighted
with gas under the superintendence of commissioners
appointed by act of parliament in 1825. In 1820, John
Smith, Esq., at a great expense established water-works
for the supply of Hanley, Shelton, Cobridge, and Burslem. The principal articles of manufacture are china
and earthenware; and the trade is greatly facilitated by
the Trent and Mersey canal, which passes through Shelton, forming a channel of conveyance for the various
articles manufactured, and for an abundant supply of
coal and other things requisite for their production.
The market-days are Wednesday and Saturday. The
market-house or shambles, erected in 1819, forms a
commodious building, with stalls for about 130 butchers,
and three spacious entrances; one of the fronts is handsomely faced with stone, and surmounted by a cupola.
The police of the two townships is under the control of
the local commissioners; and a chief bailiff is annually
elected from among the most respectable inhabitants,
whose business it is to convene and preside at public
meetings. The powers of the county debt-court of Hanley, established in 1847, extend over part of the four
registration districts of Stoke, Stone, Wolstanton and
Burslem, and Leek and Longnor. The town-hall is a
noble building, erected in 1843.
A chapel was erected at Hanley in 1788, on the site
of an ancient chapel; it stands in a spacious cemetery,
and is a large brick edifice, with a tower 100 feet in
height. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£220, partly arising from 60 acres of land given by Mr.
Bourne, in 1737; patrons, Trustees. By the Stoke
Rectory act, passed in 1827, provision is made for the
further endowment of the living, and for its conversion
into a distinct rectory, and the chapelry into a separate
parish; but this measure has not yet been carried into
effect. Two districts, respectively named Northwood
and Wellington, were formed in 1845, and endowed by
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, under the 6th and 7th
Victoria, cap. 37: each of the livings is in the gift of
the Crown and the Bishop of Lichfield, alternately.
There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents,
Wesleyaus, and other Methodists; and national schools
are supported by subscription, aided by part of the late
Dr. Woodhouse's gift in support of the various schools
within the parish of Stoke.