Keysoe (St. Mary)
KEYSOE (St. Mary), a parish, in the hundred of
Stodden, union and county of Bedford, 4 miles
(S. S. W.) from Kimbolton; containing 757 inhabitants.
The parish is intersected by the road from Bedford to
Kimbolton, and comprises by measurement 3564 acres,
of which 2200 are arable, 900 pasture and meadow, and
350 woodland, chiefly of oak: the surface is varied.
Limestone is quarried for the roads. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8; net
income, £150; patrons and impropriators, the Master
and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge. The tithes
were commuted for land and a money payment in 1803:
the glebe comprises 166 acres. The church is chiefly
later English, with some remains of the Norman and decorated styles; it has a lofty and handsome spire, and
contains a curious Roman font with a Norman-French
inscription. Here are two places of worship for Baptists. In a field in the parish, still called "Cromwell's
Close," Cromwell, it is said, for a time encamped. On
the glebe land is a strong chalybeate spring.
Keyston (St. John the Baptist)
KEYSTON (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Thrapston, hundred of Leightonstone,
county of Huntingdon, 3¼ miles (S. E. by E.) from
Thrapston; containing 190 inhabitants. It is on the
road from Thrapston to Huntingdon, and comprises by
computation 2600 acres. The living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £29. 5., and in the gift of Earl
Fitzwilliam: the tithes have been commuted for £381. 15.,
and the glebe comprises 27 acres.
Keythorpe
KEYTHORPE, a liberty, in the parish of Tugby,
union of Billesdon, hundred of Gartree, S. division
of the county of Leicester, 9 miles (N. by E.) from
Market-Harborough; containing 13 inhabitants.
Keyworth (St. Mary Magdalene)
KEYWORTH (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in
the union of Bingham, N. division of the wapentake of
Rushcliffe, S. division of the county of Nottingham,
7 miles (S. S. E.) from Nottingham; containing 576 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated about one mile
and a half from the London road through Loughborough, and the same distance from the direct road between Nottingham and Melton-Mowbray, comprises
1373a. 1r. 12p. of land, chiefly arable. A part is within
the Wolds, and the soil of the remainder is a strong clay;
the surface is generally undulated, and part of it hilly.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£7. 5.; net income, £434; patron, the Rev. E. Thompson. The glebe comprises 240a. 3r. 22p., of which 26
acres were purchased with Queen Anne's Bounty, and
the remainder were awarded in lieu of tithes in 1798.
The church is a very ancient structure, with a tower
surmounted by an octagonal spire, and has undergone
considerable alterations. There are places of worship
for Independents.
Kibblestone
KIBBLESTONE, a liberty, in the parish and union
of Stone, S. division of the hundred of Pirehill, N.
division of the county of Stafford; containing 1896
inhabitants. This was anciently a large park, and there
are still vestiges of some spacious fish-ponds, one of
which supplies a stream that falls into the Trent at
Walton Bridge, turning in its course several mills for
grinding flints used at the potteries. The Kibblestone
"quarter" of the parish of Stone lies on the eastern side
of the Trent, and comprehends the villages and hamlets
of Oulton-Cross, Oulton, Meaford, Hobbergate, Catwalton, Knenhall, Moddershall, Berry-Hill, Rough Close,
Spot, and Spot-Gate; the district extends from one to
four miles north and north-by-east of Stone, and forms
a hilly and picturesque tract of country, in which are
many neat villas and scattered farmhouses. Oulton, the
largest village, stands on a rapid declivity. At Meaford,
within the liberty, is an old mansion, long possessed by
the Jervis family, in which the gallant admiral, Earl St.
Vincent, was born, and which is now occupied by his
nephew, Viscount St. Vincent. There is a petrifying
spring issuing out of the rocks near Catwalton.
Kibblesworth
KIBBLESWORTH, a township, in the chapelry of
Lamesley, parish and union of Chester-le-Street,
Middle division of Chester ward, N. division of the
county of Durham, 5 miles (S.) from Gateshead; containing 219 inhabitants. It belonged at a very early
period to a family of the same name, of knightly rank,
of whom mention first occurs in the 12th century, and
in whose possession a part at least of the lands remained
for many years subsequently to that date. The whole is
now divided in very various proportions. The village is
scattered; most of its inhabitants are employed in a
neighbouring coal-mine.
Kibworth-Beauchamp (St. Wilfrid)
KIBWORTH-BEAUCHAMP (St. Wilfrid), a parish, in the union of Market-Harborough, hundred
of Gartree, S. division of the county of Leicester,
5¼ miles (N. W.) from Harborough; containing, with
the chapelry of Kibworth-Harcourt and the township of
Smeeton-Westerby, 1740 inhabitants, of whom 748 are
in the township of Kibworth-Beauchamp. The parish
comprises by measurement 4004 acres. The soil of
about one-fourth of the land is a strong loam, alternated
with clay, and of the remainder partly a black mould
and partly sand; the surface is gently undulated. The
Union canal passes through. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £39. 15., and in the gift of
Merton College, Oxford: the tithes were commuted for
land and a money payment in 1779; the glebe altogether comprises 633 acres. The church is a spacious
edifice, with a tower lately erected in lieu of the former
tower and spire, which were nearly 160 feet high, and
suddenly fell down on the 23rd of July, 1825. There
are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.
A school was founded in 1709, and endowed by Sir
Nathaniel Edwards with property which, having been
augmented on the passing of the inclosure act, now produces £250 per annum. 'At Smeeton-Westerby is a
small chalybeate spring. Dr. John Aikin, a physician
and ingenious author, was born here in 1747.
Kibworth-Harcourt
KIBWORTH-HARCOURT, a chapelry, in the parish of Kibworth-Beauchamp, union of Market-Harborough, hundred of Gartree, S. division of the
county of Leicester, 5½ miles (N. W. by N.) from Harborough, upon the road to Leicester; containing 425
inhabitants. The chapel has been demolished. Here
are the remains of an ancient encampment, consisting of
a large mount encompassed by a moat.
Kidbrooke
KIDBROOKE, a liberty, and anciently a parish, in
the union of Lewisham, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone,
W. division of Kent, 2 miles (S. S. W.) from Woolwich;
containing 597 inhabitants, and comprising 756 acres.
This place occupies the northern side of Blackheath,
and contains several gentlemen's houses and neat villas
of modern erection. Cecilia, Countess of Hereford, in
the 5th of Henry VI. gave Kidbrooke to the prior of St.
Mary Overy, in Southwark, who obtained from the
Bishop of Rochester a grant of impropriation. In old
records, the church, which has long been demolished, is
described as a rectory. A proprietary episcopal chapel
was built here by Dr. Greenlaw, whose son is the present
minister. Kidbrooke gives the inferior title of Baron to
the Marquess of Bristol.
Kiddal
KIDDAL, a hamlet, in the parish of Barwick-in-Elmett, Lower division of the wapentake of Skyrack,
W. riding of York, 7½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Leeds.
Kiddal Hall, for many generations the residence of the
Ellis family, from whom descended Dr. Ellis, Bishop
of Kildare, and the late Rt. Hon. Welbore Ellis, is a
beautiful specimen of the ancient style of domestic
architecture, now the property of the Wilkinson family,
of Potterton. The most striking feature in this interesting mansion is the elegant oriel window of the principal
apartment; it is of bold and stately character, and of
the richest period of the later English style.
Kidderminster (St. Mary)
KIDDERMINSTER
(St. Mary), a parish, and
the head of a union, in the
Lower division of the hundred of Halfshire, Kidderminster and W. divisions
of the county of Worcester; comprising the market-town and newly-enfranchised borough of Kidderminster, having separate jurisdiction, and the chapelry
of Lower Mitton; and containing 20,753 inhabitants, of whom 14,399 are in the
town, 14 miles (N.) from Worcester, and 126 (N. W. by
N.) from London. Its ancient name was Chiderminster;
Kid or Chid signifying, in ancient British, the brow of a
hill, Dwr, water, and Minster, a church; an etymology
highly characteristic of the situation of the place. At the
time of the Conquest this was a royal manor, and it
continued so until the reign of Henry II., when it passed
into the hands of various possessors, of whom Waller,
the poet, was subsequently one. Lord Ward in 1838
purchased the manor and the whole of the Kidderminster estates, late the property of Lord Foley, including
the splendid seat of Witley Court, in the neighbourhood,
and the rich and extensive manors by which it is surrounded, at a cost of nearly one million. The town is
situated on the eastern bank of the river Stour, about
three miles from its confluence with the Severn, and is
of an irregular form, containing several well-built houses,
but for the most part consisting of small dwellings inhabited by the workmen employed in the different factories. It is paved, and lighted with gas, and the
inhabitants are amply supplied with water. At the
entrances from Worcester, Bridgnorth, and Bewdley,
where improvements have been made by cutting away
the rock to lower the road, houses have been excavated
in the sides of the rock. Within the last few years an
entirely new approach has been formed from Worcester,
commencing at Hoo-brook, about a mile from Kidderminster, and passing through a rich valley terminating
in a most picturesque view of the town; the land for it
was given by Lord Foley, and John Jefferys and George
Hallen, Esqrs. On the left of the approach to the town
are seen the remains of an ancient castle, called "Caldwell Castle," formerly the seat of Sir Ralph Clare.
Seal and Arms.
In the reign of Henry VIII. Kidderminster was noted
for the manufacture of broad-cloths, to which, at different
periods, succeeded that of linsey-woolseys, friezes, and
tammies and flowered stuffs. About the year 1736, the
manufacture of carpets was introduced, which has continued to flourish with progressive improvement, and
now constitutes the staple trade. A considerable quantity is constantly exported to almost every part of the
kingdom, and from a return to parliament it appears,
that of the whole quantity of wool produced in the
kingdom, one twenty-eighth part is consumed here in
the weaving of carpets. In 1772, the number of carpetlooms was about 250; at present there are nearly 2000.
The trade in bombasin has given place to an article
called paramatta, and other fabrics of the same material.
In the town and neighbourhood are five spinning-mills,
employing about 2000 persons: the place is indebted
for the introduction of this important branch of its
staple trade to the grandfather of the present James
Hooman, Esq. On the banks of the Stour are several
dye-houses, in connexion with the various manufactories.
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal passes
through the town to Stourport, where it joins the river
Severn, by which a medium of conveyance by water is
afforded to all parts of the kingdom, and a supply of coal
and other useful commodities is obtained. In 1845 an
act was passed for a railway from Oxford, by Kidderminster, to Wolverhampton. The market-days are
Thursday, chiefly for corn, and Saturday for provisions;
and the fairs are on the last Monday in January, the
Monday before Easter, Ascension-day, June 20th, Sept.
4th, and the last Monday in November. The marketplace, greatly enlarged by the corporation, at an expense
of £10,000, is arranged in separate divisions for the
various kinds of goods exposed for sale.
The earliest charter of incorporation is that of the
12th of Charles I.; another was granted in the reign of
George IV., bearing date August 7th, 1828, under which
the corporation consisted of a high-bailiff, twelve aldermen, and twenty-five assistants, aided by a high-steward,
recorder, town-clerk, and under-bailiff. By the act of
the 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76, the government is now vested in a mayor, six aldermen, and
eighteen councillors; the borough is divided into two
wards, called North and South, the municipal and parliamentary boundaries being the same. The mayor and
late mayor are justices of the peace, and the total number of magistrates is thirteen. Kidderminster was a
borough by prescription, and sent members to parliament in the 23rd of Edward I., from which period it
made no return, until it was again enfranchised in the
2nd of William IV., with the privilege of returning one
member: the right of election is vested in the £10
householders of a district comprising 1209 acres; the
mayor is returning officer. The powers of the county
debt-court of Kidderminster, established in 1847, extend
over the registration-district of Kidderminster, and the
parish of Hartlebury. The town-hall is a neat building,
adjoining which is a spacious and convenient prison,
built at a considerable expense by the corporation. The
parish comprises 11,222a. 1r. 34p., of which 607 acres
are in the borough; the soil in general is fertile, and the
surface varied.
The living is a vicarage, endowed with a portion of
the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at
£30. 15. 7½.; net income, £1107; patron, Lord Ward.
A tithe rent-charge of £210 is paid to the vicar, and the
glebe consists of 6 acres. The church is a spacious and
venerable structure, partly in the decorated and partly
in the later English style, with a handsome square embattled tower, strengthened with buttresses, and crowned
by pinnacles; it contains several ancient monuments
and recumbent figures. A second church, dedicated to
St. George, was built by grant from the Parliamentary
Commissioners in 1824, at an expense of £16,131, to
which were added £2000 raised by the inhabitants; it
is in the later English style, with a lofty and richly ornamented tower. The living is a perpetual curacy; net
income, £309; patron, the Vicar. The church of St.
John the Baptist is an edifice in the Norman style with
a tower and spire, erected in 1843, and containing 1257
sittings, whereof 861 are free: the living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar. At Trimpley is a
chapel of ease, a beautiful structure in the Norman style,
affording accommodation to 120 persons; the pulpit,
reading-desk, and font are of solid stone. Lower Mitton
and Wribbenhall, in the parish, are district chapelries,
the livings of which are also in the patronage of the
Vicar of Kidderminster: see Mitton, Lower; and Wribbenhall. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Primitive Methodists, Wesleyans, Unitarians,
the Connexion of Lady Huntingdon, and Roman Catholics. On an eminence on the Stourport road is a cemetery of three acres of ground, in the formation of which
£1800 have been expended.
The free grammar school, the origin of which is uncertain, was made a royal foundation by charter of
Charles I., and has an endowment in land producing a
rental of about £600; it is entitled to the fifth of six
scholarships founded in Worcester College, Oxford, by
Sir Thomas Cookes. An ancient chapel adjoining St.
Mary's church, has been for many years appropriated to
the use of the school. A free school was founded in
1795, by Mr. Nicholas Pearsall, who erected rooms, and
in 1797 bequeathed £1000 for its support; this bequest
has, with subscriptions, been appropriated to the formation of charity schools. The old meeting-house charity
schools, built by subscription in 1811, are chiefly supported by an endowment by Simon Potter, in 1667,
producing £40 per annum. A small school, originally
founded in 1704, under the auspices of the then Bishop
of Worcester, has been converted into a national school;
a new school-house was erected in 1817. St. George's
national school was built in 1827; and among other
schools is one at Trimpley, founded and endowed by the
late Mr. Chillingworth. There are six almshouses
founded in 1629, by Sir Edward Blount, for aged men
and their wives: H. Higgins, Esq., in 1684, bequeathed
four messuages, to which a fifth has been added, for
aged persons; and two houses were given for the same
use, by Sir Ralph Clare, K.B. The poor-law union of
Kidderminster comprises 13 parishes or places, of which
11 are in the county of Worcester, one in that of Stafford,
and one in Salop; and contains a population of 29,408.
On Wassall Hill, about half a mile from the bank of the
Severn, are the remains of a small camp, supposed by
Dr. Nash to have been occupied by Henry IV., in his
pursuit of Owen Glyndwr, after the burning of the city
of Worcester; and at Blackstone rock, between Stourport and Bewdley, are the remains of a hermitage and
chapel, now converted into an out-house for agricultural
implements. There are several chalybeate springs, of
which the one most strongly impregnated is at Round
Hill, near the town; and the dropping-well on Burlish
Common is celebrated for its efficacy in curing diseases
of the eye. Richard Baxter, the celebrated nonconformist, was for some time vicar of the parish: the pulpit in which he preached is preserved in the vestry of the
Unitarian meeting-house.
Kiddington (St. Nicholas)
KIDDINGTON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the
union of Woodstock, hundred of Wootton, county of
Oxford, 4 miles (N. N. W.) from Woodstock; containing 274 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1875
acres; the soil is generally a stone brash, the surface is
boldly undulated, and the lower grounds are watered by
a brook called the Glym. The living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £7. 9. 4½.; net income, £375;
patron, Viscount Dillon. The church is supposed to
have been built about the year 1400; but its chancel is
evidently of earlier date, and probably belonged to the
original edifice. In 1446, the emoluments of the ancient
rectory of Asterley, being considered inadequate for the
support of an incumbent, were incorporated with those
of this rectory. The parish is intersected by the Akeman-street; in Hill Wood are traces of a Roman encampment; and at other places in the neighbourhood
are vestiges of earthworks. Warton, the poet-laureate,
was rector of the parish, of which he published an excellent description.
Kidland
KIDLAND, an extra-parochial liberty, in the union
of Rothbury, W. division of Coquetdale ward, N.
division of Northumberland, 12 miles (N. W. by W.)
from Rothbury; containing 63 inhabitants. This liberty
comprises 21,750 acres of land. It is a mountainous
district, of which Kidland-Lee, on the west side of the
river Alwine, is the most fertile part; many of the hills
are of a conical form, and the glens which divide the
eminences display a variety of bold and sublime scenery.
The Cheviot breed of sheep are found here in great
perfection. A chapel called Memmer-kirk stood near
the source of the Alwine, but its ruins can now scarcely
be traced.
Kidlington (St. Mary)
KIDLINGTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Woodstock, hundred of Wootton, county of Oxford; containing, with the hamlets of Thrup, Gosford-Bridge, and Water-Eaton, 1303 inhabitants. The living
is a vicarage not in charge, annexed, with the impropriation, to the Headship of Exeter College, Oxford; net
income, £279. The church is an elegant structure with
a spire. There is a chapel of ease at Water-Eaton.
Kidsgrove, or Kidcrew
KIDSGROVE, or Kidcrew, a considerable village,
in the townships of Brieryhurst and Ranscliffe,
parish of Wolstanton, union of Wolstanton and
Burslem, N. division of the hundred of Pirehill and
of the county of Stafford, 2 miles (N. by W.) from
Tunstall, on the main road to Liverpool and Manchester. This place is occupied almost wholly by the numerous workmen employed by Thomas Kinnersly, Esq., in
his colliery and iron-works here, connected with which
latter he has recently erected several blast-furnaces for
smelting the ore, in which the neighbourhood abounds:
in a mill and forge the iron is manufactured into a
finished state. A short distance from Kidsgrove is
Clough Hall, the seat of Mr. Kinnersly, in the avenue
leading to which, and in the peaceful seclusion of surrounding woods, that gentleman has erected a church
for the accommodation of his family, and numerous
tenants and dependants, as also the neighbouring population. The church is a brick edifice, with a tower furnished with six bells and a clock: the inside is chaste
and elegant, having a west gallery in which is an organ;
there are 600 sittings. Near it, on the south side, is a
handsome parsonage-house, and on the north-east side a
large building in the cottage style, for a Sunday school,
where 500 children are instructed; these buildings have
been completed at the expense of the founder of the
church, by whom the school is supported. In the vicinity
of Kidsgrove, the tunnels of Harecastle, by which the
Grand Trunk canal is carried in two collateral channels
a distance of 2880 yards, terminate northwards under
Harecastle Hill.
Kilbourne
KILBOURNE, a township, in the parish of Horsley, union of Belper, hundred of Morleston and
Litchurch, S. division of the county of Derby, 6¾
miles (N. N. E.) from Derby; containing 826 inhabitants. It lies on the road from Alfreton to Derby, and
comprises 916 acres, the soil of which is a mixture of
sand and clay; 293 acres are arable, 587 meadow and
pasture, 20 woodland, and 16 acres roads or waste. A
mine is in operation, yielding excellent coal, and affording employment to a number of the population; there
are also a good many stocking-frames. Kilbourne Hall,
a beautiful and picturesque seat, is the residence of the
Hunter family; the garden is in the ancient style, and
is adorned with some fine yew-trees, supposed to be
about 300 years old, and cut into a variety of figures,
presenting an appearance perhaps not equalled in the
kingdom. The tithes of the township have been commuted for £55. 14. 9. There are places of worship for
Baptists, Independents, and Methodists.
Kilburn
KILBURN, a hamlet, partly in the parish of Willesden, union of Hendon, Kensington division of the
hundred of Ossulstone, and partly in the parish of
Hampstead, union of Edmonton, Holborn division of
the hundred of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex,
3 miles (W. N. W.) from London. This village, which is
situated on the ancient Watling-street, contains some
good houses; and the salubrity of the air, and its convenient distance from the metropolis, render it a desirable place of residence. The supply of water, however,
is indifferent. There is a medicinal spring, called Kilburn Wells, which possesses aperient properties, and is
still in repute, though not so much frequented as formerly. At the north-east end of the village is an extensive ale and porter brewery. The Birmingham railway
crosses the village near the Bell inn, and the road from
Maida-Hill is carried over it by a neat bridge. Here is
a proprietary episcopal chapel, a handsome edifice with
a turret and cupola, containing about 500 sittings: the
living is a donative, in the gift of Mr. Hancox, the proprietor. Near the close of the reign of Henry I., a
Benedictine nunnery, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
Mary and St. John the Baptist, was founded here on
the site of an ancient hermitage; the revenue, at the
Dissolution, was estimated at £121. 16.
Kilburn (St. Mary)
KILBURN (St. Mary), a parish, in the unions of
Thirsk and Helmsley, wapentake of Birdforth,
N. riding of York, 7 miles (E. by S.) from Thirsk;
comprising the townships of Kilburn, Oldstead, Thorpele-Willows, and Wass; and containing 837 inhabitants,
of whom 556 are in the township of Kilburn. This
place was within the liberty of Ripon, from which jurisdiction it was separated by an act of the 1st of Victoria.
It was anciently the retreat of Robert de Alneto, one of
the monks of Whitby, who lived in solitary seclusion in
a small hermitage at Hood Grange, within two miles of
the present village: this hermitage, in 1138, was converted by Robert de Mowbray into a Cistercian abbey,
but the monks subsequently removed to Old Byland,
and afterwards to Byland, near Coxwold. The parish
comprises by computation 5900 acres. At Hood Hill is
a sandstone-quarry, now rarely wrought, the material
being of a soft and perishable nature. The village consists of High and Low Kilburn, the former situated on
the acclivity of a lofty eminence, commanding extensive
and interesting views, and the latter on the banks of a
small rivulet at its base. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £99; patron and appropriator, the
Archbishop of York, whose tithes have been commuted
for £405: the glebe comprises nearly 4 acres. The
church is an ancient structure. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Kilby (St. Mary Magdalene)
KILBY (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the
union of Blaby, hundred of Guthlaxton, S. division
of the county of Leicester, 6½ miles (S. S. E.) from
the town of Leicester; containing 408 inhabitants, and
comprising nearly 1000 acres. The Leicester canal
passes within a quarter of a mile from the village, and
at the distance of half a mile more is a commodious
wharf. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£63; patron and impropriator, Sir H. Halford, Bart.
The church is a neat edifice of ancient date, with a tower
rebuilt in the year 1815. There is a place of worship
for Independents.
Kildale (St. Cuthbert)
KILDALE (St. Cuthbert), a parish, in the union
of Stokesley, W. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 5½ miles (E. by N.) from
Stokesley; containing 181 inhabitants. This place,
called in Domesday book Childale, was once of some importance, possessed a castle, and had liberty to hold a
market and fair under grant from Henry III. It was
conferred by the Conqueror on Robert de Brus, lord of
Skelton, to be held of the king in capite; and among the
proprietors who have resided here, occur the family of
Percy, who were long settled at the place. The parish
forms part of the district called Cleveland, and comprises
upwards of 5000 acres, a great portion of which is open
moor and heath; the soil of the cultivated land is good,
and the scenery around the village, which is situated in
a vale in the midst of lofty hills, is very beautiful. The
living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books
at £10. 3. 4., and in the patronage of Mrs. Livesey; net
income, £120. The church stands in a low retired
situation, not far from the site of the ancient castle, at
a little distance from the village, towards the south; it
is a very ancient structure, said to have been founded at
an early period of the heptarchy. About 1312, the friars
of the order of the Holy Cross began to erect an oratory
here; but the work being interdicted by Archbishop
Grenfield, it was abandoned.
Kildwick (St. Andrew)
KILDWICK (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
of Skipton, E. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe
and Ewcross, W. riding of York; consisting of the
chapelry of Silsden, and the townships of Both-Bradley,
Cononley, Cowling, Farnhill, Glusburn, Kildwick, Steeton
with Eastburn, Stirton with Thorlby, and Sutton; the
whole containing 10,607 inhabitants, of whom 189 are
in the township of Kildwick, 4 miles (S. S. E.) from
Skipton. This parish comprises by admeasurement
22,621 acres, of which 2500 are arable, 900 woodland,
and the remainder pasture, common, and waste; the
substratum abounds with freestone of good quality, which
is extensively quarried. The worsted manufacture is
carried on; and the spinning of yarn, for which there
are several mills, affords employment to many of the
population. There are also an iron-foundry and forges
for the manufacture of machinery, and large quantities
of nails are made. The village is pleasantly situated in
the vale of the Aire. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £10. 8. 1½.; income, £357;
patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Canons of
Christ-Church, Oxford. The tithes were commuted for
land in 1773. The church is in the later English style,
and contains an altar-tomb with the recumbent effigy of
Sir Robert de Stiverton in chain armour. At Silsden
and Cowling are separate incumbencies.
Kilgwrrwg
KILGWRRWG, a parish, in the union and division
of Chepstow, hundred of Raglan, county of Monmouth, 5¾ miles (E. S. E.) from Usk; containing 133
inhabitants. The parish is situated in a very mountainous district, and comprises about 570 acres. The
living is a perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books
at £2. 4. 9½.; net income, £57; patron, the Archdeacon
of Llandaff.
Kilham
KILHAM, a township, in the parish of Kirk-Newton, union, and W. division of the ward, of Glendale,
N. division of Northumberland, 6 miles (S. S. E.)
from Coldstream; containing 279 inhabitants. The
township is situated on the borders of Scotland, and
upon the road between Wooler and Kelso; it comprises 2826 acres, of which 776 are in the hamlet of
Thornington. About 1350 acres are good arable land,
and the remainder chiefly mountain and moor, affording
fine pasturage for sheep. The soil on the banks of the
river Beaumont, which intersects the township, is rich,
while that in some other parts is of a light thin quality,
resting on whinstone, and well adapted for turnips.
The Kilham hills lie to the south; and about two miles
further along the road, the pleasant and fertile vale of
Paston, long the seat of a branch of the Selbys of Twizell,
and through which runs the river Glen, affords a fine
contrast to the steep and rugged mountains that fill the
surrounding country. Thornington haughs are celebrated for a breed of short-horned cattle.
Kilham (All Saints)
KILHAM (All Saints), a parish, in the union of
Driffield, wapentake of Dickering, E. riding of
York, 5½ miles (N. N. E.) from Driffield; containing
1120 inhabitants. The parish comprises by survey
7877 acres, of which 7021 are arable, 500 pasture, and
350 woodland; the surface is varied, and the lower
grounds are watered by a branch of the river Hull.
Clay abounds, and considerable quantities of bricks and
of draining and pan tiles are made; there is also a
brewery on a large scale. The village, which is pleasantly
situated on a declivity of the Wolds, now consists only
of one irregular street, extending from east to west, but
was once a much larger place, vestiges of foundations
having been often discovered. It had anciently a market,
which, from the vicinity and greater convenience of that
at Driffield, has been long since discontinued. Fairs for
cattle are held on August 21st and November 12th; the
latter is also a statute-fair. The living is a discharged
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4.; net
income, £145; patron, the Dean of York. The tithes
were commuted for land and a money payment in 1771.
The church is a very ancient structure in the early
English style, with a massive tower strengthened with
angular buttresses. There are places of worship for
Baptists, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists. A free
grammar school was founded in the 9th of Charles I.,
by John, Lord D'Arcy, who endowed it with a rentcharge of £30. At Henpit Hole is a remarkable intermittent spring; another called the Gipsey, or Vipsey,
occasionally breaks out after a wet season, and runs
with considerable force into the branch of the Hull.
Near the Rudston road is a fine mineral spring. Numerous intrenchments and tumuli are to be traced in the
parish; the former are referred to the Danes, and the
latter are perhaps anterior to the time of Cæsar. In the
south-west corner of the lordship is a place called Danes'
Graves, where are many little mounds of earth, on opening some of which human bones were found; and in
the north-east corner, on the road to Rudston, when
digging for sand, several human skulls were laid bare,
around which were iron rings, brass clasps, amber beads,
and fragments of weapons.
Kilhampton (St. James)
KILHAMPTON (St. James), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Stratton, E. division of Cornwall,
3½ miles (N. by E.) from Stratton; containing 1237 inhabitants. This place, which had anciently a market,
was distinguished at an early period as the residence of
the Granville family, one of whose ancestors, descended
from Rollo, first duke of Normandy, came over with
William the Conqueror, and is said to have founded the
church. Upon the site of the ancient mansion, John,
Earl of Bath, soon after the Restoration erected the
magnificent residence of Stowe, which, within little more
than half a century, was demolished; on its demolition,
the elaborately carved cedar wainscot which lined the
chapel, was purchased by Lord Cobham, and put up in
the chapel of his seat at Stowe, in Buckinghamshire.
The parish is bounded on the east by the river Tamar,
which separates it from the county of Devon; and comprises by measurement 7300 acres, whereof 350 are common or waste. There are quarries of stone, for rough
building and for repairing roads. The road from Camelford to Bideford passes through the village; and at the
eastern extremity of the parish is a branch of the Bude
canal, by which sea-sand for manure, and supplies of
coal, are obtained. The reservoir of the canal, covering
an area of 70 acres, is partly within the parish. Fairs
are held on Holy-Thursday, the third Thursday after,
and the 26th of August. The living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £26. 3. 11½., and in the gift of
Lord Carteret: certain impropriate tithes have been
commuted for £50, and the incumbent's for £607; the
glebe comprises 90 acres. The church is partly Norman, and partly in the later English style, and abounds
with interesting details; the south door is a beautiful
specimen in the Norman style, with shafts and bands of
zig-zag and beak-headed tracery. The original ceiling of
carved oak, and several of the old oak benches, are remaining; the pulpit is highly enriched, and the Norman
font is preserved in its ancient state. Of the several
monuments, the most striking is one to the memory of
Sir Beville Granville, of Stowe, Earl of Corbill, and
Lord of Thorigay and Granville, in France and Normandy, who was killed in the parliamentary war, at the
battle of Lansdown, July 5th, 1643. There are places
of worship for Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists. The
Rev. James Hervey resided for some time at Alderscombe,
with the Orchard family, and is said to have conceived
here the subject of his Meditations among the Tombs.
Killamarsh (St. Giles)
KILLAMARSH (St. Giles), a parish, in the union
of Chesterfield, hundred of Scarsdale, N. division
of the county of Derby, 9 miles (N. E.) from Chesterfield; containing 906 inhabitants. The Chesterfield
canal, and a railway communicating with the coal-mines
in the vicinity, pass through the parish. The living is a
rectory, separated from that of Eckington in June, 1843;
it is in the patronage of the Crown, and endowed with
a portion of the glebe of Eckington rectory, to the annual amount of about £300. The church is partly in
the Norman style.
Killcot, with Boulsdon.—See Boulsdon.
KILLCOT, with Boulsdon.—See Boulsdon.
Killcott
KILLCOTT, a tything, in the parish of Hawkesbury, union of Chipping-Sodbury, Upper division of
the hundred of Grumbald's-Ash, W. division of the
county of Gloucester, 2¾ miles (S. E. by S.) from
Wootton-under-Edge; containing, with Saddlewood and
Tresham, 296 inhabitants.