Kingswear (St. Thomas à Becket)
KINGSWEAR (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish,
in the union of Totnes, hundred of Heytor, Paignton
and S. divisions of Devon, 3¼ miles (S. W. by S.) from
Brixham; containing 270 inhabitants. The parish is
situated on the eastern side of Dartmouth harbour, near
the mouth of which are vestiges of a castle; and on the
brow of a hill near the village, are some remains of
military earthworks. From Dartmouth Castle, opposite
to the ruins of a fort here, a chain was formerly stretched
to prevent ships entering the harbour: this fort was
taken from Sir Henry Carew by General Fairfax, in
January, 1646. The living is a perpetual curacy; net
income, £99; patron, the Vicar of Brixham. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £4 per annum,
and the vicarial for £7. 15.
King's-Weston.—See Weston, King's.
KING'S-WESTON.—See Weston, King's.
Kingswinford.—See Swinford, King's.
KINGSWINFORD.—See Swinford, King's.
Kingswood
KINGSWOOD, a hamlet, in the parish of Ludgershall, union of Aylesbury, hundred of Ashendon, county of Buckingham, 9 miles (W. N. W.) from
the town of Aylesbury; containing 66 inhabitants.
Kingswood
KINGSWOOD, a township, in the parish of Delamere, union of Runcorn, First division of the hundred
of Eddisbury, S. division of the county of Chester;
containing 103 inhabitants. It comprises 1017 acres of
land, of a light sandy soil.
Kingswood (St. Mary)
KINGSWOOD (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Dursley, Upper division of the hundred of Berkeley, W. division of the county of Gloucester, 5¼ miles
(S. by W.) from Dursley; containing 1321 inhabitants.
A Cistercian monastery was founded here in 1139, and
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, by William de Berkeley,
who placed in it brethren from Tintern Abbey. The
society soon afterwards removed to Tetbury, but in 1170
returned to this parish, and settled at Mireford, near the
site of their former establishment, where they continued
to flourish till the Dissolution, when their revenue was
returned at £254. 11. 2.: the only remains are, the
foundations of the two churches, a gate-house, and some
small ruins. The parish comprises 2200 acres by computation; the lands are watered by the Middle Avon,
and on its banks are several extensive mills for the manufacture of woollen-cloth. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £99; patrons, the Inhabitants.
There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. A school was endowed in 1674, by John Mayo,
with a farmhouse and 25 acres of land; the present
income is £50 per annum. Josiah Sheppard, in 1726,
bequeathed £1500 to purchase land for the benefit of
the nonconformist minister and the poor of his congregation.
Kingswood
KINGSWOOD, an ecclesiastical district, in the parish of Bitton, union of Keynsham, Upper division of
the hundred of Langley and Swinehead, W. division
of the county of Gloucester, 4 miles (E. by N.) from
Bristol; containing about 5000 inhabitants. Here are
some extensive collieries, from which the city of Bristol
and its vicinity are principally supplied with coal. The
church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was built partly
at the expense of the Parliamentary Commissioners.
The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £150;
patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury. A parsonage-house, and a national school, were erected close
to the church in 1823. A school was founded in 1748,
by the Rev. John Wesley, for clothing and educating 100
boys, the sons of Wesleyan ministers.
Kingswood
KINGSWOOD, a liberty, in the parish of Ewell,
union, and First division of the hundred, of Reigate, E.
division of Surrey, 2½ miles (N. N. W.) from Gatton;
containing 245 inhabitants. This place was given by
Henry II. to the priory of Merton; and Henry III.
granted to the prior the right of free warren here, in the
36th of his reign: at the Dissolution the estate went to
the crown, and the lands have since been held by various
families, some of them of consequence. The liberty comprises 1800 acres, of which 400 are woodland, and the
remainder almost wholly arable: the ecclesiastical district of Kingswood includes part of Banstead parish.
The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, was erected at a
cost exceeding £1100, raised by subscription, aided by a
grant of £150 from the Incorporated Society: it was
consecrated on the 14th January, 1836. The living is
endowed with about £60 per annum, and is in the gift
of the Vicar of Ewell. The Unitarians have a place of
worship. Here was formerly a chapel, of which mention
occurs towards the close of the reign of Edward I.
Kingswood
KINGSWOOD, a hamlet, partly in the parish of
Lapworth, Warwick division of the hundred of Kington, and partly in that of Rowington, Henley division
of the hundred of Barlichway, union of Solihull, S.
division of the county of Warwick, 5 miles (N. E. by N.)
from the town of Henley-in-Arden. Here is a place of
worship for Unitarians.
Kingthorp
KINGTHORP, a township, in the parish, union, and
lythe of Pickering, N. riding of York, 2 miles (N. E.
by E.) from Pickering; containing 52 inhabitants. It
comprises by computation 1090 acres of land, and is
situated on the road from Pickering to Lockton.
Kington
KINGTON, a tything, in the parish, union, and
Lower division of the hundred, of Thornbury, W.
division of the county of Gloucester, ¾ of a mile
(W. N. W.) from Thornbury; with 745 inhabitants.
Kington (St. Michael)
KINGTON (St. Michael), a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Huntington, county of Hereford; comprising the townships of Barton with Bradnor and Rushock, Both-Hergests, and Lilwall with Pembers-Oak and Chickward;
and containing 3131 inhabitants, of whom 2091 are in
the town, 19 miles (W. N. W.) from Hereford, and 154
(W. by N.) from London. This town, which is of considerable antiquity, is situated on the banks of the river
Arrow, and consists of two spacious streets. Charles II.
is said to have visited it prior to the fatal battle of
Worcester, and to have slept at an inn then called the
Lion, but now the Talbot. In a barn still standing, the
celebrated tragic actress, Mrs. Siddons, made her first
appearance on the stage. The manufacture of woollencloth, which was formerly carried on, has entirely ceased;
and glove-making, which, until a recent period, furnished
employment to a considerable number of the inhabitants,
has much declined. There are, however, an iron-foundry,
a nail-manufactory, and an extensive tannery; and stone
of good quality for building is quarried. A railroad has
been constructed from the foundry to Brecon, joining
the canal at Newport, and extending to the lime rocks
at Old Radnor. Here is a good market for provisions
on Wednesday; and fairs are held on the Wednesdays
before Candlemas-day and Easter, on Whit-Monday,
August 2nd, and September 4th, for horses and cattle.
Courts leet and baron for the manor, at the former of
which a bailiff is appointed, take place annually; and
the county magistrates hold petty-sessions for the hundred of Huntington every Friday. The powers of the
county debt-court of Kington, established in 1847,
extend over the greater part of the registration-district
of Presteign and Kington, and over the parish of
Almeley.
The parish comprises by measurement 6733 acres, of
which about 500 are coppice-wood, 1600 open common,
and the remainder inclosed and under cultivation. The
soil is various; on the east and south of the town a reddish clayey loam, and to the north and west light and
gravelly: the surface is generally hilly, and the lower
grounds are watered by the river Arrow and a stream
called Back Brook, which are both well stocked with
trout, and which unite a little below the town. The
living is a vicarage, with the rectories of Huntington
and Michael-Church, and the vicarage of Brilley, valued
in the king's books at £25. 2. 11.; net income, £666;
patron and appropriator, the Bishop of Hereford. The
church, an ancient structure in the early English style,
was enlarged and thoroughly repaired in 1829. There
are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans. A
free grammar school was founded pursuant to the will
of Lady Hawkins, who in 1619 bequeathed money for
the purchase of an estate, now producing £224 per
annum. The union of Kington comprises 26 parishes
or places, 11 being in the county of Hereford, and 15 in
that of Radnor, Wales; the whole population amounts
to 15,738. On Bradnor Hill, about a mile north of the
town, are traces of an ancient camp: there is a rocky
eminence in the vicinity, called Castle Hill; and about
a mile to the west of the town is a mound, which was
once fortified. These works are supposed to have
formed parts of a series of strongholds between Huntington Castle and the castle of Lyon's Hall, to the south
of the parish.
Kington
KINGTON, a township, in the parish of Leintwardine, union of Ludlow, hundred of Wigmore, county
of Hereford; containing 264 inhabitants.
Kington, or Kineton (St. Peter)
KINGTON, or Kineton (St. Peter), a markettown and parish, in the union of Stratford-uponAvon, Kington division of the hundred of Kington,
S. division of the county of Warwick; containing,
with the chapelry of Combrook, 1248 inhabitants, of
whom 966 are in the town, 10½ miles (S. S. E.) from
Warwick, and 82 (N. W. by W.) from London. This
place, which gives name to the hundred, is so designated from its having been a royal residence. About a
quarter of a mile to the south-west, on a spot still
called Castle Hill, was a castle, in which King John is
said to have held his court; but there are no vestiges of
the building, traces of the moat by which it was surrounded being the only discernible remains: the site is
planted with trees, and at a short distance from the
spot is a well styled King John's Well. The name
Kineton, which is more ancient than Kington, is thought
by some to have been obtained from the place having
been at a very early period a considerable mart for
cattle, or kine. By this name it was given by Henry I.
to the monks of Kenilworth; and coming afterwards
into the possession of Milo de Kineton, it was taken from
him by Stephen, and restored to the monks.
Edge-Hill
Edge-Hill, near the town, was the scene of the memorable battle of that name, which occurred in 1642,
between the royal army, commanded by the king in person, and the parliamentarian forces under the Earl of
Essex. The king, on his march towards London, having
arrived near Banbury, received intelligence that the Earl
of Essex was advancing on his rear; and he therefore
ordered his army to retrograde, and rendezvous on EdgeHill on the morning of Sunday the 23rd of October.
The republican troops drew up their line of battle in the
valley below. About two o'clock in the afternoon, the
king's forces advanced to the attack; the cavalry of the
right wing, led on by Prince Rupert, made a charge
which completely routed the parliamentarian horse, and
Rupert's cavalry commenced a close and unsparing pursuit. Three regiments only withstood the attack; but
during the absence of Prince Rupert, imprudently
detained in plundering Kington, these, commanded
respectively by Lord Brook, Col. Ballard, and Denzil
Holles, having made good the ground abandoned by the
fugitives, poured in from the flank upon the main body
of the king's army, which at the same time was charged
in front by the remainder of the infantry led by the
Earl of Essex in person, and was ultimately forced to
give way. The defeat of the royal army was prevented
only by the approach of night, during which the main
body of the troops of the Earl of Essex withdrew to
Kington. On the next day both armies retired; the
king to Oxford, and Essex to Warwick. The elevation
of Edge-Hill above the sea is 700 feet, and the waters
descend from it on one side into the Thames by the river
Cherwell, and on the other into the Severn by the river
Avon. The hill has two faces, one to the north-east
and the other to the north-west, the angle between them
being at the ascent of the turnpike-road from Kington
towards Banbury, near which spot are the remains of an
ancient camp. When seen from the vale, the northwestern face has the appearance of a steep ridge with a
remarkably well-defined straight edge, from which circumstance the hill probably derived its name. The outline of the figure of a horse, anciently of colossal dimensions, cut in the red sandy loam on the side of the hill,
in the lordship of Tysoe, gives the name of the Vale of
Red Horse to the plain below; and the clearing out of
the horse, which, since the inclosure, is of much smaller
dimensions, is still an annual festival. From the brow
of the hill, in its different parts, may be seen the great
midland plain of England, extending from the Malvern
hills, on the border of Herefordshire, to the hills of
Charnwood Forest, in Leicestershire. The actual scene
of the battle is within the parish of Kington, and the
spot where the severest part of the conflict took place is
called Bullet Hill, from the number of bullets dug up
there in 1800.
The town is irregularly built: the houses are in
general ancient, of stone, with thatched roofs, and bear
a resemblance to the rudest features of the Elizabethan
style; but in detached situations are some handsome
modern houses, of stone and of brick. The inhabitants
are amply supplied with water from wells; the air is
salubrious, and the environs abound with pleasant walks.
The market, which has almost fallen into disuse, is on
Tuesday, and was formerly very considerable for grain.
A fair takes place on February 6th, which used to regulate the price of beans for seed, but is now very thinly
attended; and there is another on October 2nd, principally for the hiring of servants. A constable and headborough are appointed at the court leet of the lord of
the manor, in October. The parish comprises by computation 3800 acres. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £8. 6. 8.; net income, £97;
patron and impropriator, Lord Willoughby de Broke.
The church is a cruciform structure, in the early and
decorated English styles, with some remains of later Norman, and having a square embattled tower; the western
entrance is by a richly-moulded and deeply-receding
arch, in the most finished style of later Norman architecture: the chancel was rebuilt in 1315, and the nave,
aisles, and transepts, in 1755. At Combrook is a chapel
of ease.
Kington, or Little Chesterton
KINGTON, or Little Chesterton, a hamlet, in
the parish of Chesterton, union of Southam, Warwick division of the hundred of Kington, S. division
of the county of Warwick, 5 miles (N. N. E.) from
Kington; containing 37 inhabitants.
Kington (St. Michael)
KINGTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of
Chippenham, N. division of the hundred of Damerham, Chippenham and Calne, and N. divisions of
Wilts; containing, with the tythings of Easton-Piercy
and Langley, 1173 inhabitants, of whom 531 are in the
tything of Kington, 3 miles (N. N. W.) from Chippenham. The parish is situated on the road from Chippenham to Malmesbury, and comprises by measurement
4000 acres; the soil is clay, sand, and stone brash,
and the surface is flat, but not subject to inundation.
There are several quarries of good building-stone. A
fair for cattle and sheep is held on the 6th of October.
The ancient manor-house near the church was the country residence of the abbots of Glastonbury. The living
is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8. 9. 4½.,
and in the gift of the Earl of Mornington. The church,
of which the tower and north aisle have been rebuilt
within the last 60 or 70 years, has some fine Norman
details. There are places of worship for Baptists and
Independents. Isaac Lyte, alderman of London, who
died in 1659, erected six almshouses, which he endowed
with £20 per annum; and Mrs. White, in 1821, bequeathed the interest of £200 for their further endowment. In the parish are considerable remains of three
religious houses, the principal of which, a Benedictine
nunnery, in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was
founded before the time of Henry II., as a cell to the
abbey of Glastonbury; the revenue, at the Dissolution,
was £38. 3. 10.: the remains have been converted into
a farmhouse. Mr. Britton, the antiquary, is a native of
the parish.
Kington (St. James)
KINGTON (St. James), a parish, in the union of
Pershore, Upper division of the hundred of Halfshire, though locally in the Middle division of the
hundred of Oswaldslow, Pershore and E. divisions of
the county of Worcester, 9¾ miles (E.) from Worcester; containing 151 inhabitants. The parish is intersected by the road from Alcester to Worcester, and by
the North Piddle river; and consists of 988 acres, of
which two-thirds are arable, and the remainder pasture.
The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's
books at £8; net income, £99; patron, Thomas Bowater
Vernon, Esq. The tithes were commuted for corn-rents,
by an act of inclosure, in 1781; and under the recent
tithe act, a rent-charge of £4 has been awarded. There
are 17 acres of glebe, and a house. The church stands
near the centre of the village, and is a neat stone edifice
with 92 sittings.
Kington Magna (Holy Trinity)
KINGTON MAGNA (Holy Trinity), a parish, in
the union of Wincanton, hundred of Redlane, Sturminster division of Dorset, 6½ miles (W.) from Shaftesbury; containing, with the tything of Nyland, 616 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the road from
London, viâ Yeovil, to Exeter; and comprises by measurement 1884 acres. Stone of inferior quality for
building is dug, as occasion requires. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 4. 7.; net
income, £532; patron, the Duke of Rutland: the glebe
comprises 66 acres. The church is an ancient structure.
There are places of worship for Independents and Primitive Methodists.
Kington, West (St. Mary)
KINGTON, WEST (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union and hundred of Chippenham, Chippenham and
Calne, and N. divisions of Wilts, 8½ miles (W. N. W.)
from Chippenham; containing 349 inhabitants, and
comprising 2447a. 1r. 15p. There are quarries of stone
for common building purposes. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £11. 9. 9½., and in the
gift of the Bishop of Salisbury: the tithes have been
commuted for £553. 14., and the glebe comprises 73a.
3r. 37p. The church is a neat plain edifice. Near Ebbedown are vestiges of a small Roman camp. In the
walk to the glebe-house is a small hollow oak, the
favourite resort of Latimer, when that prelate held the
incumbency.
Kingwater
KINGWATER, a township, in the parish of Lanercost-Abbey, union of Brampton, Eskdale ward, E.
division of Cumberland, 9 miles (N. E.) from Brampton; containing 390 inhabitants. This place derives its
name from a stream so called, which has its source in
several rills issuing from the mountains to the north of
Gilsland. The township comprises the hamlet of WestHall, and is beautifully situated in a vale; the soil is
light, but of excellent quality, and the district is noted
for its pastures. The village consists of irregularlybuilt houses, scattered along the vale. At the extremity
of the vale are the ruins of Triermaine Castle, the baronial residence of the Vaux family, now almost entirely
removed; and near West-Hall was the ancient tower of
Torcrossock.
Kingweston (All Saints)
KINGWESTON (All Saints), a parish, in the
union of Langport, hundred of Catsash, E. division
of Somerset, 3½ miles (N. E.) from Somerton; containing 128 inhabitants. This place is memorable for the
defeat of the western insurgents in the reign of Edward
VI., and the capture of their leader, Humphrey Arundel,
by Sir Hugh Powlet, after their repulse at Exeter in
1549. The parish comprises by measurement 1151
acres. Stone of excellent quality for building and paving
is quarried. The living is a discharged rectory, valued
in the king's books at £10. 6. 3., and in the gift of F. H.
Dickenson, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for
£156, and the glebe comprises 29½ acres.
Kinlet (St. Peter)
KINLET (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of
Cleobury-Mortimer, hundred of Stottesden, S.
division of Salop, 5¼ miles (N. E. by N.) from Cleobury-Mortimer; containing 480 inhabitants. The living is
a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£8. 2. 4.; patron and impropriator, W. L. Childe, Esq.
The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £320, and
there are 45 acres of glebe. The church is an ancient
cruciform structure, in the Norman style, and contains
several splendid monuments of the family of Blount,
whose ancestors came over with the Conqueror.