Lanton

LANTON, a township, in the parish of Kirk-Newton, union of Glendale, W. division of Glendale ward, N. division of Northumberland, 5 miles (N. W. by W.) from Wooler; containing 83 inhabitants. It is situated on the north side of the Glen river, and also north of the road from Kirk-Newton to Wooler; the houses are few and scattered.

Lapal

LAPAL, a township, in the parish of Hales-Owen, union of Bromsgrove, Upper division of the hundred of Halfshire, Hales-Owen and E. divisions of Worcestershire; containing 351 inhabitants.

Lapford (St. Thomas à Becket)

LAPFORD (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish, in the union of Crediton, hundred of North Tawton, South Molton and N. divisions of Devon, 5¼ miles (S. E.) from Chulmleigh; containing 706 inhabitants. The parish comprises 3580 acres, of which 438 are common or waste. Serges were manufactured to a considerable extent; but about the year 1820, the factory was taken down. Bury-Barton House, now a farmbuilding, was a splendid mansion; there are still some remains of the chapel. A fair is held on the Monday after the festival of St. Thomas à Becket. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 1. 10½.; patron, W. Tanner, Esq. The church is a very ancient structure, with a richly-carved oak screen. Here is a place of worship for dissenters.

Lapley (All Saints)

LAPLEY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Penkridge, W. division of the hundred of Cuttlestone, S. division of the county of Stafford, 3¾ miles (W. by S.) from Penkridge; containing, with the chapelry of Wheaton-Aston, 952 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 3600 acres of land: the village is situated on a pleasant eminence. Lapley and Wheaton-Aston constitute a manor, with Marston in Church-Eaton parish. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 12. 3½.; net income, £124; patron and impropriator, S. Swinfen, Esq. The great tithes have been commuted for £300, and the vicarial for £200; the glebe comprises 22 acres. Here was a priory of Black monks, subordinate to the abbey of St. Remigius at Rheims: all that remains is the church, now the parish church, a large fabric, with a noble tower, which, from its lofty situation, is seen at a distance of several miles. Among the charities, are £10 a year left for instruction by Joan Scutt in 1669.

Lapworth (St. Mary)

LAPWORTH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Solihull, Warwick division of the hundred of Kington, S. division of the county of Warwick, 3½ miles (N. N. E.) from Henley-in-Arden; containing 729 inhabitants. It comprises 2810 acres, of which 30 are common or waste. The Stratford-on-Avon canal passes through. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 9. 7., and in the gift of Merton College, Oxford: the tithes have been commuted for £350, and the glebe comprises 68 acres. The church contains specimens of the early, decorated, and later English styles; the tower and spire are on the north side of the north aisle. There is a place of worship for Independents; and two schools are partly supported from the proceeds of benefactions amounting to £412 per annum, which are applied to various benevolent purposes.

Larbrick.—See Eccleston, Little.

LARBRICK.—See Eccleston, Little.

Lark-Stoke

LARK-STOKE, a hamlet, in the parish of Ilmington, union of Shipston-on-Stour, Upper division of the hundred of Kiftsgate, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 4 miles (N. E.) from the town of ChippingCampden; containing 18 inhabitants.

Larkton

LARKTON, a township, in the parish of Malpas, union of Nantwich, Higher division of the hundred of Broxton, S. division of the county of Chester, 8½ miles (N. by W.) from the town of Whitchurch; containing 53 inhabitants.

Larling (St. Ethelbert)

LARLING (St. Ethelbert), a parish, in the union of Wayland, hundred of Shropham, W. division of Norfolk, 2 miles (N. W. by N.) from East Harling; containing 205 inhabitants. This parish, sometimes called Larlingford, comprises about 1400 acres; the soil is light, in some parts sandy, and the lower grounds are watered by a river which divides the parish from that of Snetterton. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10. 0. 2½., and in the gift of Lord Colborne: the tithes have been commuted for £209, and the glebe comprises 40 acres. The church is an ancient structure in the early English style, with an embattled tower, and a south porch in which is a highly-enriched Norman arch.

Lartington

LARTINGTON, a township, in the parish of Romald-Kirk, union of Teesdale, wapentake of GillingWest, N. riding of York, 2½ miles (W. N. W.) from Barnard-Castle; containing 188 inhabitants. This place, which is situated in Teesdale, belonged in the 16th century to the Maires, from whom it passed by marriage to the Lawsons, of Brough, near Catterick, and from them to its present proprietor, Henry Thornton Maire Witham, Esq., who is lord of the manor. The township comprises 5299 acres, of which 3438 are common or waste; a considerable portion is within the ancient forest of Stainmore. The surface is finely diversified, and intersected by deep rocky glens, through which have been formed rides of several miles, abounding with romantic features. The soil near the banks of the Tees is a productive loam, which assumes a less fertile aspect as it gradually recedes from the river towards the moorlands. Lartington Hall, the seat of Mr. Witham, is a spacious mansion, situated on the bank of the Tees, in a richlywooded park; the pleasure-grounds command some fine views of that river, combining a variety of interesting scenery, and the house and demesne have been much improved by the present proprietor. Attached to the Hall is a Roman Catholic chapel, in which service is performed daily; the interior is embellished with a painting, in imitation of sculpture, by Le Brun. In 1831, Mr. Witham, who is distinguished for his love of geological research, laid the foundation stone of a building which has been completed as a museum, and contains an extensive collection of geological and mineralogical specimens, with some valuable paintings. The village is situated on the western acclivity of the dale, and consists of two ranges of neatly-built houses. The tithes have been commuted for £55. 13.

Larton, with Newton.—See Newton.

LARTON, with Newton.—See Newton.

Lasborough (St. Mary)

LASBOROUGH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Tetbury, hundred of Longtree, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 4¾ miles (W. by N.) from the town of Tetbury; containing 12 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 994 acres, of which 714 are arable, 220 sheep-walks, and 60 woodland. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 12. 5.; patron, R. S. Holford, Esq.

Lasham (St. Mary)

LASHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Alton, hundred of Odiham, Basingstoke and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 4 miles (N. W. by W.) from the town of Alton; containing 284 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1587 acres, of which 1330 are arable, 57 meadow, and 200 woodland. The soil is principally a red clay; the chief crops are wheat, oats, and barley, and the prevailing timber oak and beech. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 18. 9., and in the gift of G. P. Jervoise, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £350, and the glebe comprises 81 acres.

Laskill-Pasture

LASKILL-PASTURE, a township, in the parish and union of Helmsley, wapentake of Ryedale, N. riding of York, 6 miles (N. W. by N.) from Helmsley; containing 94 inhabitants. This is a small township, consisting of four farms, and lying on the east side of Ryedale.

Lassington

LASSINGTON, a parish, in the Lower division of the hundred of Dudstone and King's-Barton, union, and E. division of the county, of Gloucester, 3¼ miles (N. W.) from Gloucester; containing 82 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the north and east by the river Leadon, and comprises about 520 acres, nearly two-thirds of which are of a light sandy soil, and the remainder a stiff clay, with some good dry meadow land. The Herefordshire and Gloucestershire canal runs parallel with the Leadon, which falls into the western branch of the Severn, near an ancient camp, where both rivers are crossed by the same bridge. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 10., and in the gift of Sir B. W. Guise, Bart., and the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, the former having two presentations, and the latter one: the tithes have been commuted for £119, and the glebe comprises 8 acres. The church is a small plain edifice. The petrifaction called astroites, or starstone, is met with in a hill in the neighbourhood.

Lastingham (St. Mary)

LASTINGHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Pickering, wapentake of Ryedale, N. riding of York; comprising the townships of Appleton-le-Moors, Farndale East-side, Hutton-le-Hole, Lastingham, Rosedale West-side, and Spaunton; and containing 1463 inhabitants, of whom 175 are in the township of Lastingham, 7 miles (N. W.) from Pickering. A Benedictine monastery was founded here, in honour of the Virgin Mary, about 648, by Cedd, Bishop of the East Saxons, and flourished until 1080, when the monks removed to York. The parish is intersected by the small river Dove, and comprises by computation 19,200 acres, of which 8000 are common or waste; 406 acres are in the township. The whole, with the exception of Farndale East-side, forms part of the manor of Spaunton, of which the Darley family have for a considerable period been lords. The soil is of various qualities, and though there are large tracts of open moor and uncultivated land, much of it is fertile and productive. In Rosedale West-side are several beds of coal. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £17. 7. 6., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £215. The church is a small and very ancient edifice, supposed to have belonged to the monastery: underneath the choir is a vaulted crypt, of which the massive cylindrical columns and sculptured arches are fine specimens of Norman architecture, and other portions of the edifice are in a later style; the east end is circular, and at the west end is a low tower. There is a chapel of ease at Farndale East-side, and at Appleton-le-Moors and Hutton-le-Hole are places of worship for Wesleyans. John Jackson, the celebrated painter, was a native of the parish.

Latchford

LATCHFORD, a chapelry, in the parish of Grappenhall, union of Warrington, hundred of Bucklow, N. division of the county of Chester; containing 2361 inhabitants. This place is separated from the town of Warrington by the river Mersey, over which a bridge existed here as early as the 14th century. Latchford had anciently two weekly markets and two annual fairs, granted to it by Edward III. The township is included in the parliamentary borough of Warrington, and comprises 731 acres, of which the soil is sandy and alluvial. The commons were inclosed, with those of Grappenhall, under an act of parliament passed in 1773. The Duke of Bridgewater's canal and the Mersey and Irwell canal pass through the chapelry; and across the Mersey is a new and handsome stone bridge, conveniently connecting the place with Warrington, erected in 1837. There are several cotton factories in operation. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £181; patron, Thomas Greenall, Esq. The late chapel, dedicated to St. James, was consecrated in 1781; a new edifice has been built, containing 400 free sittings, the Incorporated Society having granted £400 towards the erection. There is a neat parsonage-house.

Latchford

LATCHFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of Great Haseley, poor-law union of Thame, hundred of Ewelme, county of Oxford, 2½ miles (W.) from Tetsworth; containing 32 inhabitants.

Latchingdon (St. Michael)

LATCHINGDON (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Maldon, hundred of Dengie, S. division of Essex, 5¼ miles (S. by E.) from Maldon; containing 372 inhabitants. It is bounded on the north by Latchingdon Creek and the river Blackwater, and on the south by the navigable river Crouch; and comprises 3672 acres. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £37, and in the gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury: the tithes have been commuted for £900, and the glebe comprises 44 acres. The church is ancient.

Lathbury (All Saints)

LATHBURY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport, county of Buckingham, ¾ of a mile (N.) from Newport-Pagnell, on the road to Northampton; containing 127 inhabitants. This parish, which is almost surrounded by the river Ouse, comprises about 1200 acres, in nearly equal portions of pasture and arable; the surface is generally level, with some undulations, and the soil is gravelly and loamy, and the alluvial portion very rich. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books at £5. 6. 8.; net income, £68; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford: the glebe-house was enlarged in 1839, by the Rev. Henry Bull, M. A., the incumbent. The church is a very ancient structure, and has a Norman tower; it contains a column with a curiously wrought capital, and in the chancel is some handsome pavement of black and white marble, the gift of Margaret, daughter of Sir H. Andrewes, Bart., a young lady of remarkable piety, of the last century, and of whom a short life has been published. The learned Dr. Chelsum, who distinguished himself by his defence of Christianity against Gibbon, held the living for some time. A cell that belonged to the priory of Lavendon occupied the site of the present manor-house.

Lathom

LATHOM, a township, in the parish and union of Ormskirk, hundred of West Derby, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 3¾ miles (N. E. by E.) from Ormskirk; containing 3262 inhabitants. This place was the seat of the Lathom family, of whom Robert de Lathom, in the reign of Edward I., received the grant of a weekly market and an annual fair, and whose baronial mansion of Lathom House, remarkable for its extent and magnificence, and formidable for its strength, afterwards became so conspicuous in history. The manor, in the reign of Henry IV., was conveyed by marriage with the daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Lathom, to Sir John Stanley, ancestor of the earls of Derby, of whom Thomas, the first earl, entertained Henry VII. in his baronial castle here, at that time in its full splendour. This noble castle, which had eighteen towers, and was surrounded by a fosse eight yards in breadth, with a drawbridge defended by a lofty gateway tower, was twice besieged by the parliamentary forces during the reign of Charles I., of whose cause its owner was a resolute supporter. On the 28th of February, 1646, during the absence of the earl, it was besieged by General Fairfax with a force of 3000 men, but was heroically defended by the Countess of Derby, who, with her retinue of 300, in several destructive sallies killed 500 of the assailants, and maintained possession till, on the arrival of the royalist army under Prince Rupert, the enemy thought proper to retire. In the following year the castle was again besieged by General Egerton, at the head of 4000 parliamentarians, to whom, after a protracted and obstinate resistance, it was finally surrendered for want of ammunition; having been first plundered it was dismantled, and the fortifications were demolished.

Upon the Restoration, Lathom House again became the residence of the Stanley family, and in 1730 was conveyed by marriage with Henrietta, daughter and heiress of William, Earl of Derby, to John, the third earl of Ashburnham, by whom it was sold. It was subsequently purchased by Sir Thomas Bootle, Knt., who restored and nearly rebuilt the ancient mansion, in a style commensurate to its former splendour, and by whose niece it was conveyed by marriage to Richard Wilbraham, Esq., father of Lord Skelmersdale, the present proprietor. The mansion is spacious, and contains numerous stately apartments; the north front extends 156 feet, and the offices are joined to it by colonnades, supported by Ionic pillars: the surrounding park is between three and four miles in circumference. A considerable part of the township is the property of Edward Stanley, Esq., the representative of a branch of the Derby family, for many generations seated at Cross Hall, a mansion taken down about the commencement of the present century; a small portion of it now forms a neat farmhouse with a modern stone front. In the vale towards Lathom House is New Park, in which, it is said, formerly stood a castle, called Horton Castle; its site is now marked by a rude building of stone. Blythe Hall, another seat of the Wilbraham family, is also in this township. The township comprises 7577a. 3r. 36p., of which 4383 acres are arable, 1286 meadow, 1894 pasture, and 229 woodland. A domestic chapel, in Lathom Park, was restored in 1810, at a cost of £1200: the living is a donative, in the gift of Lord Skelmersdale. The great tithes have been commuted for £1002. The free school at Newburgh, a hamlet in the township, was erected in 1714 by the Rev. Thomas Crane, who endowed it with an estate at Dalton, which, with subsequent benefactions, produces £52 per annum; it is conducted on the national plan. Here is a saline chalybeate spring.

Latimer, Iselhempstead, or Eastmansted-Latimer

LATIMER, ISELHEMPSTEAD, or EastmanstedLatimer, a chapelry, in the parish of Chesham, union of Amersham, hundred of Burnham, county of Buckingham, 3¼ miles (S. E. by E.) from Chesham; containing 250 inhabitants. This place, with the surrounding estate, belonged in the reign of Edward III. to Simon Beresford, on whose attainder it reverted to the crown, and was given to William Latimer, from whom it derived the adjunct to its name. The ancient house has been almost entirely rebuilt, in the Tudor style. The living is a donative of very ancient date, endowed with the rectorial and other tithes of a portion of the parish, and valued in the king's books at £5. 6. 8.; patron, the Hon. C. C. Cavendish. The incumbent's tithes have been commuted for £125, and he has a glebe of 6½ acres. A chapel in the Elizabethan style, built by Mr. Cavendish, was opened for divine service in 1842.

Latton (St. John the Baptist)

LATTON (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Epping, hundred of Harlow, S. division of Essex, 1½ mile (W. S. W.) from Harlow; containing 303 inhabitants. It is bounded on the west by the river Stort, and comprises 1566 acres, whereof 174 are common or waste. The living is a vicarage, endowed with the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at £7; patron and incumbent, the Rev. J. Arkwright: the tithes have been commuted for £355, and the glebe comprises 113 acres. The church is an ancient structure, with a square embattled tower. Here was a priory of Black canons, founded in the fourteenth century, and dedicated to St. John the Baptist: some remains of the buildings, converted into a barn, contain specimens in the decorated style.

Latton (St. John the Baptist)

LATTON (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Cricklade and Wootton-Basset, hundred of Highworth, Cricklade, and Staple, Cricklade and N. divisions of Wilts, 1½ mile (N. W. by N.) from Cricklade; containing 379 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, with that of Eisey annexed, valued in the king's books at £9. 3. 4.; net income, £380; patron and impropriator, the Earl of St. Germans: the tithes were commuted for land and corn-rents in 1801. The church is a neat structure. A tessellated pavement was discovered in 1670.

Laughterton

LAUGHTERTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Kettlethorpe, poor-law union of Gainsborough, wapentake of Well, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln; containing 174 inhabitants.