Matson

MATSON, a parish, in the Middle division of the hundred of Dudstone and King's-Barton, union and E. division of the county of Gloucester, 2 miles (S. by E.) from Gloucester; containing 61 inhabitants. This place, during the siege of Gloucester, became the head-quarters of Charles I.; and the ancient manorhouse, erected by Sir Ambrose Willoughby, Knt., in the reign of Elizabeth, was on that occasion occupied by the king's sons, Charles and James. Matson House belonged to the celebrated George Selwyn. The parish comprises 466a. 3r. 1p. Out of the vale rises Robin Hood's Hill, of conical form, a beautiful object in the scenery: it has for centuries supplied Gloucester with water by means of aqueducts, which are mentioned in numerous ancient documents; and it is said, that before the Conquest it produced iron-ore for the forges of that city. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £3. 16. 5½.; net income, £184; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester. The tithes were commuted for land and corn-rents in 1796.

Matterdale

MATTERDALE, a chapelry, in the parish of Greystock, union of Penrith, Leath ward, E. division of Cumberland, 10 miles (S. W. by W.) from Penrith; containing 363 inhabitants. The chapelry is situated on the east side of an extensive moor, and affords only coarse pasture, with the exception of about 20 acres of inclosed arable and meadow land. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £80; patron, the Rector of Greystock. The chapel was erected in 1685. Robert Grisdale, in 1722, built a school, and endowed it with £11 a year.

Mattersey (All Saints)

MATTERSEY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of East Retford, Hatfield division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham, 3½ miles (S. E.) from Bawtry; containing 519 inhabitants. This parish consists of 2561 acres, in a fertile district abounding with pleasing scenery; the lands were inclosed in 1770. The village is situated on the bank of the river Idle, over which is a neat stone bridge; and the Chesterfield canal passes within a mile. A fair, chiefly for horned-cattle, is held on the 29th of September. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6. 8. 9.; patron, the Archbishop of York; impropriator, Earl Spencer. The tithes have been commuted for 130 acres of land, valued at £300 per annum; and there is a glebe-house. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style, forming an interesting feature in the landscape. Here is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A priory of Gilbertine canons, dedicated to St. Helen, was founded here before 1192, by Roger de Maresay, and at the Dissolution had a revenue of £61. 17. 7.

Mattingley

MATTINGLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of Heckfield, union of Hartley-Wintney, hundred of Holdshott, Odiham and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 2¾ miles (W. by S.) from HartfordBridge; containing 270 inhabitants.

Mattishall (All Saints)

MATTISHALL (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Mitford, W. division of Norfolk, 5 miles (E. S. E.) from East Dereham; containing 1155 inhabitants. The parish comprises 2280a. 1p., of which 1898 acres are arable, 338 pasture and meadow, and 10 woodland. The worsted manufacture was carried on, but since the introduction of machinery it has been discontinued. The living is a discharged vicarage, with the rectory of Pattesley united, valued in the king's books at £7. 7. 3½.; patrons and impropriators, the Master and Fellows of Caius College, Cambridge. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £448, and the vicarial for £293; the impropriate glebe comprises 6 acres, and the vicarial 23. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a lofty embattled tower surmounted by a spire; on the south side of the chancel is a piscina of elegant design, and the church contains several monuments, and some ancient brasses. Here are places of worship for the Society of Friends, Independents, and Primitive Methodists. At the inclosure of the parish, 60 acres were allotted to the poor: these, with other lands, produce £90 per annum; and the poor have some small sums arising from benefactions.

Mattishall-Burgh (St. Peter)

MATTISHALL-BURGH (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Mitford, W. division of Norfolk, 5½ miles (E. by S.) from East Dereham; containing 230 inhabitants. It comprises 604a. 38p., of which 510 acres are arable, 70 pasture and meadow, and 10 woodland. The living is a discharged rectory, united to that of Hockering, and valued in the king's books at £3. 15. 10.: the tithes have been commuted for £192. 10., and there are 20a. 2r. 12p. of glebe. The church, chiefly in the decorated and later styles, consists of a nave, chancel, and north aisle, with a square embattled tower; a carved screen separates the chancel from the nave.

Mattishall-Heath.—See Merkshall.

MATTISHALL-HEATH.—See Merkshall.

Maughan's, St.

MAUGHAN'S, ST., a parish, in the division and hundred of Skenfreth, union and county of Monmouth, 4½ miles (N. N. W.) from Monmouth; containing 204 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the east by the river Munnow, which separates the counties of Monmouth and Hereford; it comprises by computation 1302 acres, whereof 541 are arable, 632 pasture and meadow, 101 woodland, and 28 road and waste. The surface is undulated, the soil fertile, and the scenery grounds are extensive and picturesque views, especially from the summit of Coedangra, whence may be seen the Wrekin (Salop), the Malvern hills (Worcester), Fairford (Oxford), and also the Hereford, Gloucester, Monmouth, Glamorgan, and Brecknockshire hills. Hillstone House, here, is a handsome mansion in the Grecian style, situated on an eminence. The living is a vicarage, annexed to that of Llangattock-Vibon-Avel: the whole of the tithes have been commuted for £158. 8. 4., of which £108 are payable to the vicar. The church is chiefly in the early style, and consists of two aisles, with a low square tower. In the grounds of Hillstone is a Holy well, formerly much resorted to by pilgrims.

Maulden (St. Mary)

MAULDEN (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Ampthill, hundred of Redbornestoke, county of Bedford, 1½ mile (E.) from Ampthill; containing 1330 inhabitants. It comprises nearly 3000 acres; 260 are woodland and plantations, and of the remainder twothirds are arable and one-third pasture: the surface is varied and the low grounds are watered by the river Flitt, a tributary of the Ivel. Many of the females are employed in lace-making and the platting of straw. There are some quarries of sandstone. A pleasure-fair is held in the week nearest to St. Bartholomew's day. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 9. 7.; net income, £512; patron, the Marquess of Ailesbury: the tithes were commuted for land and a corn-rent in 1796. The church, principally in the later English style, was restored in 1837. There are places of worship for Baptists and Independents.

Maunby

MAUNBY, a township, in the parish of KirbyWisk, union of Thirsk, wapentake of Gilling-East, N. riding of York, 6 miles (S. by W.) from Northallerton; containing 283 inhabitants. It is on the east bank of the Swale, and comprises by computation 1474 acres of land. The Leeming-Lane passes at about two miles' distance on the west.

Mautby (St. Peter and St. Paul)

MAUTBY (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the East and West Flegg incorporation, hundred of East Flegg, E. division of Norfolk, 2¾ miles (W. by N.) from Caistor; containing 66 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1600 acres, of which 960 are arable, and 650 meadow and marsh land. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 6. 8., and in the gift of Robert Fellowes, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £580, and the glebe comprises 46 acres. The church is in the early and decorated English styles, with a tower of earlier date, octagonal in the upper part, and circular in the lower.

Mawdesley

MAWDESLEY, a township, in the parish of Croston, union of Chorley, hundred of Leyland, N. division of Lancashire, 7 miles (W. S. W.) from Chorley; containing 867 inhabitants. Adam de Mawdesley was a ward of the duchy of Lancaster in the reign of Edward III.; Robert Mawdesley, the last of this ancient family, was living at Mawdesley Hall about 1760. A moiety of the manor was held at an early period by William del Lee and Isolda his wife, and descended, with Croston, to the families of Hesketh and Trafford. Mawdesley is a level and fertile township between Croston and Wrightington, and comprises 1869 acres of land, watered by the Sidbrook. It forms, with Bispham, an ecclesiastical district, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Rector of Croston; net income, £145, with a house. The tithes have been commuted for £366 payable to the rector of Chorley, and £50 to the rector of Croston. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, and consecrated in June, 1840, was built at a cost of £1260, and is in the early English style, with a tower and spire. The Roman Catholic chapel here, also dedicated to St. Peter, was built in 1832, at a cost of £2000, including the priest's house; the amount was partly raised by subscription, and partly derived from property left in 1826 by the Rev. Edward Barrett, who also left 63 acres of land for the priest. There is a national school. On the estate of Salt Pit is a brine spring.

Mawes, St.

MAWES, ST., a small sea-port and market-town, in the parish of St. Just in Roseland, union of Truro, W. division of the hundred of Powder and of the county of Cornwall, 3 miles (E.) from Falmouth (across the harbour), and 265 (S. W. by W.) from London; containing 941 inhabitants. The name is with probability considered to be a corruption of St. Mary's, and the place is called St. Mawes, alias St. Mary's, in various ancient records, perhaps from the priory of St. Mary at Plympton, which had land near the town. A castle was erected here in 1542, by Henry VIII., during the war with France, as a protection to Falmouth harbour; and at the Dissolution, the fortress, with the lands which had belonged to the priory at Plympton, became the property of the Vyvyan family, who possessed them for several generations. The town consists principally of one street fronting the sea, and lies at the foot of a hill rising somewhat abruptly; it is irregularly built, and chiefly inhabited by fishermen and pilots. Cables, ropes, &c., are manufactured for small craft. The pilchard-fishery, although on the decline, is the main source of occupation; and 14,000 hogsheads of the fish have been exported from St. Mawes and Falmouth, of which latter port this is a member, in one season. A small market for butchers' meat is held on Friday. A portreeve, commonly called mayor, is presented by a jury at the court leet of the manor, held in October, in the town-hall. St. Mawes first sent members to parliament in 1562; it was disfranchised by the act of the 2nd of William IV., cap. 45. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.

Arms.

Mawgan-in-Meneage (St. Mawgan)

MAWGAN-in-Meneage (St. Mawgan), a parish, in the union of Helston, W. division of the hundred of Kerrier and of the county of Cornwall, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Helston; containing 1084 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated near the head of the Helford creek, comprises a portion of the small port of Gweek, and contains some pleasing scenery and some good views, especially from Point Downs, from which there is a picturesque view of the valley of Mawgan, with a branch of the river Hel. Trelowarren, the seat of Sir R. Vyvyan, Bart., is a mansion in the later English style, erected in 1644; attached is a chapel, splendidly decorated. Fairs are held on the first Tuesday after Lady-day, the second Tuesday in August, and the first Tuesday in December, for cattle. The living is a rectory, with that of St. Martin in Meneage united, valued in the king's books at £35. 10. 2½., and in the gift of the Rev. G. Trevelyan: the tithes have been commuted for £600, and there is a glebe-house, with a glebe of 23 acres. The church contains some interesting monuments. Here are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans. At Trevesack is an ancient encampment, in which an earthen pot was turned up by the plough a few years since, containing a large quantity of Roman coins.

Mawgan-in-Pyder

MAWGAN-in-Pyder, a parish, in the union of St. Columb Major, E. division of the hundred of Pyder and of the county of Cornwall, 3 miles (N. W. by W.) from St. Columb Major; containing 749 inhabitants. This place is on the shore of the Bristol Channel, by which it is bounded on the west, and contains a small cove called Mawgan Porth; the cliffs are remarkably fine, especially at that part called Bodrathan Steps, where is a firm sandy beach three miles in extent, named Trevarrian. The parish comprises by computation 6078 acres, of which 600 are common or waste. Slate, thought to be equal in quality to that of the Dellabole quarries, is procured in vast quantities from the cliffs, and sent to different parts of the kingdom. The village is beautifully situated in a picturesque valley watered by a considerable stream which, at the distance of two miles, falls into the sea between two immense cliffs. A fair for cattle takes place on Midsummer-day; and a court leet and baron is held annually for the manor of Carnanton. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £26. 13. 4., and in the gift of H. Willyams, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £605, and the glebe comprises 64 acres. The church is an ancient structure: in the churchyard is a cross with a niche, in which the Crucifixion is sculptured in high relief, with several figures. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Lanherne House, long the residence of the lords Arundel, was fitted up by the eighth lord as an asylum for Carmelite nuns, who emigrated from Antwerp, and by such it is still occupied.

Mawnan (St. Mona)

MAWNAN (St. Mona), a parish, in the union of Falmouth, E. division of the hundred of Kerrier, W. division of Cornwall, 5 miles (S. by W.) from Falmouth; containing 582 inhabitants. It is bounded on the south-east by the English Channel, in which, within its limits, are two small open bays, called respectively Paisk and Bream; on the south runs the Helford river, an arm of the sea about a mile in breadth. The parish comprises 2058a. 3r. 37p. The soil is indifferent; in some parts coarse and shallow, and in others overgrown with furze: the surface is hilly, and the lower grounds are watered by numerous rivulets. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £14. 16. 3., and in the gift of the Rev. John Rogers: the tithes have been commuted for £304. 10.; the glebe comprises 38 acres, with a spacious house. The church is a handsome structure, in the later English style: on rebuilding the north wall, in 1827, the foundations of a wall were discovered, which had evidently belonged to a former church. At Penwarne was anciently a chapel, with a cemetery. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans. At Carlinnack is a circular intrenchment.

Mawthorpe

MAWTHORPE, a hamlet, in the parish of Well, union of Spilsby, Wold division of the hundred of Calceworth, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 2 miles (S. by E.) from Alford; with 30 inhabitants.

Maxey (St. Mary)

MAXEY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and soke of Peterborough, N. division of the county of Northampton, 1¾ mile (S. S. W.) from Market-Deeping; containing, with the hamlet of Deeping-Gate, 611 inhabitants, of whom 410 are in the hamlet of Maxey. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10; income, £304; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Peterborough. The church is Norman, with portions in the decorated and later English styles. In the parish are Lolham bridges, constructed by the Romans, to conduct the Ermin-street over the low grounds adjoining the river Welland.

Maxstoke (St. Michael)

MAXSTOKE (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Meriden, Atherstone division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the county of Warwick, 2¾ miles (S. E. by E.) from Coleshill; containing 346 inhabitants. This place, written Machintone in Domesday book, is therein certified as having woods one mile in length and half a mile in breadth. William de Odingsells, in the reign of Henry III., had a charter of free warren in all his demesne lands here; and his son and successor claimed by prescription, in the reign of Edward I., a court-leet, with gallows, tumbrell, and assize of bread and beer, which were allowed. The lordship was conveyed by an heiress to the Clintons, who exchanged it with the noble family of Stafford. The parish is bounded on the west and south by the river Blythe, and comprises by computation 2719 acres: the soil is generally a stiff clay producing good crops of wheat, and the surface is flat, except on the east, where it rises into a hill of considerable elevation. The Derby and Birmingham railway passes through the parish. Maxstoke Castle is the property of Capt. Thomas Dilke, R.N., a descendant of Sir Thomas Dilke, who purchased it in the 41st of Elizabeth from Sir Thomas Egerton, keeper of the great seal: the buildings occupy an irregular quadrilateral area, inclosed by an embattled wall, and defended at the angles by octagonal towers, and are in a fine state of preservation. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 6. 8.; net income, £70; patron and impropriator, Lord Leigh. There are extensive remains of a priory of Augustine canons, founded in 1336 by Sir William de Clinton, Earl of Huntingdon, and which was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Michael, and All Saints, and at the Dissolution had a revenue of £129. 11. 8.

Mayfield (St. John The Baptist)

MAYFIELD (St. John The Baptist), a parish, in the S. division of the hundred of Totmonslow, N. division of the county of Stafford; containing, with the chapelry of Butterton, part of Calton, and the township of Woodhouses, 1348 inhabitants, of whom 847 are in the township of Mayfield, 2¼ miles (S. W.) from Ashbourn. This place, from the discovery of Roman antiquities in the immediate vicinity, is supposed to have been occupied by the Romans: in digging a morass, vestiges of a paved road were discovered, and traces of an old fortification have been found at a place called Clines. The parish forms part of a tract of beautifully picturesque country, watered by the river Dove, and comprises 1815a. 1r. 35p. Hanging Bridge, an ancient stone structure of five arches, crosses the romantic vale of the Dove about half a mile north of the church. The cotton manufacture is carried on; the spinning of yarn affords employment to about 100 persons, and an equal number are engaged in the works at Hanging Bridge, on the other side of the river. The living is a discharged vicarage, endowed with a portion of the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at £6. 6. 8.; net income, £151; patron, Dr. Greaves; impropriators of the remainder of the rectorial tithes, the family of Bill. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a lofty embattled tower, and contains some details of Norman character, of which the arched doorway on the south side is a fine specimen. There are chapels at Butterton and Calton, a place of worship for Wesleyans, and a national school. Within the parish are two barrows, called Harlow and Rowloo; and at Halsteads are considerable remains of a large moated residence, approached by an ancient bridge in fine preservation, though much obscured by foliage and overhanging rocks.

Mayfield (St. Dunstan)

MAYFIELD (St. Dunstan), a parish, in the union of Uckfield, hundred of Loxfield-Camden, rape of Pevensey, E. division of Sussex, 9 miles (E. N. E.) from Uckfield; containing 2943 inhabitants. Henry III. granted a charter for a market and two fairs to be held here; the former has long been disused, and the latter are on May 30th for pedlery, and November 13th for cattle and pedlery. A great fire broke out at Mayfield in 1389, which burned the church and the greater part of the village. The parish is situated on the road from Toubridge-Wells to Eastbourne, and comprises by computation 13,133 acres, of which about 500 are hopgrounds; the surface is diversified with hills, and the lower grounds are watered by the river Rother. The soil is principally clay, alternated with sand; iron sandstone is abundant, and there were formerly furnaces for smelting ore. A corn-market is held every Wednesday. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £17. 13. 4.; net income, £834; patron and incumbent, the Rev. H. T. M. Kirby; chief impropriators, Lord Carrington, and the trustees of Smith's charity. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a square tower surmounted by a low spire, and from its elevated situation is conspicuous for many miles in every direction. Here are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. A free school, founded in 1749, has an endowment of £27 per annum. There are some fine remains of a mansion that belonged to the archbishops of Canterbury before the Reformation, consisting of the gatehouse, porter's lodge, and a considerable portion of the magnificent hall: a large room in that part of the building still habitable, was occupied by Elizabeth in 1573, during the entertainment given by Sir Thomas Gresham, then proprietor of the house, to the queen and her suite, in her progress through Kent.