Mitton (St. Michael)
MITTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of
Clitheroe, comprising the townships of Bashall-Eaves,
West Bradford, Grindleton, Mitton or Great Mitton, and
Waddington, in the W. division of the wapentake of
Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York; and the
township of Aighton with Bailey and Chaigley, in the
Lower division of the hundred of Blackburn, county of
Lancaster; the whole containing 4201 inhabitants, of
whom 212 are in Great Mitton, 3 miles (W. S. W.) from
Clitheroe. This place was the scene of a dreadful
slaughter committed by the Scots on their irruption into
England in 1319. It was for many generations chiefly
the property of the Sherburnes, of whom Sir John de
Sherburne attended Edward III. at the siege of Calais.
Stonyhurst, the seat of the family, now occupied as a
Roman Catholic college, was probably commenced by
Sir Richard Sherburne, who died in 1594, and completed by his son in 1596; it is situated at Aighton,
and is described in the article on that place. The parish,
which comprises by computation 18,540 acres, is bounded
on the south by the river Calder, and divided by the
river Hodder. In the township of Mitton are 1450 acres,
occupying, with the village, a narrow tongue of Yorkshire, at the confluence of the Hodder and Ribble. The
living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£14. 7. 8.; net income, £153, with a glebe-house;
patron, J. Aspinall, Esq., who is lord of the manor.
The church, erected in the reign of Edward III., is in
the decorated English style, with a lofty square embattled
tower; on the north side of the chancel is the sepulchral
chapel of the Sherburne family. There are churches at
Grindleton, Hurst Green, and Waddington, the livings
of which are perpetual curacies, that of Grindleton being
in the patronage of the Vicar. The Wesleyans have
places of worship at Waddington and Bashall-Eaves;
and there are numerous schools in the parish, of which
those of Aighton, Grindleton, Hurst Green, and Mitton
have small endowments. At Longridge, in Aighton, is
an almshouse founded by Sir Nicholas Sherburne in
1706, and of which the possessors of the Stonyhurst
estate have the patronage and control.
Mitton
MITTON, a liberty, in the township, parish, and
union of Penkridge, E. division of the hundred of
Cuttlestone, S. division of the county of Stafford,
2¾ miles (W. N. W.) from Penkridge. It comprises
about 600 acres of land.
Mitton, Worcester.—See Hardwick
MITTON, Worcester.—See Hardwick.
Mitton, Little
MITTON, LITTLE, a township, in the parish of
Whalley, union and parliamentary borough of Clitheroe, Higher division of the hundred of Blackburn,
N. division of Lancashire, 3½ miles (S. W.) from Clitheroe; containing, with Coalcoats and Hewthorn, 74 inhabitants. It gave name as early as the time of Richard I.
to a knightly family, of whom Sir Ralphe de Little
Mitton is mentioned in the Townley MSS. The manor
was for many generations in the family of Catteral; in
1664 it was sold to Alexander Holt, and subsequently it
passed by marriage to the Beaumonts. The township
is of small extent, and is on, perhaps, the lowest ground
in the parish, near the confluence of the Ribble, the
Hodder, and the Calder. It is principally remarkable
for its ancient manorial Hall, of the age of Henry VII.,
the property of the Beaumont family, and now a farmhouse.
Mitton, Lower
MITTON, LOWER, a district chapelry, in the parish
and union of Kidderminster, Lower division of the
hundred of Halfshire, Kidderminster and W. divisions
of the county of Worcester; containing, with the town
of Stourport (which see), 3012 inhabitants. This place,
in Leland's time, was distinguished for the number of
its corn-mills, for the establishment of which the river
Stour, branching in various directions, afforded great
convenience. The chapelry contains 936a. 2r. 34p. The
living is a perpetual curacy, until recently annexed to
the vicarage of Kidderminster: it is now a separate
incumbency, in the patronage of the Vicar; net income,
with a house, £150. The chapel, dedicated to St. Michael,
is a small edifice of brick with a tower; it was erected
in 1790, and enlarged in 1835.
Mitton, Upper
MITTON, UPPER, a hamlet, in the parish of Hartlebury, union of Droitwich, Lower division of the
hundred of Halfshire, Kidderminster and W. divisions
of the county of Worcester, ¾ of a mile (N. E.) from
Stourport; containing 269 inhabitants, and comprising
341 acres of a productive soil.
Mixbury (All Saints)
MIXBURY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of
Brackley, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford,
8 miles (N. by E.) from Bicester; containing 391 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 2800 acres: the
soil is light and thin; the surface is level, but very elevated, and the scenery is enlivened by the river Ouse.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£15. 9. 4½.; net income, £180; patron, the Bishop of
Rochester. The church has a Norman doorway with
zigzag mouldings, leading into the south aisle; the nave
and chancel are separated by a large Norman arch, and
at the east end of the north aisle is the burial-place of
the Bathurst family. Here are some remains of an
ancient fortification, originally surrounded by a moat,
and by the Normans called Beaumont.
Moat
MOAT, a township, in the parish of Kirk-Andrewsupon-Esk, union of Longtown, Eskdale ward, E.
division of the county of Cumberland, 4½ miles (N.
N. E.) from Longtown; containing 205 inhabitants.
On the bank of the Liddel are the ruins of a strong
square tower, called Liddel Strength, surrounded by a
double moat. It more than once fell into the power of
the Scots, and on one occasion was taken by David,
King of Scotland, who caused the two sons of the governor, Sir Walter Selby, to be strangled.
Mobberley (St. Wilfrid)
MOBBERLEY (St. Wilfrid), a parish, in the union
of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow, N. division of
the county of Chester, 3½ miles (E. N. E.) from Knutsford; containing 1272 inhabitants. The parish comprises 4942 acres; 1373 acres are arable, 3233 pasture,
and 336 woodland: the surface is level, and the soil
principally clay, the remainder being loam, with some
bog. The manufacture of cotton is carried on in a factory established 25 years ago, and now employing about
60 hands. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £23. 3. 4., and in the patronage of Mrs. Mallory;
net income, £524. The church, which is very ancient,
has a rich screen, two sedilia, and a beautiful piscina;
it was thoroughly repaired, and the tower rebuilt of
stone, in 1533, at the expense of Sir John Talbot. There
are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.
The free school, founded in 1659, by the Rev. William
Griffin, was endowed by him with the interest of £210.
A priory of Black canons was established here in 1206,
by Patrick de Mobberley, in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Wilfrid; but it existed only a short
time.
Moccas (St. Michael)
MOCCAS (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of
Weobley, hundred of Webtree, county of Hereford,
14 miles (W. N. W.) from Hereford; containing 188
inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the north by
the river Wye, and is intersected by the road from
Hereford to Hay; it comprises 1130 acres. The living
is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£6. 4. 4., and in the gift of Sir V. Cornewall, Bart.:
the tithes have been commuted for £192. 6., and the
glebe comprises 84 acres.
Mockerkin
MOCKERKIN, a hamlet, in the parochial chapelry
of Loweswater, union of Cockermouth, Allerdale
ward above Derwent, W. division of Cumberland, 5
miles (S. S. W.) from the town of Cockermouth; containing, with Sosgill, with which it forms a constablewick, 296 inhabitants.
Modbury (St. George)
MODBURY (St. George), a market-town and parish, in the union of Kingsbridge, hundred of Ermington, Ermington and Plympton, and S. divisions
of Devon, 36 miles (S. W. by S.) from Exeter, and
208 (W. S. W.) from London; containing 2048 inhabitants. This place, called in Latin records Motberia, was
in the possession of Wado in the time of the Confessor,
and subsequently became the property of the Champernownes, of whom Richard Champernowne, in 1334,
obtained permission to fortify his manorial residence
here. During the contest between Charles and the
parliament, the fortress was taken by the garrison of
Plymouth, and in February, 1643, Sir N. Stanning, when
intrenched here with 2000 soldiers, was defeated by the
Devonshire clubmen. The town is situated at the junction of roads from Plymouth, Kingsbridge, and Dartmouth, and occupies the bottom and declivities of a
valley; it consists of four streets, which meet at right
angles, the point of union being in the lowest part of the
town: the inhabitants are supplied with water from
three conduits.
The manufacture of woollen goods, which was formerly of great extent, has decayed: there is still some
weaving of long ells; also a considerable trade in corn
and malt. A creek, navigable for barges, extends from
the estuary of the river Erme, which bounds the parish
on the west, to within two miles of the town, and facilitates the importation of coal, and the export of the
produce of the soil. The principal general market is on
Thursday, and there is another on Saturday for butchers'
meat; also a great cattle-market on the second Tuesday
in every month. A fair takes place on the 4th of May,
unless that day fall later in the week than Thursday, in
which case it is postponed till the following Tuesday.
The town is governed by a portreeve and subordinate
officers, who are appointed at one of the courts leet,
which are held at Michaelmas and Lady-day. The
borough sent two members to parliament in the 34th of
Edward I., but was afterwards relieved from making
returns, on the plea of its inability to pay their expenses.
The parish comprises 5977 acres, of which 229 are
common or waste; the surface is varied, and the scenery
in many parts is highly picturesque. The substratum
abounds with limestone, which is quarried both for
building and for burning into lime; there are also some
quarries of slate-stone. The living is a vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £19. 11. 0½.; net income, £302;
patrons and impropriators, the Provost and Fellows of
Eton College. The church, which stands upon an eminence south-westward of the town, is an ancient embattled structure, with modern additions; the tower,
rebuilt in 1622, is surmounted by a spire. Here are
places of worship for Baptists, the Society of Friends,
and Wesleyans. Some years since, there were slight
remains of Modbury House, and also of a Benedictine
priory, founded in the reign of Stephen, and dedicated
to St. Gregory, as a cell to the abbey of St. Peter sur
Dive, in Normandy; its possessions, valued at £70 per
annum, were given by Henry VI. to Eton College. Sir
John Fortescue, a celebrated lawyer, and lord chief
justice in the reign of Henry VI.; and Sir George
Baker, M.D., president of the Royal College of Physicians, born in 1722; were natives of the place.
Moggerhanger
MOGGERHANGER, a hamlet, in the parish of
Blunham, union of Biggleswade, hundred of Wixamtree, county of Bedford, 4½ miles (N. W. by N.)
from Biggleswade; containing 425 inhabitants.
Molash, or Moldash (St. Peter)
MOLASH, or Moldash (St. Peter), a parish, in
the union of East Ashford, hundred of Felborough,
lathe of Shepway, E. division of Kent, 9 miles (W. S. W.)
from Canterbury; containing 391 inhabitants. It comprises 1449 acres, of which 120 are in wood. The living
is annexed to the vicarage of Chilham: the impropriate
tithes have been commuted for £98, and those of the
incumbent for £138; there is a glebe of 5 acres.
Molesden
MOLESDEN, a township, in the parish of Mitford, union of Morpeth, W. division of Castle ward,
S. division of Northumberland, 3½ miles (W. by S.)
from Morpeth; containing 40 inhabitants. This township, which takes its name from its situation on the
Moles burn, has been for nearly five centuries the property of the Mitford family. It comprises 683 acres;
72 are woodland, and the remainder is arable, the soil
being well adapted for the growth of wheat and oats.
The land to the south of the village, formerly an open
moor, has for several years been under good cultivation.
The village is pleasantly seated on the road from Meldon
to Mitford, and on the bank of the Mole, which falls
into the river Wansbeck at a short distance below it.
Molesey, East
MOLESEY, EAST, a parish, in the union of Kingston, First division of the hundred of Elmbridge, W.
division of Surrey, 3½ miles (W. by S.) from Kingston;
containing 690 inhabitants. This place belonged to the
priory of Merton, which leased it in the reign of Henry
VIII. to Sir Thomas Heneage, who resided here in a
sumptuous mansion, erected by himself, and who, after
the Dissolution, held the lands under the crown. The
parish is bounded on the north by the river Thames,
and intersected by the river Mole, and comprises 692a.
1r. 10p., of which 354 acres are arable, and 337 meadow;
the surface is generally level. The village is connected
with Hampton Court, by a bridge of wood over the
Thames. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£157; patrons and impropriators, the Provost and
Fellows of King's College, Cambridge. The tithes were
commuted for land and a money payment in 1815. The
church contains numerous monuments, of which one is
to the memory of Admiral Sir Edmund Nagle, nephew
of Edmund Burke.
Molesey, West
MOLESEY, WEST, a parish, in the union of
Kingston, First division of the hundred of Elmbridge,
W. division of Surrey, 4 miles (W.) from Kingston;
containing 469 inhabitants. It belonged to Bishop Fox,
founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, who settled
it on that institution, the heads of which eventually exchanged it for other lands, Henry VIII. being desirous
of annexing the manor to the chase of Hampton Court.
The parish is bounded on the north by the Thames,
across which is a ferry to Hampton, and on the southeast by the river Mole. Hampton races are held on
Molesey Hurst or Common, in June. This was anciently
a chapelry to Walton-on-Thames. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £104; patron, the Right
Hon. J. W. Croker. The tithes were commuted for
land and a money payment in 1815. The glebe land
consists of 25 acres. The church presents no indications of an early age, though a church is mentioned in
Domesday book; it is a low and irregularly-built edifice,
with an embattled tower of stone and flints.
Molesworth (St. Peter)
MOLESWORTH (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Thrapston, hundred ot Leightonstone,
county of Huntingdon, 11 miles (W. N. W.) from
Huntingdon; containing 221 inhabitants, and comprising by computation 1300 acres. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 10.; net
income, £228; patron, the Archbishop of York. The
tithes were exchanged for land under an act of inclosure in 1800, with the exception of a small portion
since commuted for a rent-charge of £33. 14.; the
glebe altogether comprises 296 acres, with a house. The
church is a neat ancient structure. Edward Pickering,
Esq., in 1697 bequeathed £200, now vested in land let
for £27, which sum is distributed among the poor.
Molland (St. Mary)
MOLLAND (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of South Molton, South Molton and N. divisions of Devon, 7 miles (E. N. E.) from South Molton;
containing 550 inhabitants. It comprises 5972 acres,
of which 2253 are common or waste. The living is a
vicarage, united to that of Knowstone. There are vestiges of an ancient earthwork.
Mollington
MOLLINGTON, a chapelry, in the parish of Cropredy, union of Banbury, partly in the hundred of
Bloxham, county of Oxford, and partly in the BurtonDassett division of the hundred of Kington, S. division
of the county of Warwick, 4¾ miles (N. by W.) from
Banbury; containing 385 inhabitants. The Warwickshire portion contains 684 acres. The chapel is dedicated to All Saints, and now consists of a nave and
chancel only, a north aisle having been taken down in
1786, and the space between the pillars built up; the
font is semi-Norman.
Mollington, Great
MOLLINGTON, GREAT, a township, in the parish
of Backford, union of Great Boughton, Higher
division of the hundred of Wirrall, S. division of the
county of Chester, 2¾ miles (N. W. by N.) from
Chester; containing 140 inhabitants. This place is
named Molintone in Domesday survey, when it was
held by Robert de Rodelent, upon whose death it reverted to Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester. There is afterwards no record of the manor until the reign of Edward
II.; William Torrand then obtained lands in Mollington,
and early in the following reign he acquired the manor,
with other property, from William de Backford. A
lapse again occurs in the descent of the estate until the
8th of Henry V., when Edmund de Eulowe died seised
of it. His heiress Katherine married into the Booth
family, founders of the house of Dunham-Massey, with
whom the manor remained until the 44th of Elizabeth,
when it passed by marriage to the Mordaunts, of Bedfordshire, whose Cheshire estates fell into the hands of
the Gleggs, of Gayton. Mary, sole heiress of Robert
Glegg, brought Mollington in 1758 to the Baskervyles,
who soon afterwards sold it to the Hunts; and in 1797
it came by purchase to John Feilden, Esq., of Blackburn, in Lancashire. The township comprises 824 acres
of land, of which the soil is clay. The road from
Chester to Parkgate, and the Ellesmere canal, are convenient to the village; where, also, is a station of the
Chester and Birkenhead railway. The site of the ancient manor-house is now occupied by the Hall, the
owner of which yet holds court leet and baron for the
manor. The tithes have been commuted for £54. 3.
payable to the Bishop of Chester, and £65. 10. to the
vicar of the parish.
Mollington, Little
MOLLINGTON, LITTLE, a township, in the union
of Great Boughton, Higher division of the hundred
of Wirrall, S. division of the county of Chester,
2¼ miles (N. W. by N.) from Chester; containing
25 inhabitants. This township, called also MollingtonBanastre, although sometimes considered as part of
the parish of Backford, is included in that of St.
Mary on the Hill, Chester. Like Great Mollington,
it was anciently part of the estate of Robert de
Rodelent, and, like that township, reverted, after his
death, to the Earl of Chester. In the 41st of Edward
III., it was possessed by the Banastres by gift from the
crown; and it passed from them to the Langtons,
barons of Newton, under whom it was held by the
Hoghtons, of Hoghton Tower, in Lancashire. By the
marriage of the heiress of the Hoghtons with William
Stanley, of Hooton, 14th Henry VI., a portion of the
estate was conveyed to the Stanley family. The remainder is the property of the Rev. John Hamer. The
township comprises 223 acres, and is situated on the
Wirrall side of the Chester and Ellesmere canal, by
which it is separated from the other townships in the
parish. The tithes have been commuted for an annual
rent-charge of £50.
Molscroft
MOLSCROFT, a township, in the parish of St.
John, union, and liberties of the borough, of Beverley, E. riding of York, 1¼ mile (W. N. W.) from Beverley; containing 135 inhabitants. It was held jointly by
the Archbishop of York and the canons of Beverley, and
in the old provost's books is called " Mylcross," probably
from a mile cross which marked the sanctuary limits
of the town. The township comprises by computation
1130 acres of land, divided among several proprietors,
and lying within the manor of Beverley Chapter: the
village is pleasantly situated on the road from Beverley
to the village of Cherry-Burton.
Molton, North (All Saints)
MOLTON, NORTH (All Saints), a parish, and
formerly a market-town, in the union and hundred of
South Molton, South Molton and N. divisions of
Devon, 3 miles (N. N. E.) from South Molton; containing 2121 inhabitants. This parish, which borders
upon Somersetshire, is situated on the Exmoor road, and
in a district celebrated for a peculiar breed of cattle, called
the North Devon breed, of a brown colour, without any
intermixture of white. It comprises 15,149a. 1r. 20p.,
whereof 4435 acres are common or waste: the surface
is varied, and the low grounds are watered by the river
Mole, from which the place takes its name. The substratum contains copper-ore, of which two mines are in
operation: there are also numerous quarries of freestone
of good quality for building; and a woollen manufactory
is carried on, affording employment to about 150 persons. Fairs for cattle, which are the largest in the north
of Devon, are held on the Wednesday after May 12th,
and on the last Wednesday in October. The living is a
discharged vicarage, with the perpetual curacy of Twitchen annexed, valued in the king's books at £16. 16. 1.;
net income, £110; patron and impropriator, the Earl of
Morley, whose tithes have been commuted for £1292. 17.:
there are nearly 6½ acres of glebe. The church is a
venerable structure, in the decorated and later English
styles, with a lofty square embattled tower, and contains
a beautifully-carved oak screen, and a very rich octagonal
font, with some remains of painted glass, and some
handsome monuments. There were formerly three
chapels of ease in the parish, at South Radworthy,
Holywell, and Ben-Twitchen; the last had in 1772 been
converted into a dwelling-house. In 1715 the Presbyterians had a meeting-house at North Molton: at present, the Independents and Wesleyans have places of
worship. A well here, called the Holy Well, is still
much resorted to on Holy-Thursday.
Molton, South (St. Mary Magdalene)
MOLTON, SOUTH (St.
Mary Magdalene), an incorporated market-town, a
parish, and the head of a
union, in the hundred of
South Molton, South Molton and N. divisions of Devon, 28 miles (N. W. by N.)
from Exeter, and 181 (W. by
S.) from London; containing 4274 inhabitants. This
town derives its name from
the river Mole, on the western bank of which it is situated, having Exmoor on the
north, and Dartmoor faintly perceptible on the south;
the streets are well paved, flagged, and lighted with gas,
and the inhabitants are supplied with water from wells.
The principal branch of manufacture is that of woollen
goods, which are occasionally furnished to the East
India Company; shalloons, serges, and coarse woollencloth, are the articles chiefly made. The manufacture of
lace has been lately introduced. The general market is
on Saturday, and others are held on Tuesday and Thursday: there are cattle-fairs on the Wednesday before
June 22nd, and the Wednesday after Aug. 26th; and
great markets, also for cattle, on the Saturday after
February 13th (noted for its fine show of North Devon
cattle), and the Saturdays before May 1st, October 11th,
and December 12th. For several successive weeks in
the spring, there are large markets for sheep.
Corporation Seal.
The town received two charters, one in 1590, granted
by Queen Elizabeth, and another in 1684, bestowed by
Charles II.; but the government is now vested in a
mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors, under the
act of the 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76. The
mayor and late mayor are justices of the peace, possessing jurisdiction concurrently with the county magistrates,
who hold petty-sessions in a building over the cornmarket. The powers of the county debt-court of South
Molton, established in 1847, extend over the greater part
of the registration-district of South Molton. The borough sent representatives to parliament once in the
reign of Edward I. The town-hall is a handsome stone
building; the prison was erected at an expense of £2000.
The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £200;
patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Canons of
Windsor, whose tithes have been commuted for £840,
and who have a glebe of 233 acres. The church is a
very spacious structure in the ancient English style,
repaired in 1829, at a cost of £2000, and contains a
richly carved pulpit of stone. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. A free school
was founded in 1684, by Hugh Squire, who endowed it
with an annuity of £40; a Blue school was established
in 1711; a Diocesan commercial school has been instituted, and a national school is supported by subscription.
The union of South Molton comprises 29 parishes or
places, containing a population of 20,978. Some vestiges
of ancient encampments are visible at Cadbury and other
places near the town. The late Mr. Justice Buller received the early part of his education at the free school
here; and the Rev. Samuel Badcock, who distinguished
himself in a controversy with Dr. Priestley, and assisted
Dr. White in writing his celebrated Bampton Lectures,
was born at South Molton in 1747.