Normicott
NORMICOTT, a liberty, in the parish and union of
Stone, S. division of the hundred of Pirehill, N. division of the county of Stafford; containing 905 inhabitants. It forms a constablewick in the Hilderstone
quarter of the parish, and adjoins Lane-End.
North Anston.—See Anston, North.
NORTH ANSTON.—See Anston, North.—And
other places having a similar prefix will also be found under
the proper name.
Northales, or Cove-Hithe (St. Andrew)
NORTHALES, or Cove-Hithe (St. Andrew), a
parish, in the union and hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk, 3½ miles (E. N. E.) from Wangford;
containing 186 inhabitants. This was formerly a considerable fishing-place. The parish comprises 1453
acres, of which 1270 are arable and pasture with marsh,
and 130 woodland. The living is a discharged vicarage,
consolidated, together with the rectory of Easton-Bavents,
with the rectory of Benacre, and valued in the king's
books at £5. 6. 8.; impropriator, Sir Thomas S. Gooch,
Bart. The vicarial tithes of Northales have been commuted for £95, and there is a glebe of 6 acres. The
south aisle only of the church is now appropriated for
divine service; the other parts are in ruins, and present
a beautiful specimen of architecture. An allotment of
about forty acres of land, set out for the benefit of the
poor under an inclosure act, produces £25 per annum.
John Bale, Bishop of Ossory, is supposed to have been a
native of this place, in 1495.
Northall
NORTHALL, a hamlet, in the parish of Eddlesborough, union of Leighton-Buzzard, hundred of
Cottesloe, county of Buckingham, 3½ miles (N. by E.)
from Ivinghoe; containing 540 inhabitants.
Northallerton (All Saints)
NORTHALLERTON (All Saints), a borough, market-town, and parish, and the head of a union, in the
wapentake and liberty of Allertonshire, N. riding of
York; comprising the chapelries of Brompton, Deighton,
and High Worsall, and the townships of Romanby and
Northallerton; and containing 5273 inhabitants, of whom
3092 are in the town, 32 miles (N. W. by N.) from York,
and 224 (N. N. W.) from London. This place, which
was a Roman station, and subsequently a Saxon borough,
is in Domesday book called Alvertune and Alreton, the
prefix North being applied to distinguish it from Allerton-Mauleverer. It was greatly injured, if not destroyed,
by Beornredus or Earnredus, who in 769, having invaded
the kingdom of Northumbria with a view to usurp the
throne, burnt the town of Catterick, about eight miles
distant. William Rufus gave the town, with the lands
adjacent, to the see of Durham, and, under the patronage
of the bishops of that diocese, it grew into importance,
and became an episcopal residence. At Cowton Moor,
about three miles from the town, and within the parish,
the celebrated battle of the Standard was fought, in
1138, between the English commanded by Ralph, Bishop
of the Orkney Islands, Walter l'Espee, and William
d'Albemarle, and the Scots led on by their king, David,
who had ravaged the country as far as York: the latter
were defeated, with the loss of 11,000 men. The spot
on which the standard was erected is still called Standard Hill, and the holes into which the dead were thrown,
the Scots' Pits. About 1174, Henry II. ordered the
episcopal palace, supposed to have been built by Geoffrey,
Bishop of Durham, and which had been strongly fortified
by Bishop Pudsey, to be demolished; it was afterwards
rebuilt, and again destroyed. Traces of the foundation
are still visible on the western side of the town. In
1318, the Scots plundered and burnt Northallerton.
During the civil war, Charles I., in one of his journeys
to Scotland, lodged here in an old mansion called the
Porch-house; and in 1745, the English army under the
Duke of Cumberland encamped on the Castle hills.
The town is pleasantly situated, and consists chiefly
of one spacious street, half a mile in length, partially
paved, and containing some good houses; it has long
given name to a district called Allertonshire, now constituting the wapentake and liberty. The principal
branches of manufacture are tanning and the currying of
leather; hand-loom linen weaving is carried on at
Brompton. The market is on Wednesday; and fairs
are held on Feb. 14th, Sept. 5th and 6th, Oct. 3rd and
4th, and the second Wednesday in the latter month.
The York and Newcastle railway has a station here; and
in 1846 acts were passed for making lines to Bedale and
Stockton, the former seven miles long, and the latter
20½. The borough, which exists by prescription, first
exercised the elective franchise in the 26th of Edward I.,
but made no subsequent return till 1640; from which
time it regularly sent two members to parliament till
the 2nd William IV., when it was destined to return
only one. The right of election was formerly vested in
the proprietors of ancient burgage houses, in number
about two hundred and ten, but is now extended to the
£10 householders of the townships of Northallerton and
Romanby, and the chapelry of Brompton, which, by the
act of the 2nd and 3rd of William IV., cap. 64, were
made to constitute the new borough, comprising 8693
acres, of which 3150 are in Northallerton township: the
returning officer is a bailiff, appointed by the Bishop of
Ripon, who is high-bailiff of the whole shire or liberty,
and lord of the manor of Northallerton. The general
quarter-sessions for the North riding are held here, as
directed by the act of the 1st of William IV., cap. 70;
and there is a weekly meeting of the county magistrates.
The powers of the county debt-court of Northallerton,
established in 1847, extend over the registration-district
of Northallerton. The sessions-house is an elegant
building, erected about 1790; annexed to it is a house
of correction, on the plan of Mr. Howard, containing
thirty cells. To the west of the sessions-house is the
registrar's office for the riding, where the bishop holds
his courts.
The parish comprises an extensive and fertile district
stretching for sixteen miles from north to south, and
between three and four from east to west; it is bounded
on the west by the river Wiske, and intersected by the
Sunbeck and the Northbeck: the surface is flat, except
on the west, where it is hilly, and the soil near the
town is a good loam. The living is a vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £17; net income, £697; patrons,
the Dean and Chapter of Durham; impropriators, Miss
Pierse and others. The impropriate tithes of Northallerton township have been commuted for £340. 7.,
and the vicarial for £273. 11.; the glebe attached to the
benefice comprises about 200 acres. The church is a
spacious cruciform structure, in the Norman and later
English styles, with a square tower rising from the
centre, and crowned with pinnacles at the angles. There
are chapels at High Worsall, Brompton, and Deighton;
also places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.
The free grammar (now the parochial) school is of royal
foundation: it has a small endowment, arising from a
bequest by Elizabeth Raine in 1737; also an interest in
five scholarships founded by Bishop Cosin at Peter
House, Cambridge, in a failure of applicants from the
school at Durham; and has likewise a contingent interest in twelve exhibitions to Lincoln College, Oxford,
founded by Lord Crewe. The school-house was rebuilt
in 1777. Dr. W. Palliser, Archbishop of Cashel; Dr.
George Hickes, Dean of Worcester, and author of the
"Thesaurus Septentrionalium Linguarum;" Dr. Thomas
Burnet, master of the Charter-House, London; Rymer,
editor of the Fædera; Dr. Radcliffe; and the Rev. John
Kettlewell, were educated here. An hospital, or Maison
de Dieu, was founded in 1476, by Richard de Moore, a
draper in the town, for thirteen poor people: it has been
rebuilt at the expense of the inhabitants, but the number of inmates is reduced to four. The Rev. John
Kettlewell, of St. Andrew's, Holborn, bequeathed in
1694 an estate in the township of Brompton, called
Low-Moor Farm, comprising eighty-three acres, and
yielding a rental of £70, of which £40 are applied in
support of the national schools here and at Brompton,
and the residue is laid out in clothing and medicine for
the poor of those places. The union of Northallerton
comprises 44 parishes and places, and contains a population of 12,575. Some remains exist of a monastery of
Carmelites, founded by Thomas Hatfield, Bishop of
Durham, about the year 1354, and dedicated to St.
Mary; and the site of St. James's hospital, about a mile
from the town, the revenue of which at the Dissolution
was £58. 10. 10., is still pointed out. It is also on
record that, in the 14th of Edward III., William de Alverton gave the Augustine friars eight acres of ground
in the town, on which to erect a church and habitation.
Vestiges of a military road leading from Alby, the Derventio of the Romans, through the town, to Catterick,
may be traced. Edmund Guest, Bishop of Salisbury,
almoner to Queen Elizabeth, was born here. Northallerton, in the reign of Anne, gave the title of Viscount to
the Elector of Hanover, afterwards George I.
Northam (St. Margaret)
NORTHAM (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union
of Bideford, hundred of Shebbear, Great Torrington
and N. divisions of Devon, 1½ mile (N. by W.) from
Bideford; containing 3578 inhabitants. This parish,
which is bounded by the Bristol Channel on the west,
and by the navigable river Torridge on the east, includes
the small sea-port of Appledore (which see), and comprises by admeasurement 2500 acres; the soil is good,
and the substratum contains stone for building and for
the roads. The manor of Northam was given by William the Conqueror to the church of St. Stephen's, in
Caen, and confirmed in 1252 to the priory of Frampton,
in Dorsetshire, which was a cell to St. Stephen's: on
the suppression of alien monasteries, it was granted by
the crown to the college of Ottery St. Mary. Queen
Elizabeth bestowed it in the year 1564 upon the Dean
and Canons of Windsor, to whom the fee still belongs.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £10. 10.; net income, £280; patrons
and appropriators, the Dean and Canons of Windsor.
The appropriate tithes have been commuted for £525,
and the glebe comprises 60 acres. A chapel has been
erected at Appledore. The Baptists, Independents, and
Wesleyans have places of worship. Here is an estate called Tomouth and Stoopehill, consisting of four
small houses, an orchard, and four fields, purchased with
£200 bequeathed by James Cocke in 1700, and £100
given by Elizabeth Langdon about the year 1702; it
produces about £50 per annum, which are distributed
by the minister and churchwardens to widows and children.
Northampton
NORTHAMPTON, a
borough and market-town,
having separate jurisdiction,
and the head of a union,
locally in the hundred of
Spelhoe, S. division of the
county of Northampton,
of which it is the chief town,
66 miles (N. W. by N.) from
London, on the road to Leicester; containing 21,242
inhabitants. This place,
from its situation to the
north of the river Nene (termed by Camden the Avon,
and more anciently known as the Aufona), is by some
antiquaries supposed to have been called North Aufonton,
of which they consider its present name to be a contraction; by others it is said to have been known to the
Saxons as Hamtune, and to have received the prefix
North to distinguish it from other towns of the same
name. It is unquestionably a place of antiquity, and
must have attained a considerable degree of importance
prior to the division of the kingdom into shires, from
its having given name to that in which it is situated.
In the reign of Edward the Elder it was in the possession of the Danes, who in 921 made it the principal
station of their forces, and marched hence to the siege
of Towcester. In 1010, it was again attacked by the
Danes, who burnt the town and laid waste the adjacent
country. During the insurrection of the Northumbrians against Tosti, son of Earl Godwin, in 1064, the
insurgents, under Earl Morcar, whom they had chosen
for their leader, marched to this place, where they committed excessive outrages, burning the houses of the
inhabitants, many of whom they massacred, and carrying off great quantities of cattle, and several hundred
prisoners. Harold, afterwards king, being sent against
the insurgents, encountered them near the town; but
listening to their just representations of the tyranny and
oppression of Tosti, he entered into an accommodation
with them, and procured for Morcar a confirmation of
his assumed authority.
Seal and Arms.
The town, which had scarcely recovered from the depredation it suffered upon this occasion, was given at
the time of the Conquest to Earl Waltheof, who had
married the Countess Judith, niece of the Conqueror;
but the earl having entered into a conspiracy against
the king, was executed as a traitor, and his confiscated
possessions were bestowed on Simon de St. Liz, Earl of
Huntingdon and Northampton, who repaired and beautified the town, erected a strong castle for its defence, and
surrounded it with massive walls in which were four
gates. From this period it rapidly improved; and from
its central situation and the security of its fortifications,
it became the occasional residence of several of our
kings. Henry I., in the 23rd year of his reign, celebrated the festival of Easter here with great pomp, and
in 1131 assembled a parliament at Northampton, in
which the barons swore homage to his daughter, the
Empress Matilda, whom he appointed his successor. In
the 11th of Henry II., a council was convened here, at
which Archbishop Becket was summoned to appear, for
his refusal to submit to the Constitutions of Clarendon.
On the rebellion of Prince Henry, Anketil Mallore, one
of his partisans, advancing to Northampton with a body
of forces, defeated the king's troops aided by a party of
the inhabitants, and took 200 of the latter prisoners.
William, King of Scotland, being taken prisoner at the
battle of Alnwick, was brought to Northampton, where
Henry was then residing; and the Bishop of Durham,
Roger de Mowbray, Earl Ferrers, with Anketil Mallore
and William de Dive, constables of the Earl of Leicester,
waited upon the English king to surrender the several
castles which they had held against him. In 1180, a
convention of barons and prelates met here, to take into
consideration the laws of the realm, and to amend and
enforce the Constitutions of Clarendon, by which the
kingdom was divided into six circuits, and three itinerant justices were assigned to each, for the administration of the laws and the punishment of offenders; and
in the following year the king held a council previously
to visiting his dominions on the continent.
Richard I., soon after his return from captivity, kept
the festival of Easter in the town, where he entertained
William of Scotland, who came to solicit a grant of the
county of Northumberland: during this reign a mint
existed here. On the death of Richard, the barons
assembled in council at the place, and took the oath of
allegiance to his brother, John, at that time in Normandy. John, in the tenth year of his reign, being
displeased with the citizens of London, removed his
court of exchequer to Northampton, and three years
afterwards assembled a council of temporal lords, at
which Pandulph and Durand, legates from the pope,
attended on behalf of the exiled clergy: these exiles the
king allowed to return to their country; but refusing to
restore their confiscated property, he was excommunicated by the legates. Previous to the commencement
of the war between the king and the barons, the latter
transmitted to him their memorial of grievances, which
the king having indignantly refused to redress, they laid
siege to the castle of Northampton; but being unable to
reduce it, they withdrew their forces, after remaining
before it fourteen days. On the signing of Magna Charta,
this, among other castles, was placed in their custody,
as security for the fulfilment of the conditions; but on
the renewal of the war, it was intrusted to Fulke de
Brente, a determined royalist. In 1216, the townsmen
attacked and killed many of the garrison under the
command of that officer, in retaliation for which the
soldiers burnt a considerable portion of the town.
Henry III., attended by his court, celebrated the festival of Christmas at the castle, where he was splendidly
entertained by the governor; and in the 30th year of
his reign, the king gave the inhabitants ten marks to
purchase books for a public library, a sacramental chalice for the church of All Saints, and smaller vessels of
silver for the other churches. The castle was occupied in
1264 by the insurgent barons under the Earl of Leicester,
from whose son, Simon de Montfort, it was taken by stratagem, after many fruitless attempts to reduce it; but the
following year it was retaken by the Montforts, who celebrated a tournament here, which was numerously and brilliantly attended: soon after, the elder Montfort was defeated and slain at the battle of Evesham. In 1268, a
parliament was held here, in which the rebellious barons
were deprived of their estates, and Simon de Montfort
was banished from the realm; and a council of prelates
was assembled at the same time, at which the pope's
legate excommunicated those bishops who had joined
their party. During this reign, repeated attempts were
made to establish a university in the town, in consequence of dissensions between the students and the
citizens of Oxford; in 1258, a large party of students
removed to this place, and a royal licence was obtained
for erecting public schools for teaching the arts and
sciences. But though subsequent disputes between the
students and the townsmen, both of Oxford and Cambridge, occasioned fresh accessions to Northampton, the
establishments were dissolved in 1265, by order of the
king, and the professors returned with their pupils to
their ancient seats. In the reign of Edward II., John
Poydras, the son of a tanner of Exeter, who pretended
to be the son and heir of Edward I., was convicted and
executed in the town as an impostor. In the second
year of the reign of Edward III., a treaty was concluded
here with the Scots, by which the king resigned his pretensions to the sovereignty of Scotland, in consideration
of 30,000 marks paid by Robert Bruce, whose infant son,
David, was affianced to Jane, the king's sister, also an
infant. In the same parliament which effected this
treaty, was enacted the Statute of Northampton, specifying in what cases pardon should be granted for felony,
and regulating the appointment of judges of assize. The
last parliament held here was summoned in the fourth
year of the reign of Richard II., to grant supplies for
the troops destined to serve in a war against France,
when a poll-tax was ordered, the levying of which excited the rebellion headed by Wat Tyler: this parliament, together with the convocation of Canterbury, sat
in the chancel of All Hallows' church, now All Saints',
the castle having fallen into a ruinous state.
During the war between the houses of York and
Lancaster, a sanguinary and decisive battle took place
at Northampton on the 9th of July, 1460, in which
Henry VI. was defeated and taken prisoner. The
treacherous desertion of Lord Grey of Ruthin, who commanded the vanguard of the king's army, contributed to
the defeat of the royal forces, on whose side fell the
Duke of Buckingham, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Viscount
Beaumont, Lord Egremont, and other nobles, who were
buried in the town; the duke was interred in the church
of the Grey friars, and several of the others in St. John's
hospital, where their bones have been recently discovered.
In the 9th of Edward IV., Earl Rivers and his son, who
had been taken by the rebels under Sir Henry Nevil and
Sir John Coniers, who headed the insurrection in Yorkshire, were beheaded in the town. Queen Elizabeth, in
her progress through the county, visited Northampton,
where she was hospitably received, and presented by
the magistrates with a valuable purse, containing £20:
a similar mark of respect was paid to Charles I. and his
consort, who, on passing through the town, received
from the mayor and corporation two bowls of silver gilt,
containing 100 marks. In 1637, the court of Eyre for
the forests was held here, under the Earl of Holland,
chief justice, as head of the commission, assisted by five
of the judges and many of the nobility and gentry.
During the parliamentary war, Lord Brooke took possession of the town, which he fortified for the parliament.
In Sept. 1675, it was nearly destroyed by a fire, which
consumed 600 houses chiefly built of wood and roofed
with thatch; but from this severe calamity, of which
the damage was estimated at £150,000, it recovered
under the auspices of the Earl of Northampton. Few
events of importance have occurred of late years: in
Nov. 1844 the town was visited by Her Majesty the
Queen and her royal consort.
The town is pleasantly situated on the acclivity of
an eminence rising gradually from the north bank of
the river Nene, over which are two bridges of stone,
that to the south being a good structure of three elliptic
arches. It consists principally of two spacious and regular streets, nearly a mile in length, which, intersecting
each other at right angles, divide it into four nearly
equal parts; the houses are handsomely built of stone,
and the whole town, which is paved, and lighted with
gas, has a clean, respectable, and cheerful appearance.
An act was passed in 1843 for better paving, lighting,
and otherwise improving the borough. A building has
been erected and fitted up with swimming and other
baths, supplied with warm, tepid, and cold water. The
theatre was opened in 1806. Races take place annually:
the race-course comprises about 117 acres, and is at a
short distance from the town. At the end of Derngate
is a fine promenade, shaded by a row of lofty trees, and
commanding a view of the adjoining meadows; the environs generally are pleasant, and abound with agreeable
villas and thriving plantations. At the northern extremity of the town are some barracks, erected in 1796,
and forming a handsome range consisting of a centre
and two wings. The principal articles of manufacture
are, boots and shoes, of which great quantities are made
for the supply of the army; and stockings and lace, the
latter of which, since the introduction of machinery, has
been less extensively made. A considerable trade is
carried on in the currying of leather. There is a branch
canal, constructed in 1815, from the river Nene to the
Grand Junction canal, by means of which facility of
communication is obtained with almost every part of
the kingdom. Here also is a station of the Peterborough
branch of the London and Birmingham railway: the
branch quits the main line at Blisworth, a few miles
south of Northampton. In 1846 an act was passed for
a line of railway, six miles long, from Northampton to
the Weedon station on the London and Birmingham
line. The market-days are Wednesday, Friday, and
Saturday, the last a very large cattle-market. The fairs
are on the second Tuesday in January, Feb. 20th, the
third Monday in March, April 5th, May 4th, June 19th,
Aug. 5th and 26th, Sept. 19th (for cheese), the first
Thursday in November, the 28th of the same month,
and Dec. 19th, principally for horses, cattle, sheep, and
pigs: the fairs for horses and cattle are numerously attended by dealers. The market-place is a spacious area,
in the centre of which is a column with a powerful gaslight, and on the south side a conduit from which the
town is supplied with water.
Northampton is a borough by prescription. Richard
I. granted a charter to the burgesses, which was extended by four subsequent kings; but the first charter
of incorporation is that of the 23rd of Henry VI. The
mode of governing the borough was afterwards changed
by statute of the 4th of Henry VII., which was confirmed with slight alterations by Elizabeth, James I.,
Charles II., and lastly by George III. in 1796. The
control, however, is now vested in a mayor, six aldermen,
and eighteen councillors, under the act of the 5th and
6th of William IV., cap. 76. The borough is divided
into three wards, and the municipal boundaries are coextensive with those for parliamentary purposes; the
mayor and late mayor are justices of the peace, and the
total number of magistrates is twelve. The freedom is
inherited by birth or acquired by servitude. The town
has returned two members to parliament from the early
part of the reign of Edward I.: the mayor is returning
officer. The recorder holds quarterly courts of session,
and, every third week, a court of record for the recovery
of debts and determining of pleas to any amount; pettysessions take place every Tuesday and Friday, and the
assizes for the county, and the election of knights for
the southern division of the shire, are held here. The
powers of the county debt-court of Northampton, established in 1847, extend over the registration-districts
of Northampton, Brixworth, and Hardingstone. The
town-hall is an ancient edifice, commodiously arranged,
and decorated with portraits of Sir Thomas White,
founder of St. John's College, Oxford, and a munificent
benefactor to Northampton and other towns, and of the
Right Hon. Spencer Perceval. The borough gaol was
recently erected, at an expense exceeding £15,000, and
is admirably adapted to the classification of prisoners.
The county-hall is a spacious and elegant structure in
the Grecian style, of the Corinthian order, containing
courts for the assizes and quarter-sessions, and a suite of
rooms well adapted to the transaction of the general
business of the county: in the hall, the ceiling of which
is splendidly decorated, are portraits of William III. and
Queen Mary, Queen Anne, George I. and II. Adjoining
the shire-hall is the common gaol and house of correction for the county, a large building, erected in 1794, at
an expense of £16,000, and to which considerable additions have just been made.
The borough comprises the parishes of All Saints,
containing 7898; St. Giles, 3898; St. Peter, 1029; and
St. Sepulchre, 6124 inhabitants: in the extra-parochial
part of the town are 2293 inhabitants. There were formerly seven parochial churches within the walls and two
without, of which only four are remaining. The living
of All Saints' is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£22; net income, £350; patron, Lewis Loyd, Esq. The
church, rebuilt soon after the fire in 1675, from designs
by Sir Christopher Wren, is a spacious edifice in the
Grecian style, having in the centre a cupola supported
on columns of the Ionic order, and at the west end the
original square embattled tower, which escaped the conflagration, and in which is a dial illumined with gas.
There is also a portico of twelve lofty Ionic columns
sustaining a cornice and balustrade, in the centre of
which is a statue of Charles II.; on the pedestal is recorded his donation of 1000 tons of timber for the
rebuilding of the church. The interior is appropriately
ornamented: the altar-piece is decorated with paintings
of Moses and Aaron, by Sir Godfrey Kneller; the chancel is separated by a richly-carved oak screen, and among
the monuments are, one to the memory of the learned
Dr. Conant, prebendary of Norwich, and vicar of the
parish, and a handsome one by Chantrey to Spencer
Perceval, many years member for the borough. St.
Catherine's church, in the parish of All Saints, built
by subscription, aided by the Trustees of Hyndman's
bounty, was consecrated October 10th, 1839: the living
is in the gift of the Trustees.
The parish of St. Giles comprises about 800 acres, of
which 100 consist of meadow watered by the river Nene
on the south. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £7. 19.; net income, £111; patrons, Simeon's Trustees. The church is a large cruciform structure, with a lofty square embattled tower
rising from the intersection; it displays good portions
in various styles of English architecture, with a fine
western Norman entrance: in a chapel in the south aisle
is a beautiful altar-tomb of alabaster, and the font is
richly panelled in the later English style. A church
district named St. Edmund's was formed out of St.
Giles' parish in 1846 by the Ecclesiastical Commission:
the living is in the gift of the Crown and the Bishop of
Peterborough, alternately. The living of St. Peter's is a
rectory, with the livings of Kingsthorpe and Upton annexed, valued in the king's books at £34. 2. 11.; net
income, £860; patrons, the Governors of St. Katherine's Hospital, London. The church, supposed to have
been erected about the same time as the castle, is a
beautiful and perfect specimen of the enriched Norman
style, with a highly ornamented tower communicating
with the church by a finely-moulded arch; the details
are exquisitely wrought, and exhibit some of the finest
models in that style: east of the chancel is a vaulted
crypt. The roof of the church is supported on circular
arches, and alternately clustered and single-shafted columns; the font is richly ornamented in the later English style, and there are various monuments, among
which is one to the memory of John Smith, an eminent
mezzotinto engraver, who died in 1742. The living of
St. Sepulchre's is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £6. 1.; net income, £149; patrons, J.
Mercer, and C. Markham, Esqrs. The church is thought
to have been built by the Knights Templars, after the
model of the church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem,
and is one of four buildings of that kind remaining in
the kingdom: it is of circular form, with a cupola in
the centre of the roof, which is supported on eight round
Norman columns and plain pointed arches; there is also
a western tower surmounted by a spire. A handsome
church, called St. Andrew's, has lately been consecrated
in the parish, of which the cost, including the endowment, was £8000: the living is a perpetual curacy, in
the gift of Hyndman's Trustees. There are places of
worship in the town for Baptists, the Society of Friends,
Huntingtonians, Independents, and Wesleyans. At the
northern extremity of St. Sepulchre's parish, stands the
Roman Catholic collegiate chapel of St. Felix, named
after the apostle of the East Angles in the 7th century,
a small and unpretending but correct specimen of the
early English style, erected in 1844, almost at the sole
expense of the Right Rev. Dr. Wareing, mentioned hereafter: its architectural correctness, and the beauty of
the stained glass, are greatly admired. A public cemetery of about two acres was formed in 1847, by a
company.
The Free Grammar school was founded in 1542, by
Thomas Chipsey, who endowed it with lands which, together with subsequent benefactions, produce an income
of about £120: in 1557, Cardinal Pole granted for its
use the remains of the dilapidated church of St. Gregory.
The Corporation charity school was established by the
corporation, who appropriated to that purpose an unrestricted gift of £1000 by the Earl of Northampton,
with which sum and other benefactions an estate was
purchased, now yielding £310 per annum: part of the
income is applied to the clothing of 20 aged freemen.
The Blue-coat school was instituted in 1710, by Mr. John
Dryden, of Chesterton, who endowed it with a house, to
which Mr. Zachariah Herbert added a farm. The Green
school was founded in 1761, by Mr. Gabriel Newton, of
Leicester, who endowed it with a rent-charge of £26.
The Seminary of St. Felix, a strictly clerical establishment, was founded by the Right Rev. Dr. William Wareing, Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District, and is designed as a nursery for ecclesiastics, and to aid in the
extension of the Roman Catholic religion in the district:
the bishop has fixed his residence at Northampton, and
the seminary is conducted under his superintendence.
St. John's Hospital, said to have been founded in 1090
by William, Archdeacon of Northampton, for the reception of aged and infirm persons, is governed by a master
and two brothers who officiate as chaplains: there are
eight aged women, who receive a small weekly allowance
in money, and a supply of coal. The Hospital of St.
Thomas à Becket was instituted by the burgesses, about
the year 1450, for the support of twelve aged widows;
the endowment was augmented in 1654, by Sir John
Langham, for six additional widows, and has been increased by subsequent benefactions: the income is about
£850 per annum, and a commodious new building has
been erected in the parish of St. Giles. The Infirmary,
to the east of the town, erected and fitted up by subscription, in 1793, at an expense of nearly £25,000, is a
handsome building of white stone. A county lunatic
asylum has been built at a short distance from the infirmary. There are numerous and extensive bequests
for benevolent purposes, among which may be noticed
Sir Thomas White's fund, amounting to upwards of
£15,000, for loans, in sums of £100 each, for nine years
without interest, to young tradesmen on their commencing business. The poor-law union of Northampton
consists of 17 parishes or places, containing a population
of 28,103.
Among the Monastic institutions that existed here,
were, the priory of St. Andrew, founded about 1076, for
Cluniac monks, and the revenue of which at the Dissolution was £344. 13. 7.; an abbey of Black canons, established about 1112 by William Peverill, natural son of
William the Conqueror, and dedicated to St. James, the
revenue of which was £213. 17. 2.; the abbey de la
Pré or de Pratis, for nuns of the Cluniac order, instituted in the reign of Stephen, by Simon de St. Liz,
second earl of Northampton, and dedicated to St. Mary,
the revenue of which was £119. 9. 7¼.; a house of
Friars minors, built about the year 1217, on ground
to the north of the market-place, given to them by the
inhabitants, who were consequently regarded as the
founders, the revenue of which was £6. 13. 4.; an
hospital on the south side of the town, for a master and
leprous brethren, established in 1240 by Henry III.,
and dedicated to St. Leonard, of which the revenue was
£12. 4. 8., and which is now consolidated with the hospital of St. Thomas à Becket; a Carmelite priory, instituted
in 1271 by Simon de Montfort, the revenue of which
was £10. 10.; a priory and chapel for Augustine friars,
built in 1322 by John Longville, near the south gate;
and the college of All Saints, erected in 1459, for a
master and two fellows, whose revenue was £2. 13. 4.
Of the ancient Castle only a few vestiges, consisting of
mounds of earth, are to be traced; and of the embattled
walls and the four gates of the town, which were demolished by order of the king in 1662, there are no
remains. Robert Brown, founder of the religious sect
called Brownists, was a native of the town. Dr. Samuel
Parker, Bishop of Oxford in the reign of James II., and
author of some curious historical memoirs, was also
born here, in 1640; and Dr. Philip Doddridge, author
of the Family Expositor, was tutor in a dissenting academy
at Northampton, until a short time previous to his death
in 1749. The town gives the titles of Earl and Marquess
to the family of Compton.
Northamptonshire
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, an inland county,
bounded on the north by the counties of Leicester,
Rutland, and Lincoln; on the east by those of Cambridge, Huntingdon, and Bedford; on the south, by
Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire; and on the west,
by Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. It extends obliquely from 51° 59' to 52° 42' (N. Lat.), and from
0° 9' to 1° 19' (W. Lon.); and includes an area of 1017
square miles, or 650,880 statute acres. There are
40,841 houses inhabited, 1677 uninhabited, and 291 in
progress of erection; and the population amounts to
199,228, of whom 98,977 are males.
In the time of the ancient Britons, the county formed
the most southern part of the territory of the Coritani;
by the Romans it was included in the division of Flavia
Cæsariensis, and by the Saxons in the kingdom of Mercia. It is in the diocese of Peterborough, and province
of Canterbury; comprising the deaneries of Brackley,
Daventry, Haddon, Higham-Ferrers, Northampton, Oundle, Peterborough, Preston, Rothwell, and Weldon, in
the archdeaconry of Northampton, with 293 parishes.
For purposes of civil government it is divided into
the hundreds of Corby, Hamfordshoe, Higham-Ferrers,
Huxloe, Navisford, Orlingbury, Polebrooke, Rothwell,
and Willybrooke, and the liberty of Nassaburgh or soke
of Peterborough, in the eastern division of the county;
and the hundreds of Chipping-Warden, Cleley, Fawsley,
Greens-Norton, Guilsborough, King's Sutton, NewbottleGrove, Spelhoe, Towcester, and Wymmersley, in the
western division. It contains the city of Peterborough;
the borough of Northampton; and the market-towns
of Brackley, Daventry, Kettering, Oundle, Thrapston,
Towcester, and Wellingborough. Under the act of the
2nd of William IV., cap. 45, it was divided into the
Northern and Southern divisions, each to send two
representatives to parliament; two members are returned for the city of Peterborough, and two for the
borough of Northampton. The county is included in
the Midland circuit; the assizes are held at Northampton, where stands the county gaol; and the quarter-sessions take place at Northampton, and at Peterborough.
The surface of the county exhibits much beauty
and variety; the greater part is agreeably diversified
by gentle undulations, the valleys being watered by
numerous rivulets, and the whole forming an interesting
scene of vale and upland, in many parts adorned with
woods and ornamented grounds. The fertility of the
soil renders it well adapted either for corn or pasturage;
and although many instances of light soils occur, yet
much the larger portion is a strong heavy staple, which
is applied to the culture of beans and wheat while in an
open state, but when inclosed is generally laid down for
permanent grass, the higher inclosed lands being kept
more in tillage. The soils comprise the black or darkcoloured soils, commonly a deep strong loam, on a
strong gravelly or clay loam substratum; the red land,
as it is called, which includes the brown and snuffcoloured loams; the white or grey loams, which are inferior in fertility to the above; the miscellaneous upland
district, including the light thin soils near Stamford,
and those dispersed in other parts of the county; and
the soil of the natural meadows and pasture lands of
the vales, and of the fen land north of Peterborough,
consisting of the decomposed matter of decayed grasses
and aquatic vegetables, combined with the sediment of
the streams, which being drained and consolidated,
forms the basis of meadow soil. Of the superficies of
the county, about 150,000 acres are in common fields,
by much the greater part being under tillage; and
about the same extent consists of modern inclosures, in
alternate grass and tillage, besides occasional, though
rare instances of tillage in the ancient inclosures.
Wheat is cultivated in both the open and inclosed fields,
on the red friable soils, and is computed annually to
occupy 60,000 acres; barley, which is the favourite
crop on the red and light sand soils, about 33,000;
oats, about 24,000; rape, about 3000; beans, 30,000,
much being exported; peas and vetches, about 15,000;
and green crops, 30,000; about 30,000 more remaining
in fallow. Hemp is grown to a considerable extent in
the fenny district on the borders of Lincolnshire and
Cambridgeshire. Woad is cultivated and prepared for
the dyers. The grass-land, including not only all pleasure-grounds, but also clover and other artificial and
temporary grasses, is computed to amount to 375,000
acres. The extent of meadow is not less than 40,000
acres, the largest tract being that on the sides of the
Nene, which river, commencing in different branches
many miles above Northampton, extends down to Peterborough, and, in consequence of its winding course, is
upwards of sixty miles in length. From Northampton
westward, a great quantity of cheese is made; and in
that part of the county south of the Coventry and London road are numerous dairies, the produce of which is
chiefly butter. Many sheep and cattle are fattened on
the pastures; and it is computed, that, besides what
are consumed in the county or sold in the neighbouring
districts, 15,000 head of fat-cattle, and about 100,000
sheep and lambs, are annually sent to London. The
beef and mutton produced annually are thought to
be nearly equal in weight, amounting each to about
27,000,000lb.; the number of sheep is estimated at
250,000, and that of cattle at about 33,750.
A considerable portion of the county, supposed to be
about one-fourth, remains uninclosed; yet the waste
tracts are of comparatively trifling extent. Some of the
hilly land near Daventry is confined to sheep-walks,
and of the same description are the common of StokeBruerne, and a few others: the whole amount of unproductive land, with the exception of Peterborough fen,
is less than 1000 acres. The great Peterborough fen is
a perfectly level tract, originally formed, like the adjoining fen lands of the counties of Cambridge and Lincoln, by the deposits of the neighbouring rivers, Ouse,
Nene, and Welland; containing between 6000 and 7000
acres; and having a fine soil susceptible of the highest
cultivation. The woodlands are very extensive, and
may be classed under the four distinct heads of forests,
chases, purlieu woods, and plantations on freehold property. The most considerable forest is that of Rockingham, which was anciently one of the largest in the kingdom, extending about thirty miles in length, from
Northampton to Stamford, and about eight in breadth,
from the river Nene to the Welland and the Maidwell.
It now reaches from the vicinity of Wansford, on the
great north road, towards Weldon and Rockingham,
and still further to the south-west, forming an almost
continued chain of woodland for a distance of nearly
twenty miles; its boundaries are not exactly defined,
but it is supposed to contain from 8000 to 10,000 acres.
The next in extent is Whittlebury or Whittlewood Forest,
which stretches along the southern border of the county,
to the south of Towcester, for a distance of upwards
of eleven miles, and contains about 7000 acres. A
third is Salcey Forest, between Northampton and Newport-Pagnell. The entire extent of these three forests
is about 20,000 acres. Geddington Chase, said to contain about 14,000 acres, of which 12,000 are woodland,
the remainder consisting of lawns, ridings, and vistas,
was formerly included in Rockingham Forest; but
permission was given by the crown to the ancestors of
the Montague family to disafforest it. Yardley Chase
was a portion of Salcey Forest, but has likewise been
disafforested. The purlieu woods in the county are
numerous, and cover large breadths of land: they are
situated immediately in the vicinity of the forests, and
at one time formed part of them; but the respective
owners having obtained grants and permissions from
the crown to disafforest them, and appropriate them to
their own use, they are not now subject to the laws and
regulations that regard the forest woods. These, together
with the extensive woods and plantations that abound on
freehold property, amount to about 20,000 acres.
The Mineral productions include neither coal nor any of
the metals. Limestone is found in various parts; and
freestone, often of a calcareous nature, is raised at
Brackley, Kingsthorpe (near Northampton), and various
other places. A whitish kind of slate, used for roofing,
is obtained in considerable quantities at Collyweston,
near Stamford, and most of the buildings in that and
the adjacent townships are covered with it; the laminæ
are generally of good size, but rather thick and heavy.
Good clay for making bricks and tiles is found in different parts of the county. The principal articles of Manufacture are, shoes, bone-lace, and woollen-stuffs, consisting chiefly of moreens, tammies, and calimancoes. In
Northampton, Wellingborough, and other towns, many
persons are engaged in making shoes for supplying the
army and navy, and the shops in London, and for exportation to foreign countries; about 7000 or 8000
pairs being made weekly. In Wellingborough and its
neighbourhood, and towards the south-western corner
of the county, lace-making affords employment to a
great portion of the population, chiefly young women
and boys. The manufacture of silk stockings is carried
on at Towcester and Kettering. At Towcester woolstapling constitutes the main branch of trade; and at
Daventry is a manufactory for whips. The principal
Rivers are, the Nene or Nen, the Welland, the Ouse, the
Charwell, the Avon, and the Leam, all of which rise
within the limits of the county: the Nene becomes
navigable at Northampton, and quits the county at
Peterborough; the Welland becomes navigable at Stamford. The Oxford canal runs for a considerable distance
along the western confines of the county, and passes
through two small projecting parts of it. The Grand
Junction canal commences at the Oxford canal at
Braunston, and, pursuing a south-eastern course across
the county, quits it at Cosgrove for Buckinghamshire:
a collateral cut from this canal at Gayton to the river
Nene, at Northampton, has been formed within the last
few years. The London and Birmingham railway, which
runs through nearly the same districts as the Junction
canal, enters the county near Ashton, and, passing
about midway between the towns of Northampton and
Towcester, leaves Daventry about four miles to the left,
and quits the shire a little beyond Kilsby. At Blisworth,
a branch of the Birmingham railway commences; it
runs by Northampton, and following the valley of the
Nene, touches or passes near the towns of Wellingborough, Higham-Ferrers, Thrapston, and Oundle, and terminates at Peterborough. That part of the Syston and
Peterborough railway which connects the towns of Peterborough and Stamford, is also within the limits of
Northamptonshire.
Of the four consular or military ways made by the
Romans in Britain, two are still visible in different parts
of the county, namely, the Watling-street and the Ermin-street, the latter of which, soon after its entrance
from Cambridgeshire at Caistor, divides into two
branches, passing into Lincolnshire by two different
points on the Welland: the Watling-street enters at
Old Stratford, and crosses the Lesser Avon at Dow
bridge in its course into Leicestershire. Most of the
Roman fortresses and garrisons were erected either
upon these ways or in their vicinity. Stations and forts
are also thought to have been constructed on the south
side of the Nene, to guard the passages and fords, and
to check the inroads of the Britons who inhabited the
woods on the other side, which extended from the Nene
to the Welland. On the line of the Watling-street are
supposed to have been three principal stations within
the limits of the county, namely, Lactodorum, which is
placed at Towcester; Benaventa, or Bennavennum, variously placed at Weedon-Beck, Castle Dykes, and near
Daventry, which last position seems to be the most
probable; and Tripontium, usually placed at Lilbourn,
though Horsley supposes it to have been at Rugby, in
Warwickshire. The only station situated on the Erminstreet was Durobrivæ, at or near Caistor. Remains of tessellated pavements, coins, &c., have been found in various
places, especially at Weldon, and at Cotterstock near
Oundle. Besides the intrenchments already mentioned
as either decidedly Roman, or supposed to be such, are
the ancient encampments of Arbury Banks, Raynsbury
Camp, "the Boroughs" at Guilsborough, and others.
The number of religious houses of all denominations,
including colleges, hospitals, &c., was about 55: the remains are inconsiderable, excepting Peterborough cathedral (which was the church of the ancient abbey of
Medeshampstead or Peterborough) and the churches,
anciently collegiate, of Fotheringay, Higham-Ferrers,
and Irthlingborough. Of ancient mansion-houses the
county affords a few interesting specimens, particularly
those of Burleigh, Kirkby, Castle-Ashby, Fawsley,
Rushton, and Drayton. Burleigh House, the seat of
the Marquess of Exeter, is the most magnificent of
the numerous mansions that adorn the county, among
which, also, Althorp, the property and residence of Earl
Spencer, is one of the most distinguished. There are
mineral springs at Astrop, Northampton, and Wellingborough; and at Rothwell a petrifying well.
Northaw (St. Thomas à Becket)
NORTHAW (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish, in
the union of Hatfield, hundred of Cashio, or liberty
of St. Alban's, county of Hertford, 4½ miles (N. E. by
N.) from the town of Barnet; containing 609 inhabitants.
The living is a donative; net income, £150; patron and
impropriator, the Rev. A. Trenchard, D.D. The church
was rebuilt in 1810, at an expense of £1600, defrayed by
W. Strode, Esq., the late patron. A free school is endowed
with £20 per annum. There is a fine saline spring, formerly much resorted to.
Northborough (St. Andrew)
NORTHBOROUGH (St. Andrew), a parish, in the
union and soke of Peterborough, N. division of the
county of Northampton, 1¾ mile (S. E. by S.) from
Market-Deeping; containing 272 inhabitants. It comprises about 735 acres of inclosed land in good cultivation; the soil is chiefly clay, interspersed with sand and
gravel, and part of the parish borders on the fenny district. The river Welland, within a mile of the village, is
navigable for corn and coal boats. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10. 19. 7.; net
income, £373; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Peterborough. The tithes have been commuted for land
under acts of inclosure, the last of which was in 1812.
The church has a fine admixture of the Norman and the
various later styles, and contains a monument to the
family of Claypole, of whom John married Elizabeth,
daughter of Oliver Cromwell, who created him a baronet
in 1657, and made him master of the horse, and a lord
of the bedchamber. The ancient mansion of the Claypoles, a beautiful specimen of the decorated style, has
been converted into a farmhouse.
Northbourne (St. Augustine)
NORTHBOURNE (St. Augustine), a parish, in
the union of Eastry, partly in the hundred of Eastry,
but chiefly in the hundred of Cornilo, lathe of St.
Augustine, E. division of Kent, 2¾ miles (W.) from
Deal; containing 885 inhabitants. It comprises 2289
acres, of which 2038 are arable. The living is a vicarage, with that of Shoulden annexed, valued in the king's
books at £12. 11. 8.; net income, £398; patron and
appropriator, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The church
consists of a nave, chancel, and transepts, with a large
square central tower, and is in the Norman style: the
south transept contains a handsome monument to the
memory of Sir Edwin Sandys and his lady. In the
parish are the ruins of an ancient chapel; and upon the
north-north-eastern point of the open downs, near Little
Betshanger, are the remains of a camp formed for the
forces which lay here under the command of Capt. Pike,
to oppose the landing of the Spaniards in 1558.
Northbrook
NORTHBROOK, a tything, in the parish and hundred of Mitcheldever, union of Winchester, Winchester and N. divisions of Hampshire, 5 miles (S. E.)
from Whitchurch; containing 224 inhabitants.
Northchapel (St. Michael)
NORTHCHAPEL (St. Michael), a parish, in the
union of Midhurst, hundred of Rotherbridge, rape
of Arundel, W. division of Sussex, 5 miles (N. by W.)
from Petworth; containing 843 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road from London to Petworth, and bounded on the north by the county of Surrey,
was formerly part of the parish of Petworth, but was
separated in 1718, by act of parliament. It comprises
by admeasurement 3739 acres, of which 1875 are arable,
318 meadow and pasture, and 1105 woodland. At
Fisher-street, works were erected by government at a
great expense, for making charcoal for gunpowder;
they were sold after the peace, and are now carried on
by a private individual. There are also a tanyard, and
works for making pyroligneous acid. The living is a
rectory not in charge, in the gift of Col. Wyndham: the
tithes have been commuted for £400, and the glebe comprises 3 acres. The Rev. John Johnson, late rector, in
1831 left £100 towards rebuilding the church, in consequence of which, it was enlarged in 1833 by the erection
of a north transept, and repewed, and the tower rebuilt
chiefly at the expense of the Earl of Egremont, and with
the bequest above mentioned. In 1835, also, the earl
erected a Sunday school, which he endowed with £333.
6. 8. three per cent. consols.; and two almshouses, to
which he assigned £1500 three per cent. consols.
Northchurch.—See Berkhampstead.
NORTHCHURCH.—See Berkhampstead.
Northcott
NORTHCOTT, a hamlet, in the parish of Boyton,
union of Holsworthy, hundred of Black Torrington, Holsworthy and N. divisions of Devon, 5¼ miles
(N. by E.) from Launceston; with 100 inhabitants.
Northcourt
NORTHCOURT, a hamlet, in the parish of St.
Helen, Abingdon, union of Abingdon, hundred of
Hormer, county of Berks; containing 227 inhabitants. It is near the Abingdon and Oxford road.
Northcove, Suffolk.—See Cove, North.
NORTHCOVE, Suffolk.—See Cove, North.
Northen, or Northenden (St. Wilfrid)
NORTHEN, or Northenden (St. Wilfrid), a parish, in the union of Altrincham, hundred of Macclesfield, North division of the county of Chester;
containing, with the tything of Northen-Etchells, 1386
inhabitants, of whom 659 are in the township of Northen,
7 miles (S.) from Manchester. This place once belonged
to the Tatton family, whose ancient Hall, during the
reign of Charles I., was garrisoned for the king, and
besieged and ultimately taken by the parliamentarians;
the remains exhibit features of very great antiquity.
The parish is situated on the river Mersey, and comprises 3386 acres, of which 1165 are in the township of
Northen; the whole is in a high state of cultivation.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£10. 7. 6.; net income, £406; patrons, the Dean and
Chapter of Chester. The tithes of Northen township
have been commuted for £177, and the glebe consists of
42 acres. The church, originally a fine specimen of
Norman architecture, of which it retains many beautiful
details, has been much disfigured by alterations, and is
now principally in the later English style; it has an
enriched wooden screen.
Northend
NORTHEND, a hamlet, in the parish of Crayford,
union of Dartford, hundred of Lessness, lathe of
Sutton-at-Hone, W. division of Kent; containing 191
inhabitants. This place is situated to the north of the
village of Crayford, and to the south of that of Erith,
about midway between those two places, and is in the
immediate vicinity of the river Thames and the road
from London to Dartford.
Northfield (St. Lawrence)
NORTHFIELD (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the
union of King's-Norton, Upper division of the hundred
of Halfshire, E. division of Worcestershire, 6 miles
(S. W. by S.) from Birmingham; containing 2201 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road from
Birmingham to Worcester, comprises 5789 acres of land,
held by various proprietors, of whom Joseph Frederick
Ledsam, Esq., of Edgbaston, is lord of the manor. The
surface is pleasingly undulated, and the soil generally a
strong clayey loam, producing excellent crops of wheat
and beans, with a due portion of good turnip soil; the
substratum abounds with freestone, which is extensively
quarried, and much of which has been used in the erection of the new churches in the surrounding districts.
There are some elegant mansions belonging to professional gentlemen and merchants, whose business is chiefly
in Birmingham. Many of the inhabitants are employed
in the manufacture of nails; and some chemical-works
are carried on upon the banks of the Netherton canal,
which passes through the parish, as do also the small
river Rea and the Birmingham and Worcester canal.
The living is a rectory, with the living of Coston-Hacket
annexed, valued in the king's books at £14. 15. 2½., and
in the gift of Messrs. Fenwick, of Sunderland: the tithes
have been commuted for £805, and the glebe comprises
44 acres. The church is an ancient structure, chiefly in
the early and decorated English styles, with a Norman
doorway; the interior is spacious, and consists of a nave,
north and south aisles, and a splendid chancel, ornamented with beautiful representations of the Four Evangelists, several other figures, and coats of arms: of 639
sittings nearly all are free. A district church, dedicated
to St. Michael, was erected at Bartley-Green in 1838.
There are two places of worship for Wesleyans; and
two schools, one of which is on the national system, are
endowed with the dividends of £433. 6. 8. three per
cents. Some remains exist of Weoley Castle, formerly
belonging to the Jervoise family, and now the property
of Mr. Ledsam: and vases, coins of Henry III. and
Edward I., an old spur, the skeleton of a stag, and
other relics of antiquity, have been found in and near
the moat.
Northfleet (St. Botolph)
NORTHFLEET (St. Botolph), a parish, in the union
of North Aylesford, hundred of Toltingtrough,
lathe of Aylesford, W. division of Kent, 1½ mile (W.)
from Gravesend, and 20 miles (E.) from London; containing 3621 inhabitants. This place is mentioned in
Domesday book, and is supposed to have been more
anciently a Roman and a Danish station. The parish
comprises by measurement 3900 acres, of which 200
are common, and 116 wood. It is bounded on the north
by the Thames, at a distance from which the face of the
country is diversified with gently rising hills and small
valleys. To the north-west the land lies so low as to be
overflowed at high tides, and the flood would extend
even beyond the London road if not prevented by a raised
causeway and bridge, to which gates are affixed as a
barrier against the tides, and an outlet for the fresh
water. The original bridge was erected at an early
period, and rebuilt of brick in 1634, but this being found
inconvenient, another has been constructed in a line with
the direction of the road. Large chalk and lime works
extend from the north side of the village to the Thames.
Lime is sent off in considerable quantities for the builders
in London, and is also exported to Holland and Flanders,
the refuse being used for manuring the land in Essex,
Suffolk, and Norfolk. The chalk-pits are very extensive,
and strata of flint stones abound, which are frequently
wrought into flints for guns: imbedded in the chalk are
many curious fossils, chiefly echinites and glossopetræ or
sharks' teeth; and some of the flints inclose cockleshells filled with chalk, forming singular natural curiosities. Here is a large yard for ship-building, near which
is a spacious dock excavated in the solid chalk, and
capable of containing six or seven ships; an establishment for the manufacture of Parker's Roman cement is
likewise carried on. Fairs are held on Easter and Whit
Tuesdays, and on the 24th of March.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books
at £21, and in the patronage of the Crown; impropriator, the Earl of Aylesford: the great tithes have been
commuted for £683, and the vicarial for £600. The
church, which is one of the largest in the diocese, displays various styles of English architecture, with several
good decorated windows; the chancel contains the remains of some ancient oak stalls. In the south wall are
three stone seats, and on a slab in the pavement is a fulllength brass figure of a priest standing beneath a richlyornamented canopy, with an imperfect Latin inscription
around the verge of the slab; the grave below being
opened about half a century since, the body of Peter de
Lucy was found enveloped in leather. Among the monuments of more modern date is a fine alabaster tomb to
the memory of Dr. Edward Browne, physician to Charles
II., and author of Travels in Hungary. Nursted church
being close to the village of Northfleet, and Northfleet
church five miles distant, Mr. W. Edmeads some years
ago, at his own expense, built a gallery in the former
for the accommodation of the inhabitants of Northfleet.
Huggens' College, at Northfleet, was incorporated by
act of parliament in 1847. There is a place of worship
for Wesleyans.
North-Forty-Foot-Bank, or Fen-Corner
NORTH-FORTY-FOOT-BANK, or Fen-Corner,
an extra-parochial liberty, in the union of Boston,
wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county of
Lincoln, 9 miles (N. W. by W.) from the town of Boston;
containing 343 inhabitants.
North-Hill (St. Torney)
NORTH-HILL (St. Torney), a parish, in the union
of Launceston, N. division of the hundred of East,
E. division of Cornwall, 6¾ miles (S. W. by S.) from
Launceston; containing 1217 inhabitants. The parish
is bounded for a short distance on the north by the
river Inny, and is intersected by the Lynher, which discharges itself into the Hamoaze. It comprises by survey 6732 acres, of which 2333 are common or waste.
There are some stream tin-works in the southern portion
of it, and manganese has been found; good buildingstone is quarried in several parts, and the substratum
of the southern districts is chiefly granite. Fairs are
held in the beginning of September and November.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£36. 6. 8., and in the gift of the Rev. Dr. Rodd: the
tithes have been commuted for £538; the glebe comprises 50 acres. The church is a handsome structure
of granite, in the early English style, with a lofty embattled tower crowned by pinnacles, and contains several
interesting monuments, among which, in the south aisle,
is a splendid one to the memory of the Spoure family,
of Trebartha Hall, in the parish. At Trebartha and
Landreyne were formerly chapels. There are places of
worship for Wesleyans; and a national school supported by Dr. Rodd. From a lofty elevation in the
grounds of Trebartha Park, a stream tributary to the
Lynher descends with much picturesque beauty, forming
several falls in its course for nearly a mile. On a tor
near the road side are several rock basins, called
"Arthur's Troughs," near which are some Druidical
remains, and Arthur's Hall, an opening 60 feet long.
North-Holme
NORTH-HOLME, a parish, in the union of Spilsby,
Marsh division of the wapentake of Candleshoe, parts
of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 8 miles (S. E. by E.)
from Spilsby; containing 140 inhabitants. The living
is a rectory, united to that of Wainfleet. The church
has been destroyed, and not a trace of it now exists, but
the cemetery is still used.